BA Avios (or whatever they're called) help

Having used BA infrequently over the years I'm now in a position where using the Avios reward scheme might be better for Mr DL and I (better choice of destinations) but I'm clueless about the whole scheme.
Reading the lengthy threads over on FT on the BA forum has just made me more confused
I can currently earn potential Avios miles via Amex MR and Tescos and Mr DL is considering getting a BA Premier Plus Amex card .
I have a few questions that I'm hoping some of you can answer?
1. Can Mr DL and I have a family account from which to use a potential companion voucher (I've currently got an active empty BA EC account).
2.Is the 2-4-1 voucher (when you hit the annual £10,000 spend) valid on pure mile redemptions only or can it be used with MFU ?
3.Is the companion voucher valid for LHR- SYD?
4. If a Lloyds Premier duo card is used could the Avios miles earned be deposited in my current BA EC ?
5. According to the website there are no taxes/ fees on pure miles redemptions- is this right?? (the redemption calculator showed LHR -LAX as 50,000 miles one way with no fees and taxes) .
Sorry if some of these questions sound daft but I think my head is about to explode .
Thanks
DL

Hi DL,

1. I'm not sure what you mean? The voucher is earnt by the (Amex) cardholder. I'm not sure how a household account would affect this. Maybe I have misunderstood you.
2. No, it's not valid on MFUs -- straight redemptions only.
3. I believe so, if you can find availability (a big if).
4. I think so, yes.
5. Nope! You have to pay taxes & fees on reward flights as per VS.

1. I'm not sure what you mean? The voucher is earnt by the (Amex) cardholder. I'm not sure how a household account would affect this. Maybe I have misunderstood you.

Thanks at240
Mr DL would be the primary BA Amex holder but the miles would be going into a household account with me as the primary account holder of that. I would be the person travelling as a companion and Mr DL would have "earned" the voucher to use against the household account. Does that make sense...?
Probably not ...lol...
DL

Re taxes and fees. I think it is slightly better on BA. I have just booked 2 tickets for the summer to Greece and only had to pay a flat fee of £27 per person.

I think Avios capped taxes on routes within Europe to £27. That actually makes it a better deal than under the old airmiles scheme for some routes - e.g. Milan or Nice - 9000 Avios miles + £27 versus the old 1500 airmiles (15,000 avios equivalent...)

DL - I'm not sure you can nominate a household account as receiving the Amex miles. The household account, as far as I know, is a linking mechanism for exec club accounts.

So, I think MR DL would need to set up an EC account, and have his Amex Avios go in there.

The companion (2 for 1) voucher would need to be used by him, him having first booked a avios redemption ticket - he could use his own EC account for this, or possibly the linked household account.

I'm not sure whether MR DL would be able to use avios from the HH account if he's not the named owner, but he probably can.

Make any sense?:D

Make any sense?:D

I hate to say this but no LOL In my defence I am blond and old (so please be patient with me ). .Maybe there's a simpler way to explain - can we drop miles from both our Avios earning sources into a family account and then use a BA Amex 2-4 -1 voucher that Mr DL would qualify for against the Avios miles in the account for us to travel together?
Don't know where the HH bit has come from ??
DL

DL - the HH bit is HouseHold account!!!

So, yes the household (HH!) account is a way of pooling avios from all the linked exec club accounts.

As the 2 for 1 would be earned by MR DL on his Amex...he'd need to book the 2 for 1 using his avios.

From memory, the Ts and Cs don't specifically say that the avios need to come from an EC account, so I'd say, yes, the avios could come from the household account....and that, is about the sum total of my knowledge on this......anyone else?

OK here goes.

Mr DL opens a new BA Exec account. He takes out the BA Amex, and his miles get credited to his BA Exec Account. After £10k (on the premium card £150 annual fee and 1.5 miles per non BA £ spent, or 3 miles per BA £ spent) he gets a companion voucher, valid for 2 years*.

You already have a BA Exec Account. You can tip your MR points into it, and there are regular(ish) bonuses - so its best to leave them in your MR account until either you need them or a bonus comes along.

So you each have an account. One of you (doesn't really matter who) sets up the household account. Each of you will see your own, and the combined total of, miles when you log in. When you use your miles for a redemption, they come out pro rata - so if he had twice as many miles as you to start off with they would take twice as many from his account as yours. But you don't have to faff about working out who pays for each leg as long as there is enough in the overall account.

You could even add Dragonbaby and DL the Elder as they obviously all still live with you

When Mr DL has his 241 voucher, you book one reward flight and use the 241 for a flight for you. If you set up a household account, he can only do this for people in the account AND he must travel on the booking. But at 100K for a business class return, plus a 241 and the taxes etc its a good deal. And as you can earn 2 vouchers in 2 years (due to the 2 year validity period), 4 people can travel for the price of 2 outright redemptions (plus taxes act)

BA's MFUs are also really good, but you can only upgrade 1 cabin. Best use is usually premium economy (WT+) to Club World for 25k round trip on most routes.

Happy to help with any further queries. And if MrDL wants a referral for the BA Amex I'd be happy to do that too. 19K miles for him and 9k for me on the BA PP .

Updated as I missed one of your questions. Technically the 241 is valid on LHR>SYD - but rewards on that route are like hen's teeth. And at some point in the future BA will only fly the first half and Qantas the second. As the 241 is only valid on BA metal that will put paid to 241 use on flights all the way to Australia.

*not as familiar with the basic BA card, but spend for the companion is higher, miles are 1 per £ and the voucher is only valid for 1 year.

OK here goes.

Mr DL opens a new BA Exec account. He takes out the BA Amex, and his miles get credited to his BA Exec Account. After £10k (on the premium card £150 annual fee and 1.5 miles per non BA £ spent, or 3 miles per BA £ spent) he gets a companion voucher, valid for 2 years*.

You already have a BA Exec Account. You can tip your MR points into it, and there are regular(ish) bonuses - so its best to leave them in your MR account until either you need them or a bonus comes along.

So you each have an account. One of you (doesn't really matter who) sets up the household account. Each of you will see your own, and the combined total of, miles when you log in. When you use your miles for a redemption, they come out pro rata - so if he had twice as many miles as you to start off with they would take twice as many from his account as yours. But you don't have to faff about working out who pays for each leg as long as there is enough in the overall account.

You could even add Dragonbaby and DL the Elder as they obviously all still live with you

When Mr DL has his 241 voucher, you book one reward flight and use the 241 for a flight for you. If you set up a household account, he can only do this for people in the account AND he must travel on the booking. But at 100K for a business class return, plus a 241 and the taxes etc its a good deal.

BA's MFUs are also really good, but you can only upgrade 1 cabin. Best use is usually premium economy (WT+) to Club World for 25k round trip on most routes.

Happy to help with any further queries. And if MrDL wants a referral for the BA Amex I'd be happy to do that too. 19K miles for him and 9k for me on the BA PP .


*not as familiar with the basic BA card, but spend for the companion is higher, miles are 1 per £ and the voucher is only valid for 1 year.

Kudos RedVee.
Dragonbaby does indeed still live we me (until she buggers off to Uni and finds out how tough life reallly is ) but is a supp cardholder on my Amex plat (so I get the miles I pay for ) and I can see DL the Elder soon being a resident of the DL Towers granny annexe ... .Will bear the referral bonus in mind.
Thanks
DL

You can transfer miles between Avios and BAEC - there is an option within BAEC for 'Combine my Avios' and this can send miles in either direction between accounts in your name. Just xferred a load from Tesco to Avios with the bonus and then moved them across to BAEC.