Upgrading when you have paid with Avios

Upgrading when you have paid with Avios

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theplayingmantis

Original Poster:

3,721 posts

81 months

Wednesday 17th January 2018
quotequote all
Flying to LV in May with BA, 3 of us, flights paid for in points.

Today i called BA to upgrade outbound to business/club world...
No business seats left for flights paid for by point payments.
Ok are there any left for cash customers?
Yes.
OK can i pay cash to upgrade?
No
Why?
Points flights only have certain numbers of points seats in business allocated.
Is there no way to upgarde at all then using points or cash as we paid for flights with points?
No
Ok what about premium economy.
Same

They said they would make a note and let us know if anyone cancels and seats become available but i dont hold out much hope.

Short of cancelling and rebooking (which aint gonna happen) has anyone got experience of this or a way round it? First long haul paid for in points, so never tried to upgrade on a flight paid for in points before.


Why do they even have such a policy, surely there losing potential revenue as we would have upgraded but aren't allowed to even though there is space.

GCH

3,984 posts

201 months

Wednesday 17th January 2018
quotequote all
Normal.
You could check nearer the date, as stuff does open up nearer the time, particularly in the last couple of weeks, but for three of you I wouldn't get your hopes up too much.

Also check and see if anything with a connection is available - LAX, NYC, SFO and other not so obvious routes



Btw, using avios for long haul coach is usually a complete waste of points

Puggit

48,355 posts

247 months

Wednesday 17th January 2018
quotequote all
Sounds like you're booked in to cattle? BA only allow you to upgrade one class anyway!

HotJambalaya

2,023 posts

179 months

Wednesday 17th January 2018
quotequote all
First rule of this stuff is to understand the rules of the game.

There are only a certain amount of award seats available on any given flight. Your options are to cancel the avios flight and book entirely in cash, or to book a cash ticket in a lower class on a date when the higher class is available as an award and upgrade into it. You can even do that in one transaction on the ba booking site.

You can upgrade some cash bookings with your avios IF there are award seats available. If award seats are available in a higher class you can cancel and rebook into the higher award class, but book and hold those seats first before you cancel your original seats in case someone else gets them first.

Oh, and usually its utterly pointless (if you'll excuse the pun) to use avios for economy seats. Your target should be AT LEAST 1p of value per avios. So you should compare the cost of the cash fare with what you've paid in avios + taxes.

The Leaper

4,937 posts

205 months

Wednesday 17th January 2018
quotequote all
I agree that using Avios for economy seats is a waste of points. You get far more value by using them for seats in a higher class of travel. Been doing this since BA Miles (for-runner of Avios) were introduced.

R.

theplayingmantis

Original Poster:

3,721 posts

81 months

Wednesday 17th January 2018
quotequote all
thanks, not my points used so somewhat limited in what i do i said it was stoopid to my mate who did it at the time! i use mine up from to pay for Marbs flights from city for my sins, hence never using them on long haul.

dreading 10 hours in coach...tolerable on way back as wont be with it. but its a crap start to a tiring holiday.

theplayingmantis

Original Poster:

3,721 posts

81 months

Wednesday 17th January 2018
quotequote all
HotJambalaya said:
First rule of this stuff is to understand the rules of the game.

There are only a certain amount of award seats available on any given flight. Your options are to cancel the avios flight and book entirely in cash, or to book a cash ticket in a lower class on a date when the higher class is available as an award and upgrade into it. You can even do that in one transaction on the ba booking site.

You can upgrade some cash bookings with your avios IF there are award seats available. If award seats are available in a higher class you can cancel and rebook into the higher award class, but book and hold those seats first before you cancel your original seats in case someone else gets them first.

Oh, and usually its utterly pointless (if you'll excuse the pun) to use avios for economy seats. Your target should be AT LEAST 1p of value per avios. So you should compare the cost of the cash fare with what you've paid in avios + taxes.
whats the cost of cancelling a points booking? points are from amex use if that makes any differnce assume not.

Flight has more than doubled in price since we booked as BA in there infinite wisdom cancelled the morning departure for a May wkend in LV...thats never popular is it... so we not that keen on canclling

GCH

3,984 posts

201 months

Wednesday 17th January 2018
quotequote all
theplayingmantis said:
whats the cost of cancelling a points booking?
£35/person, plus an extra £15 if you do it over the phone