Chandler

Does anyone have any experience of BA Air miles?

I'm in the processing of collecting miles based on my cross Atlantic trips (approx 20,000 at present). My question is:

Is it worth me continuing this and perhaps pay more for a BA flight for the miles or are there too many restriction on when I can cash them in to make it worth my while?

Bob

Don't know, would depend on your card scheme wouldn't it I guess....

Chandler

It's not a credit card scheme.

It's with BA direct based primarily on the miles I fly. Presumably others on this board are registered with this, or similar, programs?

Englishmum

I guess it depends on how frequently you are likely to travel with BA or one of their One World partners eg. American Airlines....if for example you travel on a trip with AA you can add the miles to your BA executive card.

Here are the alliance airlines:

http://www.oneworld.com

I still think that the British airlines are offering better food and service across the Atlantic than the US ones. Yesterday my husband and son took a couple of domestic flights to Colorado (on a ski/snowboarding trip). They flew from Newark to Houston, then took a flight to Vail-Eagle (which was diverted to Denver, sat on the runway for 45 mins, refuelled and then flew to the original destination). In all that time Continental Airlines only provided pretzels! Don't forget that Delta recently flew on some routes directly to Asia with no food on board whatsoever as the food providers had not been paid!

You can pick up some great info about the various frequent flyer schemes and hotel/car rental upgrades and promotions on this site - the forums are a minefield of information:

http://www.flyertalk.com

Pimpbot

I know United would upgrade you to the next class if you had 20,000 miles on your account. Of course, you had to buy the right kind of ticket, but in my experience, it wasn't that much more. I was upgraded a few times to Business across the pond and first in the U.S. while going backwards and forwards. Not sure how many miles you need now though?.

Big D

Be very wary of BA Exec club - you have to jump through hoops to get points as not all flights qualify, only those that you pay full price for! And it will take a long time to get silver. I have same dilema at the moment - BA is best route for me to get home, and well priced but I think the Exec club is a dsgrace when compared with say BMI Diamond Club.

Chandler

I agree re: the Tier points, but the airmiles doesnt seem to bad.

meauxna

Whatever you do, if you want to use them, don't linger.

I just lost a heap of BA FF miles because theirs expire within X (36?) months of acquisition.
Try an upgrage sometime! I just came back from Asia in BizClass via my FF miles. Now I know how the other half lives!

Englishmum

Actually I think BA are very generous at giving upgrades.

My last four flights with BA (economy class) have been upgraded to World Traveller + three times. The fourth time I was on the same flight as my husband (he was in Club and I was in economy class with our son) and we were both given a double upgrade to Club class as our seats had been allocated to other passengers on our overbooked flight. I'm not even an Exec card holder LOL!

Oddly enough...I never, ever ask to get upgraded, but I don't wear jeans and trainers when I fly either.

(I won't fly with US airlines across the pond anymore - they all charge for beer and wine...how much longer before they charge for meals as well like they're doing on domestic flights?).

Pimpbot

I like to do the opposite, because I don't drink on flights anyway and I like the 2-5-2 seting better than 3-4-3.

Chandler

The miles last for 36months after they were last used (debited or credited). You can always extend the life by adding to your points by hiring a car, booking a hotel etc.

50,000 miles for a free transatlantic flight. 100,000 to upgrade to Club. Persnally, I'm going to save my whiles and the wait until I get back to the Uka nd fancy a trip to the US. 100,000 miles for a Club class flight to the West Coast or Hawaii sounds decent to me.

Englishmum

We hardly ever use cash unless we have to and instead try to pay for everyday purchases on our Amex cards...the airmiles never expire and in a ten-year period we have been able to transfer them from the UK to Singapore and to the US.

As soon as our son has left high school it would be nice to do a big trip somewhere - Australia for certain even maybe on a round-the-world ticket. The good thing with Amex rewards scheme is that there is a choice of various airlines too.

Chandler

typing.....aweful.....not sure.......why.....

dbj1000

I emigrated with my family using only BA miles for the tickets, so they were certainly worth it for us

100,000 miles got us two adult and two children's tickets from the UK, saving us a fair few pennies.

As has already been pointed out, it's not that the miles expire 36 months after you earn them, but rather that all your miles expire if you don't earn any in a 36 month period. A BA Executive Club credit card makes sure that that never happens.

Also, they changed the rules to that now ALL flights earn miles - it's just that cheaper flights earn a fraction of the full-fare miles. At least that's better than the old days when all but full-fare didn't earn any miles at all.

ladylisa

I'm flying American Airlines for the first time to London on Saturday....did I hear correctly that I will have to buy alcohol!!!!!!!!!! poo!!!!!!!!! I always make it my policy to try and drink the same value in alcohol as my ticket cost.