How To Find And Book Avios Reward Flights

[@makeyourlifeeasier5794]

So much great info I probably have to watch it again...& again...

[@stratfordinternational]

Thanks for the clarity and simplicity in explaining the process 🎉

[@LeonidasC]

Thanks Charles. In depth analysis as always! Much appreciate it! One thing please that would be useful is presenting also seat upgrades (cash or/and avios)

[@simonecheng]

Great video for beginners! 🙌

[@eeyxeb]

Great job, just in Bali watching your video before to return home to uk on BA reward flight from Singapore. I find if you're flexible with days, BA call centre can do a lot of the leg work for you. Keep up the good work. Ps Bali, amazing. I hope u have a good one.

[@charlesontravels]

Thanks! That’s a good point about the call centre. I’ll actually also be returning home from my Bali trip via a BA reward flight from Singapore! Glad to hear that Bali has been great for you, can’t wait to get out there!

[@DPWestMids-u3c]

Thanks Charles Always good to have a refresher of the process.

[@wannaknit]

Thank you, this was really helpful. I recently tried to figure out how to use the BA website to search for reward seats to Japan for a trip in 7 months and couldnt' find anything and wasn't even sure if I was doing it properly. So it's really helpful to see the screens and have the steps explains.

[@charlesontravels]

Glad it was helpful! Hope you’re able to find the flights that you want!

[@northbankgooner6126]

You clearly are becoming very versed on the intricacies of AVIOS these days. Could I ask a favour Charles. A lot of experienced AVIOS collectors redeem flights that start in destinations outside the UK, to save money on taxes/surcharges as long as there is 24 hours difference between the flight to that connecting city. Would you mind doing a video explaining this in more detail please, and the optimal cities to do such trips. Eg Dublin for the US, and say a city in Europe for travel to Asia. Thanks mate, keep up the good work. I may be flying up to Newcastle in a few weeks for the Arsenal game, lets hope its not as fiery as last season!

[@charlesontravels]

It’s definitely something I’ll take a look at. Don’t have too much personal experience of it apart from when flying Finnair but definitely worth doing a bit of research! Thanks!

[@conkgord]

A lot to take in but most informative. Thank you

[@jamierogers3272]

Great update. Thank You.

[@charlesontravels]

Thanks!

[@rickyp3946]

New to all this, noticed you got family points and personal point, would like these explained if possible? And also would have like to see you do an example of using points in other airlines? Can you do this off the BA app or you have to use the specific airline website?

[@charlesontravels]

The household accounts are something I’ll definitely expand on in an upcoming video. When using points on the other airlines I’ve personally usually just used the BA website. I’ve used the BA site to book with AA, Iberia, Finnair, JAL, Qatar, and Cathay. You can also transfer to the other airlines that use Avios and book via them, but I usually just stick with the BA site

[@rickyp3946]

@@charlesontravels thanks Charles, was thinking more air Lingus.

[@sarahfletcher7674]

Thank you, a BA representative said that we would need to book our return flight using the CV online at midnight the day they are released but just watching your vlog you indicate that we would need to call BA to do this - could you please clarify for me as this is the first time we have used a CV and avios to purchase the outbound and inbound flights separately, thanks

[@charlesontravels]

You can book the outbound flight online or over the phone at midnight. I’ve always personally just done this online but people swear by calling up particularly for the most popular and competitive routes like Tokyo. If you want to add the return leg to the booking, you would need to call up to do that when that one becomes available. Alternatively you can book the return leg online and then call up after to apply the CV to that leg too, but since you need to call up anyway, may as well cut out that middle step and call direct to book it. Calling up will also attach it to the same booking whereas I believe that booking online then calling to apply the voucher after will keep it as a separate booking but will give you a 50% discount on the avios

[@bedders01]

Hi there, i have now saved a healthy amount of avios and i am looking at booking in February 2025 2 business class return flights from London Heathrow to Perth Australia and returning from Sydney to London Heathrow for travel in February 2026 hopefully. Will i be able to book these reward flights online or will i have to book them through the call centre? I've never done this before so any advice would be great thanks.

[@charlesontravels]

As you’re aiming to return from a different airport you would need to call up to make the booking if you want these to be part of the same booking rather than just two one way bookings. However, you can have a look online to search for availability before making the call. You would just need to search two one way bookings when looking for availability online.

[@bedders01]

@@charlesontravels Thanks mate that's what i though i would have to do. I think we might just book reward return flights to Perth and buy an internal return between Perth and Sydney. Thanks again, really appreciate it. Great videos by the way

[@simonecheng]

Question: is there a difference to sorting your inbound flight as a separate booking yourself, versus calling BA to amend your existing booking? Might be a silly question.

[@charlesontravels]

Two main benefits to calling up to add it to the booking. Firstly, if you have an Amex companion voucher you can then apply the voucher to both legs if amending the booking. The other benefit of having it all on one booking is that you’re covered if there’s any disruption/cancellation of the outbound. If it’s just two one way tickets and the outbound is cancelled you don’t have the option to rearrange the return without any penalties

[@LaDolceDream]

The issue is, 355 days ahead, you go to grab your flight but you can't add your return flight because it's too far ahead. So do people just grab a one-way flight? I don't understand how this works for people. It hasn't worked for me for this reason. I have 200,000+ CSP points and don't know how to use them. There are never any reward flights by the time I go to book my 2-way flight. 😔

[@charlesontravels]

You just book the outbound flight as a one way ticket when the seats first become available 355 days out. Then, when the return flight is 355 days out you call BA to amend the booking to add the return flight on.

[@LaDolceDream]

@@charlesontravels Thanks!

[@stratfordinternational]

I try to top.up when they offer extra avios

[@clsiow1]

Very interesting and you make it sound so simple. I have literally spent fruitless days trawling through the BA and Qatar Airways sites day by day trying to find flights even when I am extremely flexible on dates. As you commented it is very quite easy to find flights to the US, but I have found it near impossible to find flights going east. I admit that I have not searched just as the reward flights are released although I am uncomfortable booking an outward flight and then not getting the return flight but I suppose reward flights can be cancelled for a small fee. I note your comment towards the end of your video about booking trips with several legs which you said did not show up on a website. If that is the case, how do you know that there is reward availability?

[@charlesontravels]

I think specifically if searching with BA they don’t have the best route network East at the moment and the flights are very popular to book with flights so they can be a bit difficult, but I’ve lots of luck searching with Qatar! Booking the day the flights are released is definitely the best chance you have to book them and the cancellation fees are so low that I do think it’s worth the risk of not being able to find an available flight home. Never had to do that personally though, the flight home has always been there. For multiple legs I’ve just searched the individual legs separately first. For example, if I know I need to first connect to Doha, I’ll search for flights from Doha first, then see if I can get the flight out to there.

[@clsiow1]

@@charlesontravels Thanks. I think you are lucky. I have had absolutely no luck with Qatar. Their website is not good and I have had to search day by day. I have done this for hours with no success.