Joseph

It’s not up to Amex.

Dominic

Great tip – thanks

Henry Young

You don’t even need the managers name. Just put the hotel name.

Source: just renewed a 5-year multiple entry visa (get this if you’re planning multiple trips… just 84 USD!)

RP

Taxes are relatively low on China Airlines when using Virgin points. Seat availability is hit and miss but it is there with flexibility.

Korean Air is very cheap in Asia with Virgin Points.

Danny

Do you mean it’s relatively easy to find redemption seats or that fewer points are needed?

zapato1060

Final ProTip – even if you have an interlined transfer at DEL, get an eVisa and go out/in unless you’re short of time. They seem to have a serious problem with airside transfers. Long queue and none of the staff care. I think the problem is nobody in the transfer queue started or is ending their journey in India, so they get away with the most abysmally shoddy customer service, hating on the whitey colonialists. Check-in security is tiresome in so far as you have to remove and place in the tray literally everything composed of anything electrical, but that is still preferred to airside transfer imho.

zapato1060

The only serious complication with India eVisa when you’re only visiting DEL Arrivals and DEL Departures is that they still need a reference name/address/phone. Look up the manager of the airport Holiday Inn Express (which has both air and land side entrances) whether you’re staying there or not and use that info. The chances of them actually checking are miniscule, especially when it’s clear your eVisa is for non-interlined transfer purposes.

Henry Young

Shanghai is also really good value on VS. Pity they canned HKG and TYO.

LittleNick

Virgin Points are quite useful now the airline is in SkyTeam. Was quite surprised at the good value on China Airlines and Korean Air.

MrMcBurger

Yes, it does.

zapato1060

Definitely dodgy sites – doubly dangerous because they’re harvesting passport and CC details !

Only use : https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

There was/is a sale on for VS redemptions, dropping that 10,000 to 7,500 – stunning value. If fact I’m literally off to LHR now, heading back to Manila via DEL plus whatever Kiwi.com (the self-transfer specialists) cooked up for me 🙂

Henry Young

Agree but your basing it on offpeak 10k which is tremendous value. When i researched the visa I was getting 100£ min, maybe I was searching on dodgy sites?

LittleNick

…or Hilton when they run the 30% bonus points offer.

LittleNick

Yes this is it really in a nutshell. If any of those 3 were heavily devalued then the scene and this site will sadly seize to exist.

Glasgowchill

I have seen this in the States but not here. Sure others are more informed but I would guess its a hard no as Avios is UK market infused.

Glasgowchill

No

“Airline miles. My last piece on valuing Avios points is here and Amex points transfer into Avios at 1:1. This is why the sign-up bonuses, such as 20,000 points for taking out the free (in Year 1) Americn Express Preferred Rewards Gold, are so valuable.}”

Charles Martell

Hard to say because the big redemptions are very lumpy. What is true is that I probably need to revise my own cash comparable values upwards in light of what you’d realistically need to pay these days vs what in my head I still think of as a pre-covid ‘realistic’ valuation.

navara

But that’s the same as all the valuations – by not buying a £10,000 cash ticket in First with BA, and using Avios instead I’m missing out on 30,000 Avios by not putting it on my BAPP.