Best VA points usage for SYD - LHR and/ or SYD- MAN/ LPL - using Etihad perhaps?

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Clipped wings

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We have approx 600,000 points with VA as a result of flights and points transfers (using Amex points bonus transfer deals).

We need to fly to the UK for friend's wedding (between Liverpool and Manchester), on 1 Aug and are planning a 3 week trip so we can have a look around Liverpool/ Manchester/ Lake District, north Wales, and possibly a short side trip to Dublin. We also need to visit friends in London. We will probably hire a car or train it up or down to London so we can do a few things along the way.

What are my best points options for 2 people? We've seen that Etihad is cheaper to use points with and less in terms of taxes. Are we best to buy Business Class with them or how should we make the most of our points?

We are also considering doing a stopover in Abu Dhabi on the way there or back.

Any options or advice greatly appreciated.
 
Wait a couple of weeks until VA is showing all available sectors in the rewards booking section. A call to the international rewards desk at the moment will find you having to pay a lot more points than what you should normally have to pay. None of the Asian or Middle East sectors are available to book online or show up at the moment
Personally the best use of points would be MEL to LHR one way, and then ATH-AUH, AUH-MEL one way. I can't remember offhand how many points it used to show for these legs, but you should be able to do the whole thing in J for both of you at around less than 400,000 points with Etihad
 
From memory, East coast Aus to UK on Etihad is at least 125,000 points - just to AUH is 94,000...
 
Definitely follow mella2007's advice to wait until all options are available again - business class on EY should run to 250k points return, plus applicable taxes of course. You should be able to do SYD-MAN on the way over, take the train or drive to London, get a flight over to Dublin when you're just about ready to fly home and then DUB-AUH, stop for a few days if you want and then do AUH-SYD to finish up.

If you're on EY metal all the way, the taxes will be quite low - and if you depart from DUB, you won't pay the ridiculous premium cabin departure taxes that the UK levy.

Edit again: helps if I bother to read the thread title; I'd have known where you're starting if I did! :oops:
 
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Wait a couple of weeks until VA is showing all available sectors in the rewards booking section. A call to the international rewards desk at the moment will find you having to pay a lot more points than what you should normally have to pay. None of the Asian or Middle East sectors are available to book online or show up at the moment
Personally the best use of points would be MEL to LHR one way, and then ATH-AUH, AUH-MEL one way. I can't remember offhand how many points it used to show for these legs, but you should be able to do the whole thing in J for both of you at around less than 400,000 points with Etihad


Thanks. We were def going to book online rather than by phone if possible and I knew the website was having a few issues also. When the site was up it seemed that we could get each leg in Etihad economy for 125,000 yet VA was considerably more and with higher taxes.

We did like the idea however of a stopover in the Middle East purely because we've never been there.

I'll look into the Athens and Melbourne options. I assume you are saying that cheap flights can be had from Athens to the UK and adding cheap economy flights between MEL and SYD would be more cost effective. Thanks for you suggestions.
 
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Thanks re the Dublin tip. I hadn't considered that. Def will fly EY. I can't believe how many fewer points you need to use with Etihad in comparison to VA. It's as if they are forcing you away from them. A very odd strategy as as far I can see it must dilute your brand.
 
Yes I've booked ATH to AUH and then AUH to SIN for the very low reward rates by going this way. For two of us in J in total these legs only cost us 172,000 and if I had of chosen AUH to BNE (which is cheaper than MEL or SYD) it would have been another 20,000 points each...so very good value (mind you we are going peak time of June/July) And flights from LHR to ATH can be had very cheap for under 100 euro with easyjet

Thanks. We were def going to book online rather than by phone if possible and I knew the website was having a few issues also. When the site was up it seemed that we could get each leg in Etihad economy for 125,000 yet VA was considerably more and with higher taxes.

We did like the idea however of a stopover in the Middle East purely because we've never been there.

I'll look into the Athens and Melbourne options. I assume you are saying that cheap flights can be had from Athens to the UK and adding cheap economy flights between MEL and SYD would be more cost effective. Thanks for you suggestions.
 
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