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thing compared to cards that have the fee. It also has smart chip ID verification technology that is popular in Europe.
I took advantage of the last time this deal was around, and ended up flying around Europe completely in business class with fully lie-flat seats across the Atlantic Ocean. The 50k tier is best for spenders that can’t generate enough in purchases, but if you can spend $20k in a year, you’d end up with the 100,000 bonus points + 25,000 points from $20k in spending. What can you do with all those points?
Note: Avios points now have distance-based rewards. Recently, the official terminology changed from “miles” to “Avios points”. The reward chart is now based on how far you want to travel in terms of miles.
Redeem Avios points domestically on partner American Airlines. It’s usually much better to redeem points on their US partner American Airlines. For example, I can get from Los Angeles to Honolulu, Hawaii using only 25,000 Avios points roundtrip. I ran a quote in Fall and it cost $659 broken down to $621 fare and only $38 in taxes. So in this case you could save $621 in exchange for 25,000 points, which is 2.5 cents per point.
Shorter-distance flights can be a good deal as well. Roundtrip from Chicago to New York City is only 15,000 Avios points + about $30 in taxes.
Finding partner awards on BA.com was a huge headache for me. I recommend calling them at 1-800-452-1201 and paying the phone booking fee. It was worth it for me to find the exact flight I wanted, and in my case they even waived it for me since she said “you’d never be able to find this online” (which was true, but your mileage may vary). For research purposes, you can use AA.com and look for “Saver” awards which is what is available for redemption using BA points. But I still like booking over the phone and trying to get the fee waived since it can be impossible to do many partner awards online.
Redeem Avios points for business class to Europe. Since business class is so expensive, but the flight across the Atlantic is so long, redeeming points for business class tickets can be a good value as well. The taxes are still there, but they are a much smaller proportion and your trip will be so much more comfortable and truly an experience.
A roundtrip business class flight quote from New York City to London was $3,640, with $2,540 in fare and $1,100 in taxes. I could book the same award ticket for 80,000 Avios points plus $1,100 in taxes. Now we’re talking 3.2 cents per point.
Therefore I figured, why not use this card as an excuse to go to Europe in style, because I would never have done so otherwise. When booking my trip, I ended up calling in and getting a really nice customer service rep that used her tricks to nab me a combination of American and British Airways flights from my city to both London and Rome and back, all for under 100,000 miles. The flight was a first-time experience for me… priority check-in and boarding, first class lounges with showers and buffets, multi-course inflight meals, actually sleeping on seats that were fully flat, etc.
How not to use your miles. Don’t use Avios for a economy class transatlantic flight from USA to Europe, because you’ll still be subject to taxes and fees on award redemptions, which are often half the entire cost of the ticket. I ran a quick search for a random New York City (JFK) to London (LHR) flight that cost $1,050, the taxes and fees alone were $650. You can get the $400 “fare” for 40,000 Avios points, but that’s only 1 cent a point value.
Finally, you can also use partner airlines such as LAN Airlines or Cathay Pacific to get from the US to both Asia and South America on business class for 100,000 Avios or less.
Finally, if you can manage to spend $30,000 a year on the card, you can even earn a 2-for-1 Travel Together Ticket good for two years when you redeem for a flight on British Airways. With the Travel Together Ticket, you can bring a companion on your next reward flight without using any additional Avios points. Fees and taxes do still apply, but the voucher is valid to any destination and includes first/business class. Another family tip is that you are allowed to pool miles between multiple people in a “household account” to make redemptions easier. So you, your spouse/partner, and other relatives can share points.
(This was actually done x2 for Mrs. MMB and we traveled together. We householded accounts and that way I could redeem flights for both of us. It worked well because we could all book tickets together on the same flight all at once and only talking to one person over the phone.)
Chase British Airways Visa Signature card application link
Find more in Credit Cards, Deals & Offers | 5/19/12, 3:46am | Trackback
April 6th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Oh man, I just applied but realized that between this and my new Chase Sapphire Preferred card, I’ll have to charge $5,500 over the next three months! Ah, well. Thanks for the link!
April 6th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
Just got back from ireland, london and paris utilizing this deal. We took business class too but we did not get the lay flat seats. The only difference vs coach was there was more room. Still not bad for $400 each round trip.
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