How I Bagged A Bargain Getaway To Berlin

A weekend bargain to Berlin?

As a little surprise for my husband’s birthday, I decided to book a mini getaway to Berlin over the Easter weekend. We have been together eleven years and I’ve yet to visit this city with him.

I have fabulous memories of a buzzing city, with bags of history, pulsing nightlife and great architecture. I also recall a mad dash to the airport with a banging hangover and I’m wondering why it’s taken me so long to return.

Bargain breaks to Berlin

I guess I’m always on the hunt for a bargain. Those £9.99 flights seem to be a thing of the past these days (even on Ryanair) especially if you need to take a case. As a travel blogger, it really is impossible to take a carry on that fits clothes, toiletries, and all my camera gear!

On the off chance, I decided to check redemption flights as I have a surplus of points following my bumper year of earning 360,000 points in 2016 . Yes, I know this is a paltry amount compared to what our US brethren can earn, but in the UK this is pretty damn good considering the limited options.

Berlin Award Flight

Amazingly, availability popped up departing on the afternoon of Good Friday, returning early on Easter Monday. Not the best flight times admittedly, but at just £70 plus 18,000 points, I couldn’t resist two full days in Berlin with my honey. What could be better than that this Easter? Relying on just five weeks’ leave from work, I have to take every opportunity I can to travel. Staying at home at Easter is simply a lost opportunity – a lot of world is waiting for me.

How much did I save?

Well those same flights on British Airways cost a whopping £341.20 each including a bag and seat choice (seriously, what is happening to British Airways when I’m being charged for a bag and seat choice?).

My redemption thus saved me £612.40 off a total fare of £682.40. Although that does assume that someone really is stupid enough to spend all that money on a short flight to Berlin!

Other flight options

You could of course, check out Skyscanner and see what other deals you can find. The best deal I found was £144 each with SAS, a total of £288. On that basis, I’ve still saved £218 and it feels like I have a bargain weekend. Paying almost £300 for two flights does not seem like a deal!

My AVIOS redemption

Now of course, I did also have to redeem 18,000 AVIOS so was it worth it? On the basis of booking flights with British Airways, each of those points would be worth 0.034p which is pretty good. It looks much less attractive when compared with prices available on Skyscanner. With just a saving of £218, each point is just worth a paltry 0.012p.

My view

For me, this is a reasonable earnings rate especially for Easter. I was struggling to find a bargain to anywhere that remotely enthused me and I certainly didn’t want to spend a few hundred pounds each for a flight. That hardly could be considered travelling the globe 4 less, could it?

I simply cannot wait to head back to Berlin, to stand in awe under the dome of the Reichstag, admire the graffiti on the Berlin Wall, gaze down on city scenes from the top of the TV tower and enjoy a few oversized beers in some beer 🍺 hall!