Site Search
Social

Advertisement

British Airways Nordstrom 36 Points Per Dollar: Positive Update

by on February 5, 2012 · 136 comments

in Amazing Deal Alerts, Avios, British Airways, Shopping

On Friday I wrote about an insanely lucrative online shopping deal with Nordstrom: 36 Avios points per dollar spent. The details were a little bit murky, but basically the current earn ratio is 12 Avios per dollar and it said triple points on your first order of $50 or more when you enter promo code NORDx3.

Well, Nordstrom has an amazing, iron-clad return policy and free shipping, so I figured I’d go crazy in hopes that it all worked out. I bought some Tumi luggage and a bunch of presents for my niece and nephew and some dress clothes and shoes (Nordstrom is very friendly when it comes to tall sizes!).

Maybe I went a little overboard, but my final bill came to $3,197 before tax. At 36 points per dollar, that would net me roughly 115,092 British Airways miles. Considering I can fly from JFK to Buenos Aires in business class on American airlines roundtrip for 100,000 Avios and roughly $50 in taxes- I think thats a nice little bonus for $3,197 in spend since that ticket would cost over $5,000 to purchase! Avios are also amazing for short-haul flights, since they start at 4,500 Avios one-way, for example New York to Toronto (a flight thats often over $200 one way). My 115,092 bonus can get me nearly 26 one-way short haul tickets.

Anyway, the points are currently “pending,” but I have screen shots of all steps of the process so I’m feeling good about this promotion so far. The NORDX3 promo is supposed to be good until February 14, 2012 though it can be pulled at any time. Nordstrom has free shipping until February 6, 2012. You can read about the promo in detail here.

If you want to get in on this deal, do it sooner than later!

My 36 Avios per dollar spent in pending status

Update: Just a quick update since several readers have asked. To check whether the bonus has gone through properly and that your Avios are pending, log into the British Airways e-store, and you’ll see a button link on the right-hand side that says, “My Shopping History.” Click on it, and you should see your pending purchase along with the bonus miles in about 3-4 days.

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer. Opinions expressed here are author.s alone, not those of the credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through the credit card issuer Affiliate Program.

Previous post:

Next post:

  • mark

    Remember, this is only good on your FIRST purchase…so, choose wisely. I bought some stuff, too, though not as much as Brian.

  • http://twitter.com/angelinaaucello Angelina Aucello

    Brian, thanks so much for sharing this… I bought $1508 worth of stuff yesterday, however I don’t see pending points posted yet… just clickthru id…how long does it take for pending points to post?

  • MIKE

    IF I NEED TO RETURN SOME OF THE STUFF WILL THEY TAKE BACK THOSE POINTS?

  • Anonymous

    Technically yes

  • Dollarbill6570

    Guys do you know if you earn the bonus if you use a gift card to make a purchase?

  • Guest
  • http://profiles.google.com/tjtjtjtj Tim J

    Where do you see free shipping expiring February 6th? This page says free standard shipping all the time: http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/free-shipping?origin=header-promo

  • Austin

    That’s usually an ongoing offer they have that says if your order is $150+ then your shipping is free

  • Marzman77

    is there any way for me to calculate tax on Avios? I’ve never used the program before and want to go Los Angeles to Toronto. It just shows 12,500 Avios + taxes, fees, and surcharges.

  • Raj B

    Wow! I got nervous when I checked the BA store this morning and only saw 12x points were showing for my 2/3 purchases. I checked again after seeing your post, and the two different bonus entries now show up. These purchases post even quicker than the Ultimate Rewards mall purchases. Thanks!

  • Guest

    I am currently only seeing one Nordstroms Bonus Avios Pending transaction. So individual charges priced out at 12 Avios/$1 and one Bonus pending for the whole purchase equaling another 12 Avios/$1. I am hoping the second pending Bonus transaction shows as pending soon.

  • Dan

    I’m gathering from what I’m reading that multiple items on your first purchase = the bonus. Correct?

  • Anonymous

    Correct. It should actually read triple miles on your first order

  • Dan

    If you return the items AFTER you have used the points, what are they doing to do? Nothing.

  • Ken

    I spent $3,079 before taxes and see 110,844 Avios currently pending…sweet!!

  • Anonymous

    Beat ya!! Hah.. congrats

  • Raj B

    You’ll see all the details if you try to book a flight. It’s 12,500 Avios + $2.50 for LAX-YYZ. Return trip is more because of the Canadian taxes and fees — 12,500 Avios + $54.54.

  • BB

    best approach for avoiding them taking points back?? :)

  • Josh_brooks

    I would suggest if you are trying to hit a certain threshold that you buy a little extra. My order still hasn’t shipped and I’ve already had three items cancelled from the order.

  • Mike

    I have the same thing happening on my “shopping history” …just one Nordstrom Bonus Avios shows as pending… transaction date was 2/3 as in your above post…any ideas?

  • Mahanley

    I only see nordstrom in my click history. I did make a purchase. Should it be in my purchase history if i bought a few days ago.

  • Asdfasdf

    thanks for your post, it is reassuring to me as I only see pending purchase avios… so hopefully the bonus ones show as pending later today or tomorrow.

    -Debby Downer

  • Asdfasdf

    don’t return your shit

  • http://twitter.com/craigchu Craig Chu

    Is there somewhere on the BA e-store to register my credit card the way I have to on all the other e-malls? I’d like to take advantage but want to be extra sure I’m going to get my points…

  • Asdfasdf

    I didn’t spend as much as I wanted, because Nordstrom is pretty expensive. But if these go through smoothly, I may do some heavier shopping with wifey’s BA account try to find some items that we need to buy no matter what……… Every $555 spent is a round trip to MIA. Every $250 is a round trip to NYC. Maybe I should buy some $200 jeans……………………………………….

  • Pingback: 3,000 Free British Airways Avios Points with Realtytrac | The Points Guy

  • jcmitchell21

    Brian, you beat me by $9.10

  • Guest

    I emailed BA shopping and they said that they are working with the vendor to approve the purchases and that they noticed I had only one bonus pending. They stated I should see the second bonus soon, but if I do not see it within a week after these pending purchases and bonus miles get paid out, contact them again and they will look into it.

    With that said, I guess we can all safely assume BA & Nordstrom’s is aware of the 36 Avios/$1 and have every intention of making good on it.

  • Dan

    Hey Brian, looks like they updated the code. I was trying NORD3X this morning and it didn’t work. Try NORDX3 now.

  • Ericlipkind

    NORD3x seems to be coming up as an invalid code when I try.

  • Ericlipkind

    I see why. The corde is NOrDx3, not NORD3x

  • Lantean

    I wish Nordstrom would sell tablets… We could all make out like bandits here! :-(

  • HikerT

    I see my 2/4 purchase of $7,410 and 88,290 (12x) points pending but no “bonus avios” pending :( Getting a little worried…

  • HikerT

    Check your order status at Nordstroms. I’m guessing they don’t report the order to Avios until it’s completed. I placed my ordere on Saturday but it didn’t show as completed until today. Now I see pending avios (but no bonus points yet). I’m somewhat worried but hopeful the bonus points post separately with a short delay.

  • Dan

    Where do I go on the BA website to see ‘pending’?

  • Larry

    Thanks so much for sharing Brian! I bought some stuff I was going to buy anyway and got enough miles for a free trip to visit my family. My Mom thanks you too!

  • Steven S

    anyone know if bonus will count for gift card purchases?

  • Anonymous

    In my order summary, the promotion code I entered isn’t listed! Should I see it there?

  • HikerT

    Sweet, my 2 bonuses just posted as pending. In short, don’t sweat it if you don’t see your bonuses right away. Seems like there is a short delay after the initial purchase is reported until they apply the bonus points. Now I wish I had ordered more stuff. :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=629815613 Shannon Anderson

    I spent $2200 yesterday … looks like their TATL trips are pretty expensive … is the best bang for your buck going to be domestic flights?

  • Gpuzzi

    I put in an order, and part of it shipped but not the other part. I guess, I am screwed on the 3x for part of my order because it says first transaction?

  • jcmitchell21

    More broadly, the best bang for your buck will be relatively short flights. My wife and I booked 6 total tickets totaling only about 10 hours of total flying time. Cost in $ would have been $1700, but cost in Avios was only 27,000 miles.

  • Raj B

    Wow! Are you getting ready for a RTW trip? That’s an awesome bonus!!!

  • FDS

    Can you transfer Avios to IBeria? I was trying to create an account on Avios.com but it wouldn’t accept an address in the U.S. Did anyone have any luck with it?

  • http://twitter.com/craigchu Craig Chu

    anyone able to confirm for me that there’s nowhere on the BA e-mall where I have to register my credit card before I go shopping tonight?

  • Anonymous

    You log into your BA account when accessing the E-store. Then when you click through to Nordstrom your info automatically gets transferred.

  • Ryan

    Hmmmmmm what could they do? Go after you through the CC you used to pay for the transaction with?

  • john

    Am I the only one who doesnt get how this is a good deal? Buying expensive crap you dont need — paying 2.8 cents per mile?!

  • Anonymous

    If you know how to use Avios points to their max value, its not hard to get over 3 cents in value each. So basically you can get merchandise (which you can potentially resell if you are savvy) and if you use the Avios smartly its like minting free miles. Even if you don’t want to re-sell, Nordstrom has quality stuff- yea its not cheap, but its not like Nordstrom is any more expensive than the other moderate luxury retailers.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YRK6JIEMWGNDBGXDBDUC7ZRAMI AA

    Buy with a shopping club membership that guarantees to match any cheaper price found within x days. Then hunt around for the cheaper price, get your rebate check and keep the points! If you don’t have a membership anywhere trawl on Google for a 30 day free offer.

  • Pingback: Mileage Deals: 3000 Free Avios Miles & 36 Avios Per $1 Spent At Nordstrom « Frequent Flyer University

  • Susan Lee

    @thepointsguy I know it’s not worth redeeming Avios for flights to Europe, but what about through air berlin? I read that airberlin joins the oneworld alliance in March, and a flight to Germany is 70,000 miles. I don’t think they charge for taxes and fuel surchages. Can anyone confirm whether we can transfer British Airways miles to Air Berlin’s topbonus program? Is this a worthwhile way to redeem miles to europe?

  • Pingback: How Families Can Maximize the Current 36x Avios Nordstrom Offer - Mommy Points

  • Pingback: Rack up on British Airways Avios Points - Deals We Like

  • mark

    Never write during a promotion. You could get it shut down and then others can’t use it. Not smart.

  • Anonymous

    While I am not an Avios expert, it seems to me that the best deal on Avios is for shorter flights when you don’t have a lot of lead-time. For example, a SFO-LAX or SFO-LAS last minute trip will always be $260-310 on the lower end (< 1 week advance purchase). With avios you can get that trip for 9000 miles all in (assuming there is inventory available, which is fairly frequently if you are looking at a weekend jaunt). At $300 you are looking at over a 3-cent/mile redemption rate.

  • Anonymous

    I know that Nordstrom does special return tags on each article to cut down on fraud, though I do wonder how integrated their system is if you were to return in-store if it would trigger the bonus points reversal for the web order.

  • Teddy

    No, I don’t think so.

  • Guest

    Get a life Mark. Bonus Avios were posting in accounts. It wasn’t some on the sly promo that you had to do some sneaky back way into it. It was a legit promo that was emailed out by BA and advertised on their shopping page. Yes, shhhhh…don’t tell BA about their own valid promotion, it may get shut down. I always forget that their are online mileage and promo police who think they can dictate rule and regulations on others. Jog on son.

  • Dan

    Regarding Avios points for Gift cards… it says it clearly on the website… No points for gift card. We’ve also discussed this over the course of this thread.

  • jcmitchell21

    False. All they could really do is cancel your BA account, possibly cancel reserved but not flown awards, or debit your avios into the negative so future accrual with get you back to zero.

    I had a sears card several years ago that did #3. I cashed out my points before I returned an item (not my intention) and it sent my account into the negative. After about two years, it automatically zeroed my account. Nothing lost … for me at least.

  • Das

    Any update on this deal? I have been trying to join the BA executive club since yesterday morning, but every time I click to register, I get an error message stating: “Sorry, there’s a problem with our systems. Please try again, and if it still doesn’t work, you might want to try again later.” Given that I’ve tried 10 times over the past 24 hours, I’m perplexed as to what is going on. Anyone else having that problem?

  • Rowergirl7531

    I’ve been a Nordstrom’s customer since the 1980′s and the one thing that they are noted for is customer service. So imagine my dismay when I was told — three days after my order was accepted — that an appliance that I purchased as part of my order was “cancelled”. It comes in 3 other colors and they didn’t even bother to ask if I’d like to have it in another color. Worse, when I called within 5 min of receiving the email and asked it they could just reinstate the order with a different color, the answer was “no, once it’s cancelled, that’s it”. It was annoying enough when, as I was shopping online, things that I had placed in my shopping basket suddenly became unavailable, but to hear this three days after? Anyway, it was a great promo … just too bad that Nordstrom’s customer service is 100K miles less than what it used to be.

  • Anonymous

    TPG, did your pending bonus post the same time as the regular purchase?

    I made a purchase and only the 12x points is showing.

    Thanks

  • http://profiles.google.com/kwugirl Katherine Wu

    I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed it, but I actually placed two orders from Nordstrom on the same day (same browser, same cookie still) and I’m seeing the second order’s items starting to show as pending in my shopping history for my BA account. And each item from both orders is listed individually (including items in the same order than were less than $50), so it might not actually be first transaction over $50, but all orders on the same day (same referral click) that are over $50? We’ll see, they’re all still listed as Pending for me.

  • Anonymous

    My 12x posted the next day and the 36x about 2 days later. Hang in there- they do bonus sweeps so you should be fine

  • http://profiles.google.com/kwugirl Katherine Wu

    The free shipping expiring on 2/6 is shown on the BA store page for Nordstrom, but I’m pretty sure that’s wrong. They even removed the $150 min. order requirement awhile ago, now it’s free shipping and returns all the time on any order, like Zappos. Not sure how long they’ll keep it up, but it’s been there for at least the last few months.

  • http://profiles.google.com/kwugirl Katherine Wu

    Thanks for sharing that, I was wondering the same thing and it’s nice to have the potential consequences listed out.

  • http://profiles.google.com/kwugirl Katherine Wu

    See my comment above–I ended placing a second order after the first one due to lingering on the site and browsing around a bit more and at least right now, I’m seeing that second order’s items show up in my BA account’s shopping history as pending. Probably best not to rely on this if you haven’t tried this promo yet, but if you made a mistake like me and it’s still the same day and you’re using the same browser and haven’t cleared your cookies, it might still go through.

  • Myhotrs

    Same here, tried three computers and all three browsers. Even tried on my Android phone with no luck. Called them and they denied ever hearing about issues. Also could not sign me up over the phone.

  • Dan

    tpg, do you know how long it took to at least post the 12x purchase? i bought some stuff last night and it still doesn’t show any pending purchase at all? not even the regular 12x bonus.
    thanks

  • Lebonvivant

    35% total points just posted to my account. THANKS, TPG!

  • Lebonvivant

    I mean 36%!

  • choporifico

    142,000 pending points….oooooh yeahhhhhh… I’ll be giving out points to my family like oprah giving out cars… You get a flight, you get a flight, you get a flight!!! thanks TPG…

  • HikerT

    The Executive Club phone lines are jammed too. Glad I didn’t keep calling trying to get thru, then wait 20+ minutes on hold only to find out they can’t do it over the phone.

  • Enjoy

    Does the promo work on international order? I am in Canada.
    Thanks!

  • Anonymous

    They are showing up now.

  • Raj B

    Can’t really speak on the TATL value, but the relative low rate for the short flights just bailed my family out big time. We had to go to Canada for 2 funerals within a week. Lowest fare from NYC was over $1k for each trip.

    I used 27k Avios to book these 3 trips. LGA-Montreal for one sister, LGA-Toronto for both. 9k Avios + about $57 in taxes for each trip. About $3k worth of necessary travel for 27k Avios + $172. Works out to almost 10.5 cents per Avios, or about 13.5 cents per MR point when I factor in the 30% transfer bonus.

  • Raj B

    Don’t see why you shouldn’t. It’s not like the UR or MR shopping portal where you’re supposed to use the Chase or AMEX card to make the mall purchase.

  • Bpbp216

    How long does it take to see pending points after your purchase. Made my purchase this am and no pending points yet :(

  • Pingback: How To Maxamize The British Airways 36 Miles Per $1 Spent At Nordstrom Offer « Frequent Flyer University

  • Andrew Rutherford

    Yeah, I tried to call them also.

    She said she had just notified the tech people right before I talked to her. How she just found out, while the site has been down for like 48 hours is strange to me.

    Shame, they can’t do anything over the phone

  • Guest

    I called as well…this morning and

  • molly

    oh this has been happening to me too! if anyone finds a solution to this, pleas post!

  • Susan

    This is a great deal, but I hate how British Airways charges for the taxes and fuel surcharges for flights, even when using Avios points towards their partner airlines! :( My points are pretty much useless for where I want to go, which are flights to Europe. The British Airways rep that I talked to said even if their partner airlines don’t charge for taxes, you still have to pay if using Avios points (which are also nontransferable towards other airlines.) Sucks that the taxes end up costing more than the flight normally would.

    I know there are still some good uses for Avios points, but not for my purposes.. darn. :(

  • Niraj Patel

    Promo code expired as of this morning (8am CST). Was about to buy a nice $4k watch, too. 144k miles… :sad face:

  • mike

    Ba.com shopping is down???

  • Anonymous

    Did this get fixed for you? I still see only 2/3 of the total bonus pending and not the final 1/3…

  • Myhotrs

    Just worked for me! I’ve been trying ever few hours since yesterday. Used Firefox

  • arye

    what is this shopping club? googled a bit, but nothings coming up

  • molly

    hey there, the site is now working. i was able to complete on chrome!

  • Anonymous

    I just placed an order and it accepted the promotional code

  • Elliot Zemel

    It still says its working on the site. Why do you say its down?

  • Niraj Patel

    It told me it expired when I tried to apply it to my order. Now that I check again, it says the watch I wanted is now unavailable… Maybe it has something to do with that. About to try again…

  • Niraj Patel

    Yup… Just tried again, different items altogether (just a pair of jeans time time). Tried different capitalization. No dice. Not sure what I’m missing.

  • Joanna

    I don’t think you understand. Promo it’s applied on the British Airways shopping portal, not at Nordstroms.

  • Niraj Patel

    Ha! Ok you’re right, I’m an idiot that cannot read.

  • Elliot Zemel

    Great, now go get another watch!

  • TA

    Brian, can you explain this?

  • Pingback: 1,000 British Airways Avios for $50 Safeway Purchase + Free Shipping | The Points Guy

  • http://twitter.com/cchen7 cchen7

    I entered the code correctly and made purchases on Nordstrom (multiple items but the end total was over $50), but my pending history is still at the 12 Avios per dollar. Anyone else have that issue?

  • Anonymous

    How long have you waited?

  • http://twitter.com/cchen7 cchen7

    I made the purchases on 2/7 and they appeared on the pending history today (2/9).

  • Bea

    So I just checked my Avios points from my spend several days ago and it is only reflecting 12 points per $. Grr. And, of course, the bonus offer is now dead.

  • Cory

    Wish I had a use for anything at Nordstrom.

  • StM

    What! I just finally was able to create an account on BA this morning :(

  • Ken

    I ordered mine on 2/5 evening but only 1 bonus avio shows…still waiting for the last 12x points..should I be worried?

  • Pingback: Crazy great deal – 36 Avios (British Airways) points for every dollar spent at Nordstrom’s | Deals, Meals, and Miles

  • Ram Kashyap

    When does this promo end?

  • Elliot Zemel

    Me too. Whats up with that? Is there someone to call?

  • Brian

    How long for everyones points to show up as Pending? I made a purchase on the 5th and nothing showing up so far.

  • Anonymous

    Just spent $25,000. Let’s see what happens!!!!! Im nervous :)

  • Ram Kashyap

    Nordstrom bonus has gone down to 4 avios per $. With the NORDX3 promo, it would be 12 per $.
    So the 36 avios per $ seems to be gone. Am I missing anything?

  • Maury

    I too only have 12x pending. If they don’t give me the 36x, I’ll be returning everything. BA service is beyond pathetic!

  • Lisa

    The closest airport for me to use Avios would be at least a 3 hour drive or a flight that might or might not be cheap…

  • Nick R

    That’s what I’m seeing too :(

  • Rebecca

    Ditto. It’s only 4 points per $ now.

  • Asdfasdfasasdf

    31 one ways at 4500 miles per leg…

    Viva la devaluacion!

  • Asdfasdfasasdf

    Wow 5 “likes”! I’m popular!

  • Huff Daland

    Order placed Feb 3 – all items received – but points still show as “pending” on Feb 13

  • Ken

    I only had 24 avios/dollar pending for the order that I placed on 2/5/12..wondering whether they will honor the last 12 avios or not.

  • Anonymous

    Same with me. My purchase was on the 3rd and while I’ve received all of my items and the click history shows Nordstrom, I still have yet to see my purchases as pending. I did, however, take screen shots so I will fight it if necessary. And I only bought things I needed to buy anyway, so it’s not a huge loss for me. But I really want the 27k miles that should be coming my way!

  • Longmanzz

    hi, TPG, can you share the screenshots you took for the 36 points/dollar? I probably need to argue with BA for the points, thanks

  • Sdfasfasasd

    If you are buying appliances at Nordstrom’s you are overpaying more than the 36 miles per $ anyway so don’t feel bad

  • Maren

    How long are they pending before they are confirmed? Anyone have a status other than pending?

  • Anjum

    My points from Nordstrom have now been approved (yippee!) but they are not showing up in my total Avios points. I wonder if it will take a few days? For those of you that should only 12 pts/$, check again! My two Nordstrom purchases were divided into four line items – two for the actual items I purchased (with the purchase amount listed and the points calculated at 12pts/$) and two line items with a $0.00 purchase with additional points. When I add up everything all the points from the four line items and divide it by the total I spent, it gives me the 36pts/$. I hope they are posted into my account balance soon!

  • Anonymous

    My points from Nordstrom have now been approved (yippee!) but they are not showing up in my total Avios points. I wonder if it will take a few days? For those of you that should only 12 pts/$, check again! My two Nordstrom purchases were divided into four line items – two for the actual items I purchased (with the purchase amount listed and the points calculated at 12pts/$) and two line items with a $0.00 purchase with additional points. When I add up everything all the points from the four line items and divide it by the total I spent, it gives me the 36pts/$. I hope they are posted into my account balance soon!

  • Anonymous

    Update… miles have posted, 36x. wish i could have found more stuff to buy at Nordstrom.

  • Kevin

    Mine has been posted at 36x also. If I return some stuffs for store credit, would the miles be taken off?

  • Pingback: How I Got Myself a Bunch of Free Flights to Awesome Places. | dan oshinsky dot com

  • S.C.

    I’ve placed my order on 02/01/2012, and got my 36x avios approved last month. However, there is a pending transaction of 12x avios deduction shown in my shopping history from 2 days ago. I didn’t return any items and will not plan to return anything. Email ba but no response yet.

  • S.C.

    Got response back from Cashback British Airways, they credited my 12x avios back to my account after reviewing the orders.

  • Pingback: Update: Realtytrac British Airways Promo Not Authorized, Accounts Will Be Closed | The Points Guy

  • Guest

    Hi TPG,
    I got in on the avios nordstrom deal, and bought a fairly expensive item for my girlfriend. I then used the miles to buy two tickets, one ticket that I’ve used and another that’s booked but unused. She then returned the item without me knowing, until now. Since the return, the miles have been “deducted” from my avios account, but the ticket bookings are still there. I was wondering if you know what might happen with an “overdrawn” mileage account like this. The terms and conditions of avios say that you can be billed for the ticket price if fraud happens, but this isn’t really fraud, is it? I’d love to keep the ticket, but would definitely not want to pay the full price, and it feels sort of unethical as well, even though it was unintentional. The ticket that’s been used was a first class ticket, so it would cost a lot to pay the full price, and I don’t have sufficient miles to top up my account (it’s over 100,000 points in the red). Thanks!

  • Dhammer53

    Just in case… August 24, 2012.
    I used this post to tell the BA agent what the deal was. Search is an amazing thing! Reference the code above.

    Maybe now my points will post. They’re sending it to an office for posting. They didn’t know why there was a glitch.

  • Dhammer53

    Now BA is telling me that my inquiry is 6 months past, and they won’t post my miles?? Does anyone remember how long they said it would be for the miles to post after the promo ended?