a credit card and ticket on a table

Arbitrage is the single best word to sum up why travelers collect miles. Avoiding gouging prices by cashing in lucrative miles is not as easy as it once was – but British Airways Gold Executive Club members have a unique advantage in this pursuit. Here’s the most underrated benefit of British Airways Gold status – and how to use it.

a row of seats with monitors on themAny Seat You Want

Provided you’re willing to fly economy (wouldn’t it be nice if this expanded beyond), Gold members can secure a seat using points on any British Airways flight. This is true regardless of whether or not a seat is presently available using Avios points. If a seat is available for sale with cash, you can book it with Avios – you’ll just pay double the standard amount. The only caveat: you must book 30 days in advance or more.

Phone It In

To secure these seats you must call the British Airways Executive Club number on the back of your card. Simply mention you’d like to book a Gold Priority Reward, and you’ll be charged double whatever the standard amount of Avios miles for the flight would usually be. This can be invaluable during expensive peak travel trip needs.

a black leather strap on a cardWhy It’s Magic

Let’s say you need to pop over to Paris or somewhere within Europe on a major holiday trip. It happens to be a week when everything is happening in Paris (wherever), and one way tickets are over £500. Using a Gold Priority Reward, you’d pay just 9,000 Avios miles one way, instead of the usual 4,500. This example yields a value of over 5 cents per mile. Which is excellent. This benefit only works on British Airways operated flights, but it works worldwide and it can be a game changer.

Have you used this lucrative benefit?

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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7 Comments

  1. Pop over to Paris, 30 days in advance?
    You getting paid in miles? Rule#1 don’t get High in the Sky on your own supply.

  2. Two-paragraphs post and the author contradicts themselves on their basic premise. Happy new incompetent year.

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