[JonF]

I’ve just booked 3 RFS tickets LGW-FAO for Feb 2024 half term. 49500 avios spent + £105 in fees. If I had paid the BA fare (including the bags) then it would have been an incredible £3106. This values an Avios at an amazing 6.06p. Even the equivalent budget airline fare at similar times with bags would have been £824, but even this values an avios at 1.45p. The BA ticket is more flexible of course, and Wizz don’t have a great punctuality reputation.

[JonF]

Update! BA have sent me an email today saying they will refund my third party lounge access. I’m quite impressed with the speed of resolution. Well done BA complaints team, now you just need to sort our your IT!!

[JonF]

Thanks @george K – I’ve raised a complaint with BA so will see what happens! I’ve suggested they give me BA lounge access on my next economy booking. Minimal cost to them but would be a good outcome.

[JonF]

Thanks @northernlass – yes, it must be catching a few people out. Our flight had a number of empty seats which I thought surprising for an Easter Saturday. It took us 30 mins to transfer from T3 to T5 which is a lot if you’ve only allowed a 90-120 min.

[JonF]

JonF wrote:

Bill_B wrote:

WillPS wrote:

Bill_B wrote:

WillPS wrote:

QFFlyer wrote:

WillPS wrote:

JonF wrote:

Credit Card
• Additional 0.5 points per £1 spend over the free card, on £10k is 5000 avios = £50
• Cabin Upgrade voucher trade in 7000 avios = £70

Not sure I follow the logic of paying £180 (£20/month – £5/month ‘dual reward’) for £120 worth of additional value from the paid card (over the free version)?

Big spenders will gain a lot more than that if they spend more based on the extra Avios earned. Plus you don’t *have* to take 7k Avios, the voucher for some will be worth heaps. It’s just another option.

For me it works, as I can’t originate in the UK most of the time, which limits the use of the voucher.

I agree and I’m not complaining, in my case I’ll get £46.20 worth of Nectar points rather than nothing (which is what I had priced in as an upgrade voucher is useless to me).

I’m critiquing the numbers @JonF quoted, which presented a £70 valuation of the voucher (not the upgrade) and £50 valuation of the extra half point as sufficient justification for (at least) £180 worth of fees. Using that 1p valuation I think you’d have to spend £22k (£1833.33/month) in order to justify the fee on points alone –
22k x 0.5 = 11000 points = £110 @ 1p per Avios
Bonus for 10k = 7000 pts = £70 @ 1p per Avios

I’m not trying to say that’s an insanely high spend if this is your only credit card (and if you just want Avios points, not Nectar, it’d be a solid choice for one in that case).

You’re not taking into account the lounge passes, which require both the card and the bank account.

Neither was @JonF 😉 their suggestion was that £120 worth of benefit from points justifies £180 worth of fees, before you factor in the other benefits.

I understood the £120 to be the net benefit of holding both products, since that was what JonF was evaluating. Either way though if you hold the bank account, getting the card and spending £10k gets you £194 of extra value when counting the lounge passes.

Yes, the £120 is based on holding both products, includes the value from the free lounge passes. I typically get closer to 2p per avios, this calculation is based on 1p so I would gain more than £120. However, the benefits are marginal. Especially when you consider you can earn £200 a year from switching bank accounts. I’ve not decided what I’m going to do. I have the credit card and have hit the 25,000 bonus avios. I might apply for the bank account for the sign up bonus and reevaluate after a year.

Just recalculated, and for holding both products, you can opt to receive 2 x 7000 vouchers, 4 x free lounge passes at £18.50 each, spending 10K on the premium card, AND Valuing an Avios at 2p, then net gain is £490. (£740 in avios + £74 in lounge passes, less £324 in fees. I’m happy to value at 2p as that is what I typically receive. I’m going to apply for the bank account in the next few months. Holding out for another promo.

[JonF]

duggie1982 wrote:

Did you open a premier bank account too? It might be that

No, just the credit card.

[JonF]

Bill_B wrote:

WillPS wrote:

Bill_B wrote:

WillPS wrote:

QFFlyer wrote:

WillPS wrote:

JonF wrote:

Credit Card
• Additional 0.5 points per £1 spend over the free card, on £10k is 5000 avios = £50
• Cabin Upgrade voucher trade in 7000 avios = £70

Not sure I follow the logic of paying £180 (£20/month – £5/month ‘dual reward’) for £120 worth of additional value from the paid card (over the free version)?

Big spenders will gain a lot more than that if they spend more based on the extra Avios earned. Plus you don’t *have* to take 7k Avios, the voucher for some will be worth heaps. It’s just another option.

For me it works, as I can’t originate in the UK most of the time, which limits the use of the voucher.

I agree and I’m not complaining, in my case I’ll get £46.20 worth of Nectar points rather than nothing (which is what I had priced in as an upgrade voucher is useless to me).

I’m critiquing the numbers @JonF quoted, which presented a £70 valuation of the voucher (not the upgrade) and £50 valuation of the extra half point as sufficient justification for (at least) £180 worth of fees. Using that 1p valuation I think you’d have to spend £22k (£1833.33/month) in order to justify the fee on points alone –
22k x 0.5 = 11000 points = £110 @ 1p per Avios
Bonus for 10k = 7000 pts = £70 @ 1p per Avios

I’m not trying to say that’s an insanely high spend if this is your only credit card (and if you just want Avios points, not Nectar, it’d be a solid choice for one in that case).

You’re not taking into account the lounge passes, which require both the card and the bank account.

Neither was @JonF 😉 their suggestion was that £120 worth of benefit from points justifies £180 worth of fees, before you factor in the other benefits.

I understood the £120 to be the net benefit of holding both products, since that was what JonF was evaluating. Either way though if you hold the bank account, getting the card and spending £10k gets you £194 of extra value when counting the lounge passes.

Yes, the £120 is based on holding both products, includes the value from the free lounge passes. I typically get closer to 2p per avios, this calculation is based on 1p so I would gain more than £120. However, the benefits are marginal. Especially when you consider you can earn £200 a year from switching bank accounts. I’ve not decided what I’m going to do. I have the credit card and have hit the 25,000 bonus avios. I might apply for the bank account for the sign up bonus and reevaluate after a year.

[JonF]

The 7000 Avios swap for a cabin upgrade voucher actually makes the joint offer a Barclays Premium card and current account more appealing to me as I’m not sure if I could use the upgrade vouchers. Most of my flights are short haul, and I usually get a decent Avios rate as we usually fly to popular destinations in school holidays. Usually getting close to 2p per Avios if using a Amex Companion voucher in economy. However, if I use the 1p rate and hold both Barclays products, I’d pay £324pa in account fees (including the £5 reduction for having both products).

Current account
• 1500 avios per month = £180
• 4 lounge passes at £18.50 = £74
• Cabin Upgrade voucher trade in 7000 avios = £70

Credit Card
• Additional 0.5 points per £1 spend over the free card, on £10k is 5000 avios = £50
• Cabin Upgrade voucher trade in 7000 avios = £70

Net gain is £120 based on 1p Avios. If I can use the upgrade vouchers then great, if not then I’m not losing out. Plus I haven’t factored in the other Mastercard benefits.