Book Your Dream Trip with Avios Using These Simple Reward Flight Tips

[@DPWestMids-u3c]

“You have to have Qatar account and have some Avios in it to search. “ How do you do this in practice with no fee involved. Transfer some Avios from BA? Thanks Phil

[@mygreygapyear]

Thank you for your excellent question. I have assumed some knowledge there, which is a mistake on my part. You would need to do three things, firstly you need to create a Qatar Privilege Account. Second you can then connect or link your Qatar account to your Executive Club Account. Once you've done that you can thirdly transfer your Avios between them. Transfers between accounts is simple, fast and without any cost or loss of Avios. However, you can sometimes find a better deal on the BA website over the Qatar website so it pays to check both. Thank you Phil

[@CyattieD]

I paid for a seat using part Avios just yesterday (before watching this!) and it's about 0.55p and normally I wouldn't bother but flying on Boxing Day and didn't want to be stuck in the middle seat to Marrakech in Economy! Did get a bulkhead aisle, so was worth it. Useful video, once again, thanks.

[@mygreygapyear]

Thanks for your comment, Marrakech is quite a way to be in the middle seat.

[@noameier46]

So useful, thanks so much for taking the time out to do this! I have avios stacked up but will be flexible as to where i go with them (no doubt the missus will decide!)

[@mygreygapyear]

Thanks for your comment and support, much appreciated. Let me know what you decide 😊

[@andrewgibbs3790]

Great video as always. I managed to book a LHR to Singapore flight at midnight on the website using a ba voucher. Also managed to get a return flight with Qatar from Melbourne to LHR for 90000 plus £190 cash. Just shows how expensive London taxes are.

[@mygreygapyear]

Congrats on getting those reward seats, those routes are hard to get availability on. Was the flight from Melbourne in business or economy? I have managed to get economy flights for 45,000 points in the past and I always look at the sold out business flights with envy, especially as the Melbourne Doha flight is in Qsuite.

[@NatalieBudgets]

I can't tell you how much great information you give for free in these videos!! I'm determined to get a decent first class ticket to ANYWHERE for as little as possible, purely for the challenge of it!

[@mygreygapyear]

Thank you, I'm glad you're finding the videos useful. I found my first tickets to Barbados by 1} Making a list of destinations that BA have first class to (I googled it). Then 2. I used seat spy to find availability for first (I used a spreadsheet, I know you love a good spreadsheet too) and then I planned a trip around that with my BA companion voucher. Barbados is actually a great location during the "rainy season" (September / October). Good luck with your hunt, do let me know how you get on, Phil

[@selinasufrazdentist-theden5317]

great video- this is like trying to understand a dark art

[@mygreygapyear]

Thank you for your kind comment, there is a bit of an art to it, but seat spy will help you find the flight you want 😊

[@jimmyjames6492]

Thanks for the info + video!

[@mygreygapyear]

Glad it was helpful!

[@marklloyd9943]

Phil mate. Really enjoying your videos. Very useful. However on this one during your use of the BA website I noticed you’ve got your membership info visible, along with your mobile number. Might wanna blank those out. Keep up the good work 👍🏼

[@mygreygapyear]

Can you text me the time code to my mobile please

[@mygreygapyear]

Thank you Mark, I've found it and added a blur, but it might take a while to come in so I've removed your other comment. Thanks again for letting me know, and your support is much appreciated. Phil

[@marklloyd9943]

@@mygreygapyear Good stuff. No problem at all. Wouldn't want you getting dodgy messages/calls! Keep up the great content. Very useful stuff, particularly with your tier points.

[@mygreygapyear]

No, I don't want the Josh Cahill fan club to suddenly publish it 😂. I actually messed up the first blur in the editor so I've had to repeat the process, Thanks Phil

[@peterbrown6224]

SYD availability is usually the killer for me, but this was immensely helpful - *thank you*! I wonder where CX figures in this. That's one airport where you really can spend 12+ hours in the lounge and feel as fresh as a daisy afterwards.

[@mygreygapyear]

Thank you for your comment, I'm glad the video was helpful. I think BA devalued Cathay Pacific flights for Avios when booking through the BA site, but it is an interesting point. I'd probably start with AA.com and check availability that way.

[@DPWestMids-u3c]

Good timing on this Phil as I need to use my Avios points and “Twofer”. Managed Rio return in CW last year so looking for something equal or an elusive “First Class” with Concorde Room.

[@mygreygapyear]

Thanks for your comment and support. If you're looking specifically for First Class remember that BA don't fly a First Cabin to all destinations, but you could take up a SeatSpy free trial to help you find some availability. A quick Google search gave me this article, www.turningleftforless.com/news-british-airways-reintroducing-first-class-on-5-routes-and-which-ba-routes-have-first/ And don't forget Matt's Planet's tip, if you have onward travel (say to Manchester) and you have arrived in First then you can access the Concord room regardless of your class of onward travel. But if you land in First in the morning with no onward travel then you can have breakfast and a bath in the arrivals lounge. Thanks Phil

[@meansy7753]

Another wonderfully informative video. Not really a question, but because you covered it the video. I took a reward flight to Adelaide in January. 1st leg to Doha was BA, and the remaining legs on Qatar. You're absolutely right about the limited availability going into Sydney. So picking another Australian city and taking a connecting flight once there is the way to go. But be careful! Qatar's Doha>Melbourne>Adelaide route involves a 5 hour stop in Melbourne overnight, no lounges or shops open at all. So if you don't mind sleeping on a hard bench amongst stranger after enjoying your QSuite, then this is the route for you. Also I'm lead to believe that Gold Status holders have access to increased rewards flight availability?

[@mygreygapyear]

Thank you for your kind comment, your support it appreciated. Thanks for the heads up about the Doha - Melbourne - Adelaide. Sleeping in the airport is not very premium, I'm not sure what I'd do in that situation. I've heard about gold status holders getting additional rewards availability with BA, I wonder if Qatar do this too? Thanks again, Phil

[@johnp6987]

Some useful information there, cheers. With regards to using Avios, is using them to upgrade or buy the flight and pay any taxes and fees the better option in most cases would you say from experience

[@mygreygapyear]

Thank you for your question, "better" is subjective, when I plan I tend to want to make a firm plan and I'm always concerned about being able to upgrade, so I don't have any experience in this. You can only upgrade one cabin with points, so if I want to sit in club then I need to buy a premium ticket, which can be expensive all by themselves. I think I need to do some research on this, Thanks Phil

[@johnp6987]

@@mygreygapyear thanks for the answer and your right that better is personal preference. It’s all about paying in which ever method is acceptable to the individual I guess

[@immaletyoufification]

This is great, Does seatspy also allow me to search for flights eligable for a companion voucher? Looking to maximise a long hual flight to china using my companion voucher also in business class

[@mygreygapyear]

Thanks for you question. Seat Spy will tell you how many tickets are available in each class of travel for a particular destination, so if you want to use your companion voucher you can set the number of seats required to two.

[@steviem6993]

Cheers mate good video

[@mygreygapyear]

Thank you, much appreciated.

[@tbjdiamonddog]

Nice info

[@mygreygapyear]

Thanks, much appreciated.

[@joycejoyce4171]

Hi Phil, thanks for the info and very useful video. Please can you help? We are based near Manchester, UK and I want to fly to Honolulu in July this year. I have 42,450 Avios household points and I need to go with my wife and 2 children. What is the best way to do this please? Thank you in advance.

[@mygreygapyear]

Thanks for your question, but I have bad news for you I'm afraid. I'm not sure if you'll be able to use Avios for Honolulu and I doubt you have sufficient points for 4 passengers. Heathrow to LA is about 30,000 points each way per person in economy. So you could look at the BA website to see if there is availability and perhaps you can reduce the fares by paying more cash on an Avios and cash ticket, or look at cash fares and then reduce the amount of cash using Avios. It is an expensive route and in peak season the fares can be eyewatering. I wish I had better news for you, but I can't see a way for 4 people with 42,000 points. Sorry, Phil

[@junkoandnigelwates403]

Is the balance booster a good thing ?

[@mygreygapyear]

Thank you for your comment and your question. I think the best thing to do here is to make a series of statements and then you can decide if this helps you decide if Balance Booster is good for you (because that's what's important) Balance booster is a way of buying points and I personally value points at 1p each and I always aim to get 1p value out of any points I use, so I would only buy points at 1p or less (or very close to that). There are also ways to get points at zero cost so these points are significantly better than buying. I would only buy points if I knew I wanted to use them in the next 12 to 18 months. I buy points at 3x via balance booster and these cost me less than 1p each, Hope that helps, Phil

[@junkoandnigelwates403]

@@mygreygapyear Phil thats great and thank you makes sense much appreciated

[@NattyG52]

Please dont make me work it out!!! 😂 Please do, my maths is hopeless ❤

[@mygreygapyear]

I've put a much longer answer in another comment, but in short you're 62581 points are worth 62581 pennies or £628.81

[@loftyD]

I was charged 22000 Avios for a Business Class seat to HKG From LHR.

[@mygreygapyear]

Thanks for your comment, that is excellent value, well done.

[@rapt0r001]

Hi Phil, nice video. My partner and I are looking at lhr to tokyo in business, how popular are these seats? (Dont have seat spy just yet, would you be able to check roughly for the 2023? Flexible to travel in peak or off peak! Many thanks

[@mygreygapyear]

Thanks for your question, it's a popular route, but availability pops up across the calendar in premium cabins (currently good for January and February December). There is also a smattering of economy and premium economy across the year, Cherry Blossom season (and of March, beginning of April) is scarce. If you want seats on this route then I think that Seat Spy is the best tool to help you get a seat in a premium cabin, but you don't have to use it, BA does have a free tool, www.britishairways.com/travel/flightfinder/execclub/_gf/en_gb?eId=100001 (you need to login to your BA account) and you can see availability for this route. Good Luck, Phil

[@bklondon75deliciousnesswit64]

Do you share your spreadsheet to be able to see the best cash vs avios redemption?

[@mygreygapyear]

Thanks for you comment, I'd be happy to share it, if you email phil @ my grey gap year . com (remove the spaces) then I'll reply with it attached for you

[@bklondon75deliciousnesswit64]

@@mygreygapyear Thanks I've just emailed.

[@mygreygapyear]

@@bklondon75deliciousnesswit64 I've replied with the spreadsheet attached

[@the1crazydane]

ok been looking at that painting whats that about :P

[@mygreygapyear]

Thanks for your question, it's a really fun piece that was part of a sale of art produced by West Australian prison inmates. It's actually produced on a box and on the other side is Lindisfarne Island. Next time I film a video in there I'll film the box and put it at the end of the video. When I saw it I just laughed out loud, there's a fleet of ships on the first Viking raid and it felt really playful. The lettering is stencilled, possibly because the artist struggled with lettering, but I really like the bold regimented letters on there. I just loved it when I saw it and the purchase price went directly to the artist which would make their time inside a little more comfortable. I don't know the name of the artist as they chose not to share it. So thanks for your question and support, Phil

[@bepto4877]

I see Avios points for sale on ebay, are these legit points?

[@mygreygapyear]

I haven't checked but I would imagine buying points from third parties will be against the terms and conditions and I wouldn't recommend it. I have just had a look on eBay and many of the sellers are selling points for over 1p per point or have zero feedback. You can buy them legitimately from BA for 1p per point.

[@bepto4877]

@@mygreygapyear Thanks for the heads up. Just been on BA & its more than 1p per point on there, eg 60,000 is over £1k but selling on ebay UK for around £600 from sellers with over 500 feedback.

[@mygreygapyear]

If you want to buy a large number quickly then it will be over 1p per point (about 1.7p) but if you get a subscription or if you use avios boost then they should come in at under 1p each. If you do it then email me on phil @ greygapyear .com and let me know how you got on.

[@nickholden3976]

SeatSpy - Does this check reward seat Avios cost against pure cash cost ??? One problem I have found is that reward seats are often 'more expensive' than regular Google Flights seat costs. For example, a Caribbean flight for 2 in 4 months time, will cost me 140000 Avios + £300 - or 76000 Avios + £960....... but the cash price for the seats is £950 !!! So this would make the 140000 Avios + £300 mean 1 Avios is basically 0.46p !!! (and the 76000 + £960 means Avios has a negative value !!!). This is what I struggle with, finding a flight where Avios is equal to the 1p target valuation...... without having to check every single available date !! Is there a tool for this ??

[@mygreygapyear]

Thank you for your question, you raise a valid and interesting point when it comes to Avios and value, so taking each point in turn, 1. Seat Spy: This will help you find availability for reward flights and nothing else. 2.Flight Costs: If I'm interested in flying somewhere then I tend to get a "feel" for what the regular cost is to fly there. Unfortunately Google Flights is the tool for finding out costs, but you don't need to check every date, you can see costs on the date time picker. 3. Value of an Avios: The value of an Avios can is subjective. I value them at 1p and if the cash fare works out cheaper than (Avios x 1p) + fees and taxes then I will pay cash for my fare. But you might get lots of Avios for free and so you see them as costing 0p and in that case a flight for 2 to the Caribbean for £300 + free Avios is an excellent deal. I think this might be a good idea for a video about which routes and fare classes give the best value against cash fares. Without much research I can tell you what other people have told me and that generally speaking long haul economy flights, like the ones your giving for your examples tend to offer very poor value. Conversely, short haul European flights tend to offer good value. If you have sufficient Avios for a premium cabin on a long haul flight, this often offers the very best value for your Avios. My round trip to Barbados last year cost me 85,000 Avios and £740 (ish) for a round trip in First Class, that's against a general cost of £6,000 for a cash fare. One final point, it is important to compare like for like. A hand baggage only fare with Norse to the Caribbean is not the same as a reward flight with British Airways, which will include bags and (I believe, perhaps someone can correct me) meals on the flight. Thank you again Nick, I hope this helps but do please follow up if you have other queries, Phil

[@nickholden3976]

@@mygreygapyear Hi Phil, Thank you for taking the time to reply - it is appreciated. To take your point on earning avios points - is there an easy way to find this without having to go through the booking process (to ultimately get to the 'you will earn xxxx avios with this flight) ??? Ultimately I have a good handle on cash flight costs - it's finding the good avios value flights that seems tricky !!! On your final point - yes, my example was the exact same flight, same date/time, same class and baggage, etc. I have seen a few questions below on companion vouchers (and I have similar questions) - and how to use them/what website (BA I assume) and where to use them....... might be worth a short video on this?? Finally....... thanks for the work you do with this channel..... it is very useful and enlightening !!