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Is there an Avios Recycling arbitrage available on iPad minis?

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Reader Pier dropped me a line to point out the Avios prices currently being paid by Avios Recycling for an iPad mini.

They are offering 15,550 Avios for the basic 16gb iPad mini.

Now, over on eBay, these are currently available from Argos Outlet for £223.  Apple also has reconditioned models on its website for a few pounds more.

ipad mini

Even at the headline price, £223 for 15,550 Avios is 1.43p per Avios, which is cheaper than buying them from BA

However, if you can find a used or reconditioned iPad mini for less than this, then the deal gets even better.  You may also be able to get Quidco or TopCashback cashback if you bought from Apple or Argos (I haven’t checked the rules on whether this would qualify).

Perhaps there is nothing here at all – but creative minds may be able to make it work.  If you had a VAT registered business, for example, you could reclaim the VAT on the purchase which would bring down your initial price sharply.


How to earn Avios points from UK credit cards

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways BA Amex American Express card

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

Nectar American Express

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

American Express Platinum card Amex

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express card

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)

Comments (11)

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

  • Mrtibbs1999 says:

    The Galaxy S4 gets 31,000 Avios. It can be bought for £380 on eBay. That’s 1.22p per avios. As for the VAT, i’d maybe risk it with one, but any more is asking for a bollocking.

  • 21h21j says:

    Unless you are desperate for avois this is a bad deal. There’s plenty of other opportunities to earn avois at a better rate.

    • Colin A-B says:

      Can you share the other examples please, as I’d like to earn Avios at a lower rate than that?

      • Luckyjim says:

        Well, I could tell you about my brilliant scheme but you would have to get all the other people who read this blog to look away.

    • Rob says:

      Agreed, it is not astounding – but it is a lot of Avios in one hit, so if you could find someone selling off an ipad mini for under 200 pounds someone who needed the points would find it useful.

  • Nick says:

    Raffles, I’m no expert but I’d be careful of recommending that people claim back the VAT on something that is clearly not intended to be used in a business.

    • Sinizter says:

      If the device can be used in a business, I don’t see any concern in buying it through a business. If the device is assessed and found unsuitable to be used in that particular business, it needs to be disposed of responsibly – whether by resale or other methods. Recycling it via this scheme counts.

      If someone were to buy multiples of these devices through a business with the sole intent to recycle them, they could get in trouble, but I don’t really see Raffles recommending that in this post.

    • Rob says:

      I agree, that was not necessarily a sensible comment. Although, of course, anyone with a business big enough to be charging VAT is presumably sensible enough already.

      • Sir Stamford says:

        Sorry Raffles, you don’t have to be a big business to be charging VAT these days.

        The threshold for VAT registration is only £79k over a 12 month period, which isn’t exactly a very high turnover requirement. Moreover, HMRC allows for voluntary registration under certain circumstances.

        Sir Stamford

        • Rob says:

          I know the number 🙂 What I meant is that your average hairdresser, plumber (non London 🙂 ) would not be hit. When I was running a business as a teenager it was a lot lower, the threshold was increased well above inflation to give small traders leeway.

  • Mottelgamzol says:

    How can I BUY an iPad with avios?

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.