Emirates First Class Champagne

This is the time of year where wine seems somewhat unavoidable, not that I mind.

There’s the giving of gifts, the receiving of gifts, office parties and everything else. And we haven’t even touched the family get togethers. As Kevin McCallister says in ‘Home Alone’, “yikes”!

Even when I feel like I’m stocked up, with plenty to enjoy, gift and store, I end up needing a bit more, and that’s where the introduction of British Airways and IAG Loyalty’s innovative new ‘The Wine Flyer’ comes in handy.

This is pretty much the first modern era airline wine store built from the ground up and forging direct relationships with wineries and specialists, rather than going through middlemen who take a cut.

Anyway, you care because they’re running a “12 Days of Christmas” giveaways promo, including an all expenses paid trip to South Africa, and other stunning destinations. And — they have some truly sensational prices allowing you to combine Avios and cash on bottle from the highest end to everyday value.

That takes quite a bit of the sting out of the giving season.

a glass of wine next to a window

The Wine Flyer 12 Days Of Christmas

People who place an order worth over £50 (even if points are being used to represent most of the total) on The Wine Flyer are eligible to win a prize each day they purchase. To keep things ultra clear, here’s the info directly from The Wine Flyer.

A customer may win a prize on a particular day if they shop with The Wine Flyer between 4pm on one day, and 4pm the following day, and their order must exceed £50 in subtotal value.

A customer will know that they have won a prize because as a leaflet or ‘golden-ticket’ will be placed within their order with the corresponding prize on it. They will need to either scan the QR code or contact the email address which is on each of the twelve golden tickets. Each leaflet also has a unique code on it which they will need to cross reference with The Wine Flyer to ensure that they have won.

The Wine Flyer has a copy of each unique code associated with the respective prize. It’s important to point out that only once customer can win each prize, and that the prizes are non-transferrable. The golden tickets will be deposited into the winning orders prior to 4pm each day, at random, by a contact in our order fulfilment centre in Northampton. 

Prize trips up for grabs to Cape Town, Champagne, Bilbao and Sicily pair nicely with wine prizes on other days, among others. What’s really cool here though, is that you can use Avios to buy wine, and that even if you’re mostly using Avios, as long as the gross order amount is over £50, you’ll be eligible. Check out this sample pricing…

  • Ramon Bilbao ‘Journey’ Rioja – buy from £0.69 plus 1,755 Avios or £12.99 (link)
  • Whispering Angel – buy from £0.99 plus 3,495 Avios or £19.99 (link)
  • Black Stump – buy from £0.59 plus 1,900 Avios or £11.99 (link)
  • Pure Gin – buy from £1.60 plus 4,345 Avios or £34 (link)

Like I said, even if you take the offer to use 3,495 Avios and pay just £0.99 for some Whispering Angel, your cart will be eligible for the exciting daily golden ticket prizes if your order value is over £50 of the pure cash price. In this example, three bottles of Whispering Angels for 3x £0.99 and 3X 3,495 Avios would count. Cool.

It’s early days for the Wine Flyer but I’ve gotta say, I’m incredibly impressed. Unlike most airline wine clubs, prices are extremely competitive against the best retailers and there’s no focus on just selling bulk. There’s actual selection of great bottles from high end to every day.

If you’ve got wine to order this holiday season, one of these 12 days might be just the right time to do so. Just don’t tell anyone, because everyone who orders is one less percentage chance of you winning. Whoops!

Gilbert Ott

Gilbert Ott is an ever curious traveler and one of the world's leading travel experts. His adventures take him all over the globe, often spanning over 200,000 miles a year and his travel exploits are regularly...

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2 Comments

  1. I value my Avios at 1p (and usually cost more to buy) which means none of the above offers seem the least bit attractive,

    1. Fair, sure. But many people come by Avios easily, so the idea of spending them as an alternative to cash is quite attractive, particularly in today’s climate. Plus, most people value at .5 ish pp, which makes these prices more attractive.

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