Discussion
So I have amassed 11000 miles so thought I'd use them for a week in Nice come July. Great! I can go BA for 9000 points but hang on! tax, surcharges etc add £85 to be paid yet if I fly Sleazy Jet at the same times and dates the total cost is £116.
Can anyone explain? Do I think that Sleazy is only charging me £21 on top of essential costs, or are BA taking the p155.
Should I ditch my BA Amex card that I can't use anywhere? Boy! I should have stuck to Nectar.
Can anyone explain? Do I think that Sleazy is only charging me £21 on top of essential costs, or are BA taking the p155.
Should I ditch my BA Amex card that I can't use anywhere? Boy! I should have stuck to Nectar.
Costs at Heathrow are way beyond those of airports were EasyJet fly from.
BA states the fees are £84.40 from LHR - it's a bit harder to find them on the EasyJet site...
A couple of years ago I took Mrs Puggit to Mauritius on Star Alliance points, including a return home in First. Total taxes/fees/fuel surcharges came to £400 each. More than a simple economy return on Air Mauritius
BA states the fees are £84.40 from LHR - it's a bit harder to find them on the EasyJet site...
A couple of years ago I took Mrs Puggit to Mauritius on Star Alliance points, including a return home in First. Total taxes/fees/fuel surcharges came to £400 each. More than a simple economy return on Air Mauritius
The Leaper said:
I only ever use BA Miles to upgrade: it's never really worth using them for economy tickets because of the competitors' pricing.
R.
BA miles are only of any value for premium bookings. If you can get up to 12.5k miles that'll upgrade a WT+ ticket to the states up to Club World (one way) saving you £1000+.R.
The Leaper said:
I only ever use BA Miles to upgrade: it's never really worth using them for economy tickets because of the competitors' pricing.
R.
Agreed. I've got a few hundred thousand BA miles & only use them for upgrades. The taxes just don't make it worthwhile to redeem them for an economy booking. R.
Same here, I have a couple of hundred thousand BA points and I'm currently looking at using them to upgrade from WT+ to Business on my next private flight home from DXB
including all taxes and charges it's 20,000 miles and 850 quid to fly business class on both legs
economy on both legs if I pay cash is 580 quid, so for less than 300 notes I go from cattle to business
definately the best value way of using BA Miles, that said, at least they can be used... I'm still trying to find a way of spending the 300k Emirates miles I have!
including all taxes and charges it's 20,000 miles and 850 quid to fly business class on both legs
economy on both legs if I pay cash is 580 quid, so for less than 300 notes I go from cattle to business
definately the best value way of using BA Miles, that said, at least they can be used... I'm still trying to find a way of spending the 300k Emirates miles I have!
K50 DEL said:
I'm still trying to find a way of spending the 300k Emirates miles I have!
You can sell them to me (well, my company). I book and pay for all my flights and claim on expenses. Just looking to book flights to the UK for the family annual holiday and to Houston next week. Thats AED40k plus in flights that 300,000 would easily cover....From what I can see, BA miles have become utterly pointless.
I have over 400,000 of them, and regardless of whether I book the entire flight using miles or upgrade an economy fare, it's just not worth using them.
On European short haul, most places can be reached for less on Easyjet or Ryanair than the taxes and charges alone from BA.
On longhaul, the taxes themselves have become so bloody extortionate that it just doesn't seem worth doing.
I have, however, just discovered that BA allow you to sell them transfer them to a friend's account who doesn't live at your address for a fee of £35 per 5,000 miles. I can feel Ebay beckoning!
I have over 400,000 of them, and regardless of whether I book the entire flight using miles or upgrade an economy fare, it's just not worth using them.
On European short haul, most places can be reached for less on Easyjet or Ryanair than the taxes and charges alone from BA.
On longhaul, the taxes themselves have become so bloody extortionate that it just doesn't seem worth doing.
I have, however, just discovered that BA allow you to sell them transfer them to a friend's account who doesn't live at your address for a fee of £35 per 5,000 miles. I can feel Ebay beckoning!
Kermit power said:
I have, however, just discovered that BA allow you to sell them transfer them to a friend's account who doesn't live at your address for a fee of £35 per 5,000 miles. I can feel Ebay beckoning!
Kermit, I'd be interested in some of those, depending on your mark up! PM me if you're serious.
oilydan said:
K50 DEL said:
I'm still trying to find a way of spending the 300k Emirates miles I have!
You can sell them to me (well, my company). I book and pay for all my flights and claim on expenses. Just looking to book flights to the UK for the family annual holiday and to Houston next week. Thats AED40k plus in flights that 300,000 would easily cover....Fourmotion said:
Kermit, I'd be interested in some of those, depending on your mark up!
PM me if you're serious.
Certainly serious! I can't see myself using them otherwise.PM me if you're serious.
If you look on the BA Exec website, it gives you all the details of how much it costs to buy miles, and how much it costs to transfer them. I figured I'd simply ask for the difference between the two.
As an example, the maximum you can transfer to any one other person is 19,000 miles. This would cost £319 to buy, or £140 to transfer, so split the difference would be £229.50.
If you're interested, let me know how many you want. They can only be done in multiples of 1,000.
Kermit power said:
From what I can see, BA miles have become utterly pointless.
I have over 400,000 of them, and regardless of whether I book the entire flight using miles or upgrade an economy fare, it's just not worth using them.
On European short haul, most places can be reached for less on Easyjet or Ryanair than the taxes and charges alone from BA.
On longhaul, the taxes themselves have become so bloody extortionate that it just doesn't seem worth doing.
I have, however, just discovered that BA allow you to sell them transfer them to a friend's account who doesn't live at your address for a fee of £35 per 5,000 miles. I can feel Ebay beckoning!
Are you serious (about not being worth using them)?I have over 400,000 of them, and regardless of whether I book the entire flight using miles or upgrade an economy fare, it's just not worth using them.
On European short haul, most places can be reached for less on Easyjet or Ryanair than the taxes and charges alone from BA.
On longhaul, the taxes themselves have become so bloody extortionate that it just doesn't seem worth doing.
I have, however, just discovered that BA allow you to sell them transfer them to a friend's account who doesn't live at your address for a fee of £35 per 5,000 miles. I can feel Ebay beckoning!
200,000 will bag you two long haul Club returns. Cash value? About £6k.
300,000 will bag you two long haul First class returns. Cash value? Over £10k.
Using them on short haul, or economy long haul is a mug's game. But not on premium long haul even allowing for taxes & surcharges.
Get a BA Amex two for one voucher and 100k will bag you two long haul Club returns, etc...
Greg66 said:
Are you serious (about not being worth using them)?
200,000 will bag you two long haul Club returns. Cash value? About £6k.
300,000 will bag you two long haul First class returns. Cash value? Over £10k.
Using them on short haul, or economy long haul is a mug's game. But not on premium long haul even allowing for taxes & surcharges.
Get a BA Amex two for one voucher and 100k will bag you two long haul Club returns, etc...
We have kids of 8, 5 & 3. We're not going to take a long haul holiday without them for a good 10 years, and it just gets stupidly expensive to do it with them. 200,000 will bag you two long haul Club returns. Cash value? About £6k.
300,000 will bag you two long haul First class returns. Cash value? Over £10k.
Using them on short haul, or economy long haul is a mug's game. But not on premium long haul even allowing for taxes & surcharges.
Get a BA Amex two for one voucher and 100k will bag you two long haul Club returns, etc...
Given that 10 years ago, even short haul on miles was cracking value, Christ only knows how much they will have deteriorated in another 10 years.
If I could use them to book hotels and the like, that would be ab altogether different picture, but as it is, getting £6k of tickets for £800 isn't all that attractive considering alternative uses of £800 closer to home.
Broomsticklady said:
We're off to Thailand with BA in December. I've forked out for WTP, but couldn't stretch to Club. I enquired about Mile availabilty redemption and was told no joy - am I likely to have more joy with an upgrade? Do the availability requirements still stand?
Upgrades and straight redemptions come out of the same 'bucket' however it's worth checking online from time to time (more so as your trip approaches) to see if any availability opens up.Normally agree. The cost of taxes and surcharges have risen so much that using them on economy tickets is rarely worth it.
Off to SA in December prem. economy on Air Miles though. Seemed to work out OK, and whilst one could no doubt compare the "cost" to other airlines operating different timetables and airports, the miles were sat there doing nowt so why not. It's not as if the tax/surcharges situation will get better!
Off to SA in December prem. economy on Air Miles though. Seemed to work out OK, and whilst one could no doubt compare the "cost" to other airlines operating different timetables and airports, the miles were sat there doing nowt so why not. It's not as if the tax/surcharges situation will get better!
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