There’s no doubt that BA Redemption Finder makes searching for Avios reward seats a whole lot easier.
Before BA Redemption Finder existed, you were forced to either log in to the BA website and search for Avios seats manually or run a search on ExpertFlyer. However, both of those require you to log in and then navigate a number of pages to check availability.
(Granted, the Reward Flights feature on the BA app makes this process slightly better, but it still can be fiddly).
BA Redemption Finder allows you to see Avios availability on a particular route for the coming 12 months – and takes about 30 seconds, with no login required.
And they’ve now added an interesting new feature called Explore.
How BA Redemption Finder’s Explore feature works
People looking to redeem their Avios have long wanted a tool that allows them to plug in their desired travel dates and see all available destinations using Avios on those dates.
When you visit BA Redemption Finder, you now have to select between two tabs.
The first allows you to access the regular Avios search function. The second tab is titled “I don’t know where I want to go”.
You simply plug in your dates and the class you wish to travel in and the tool will list all available Avios destinations on those dates.
Let’s say you want to know where you can go in business class with 2 adults and 2 kids using Avios over Easter:
You’ll get a results page that looks like this:
The results page lists all of the destinations available (21 in this case), along with the Avios required. There’s even a link to book each itinerary on ba.com, which when clicked, prepopulates the search for you on the BA website!
How much does BA Redemption Finder charge?
Using the BA Redemption Finder tool is free.
However, if you want to use their email service that alerts you to changes in Avios availability, you have two options:
You can stick with the free version but that will only check for updates once a day.
Alternatively, you can pay £3 a month and get hourly alerts (if something has changed that is!).
Verdict
I’m impressed by this latest addition to the BA Redemption Finder. The Explore function, as long as it works as it says it does, could be the answer to a frequent Avios-related request.
It’s especially helpful for those with a decent pile of Avios and unused annual leave who have no destination preference and just want to know where their Avios can take them.
I’m sure there will be a couple of wrinkles that need working out, but Tim – who runs BA Redemption Finder – is usually very good at ironing these out.
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