[openfly]

On the infrequent economy BA short haul flights I have taken recently I have resisted purchasing a coffee at nearly £3. If I had, had I paid with my black BA Amex card I would, at least, have received 9 Avios.
On a flight a few days ago I broke my rule and bought a coffee in a baby-beaker. I bought it on Avios. I handed the crew my boarding card to show my Gold card number….no, they had to see my Gold card to check the number. I don’t carry it. Eventually they conceded and gave me my coffee, saying it was “a good idea to use the boarding card”. Apparently the cheap job-experience kid that set the system up hadn’t thought of that!
So, for 330 Avios, I had my coffee. But, how much is 330 Avios worth?
I went on to BA.com and checked. 1000 Avios are £31, making 330 worth over £10. It must be the most expensive tea/coffee in the world!!
The coffee ground section burst into the hot water making it undrinkable, so asked for a replacement. Awful coffee….never again, thanks MnS!

[PhilipHart]

Rob (Head for Points) has frequent postings where he addresses the value of Avios.

You can check out his most recent here:- You can now use Avios to pay for BA seat reservations – but is it a good deal?

[rferguson]

I think the physical card is required as the only way the sale can be processed via Avios was by swiping it. It can be entered manually but that requires entering the card number, cardholder name, card expiry date. You can also use the digital cards barcode on the BA app which can also be processed through the system.

[openfly]

@rferguson Having done it with the boarding card…it has gone through and is on my statement. -330 Avios (or £10.30! 😢) It seems very sensible using the boarding card…mame, Exec Club number, seat number and PIL. Much quicker than having to root around in the lockers to try and find your bag and then sort around for my card…if I have it.

[PeterCoultas]

Heaven help UK business…..all these CEO types spending 330 avios worth around 10 quid in preference to coughing up £3 to collect the same coffee and 9 bonus avios…

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=866734]Heaven help UK business…..all these CEO types spending 330 avios worth around 10 quid in preference to coughing up £3 to collect the same coffee and 9 bonus avios…[/quote]

Avios are worth whatever you can buy with them. If you have surplus Avios and want a cup of coffee, why spend £3?

[capetonianm]

Recently on a Swiss flight I wanted to buy something just to use up some expiring ‘Miles’. I didn’t have the card with me, so I gave the FA my boarding pass which had my Miles and More number on it. She took it away to the galley and came back with my purchase and a completed form for me to sign. No hesitation, no ‘computer says no’, no sour face, just efficiency and good service.

Neanwhile I’m still trying to find something to spend 50 or 60 thousand Avios on.

[rferguson]

To be fair it’s not difficult to put your BA digital card in iWallet/android wallet and use that especially as it incorporates a barcode specifically for the purpose of making onboard purchases with Avios.

But I agree with the sentiment that it is quite possibly the worst use of Avios.

We are still waiting to see what the decision will be on a free drink for golds/silvers and I believe the trial has concluded.

[AlanOrton1]

Saying 330 Avios are worth £10 is only the case if you look to purchase the absolute minimum number ba.com sell.
I suspect I’m not the only one that may have a fair amount of Avios in my account, in part because its not always that easy to use them for things I’d like to. Certainly 100k+.
If I were to buy the same amount (100k), 330 Avios works out to be just over £5.
I quite like the way BA and Ryanair serve coffee, far, far better than the instant stuff Easyjet serves. (IMHO).

[handbag]

Go to ALC quite often using Avios. Just had a look to see if anything in June/July. Business seat return they want 25,500 avios, + £49.44. Economy 13,000 + £35. Really happy with that against the £384 or £206.46 it would cost me to buy. Especially as all of my points are gained via credit cards.

Depending on the time of the day of the flights, I sometimes go business and sometimes economy. For the early flights, I don’t usually bother with Business and get to the airport with the minimum of time. If I am travelling on a later one, I try to get business, use the lounge and relax. I can be flexible when I come and go, so usually find flights that work. This is really good value on Avios for me.

[Polly]

Never a good deal to use avios for both buying f and b on aircraft nor for choosing seats in advance. Unless you have zillions of avios to spend!

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