Finding BA Award Flights, Revolut RevPoints, & Comparing Companion Vouchers

Hello, Adventurous Travellers, and Happy Sunday!

I hope you’ve had some time to relax this weekend. This week, we’ve had news of the new RevPoints rewards, and we hope to help you find the best BA reward flights and choose the best companion vouchers to aim for. 

Let's get started:

• The Best Tools for Finding BA Reward Flight Availability: Discover the top tools to find and book British Airways award flights.

• Revolut Launches RevPoints to Reward Customers for Daily Spending: Learn about Revolut's new loyalty programme and how you can benefit from it.

• American Express Companion Voucher Vs. Barclaycard Avios Rewards Cabin Upgrade Voucher: Compare the benefits of AMEX and Barclaycard reward vouchers to find the best option for you.

The Best Tools for Finding BA Reward Flight Availability

British Airways award flights are released 355 days before travel. This is often the best time to book reward seats on popular routes or at peak times. If you've left it until the last minute, there's still plenty of chance to pick up a deal. 

Here are the best tools to find reward flight availability:

The BA Website

This is where I usually find reward flights. To do this, you need an idea of the route and the date you want to travel. BA will simply tell you how many seats are left on each economy and business flight.

For example, I was met with various options when looking for a flight from London to New York on 14th November. 

When picking the 8:20 AM LHR to JFK flight in business class, I was met with a range of options:

Reward Flight Finder

Reward Flight Finder is one of the most popular tools for finding reward flights at a reasonable rate. You can also get notified when your seats are released. This is a good option if you're flexible about dates and destinations. You can see a world map of where you could go and the Avios needed for the flight. You can sign up for a 7-day free trial, and then there are two memberships to choose from:

Seatspy

Seatspy can also show you a calendar of availability, and you can sign up for alerts. You can put in where you want to fly from, and the tool will bring up all the places with reward availability for the date you want to travel. After a free trial, there are two membership options available with varying features:

Seatspy is the best value for a paid option, but I like the map tool available on Reward Flight Finder. If you try to book 355 days before, the BA tool works fine, but if you’re a last-minute or flexible traveller, one of these memberships would really be worth it.

Revolut Launches RevPoints to Reward Customers for Daily Spending

If you have not heard of Revolut, now's the time to read up on it!

Revolut has introduced its first loyalty card program, RevPoints, offering perks like airline miles, accommodation deals, and travel discounts.

After making 150 eligible transactions, new customers can receive 3,000 points (equivalent to 3,000 air miles or up to £60 in travel discounts).

What is Revolut?

Revolut is a mobile-based banking app alternative to traditional banks for frequent travellers.

It aims to help people get more from their money. You can use Revolut to transfer money abroad, exchange cryptocurrency, budget, and save money.

How You Can Benefit from the New RevPoints Program

Your RevPoints can be used with over 30 airline loyalty programs, including British Airways. You can also use your points for holiday accommodation and experiences. You can exchange every RevPoint for 1 mile.

Revolut Card Options

• Standard (Free): Earn 1 point per £10 spent.

• Plus (£3.99 per month): Earn 1 point per £10 spent + 1,500 RevPoints upgrade bonus when you spend £2,000 in the first three months.

• Premium (£7.99 per month): Earn 1 point per £4 spent + 2,500 RevPoints upgrade bonus when you spend £2,000 in the first three months.

• Metal (£14.99 per month): Earn 1 point per £2 spent + 5,000 RevPoints upgrade bonus when you spend £2,000 in the first three months.

• Ultra (£45 per month): Earn 1 point per £1 spent + 10,000 RevPoints upgrade bonus when you spend £2,000 in the first three months (5,000 RevPoints if upgrading from Metal). If you choose this plan and spend £2,500 per month, you could receive 30,000 points per year, enough to bag a free round trip from London to New York.

Once you have a Revolut account, activate the RevPoints feature to start earning. To maximise your points, choose a plan that fits your monthly spending.

American Express Companion Voucher Vs. Barclaycard Avios Rewards Cabin Upgrade Voucher

The AMEX BA companion voucher and the Barclaycard Avios Rewards cabin upgrade voucher can unlock great rewards with British Airways.

Here’s a comparison of what the two AMEX cards (companion vouchers) and two Barclaycard options (upgrade vouchers) can get you:

The AMEX Companion Voucher

A British Airways companion voucher allows you to book an additional seat or a companion on the same flight and cabin for free when redeeming Avios for a British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus flight.

To earn an AMEX companion voucher, you must spend a set amount within the first year of having the card. This is currently £15,000 for the British Airways American Express® Credit Card and British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card.

This doubles the value of your Avios on the flight. Alternatively, you can get a 50% discount on a solo Avios fare.

The Barclaycard Cabin Upgrade Voucher

This voucher allows for a one-class upgrade on a reward flight booking, pending availability. Rather than spending less Avios, the upgrade voucher enables you to enjoy a higher class of service than you would have otherwise.

The Barclaycard Avios Rewards program offers a cabin upgrade voucher for spending £20,000 within a card year on the standard Barclaycard Avios card and £10,000 on the Barclaycard Avios Plus.

Comparisons

• The Barclaycard Avios Plus has the lowest spending requirement of £10,000 to earn an upgrade voucher.

• All vouchers are valid for two years apart from the free British Airways American Express® Credit Card.

• All vouchers can be cancelled up to 24 hours before the flight.

• The Barclaycard Avios Plus card also gives reduced airport lounge membership at £18.50 per pass.

• British Airways American Express® Credit Card Companion Vouchers can be redeemed in economy cabins, while British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card Companion Vouchers can be redeemed across all cabins.

The best card for you depends on whether you want to double the value of your Avios or travel in a better cabin. It also depends on how much you can spend on the card each year and whether you can meet the requirements of each card. If you’re eligible for two cards, you could earn a comparison voucher AND an upgrade voucher. 

Final Words

Hopefully, you'll be able to take advantage of some of these tips.

Safe travels, and always aim for the upgrade!

Bye for now!

Jack @ Smart With Points

📌 Leeds, United Kingdom

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