Eurostar redemptions are no longer completely free

In response to the challenging times Eurostar are facing due to the coronavirus outbreak they have decided to make some changes to Eurostar redemptions. A ‘network’ fee of £16, per individual journey, £32 for a return journey is set to be brought in later this year.

What changes are there to Eurostar redemptions?

One of the best things about Eurostar redemptions was the ticket is actually FREE (money wise). There were no fees or taxes to pay alongside the point price. Unfortunately like most good things, this is now coming to an end!

From the 6th October 2020, Eurostar are introducing a £16 network fee per person, per individual journey on bookings paid for entirely by points.

The fee is always the same amount, irrespective of the class of service, your tier level or the destination. The same charges apply for a child or adult fare.

A Eurostar return ticket paid with points will now set you back £32, similar to BA’s Reward Flight Saver tickets in Europe Traveller which are £35 (varies slightly depending on amount of Avios used)

This, unfortunately, does not coincide with a reduction in the points required for a booking which means Eurostar redemptions are looking worse off value-wise for American Express cardholders.

Transfers into Eurostar are at a 15:1 ratio that means…

A value return in Standard Class to Paris would cost you 15,000 membership reward points (1,000 Eurostar points) & £32

A return economy flight with BA to Paris would cost you 8,000 off-peak 9,000 peak membership reward points (same in Avios) & £35

A value return in Standard Class to Amsterdam would cost you 15,000 membership reward points (1,000 Eurostar points) & £32

A return economy flight with BA to Amsterdam would cost you 8,000 off-peak 9,000 peak membership reward points (same in Avios) & £35

Conclusion

Obviously there is some convenience to be had if you travelling by train and live reasonably close to one of the train stations. It is, however, looking like standard redemptions will no longer offer a good return on points considering often Eurostar have tickets in the £29 – £49 region.

You can read more about the changes on the Eurostar website here – https://pub.s7.exacttarget.com/khkzpym00wh

Will you be making any Eurostar redemptions in the future after this devaluation?