I need to get from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur in four weeks. There are some cheap LCC flights but I’m concerned about traffic to Don Meung (DMK) airport at rush hour so I was looking at options from BKK to take advantage of the train which runs to that terminal. Malaysian Airlines is the obvious option in that scenario and it is a relatively short flight so I considered using Avios. Wow, was that a stupid idea.
Yeah, this is all sorts of bad for using Avios
The 7,500 points part is reasonable enough, I suppose and the $20ish in taxes cannot be avoided; that’s decently low for an international trip. But the $50 in “carrier fees” kills the value in a hurry. So much so that one actually pays extra to use Avios in certain scenarios. It helps that the fare is around $100 to demonstrate the idiocy of using points, but when I saw the option to use points where the cash component was significantly more than just buying the ticket outright I was reminded once again of the silly circumstances under which points redemptions operate.
For business class (a waste on such a short flight) the rate was slightly more reasonable at 15,000 Avios + $83, compared to the $315 for just buying the seat. But at least there was no Avios price where I’d have to pay extra cash just to redeem points.
And, once again, I’ve got flights which are simply too cheap to waste points on. I know I’m going to be mad at myself eventually when a devaluation hits, but the cash prices are just too damn cheap these days, at least where I’m flying..
The post Today’s Lesson: How NOT to Use Avios appeared first on Wandering Aramean.