Can I upgrade using Avios points, when does it pay off?
One of the best techniques for traveling in premium classes while spending as little as possible is to use points to get [...]
British Airways
Oneworld
One of the best techniques for traveling in premium classes while spending as little as possible Is to use the points to get an upgrade. In the past few days we have been talking about the new branded British and American, carriers that allow frequent flyers in their respective programs to get upgrades When they fly over the other partner.
Which classes are valid to apply for an upgrade
In this article:
We have explained in an article, in great detail, what are the classes of a ticket. Class in fact does not mean the cabin (economy, premium, business or first), But the fare class within the booth..
There are many different classes, with different rules and fares, in both economy and first. These differences can be in the flexibility of the ticket, the benefits provided to the number of points you accumulate with the individual flight.
In the case of BA you can request an upgrade with Avios points if you bought a ticket in K,L,M,N,S and V class. This means that if you have a G, O and Q class ticket in your pocket, you will not be able to apply for the upgrade.
How do I see the class of my ticket (before I buy it)
BA is very transparent when it comes to giving the information to the passenger.
When booking, it is possible to see the sales class. It is then to understand whether or not the ticket you are booking will, or will not, have the possibility of being upgraded through the use of Avios.
How to get a rate with guaranteed upgrade
Executive club and Avios points in general are. right now one of the best currencies for European frequent flyers. Not only because the recent marriage with Qatar has made Avios a "super currency," but also because the system is simple to use.
For example, in the loyalty program profile interface, it is possible to book a ticket by selecting at the start the willingness to upgrade of through Avios.
To do this you need to be within your personal area and select from the drop-down menu (the same one you use for award ticket reservations) the item Book with cash, upgrade to next travel class with Avios.
By selecting this fare, the system will propose the cheapest class among those with access to upgrades. Needless to say, it is significantly more expensive than the non-flexible class. The system also allows you to choose whether you want this option only for one leg or for the entire itinerary.
The system finds available seats, if any, and immediately quotes the cost of the ticket and the number of Avios needed to switch from one class to another, in the case above from premium economy to business.
What to know when you want an upgrade with BA
First of all, you can only scale by one class, I told how I used the paid upgrade of an award ticket to go from business to first. However, it is not possible to make the double (or triple) jump. From economy, therefore, you will only be able to upgrade to business if there is no premium economy.
Second, in order to move up a class, there must be available award seats On the desired flight. This is because the upgrade with Avios points must adhere to classic award ticket rules, so if there is no award seat, it will not be possible to get the upgrade even if the class of the ticket provides for it.
Third, the upgrade should be done before the trip, you cannot request it during check-in or on board as is the case with many other companies.
How many points are required to upgrade
BA's loyalty program has a fixed table divided over two seasons: low and high season. Calculating the upgrade cost is very simple because it is the result of a simple subtraction:
Cost in cabin points where you intend to upgrade -
Cost in points of the booth for which you hold the ticket =
Number of avios required to obtain the upgrade
So as you can see, it is very easy to know the final expense both in terms of points and cash, keeping in mind that BA charges different taxes and surcharges depending on the cabin and therefore in addition to Avios you will also have to bear the difference in terms of cash to pay.
It pays to upgrade from economy with Avios points
Let's get to the heart of the matter. Is it worthwhile or not to upgrade with Avios from a long-haul economy ticket?
Premium economy on BA 777s
My answer is almost always no, also because you have to take into account the costs already incurred, the number/value of Avios that you will have to use anyway, and the additional surcharge.
BA's entire long-haul fleet is equipped with Premium Economy, a cabin the carrier calls World Traveller plus. So with an economy ticket you will not be able to jump into business class.
Add to this the fact that the cost of the ticket is generally higher than those advertised, and you come to the easy conclusion that this is an anti-economic activity
Is it worth upgrading to the other cabins?
Here the discourse changes, but the basic principles remain. However, a second factor also comes into play, namely upgrade cash.
On my recent trip to New York I was able to go from business to first spending less than 500 pounds, a significantly cheaper cost than the points required.
How to earn Avios points in Italy
We recounted many ways to accumulate Avios points in Italy, unfortunately there are currently no dedicated credit cards And there's also no longer the option to score points with groceries. However, there remain solutions such as polling, which allow you to accumulate and not spend anything, and especially transfer Membership Rewards points into Avios points.
