British Airways Fees

It would appear nothing has changed (test booking):

A $320 fare and $700 in taxes/fees is just silly...

British Airways: Upcoming changes to Reward Flight pricing​

...except they don't exactly say what the pricing changes will be!  Figures.

Customer Service Center During Disruption

My British Airways Call Center experience to cancel my booking to Doha:

Website: manage booking form, error and would not complete

1st call: menu, then disconnected

Received survey call 

2nd call: number rang through to a person

Phone transferred to the Club team as Reservations agent can not help me

Club team wants to know where I'm calling from (why?) besides flight info; front-end system allowed them to refund

#persistence

Spring Break 2026 Adventure: Maldives!

Less than 30 days remain before we are off again on another spring break adventure, this year going back to the Maldives with two city stops along the way.  We're using points and miles for nearly all options which will be a huge savings.  Plus almost every segment will be in Business!  Here's the map via GCMap:

The points and miles breakdown:

Park Hyatt Maldives (4 nights): 140,000 Hyatt points 

We have Globalist status again with breakfast included (as brunch) so dinner is our only expense. 

Overnight LHR and DOH (1 night each): 

We have an evening stopover in London at the T4 Hilton using 51,000 points and then one night at the Park Hyatt Doha for a very low rate.  The extra time in Doha before a 1am departure means we'll have time for the Souq and a fun dinner.

LHR-DOH: We'll be on the Qatar Airways A380 in Business from Heathrow to Doha which only required 86,000 British Airways Avios total for two.

DOH-MLE: One ticket is using 75,000 Alaska miles/Atmos for Business Class, and another ticket uses a combination of 52,500 Avios via Qatar Airways for First Class.  Availability on this route was very limited and I was fortunate to find two premium seats between both programs. 

MLE-SIN-SFO-EWR: I'm excited to be able to fly Singapore for the very first time in Business!  We'll have a brief stop at Changi before flying UA2 in Polaris back to SFO.  This was booked using United miles (395k) which is a lot though worth it to me for the Singapore segment.

Looking forward to the journey and a relaxing week!

British Airways Rolling out Free Wifi

Access to consistent wifi during flights is an important consideration for many - from my own experience, it was vital to have a fast connection for work projects while I was flying between coasts a few years ago.  Not every wifi system is stable and the variability is often frustrating for flyers. 

United made an announcement some time ago about installing Starlink across the fleet.  And now this past week, British Airways has done the same!

With a roll out starting in 2026, every customer in every cabin will enjoy free, high-speed Wi-Fi powered by Starlink.

More information can be found here: https://www.britishairways.com/content/information/about-ba/whats-new

I'm thrilled to see Starlink being added by other airlines (my own experience with Starlink at home has been excellent).  

Time to Start Planning for Spring Break Travel!

It's mid-April, and what does that mean? Planning can commence for spring break 2026 trips! The points and miles opportunities will start to be available across airlines and hotels - I was able to confirm two business class tickets over the weekend Heathrow to Doha in Qatar Airways Business class for 86,000 Avios. Excellent value!

Cards in My Wallet Right Now (2025)

Happy New Year!  My card list has changed a little this past year while my spending overall has stayed even.  I retired the Hilton Surpass and AA Biz Platinum while picking up the regular AA Platinum.  I'm still using the United Club card for lounge access and extra miles for purchases.  I have referral codes for most cards if needed! 

Cards in my Wallet:

Chase Sapphire Reserve - one of the best earning cards with 3x points for travel and 3x for dining; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase Freedom - Quarterly bonus categories give 5x points and pairs with Sapphire

Chase World of Hyatt - 4x Hyatt points per stay make this one of the best for hotel stays, 2x for restaurant/transit; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase IHG Rewards Club Select (no longer available) - Platinum Elite status plus free night every cardmember year

Chase United Club Infinite - 4x miles on United, 2x miles on other travel, 2x on dining, United Club membership

Chase Biz Plus (replaced with Business Preferred) - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x on gas station and hotel; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase Biz Cash - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x points on gas stations and restaurants

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless - 6x points at Marriott properties; 3x Gas/Grocery/Dining up to $6k, 1 Elite Night credit per $5k spent; 2x points on other purchases; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase British Airways - 3x Avios on BA purchases; 2x on hotels; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank Premier - 3x points on travel including gas stations and grocery; 2x on dining/entertainment, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank AA Platinum - 2x American Airlines miles on purchases plus free checked bag and priority boarding; 2x on gas stations, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank AA Mileup - 2x American Airlines miles on flights, plus 2x miles for grocery purchases, No Annual Fee

Citibank Double Cash - 2% cash back on all purchases, though the transfer option to Citi ThankYou Points makes this card strong for all non-category spend, No Annual Fee

American Express Hilton card - 7x Hilton points on stays, 5x points dining/gas/grocery, 3x all other purchases, complimentary Silver status, No Annual Fee, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Discover It card - 5x points/cash on quarterly bonus categories, link to Amazon.com purchases, No Annual Fee

Bank of American Alaska Airlines card - 3x miles on Alaska purchases, $99 companion fare

Chase 4th Quarter bonus for British Airways

Not to be outdone, Chase has also added an additional 4th Quarter points earning opportunity for the British Airways visa card.  

Cardmembers can earn 15,000 additional bonus Avios when spending $5000 on the card between October 1st and December 31st.  

Not the best for spend bonus, but another option for the fall!

Qatar Airways Adopts Avios

A recent announcement has now become reality - Qatar Airways has officially adopted Avios as its program currency.  The email announcement details this:

This fantastic new partnership opens up a world of possibilities for you and your Avios, including:

Better access to destinations worldwide - from the stunning beaches of the Maldives to even more of Australia More opportunities to book a Reward Flight with guaranteed Reward Seats on all Qatar Airways flights New ways to collect Avios with a range of new upcoming partnerships Selected routes and cabins now available with fewer Avios, so your rewards can take you further than ever before

The ability to use Avios for Qatar airways itineraries is something I'm looking forward to exploring - low fuel surcharges and the near-guarantee of at least 2 premium seats open per flight make flight options excellent (especially to locations overseas).  

Cards in my wallet right now (2022)

Happy New Year!

The ongoing pandemic has posed many challenges though for my current card lineup things stayed relatively stable. I'm hoping for the same in 2022 based on current offers.

Cards in my Wallet:

Chase Sapphire Reserve - one of the best earning cards with 3x points for travel and 3x for dining

Chase Freedom - Quarterly bonus categories give 5x points and pairs with Sapphire

Chase World of Hyatt - 4x Hyatt points per stay make this one of the best for hotel stays, 2x for restaurant/transit

Chase IHG Rewards Club Select (no longer available) - Platinum Elite status plus free night every cardmember year

Chase United Mileage Plus Select (no longer available) - 3x miles on United purchases plus EQM, 2x gas/grocery/dining + Star Alliance purchases

Chase Biz Plus (replaced with Business Preferred) - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x on gas station and hotel

Chase Biz Cash - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x points on gas stations and restaurants

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless - 6x points at Marriott properties; 3x Gas/Grocery/Dining up to $6k, 1 Elite Night credit per $5k spent; 2x points on other purchases; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase British Airways - 3x Avios on BA purchases; 2x on hotels; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank Premier - 3x points on travel including gas stations; 2x on dining/entertainment

Citibank AA Biz Platinum - 2x American Airlines miles on purchases plus free checked bag and priority boarding; 2x on gas stations

Citibank AA Mileup - 2x American Airlines miles on flights, plus 2x miles for grocery purchases, No Annual Fee

Citibank Double Cash - 2% cash back on all purchases, though the transfer option to Citi ThankYou Points makes this card strong for all non-category spend, No Annual Fee

American Express Hilton card - 7x Hilton points on stays, 5x points dining/gas/grocery, 3x all other purchases, complimentary Silver status, No Annual Fee

American Express Hilton Surpass - 12x Hilton points on stays, 6x points on dining/grocery/gas, 3x points on all other purchases; complimentary Gold status

Discover It card - 5x points/cash on quarterly bonus categories, link to Amazon.com purchases, No Annual Fee

Bank of American Alaska Airlines card - 3x miles on Alaska purchases, $99 companion fare


I still value many of these for the no annual fee, and others have perks/free nights that make them excellent to hold. 

Are you looking to upgrade any specific cards this year?

Summer Chase Bonus offers

I continue to be impressed by the offers extended by Chase for regular credit card spend.  Hopefully most of you have received these as well!  Over the last two weeks there have been notifications about offers through this summer for several cards: 

United Card: 7x points on United purchases and 5x points for travel/gas station purchases up to $1500 from 5/15 through 8/15

IHG Card: 9x points on IHG purchases and 5x points for travel/gas station purchases up to $1500 from 5/15 through 8/15

British Airways Card: 9x points on British Airways/family purchases and 5x Avios for travel/gas station purchases up to $1500 from 5/15 through 8/15

Marriott Card: 10x points on Marriott purchases and 5x points for travel/gas station purchases up to $1500 from 5/15 through 8/15

This is all in addition to the previously announced offers that are good through 6/30.  Don't forget to sign up via the email link for each!

Additional Chase Bonus Points offers

In October 2020, Chase made bonus points promotions available to help during the pandemic.  These were additional categories beyond normal spending/bonus and had specific thresholds.

I've received more emails with bonus points offers for regular spend through June 30th - if you have these Chase cards, don't forget to sign up using the email links in each invite.

Hyatt Card: 5x points at Grocery/Restaurants on up to $1500 in combined spend through 6/30

United Card: 5x points on up to $1500 in combined spend through 6/30

IHG Card: 5x points on up to $1500 in combined spend through 6/30

British Airways Card: 5x points on up to $1500 in combined spend through 6/30

Marriott Card: 5x points on up to $1500 in combined spend through 6/30

Chase Bonus Points Promotions through March 2021!

Back in October 2020, Chase was very proactive with bonus points promotions given everything going on with the pandemic.  At the time these seemed to be the best offers for regular spend for the quarter.  

This morning I received several emails with more bonus points offers for spend at gas stations, grocery stores, and drug stores through March 31st - if you have these Chase cards, make sure to sign up via the invite email links.

Hyatt Card: Spend $3000 in combined purchases to receive 5000 Hyatt bonus points through 3/31

United Card: 5x points at Gas/Grocery/Drug Stores on up to $1500 in combined spend through 3/31

IHG Card: 5x points at Gas/Grocery/Drug Stores on up to $1500 in combined spend through 3/31

British Airways Card: 5x points at Gas/Grocery/Drug Stores on up to $1500 in combined spend through 3/31

Marriott Card: 5x points at Gas/Grocery/Drug Stores on up to $1500 in combined spend through 3/31

Chase bonus points promotions for Amazon/Grocery through 12/31/20!

I was excited to receive several emails today with special bonus points offers for spend at grocery stores and Amazon.com through December 31st - if you have these Chase cards, make sure to sign up via the invite email link received!

Hyatt Card: 5x points at Amazon.com/3x points for grocery on up to $1500 spend each month through 12/31

United Card: 5x points at Amazon.com/5x points for grocery on up to $1500 spend each month through 12/31

IHG Card: 5x points at Amazon.com/3x points for grocery on up to $1500 spend each month through 12/31

British Airways Card: 5x points at Amazon.com/5x points for grocery on up to $1500 spend each month through 12/31

Update! Sapphire Reserve: 3x points for grocery on up to $1000 spend each month through 4/30/21

More flight impacts from coronavirus

From CNN posted this afternoon:

British Airways, one of the largest airlines in Europe, has announced that it will be canceling several flights to “match reduced demand due to the continuing coronavirus issue,” it said in a statement today. 

The cancelations will impact flights between March 16 and March 28 and include:

• Cancelling 12 roundtrips from London Heathrow to New York JFK
• Cancelling 171 short-haul roundtrip flights from London Heathrow to countries including Italy, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland
• Cancelling 7 short-haul roundtrip flights from Gatwick to Italy, France and Albania
• Cancelling 26 short-haul roundtrip flights from London City to Germany and Italy

“We will be contacting customers on cancelled flights so we can discuss their travel options, including rebooking onto other carriers where possible, full refunds or booking with BA for a later date of travel,” the statement added.

Labor Day Weekend Excursion: Rome

Last weekend I was able to make it back home successfully to spend time with my grandparents and family. This was a redo trip from July 4th weekend which failed spectacularly when United cancelled many Milwaukee flights and had no options for three days.  And this weekend continues the travel plan for August with a last-of-the-summer jaunt to one of my favorite places: Roma!

I'm writing this from the British Airways Galleries Lounge in T5 at Heathrow while we wait for our connecting flight on BA.  This is an all miles trip this time on United and British Airways - connecting through Heathrow only cost 30,000 Avios each to fly Club World.

The weather right now looks good and Vatican Museum passes are in hand...should be fun!

Ireland Day 1 - Dublin/Arrival

Another adventure!  I've been looking forward to this trip for quite some time, ever since being asked to go along by Shannon, one of my best friends back in Milwaukee.  The lead up took a few twists and turns but all details were finally confirmed and we were off to Dublin via JFK.  One added bonus for this trip was having Exec Plat on American Airlines, which afforded the opportunity for upgrades to Business Class for both of us.  And wouldn't you know it...two seats confirmed!

We successfully enjoyed the trip over, made an easy 1:40 connection at Heathrow, and then took a short British Airways connector flight to Dublin.  Passport control in Dublin Airport took a bit of time, but fresh passport stamps in hand, we were off to find our first place to stay.  We chose AirBnb for several stays along the way - this turned out to be far more economical than trying to stay in hotels each day.  Exiting the airport we experienced our first taste of Irish weather...and it was literally washing us over.  Rain, rain, and more rain - on top of 30-50 mph winds.  We had only a short walk to our first place - Cloghranguesthouse in Swords.  Matt was very kind to meet us (we were a bit early on his watch but had confirmed a noon arrival...no matter) and our room was reasonable and efficient with tv and free wifi. It took us longer than we thought to find how to get hot water out of the shower...would have been a long start to the evening if we hadn't found the magic power switch.

After a quick refresher, we decided to venture out to Dublin and find Penneys. We were told the 41 bus was a close walk and would take us directly downtown.  Little did we know how cold and wet we would be by the time the bus arrived...or how long it would take to get there.  Soon we were off and made it to the central part of Dublin and a quick walk to Penneys.  If you're ready for a fun shopping experience, this is it!  Plenty of clothes and other articles to choose from. This picture shows us waiting for the bus and still in relatively good spirits despite jetlag:

We were famished after our shopping and evening in the rain, and found a very cool place to eat just down the street - Flanagan's.  The food was excellent and service was great.  Nothing like a few pints of Falling Apple cider on a rainy evening!

Soon we were back to the bus on Lower Abbey and off to our stay in Swords.  It didn't take long for us to pass out after a long first day of travel.

Vienna - Departure/Recap

Overall the trip turned out very well and weather held for the most part.  Visiting Vienna is such an immersive experience - the cobblestones, the small alleys and passages...all make for a wonderful time experiencing a city that is very welcoming.  Some takeaways:

1. Nov/Dec is an excellent time to visit Christmas markets - so many great things to eat!
2. The Park Hyatt Vienna is worth the stay (points are very reasonable) - the upgrade really made it special
3. Walking the city is just as easy as using the train system - very convenient and easy to visit sites a bit out of town
4.  The more popular restaurants need reservations - give plenty of notice to get the time you want

I really look forward to coming back!

British Airways Ending 4500 Avios awards in North America Only

I've found great value using Avios for short-haul flights within the US - you can't beat a 4500 point roundtrip ticket with low fees between nearby cities such as Philadelphia, Boston, and New York.  Sadly, all of that is ending - only in North America.

BA Press Release

Of course, it bears mentioning that all good deals never last forever.  In this case, British Airways has given until February 2nd until the changes take effect (and all other 4500 awards in any other zone such as Asia or Europe still remain in effect).  Seems to me they became acutely aware of how many of us were using those types of awards...book now while you still can!

Major British Airways Devaluation coming in April

And it's not good for redemptions.  From the Points Guy:

For Business class award redemptions -

Zone 4: Old 50,000, Now 75,000
Zone 5: Old 80,000, Now 120,000
Zone 6: Old 100,000, Now 150,000
Zone 7: Old 120,000, Now 180,000
Zone 8: Old 140,000, Now 210,000
Zone 9: Old 200,000, Now 300,000

It doesn't look like Economy Awards are being affected that much, but I'm also disappointed in the mileage accrual rates changing...some will be as low at 25% for flying British Airways' own flights!

I had the opportunity to fly British Airways Business Class on my first trip to Qatar, and I must say it was an excellent experience overall (other than the fact my luggage was lost for 2 days).  I don't think I ever would have had that opportunity had it not been for the option to redeem Avios at the level they were at.  We have until April 28th if you're looking to make any reservations at the old rate.  Book now!

Also looks like I'll be shelving my BA Visa for accrual...