You can now use Avios points to buy suitcases
It’s the story arc that we didn’t know we needed, but that sort of makes sense. You can now part-pay for luggage with Avios points. The big question is whether the deals make any sense.
My luggage conundrum
Every time we get back from holiday, we have the same conversation: we should get better luggage. Our suitcases are a collection of hand-me-downs and cheap impulse buys. We do not own any suitcases you could classify as premium. The luggage carousel doesn’t just deliver our cases back to us; it also delivers shame.
We then end up doing absolutely nothing to improve our luggage situation. Do I really want to burn £300 on a fancy case that’ll look bashed up and decrepit after a few journeys? The answer is always no. Would I think differently if I could use Avios points to buy luggage, rather than cash?
Using Avios to buy things
Avios launched the Avios Shop recently. This is a way to use Avios points to buy things, and then reduce the overall cash element of the purchase. You cannot buy something wholly using Avios points, but you can give yourself a discount.
Don’t confuse this with Avios Shopping, which is a way to just earn points when you buy things online (and a very valuable source of points).
The Avios Shop launched with just Apple products. It was an interesting approach. You could reduce the cost of buying a new iPhone, Apple Watch or even a Mac Studio by using points. If you have a chunk of points that you will never use for a flight, or you’re Avios rich, then it’s useful.
The discounts were capped at a maximum of 25%, and the value of each point you use is between 0.29p and 0.59p per point, making it relatively inefficient. Typically, Avios points are worth 1p, although the true value to you is more complex than that.
Now the Avios Shop has expanded. As well as Apple products, you can now buy luggage.
Using Avios to buy luggage
The Avios Shop now lists a number of new categories of product, alongside the original Apple category
- Bags
- Luggage
- Accessories
- Wellness
The Wellness section is travel-focused. There’s a neck pillow, sleep masks, sleep spray and scunchies. Three Therabody products feature as well, including their vibrating sleep mask.
The Accessories are primarily luggage-related, such as packing cubes and luggage tags. The Bags category is more travel-related than luxury handbags, although there is a £395 “Chocolate Compact Weekender”.
Finally, there’s the luggage section. There’s a range of cases from the eyewateringly expensive (£569 for a suitcase, or £285 for a passport wallet) to the more budget-conscious Antler cases.
Brands featured include:
- Antler
- Briggs & Riley
- Carl Friedrik
- Forte
- Smythson
How do the savings stack up?
Let’s look at a few example products to understand how Avios will reduce the cost
A Briggs & Riley Purple Carry On Expandable Suitcase costs £569 on the Avios Shop, and you can use a maximum of 13,585 Avios to reduce the price by £80.70 to £488.30. That values the points at 0.59p, which is the same ceiling of value that you get with the Apple products.
However, that case is being advertised at Fenwick for £455. That is £33 cheaper than the discounted Avios Shop price. If you bought from the Avios Shop, you’d burn 13.5k points and earn 976 points on the cash element of the purchase. It’s hard to consider that a good deal.
You’d even earn 5 Avios/£ with Fenwick (if you’re a new customer, or 3/£ if you already have an account with them) via the Avios Shopping website, giving you around 2,000 Avios. That number may change depending on how Fenwick considers the VAT element. However you slice it, there’s little to no point buying that case from the Avios Shop.
It’s a different story with an Antler case. The Black Icon Stripe (Large) is £245 in the Avios Shop. That same case is £255 on John Lewis, so you’re already making a saving. Use 10,320 Avios and you’ll save £61.30, reducing it to £183.70. You’ll also collect 367 Avios on the cash element of the purchase. That is a much better deal, and one that’s worth considering.
Is this a good use of points?
I refuse to use my points on anything except fights; however, that’s a personal decision, and you might have a different view. There are a few reasons why you’d want to use your points on the Avios Shop:
- You have a small number of points that you will never use, so getting a discount allows you to get value from them.
- You have a significant bank of points and you can afford to burn them to get discounts, and it won’t impact your future travel plans.
- You value cash over points, and therefore saving money on something is more important than retaining points.
What’s the future of the Avios shop?
The concept is ultimately a strange one: swap points for a discount on something. It feels halfway towards the best case, and right now, you’re limited to either Apple products or luggage (and accessories).
I could see someone burning some orphaned points to get a £25 sleep spray (the actual price in the wellness section, or £20 from the brand itself), but not to get a fraction of a discount on it.
What we’re all probably wishing for is vouchers. Converting Avios points into something that we could use elsewhere, and at a full points conversion rather than a discount. American Express do this with their Membership Reward points, and Capital On Tap do it too. The conversion rate is notoriously poor.
The Avios Shop launched with Apple, and has now expanded, so there is a growth trajectory, but the bigger question is whether they will move from discounts to using your points for the full value of a product.
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