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Welcome to Smart With Points, I'm Jack, and today we're diving into something that's going to divide opinion faster than pineapple on pizza. British Airways has just massively expanded their Avios Shop, and while part of me is impressed by the strategic move, another part of me is wondering if this is the points equivalent of buying overpriced airport sandwiches. Let me explain what's happened and, more importantly, whether you should care. So here's the news: the Avios Shop, which launched this summer with just Apple products, has exploded into a retail paradise with over three hundred items across seventeen premium brands. We're talking Antler suitcases, Stubble and Co bags, Aspinal of London leather goods, Chilly's water bottles, and even Smythson stationery for those of us who like our travel journals to cost more than the actual trip. The concept is simple enough: you can use your Avios to slash the cash price by up to twenty-five percent, and here's the kicker, you still earn Avios on whatever cash portion you pay. It's like getting a discount and a reward at the same time, which sounds almost too good to be true. And in the world of points and miles, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is, but we'll get to that. Let me be brutally honest with you here. This is a smart business move from British Airways, but it shouldn't be your go-to strategy for burning through those hard-earned Avios. Premium cabin flights remain the absolute gold standard for value. You're typically squeezing one to two pence per Avios point on flights, compared to the half a pence to point seven pence you'll likely see on retail redemptions. But, and there's always a but, there are legitimate scenarios where this makes sense. First, if your Avios are about to expire and you've got no travel plans on the horizon, this beats losing them entirely. Second, maybe you've topped up your balance and have a few thousand odd Avios just sitting there doing nothing. Third, and this is crucial, you actually need the product anyway and the maths works in your favour. The key word there is maths. Let's run a quick example. Say there's an Antler suitcase that costs two hundred pounds, and you can save fifty pounds by using ten thousand Avios. You're getting half a pence per point. Now compare that to using those same ten thousand Avios for a one-way European flight that would cost you eighty pounds in cash. The flight wins every single time, and you get the added bonus of actually going somewhere interesting rather than just owning a very expensive way to carry your socks. You can access the shop through the Avios app or online at avios dot com slash avios dash shop. The range rotates seasonally, so right now they're pushing festive gifting and winter travel prep items. Because nothing says 'I love you' quite like giving someone travel accessories they could have bought with cash while you hoarded your points for that business class redemption to Tokyo. Here's my verdict on this whole expansion: it gives Avios more flexibility as a currency, which is genuinely never a bad thing. Options are good. But let's establish a clear hierarchy here: flights first, hotels second, retail third. Think of the Avios Shop as your strategic backup option, not your primary game plan. It's the points equivalent of having a spare tyre, useful when you need it, but you wouldn't choose to drive around on it every day. If you're new to maximising Avios redemptions, honestly, forget about this shop for now and focus on mastering flight bookings. That's where the real value lies, and that's where you'll get the most bang for your buck, or should I say, the most miles for your points. So what do you think? Are you tempted by the idea of using Avios for travel accessories, or are you strictly in the flights only camp? I have to admit, I'm curious to see how this plays out. Will people actually use this regularly, or will it become one of those features that looks good on paper but gets ignored in practice? That's all for today's episode of Smart With Points. Thanks for listening, and if you found this useful, please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe directly on our website at smartwithpoints dot co dot uk. Looking for the best award flights? Use AwardTravelFinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and more. Try it for free with our link in the shownotes.