For 2 weeks only …. you can earn Avios when buying currency in Terminal 5

Earning Avios when buying foreign currency has become increasingly difficult recently when flying from Heathrow Terminal 5.  To summarise what happened:

American Express Currency Exchange opened a number of outlets in Terminal 5

British Airways switched from Travelex to Amex Currency Exchange as its Avios partner for foreign exchange

Amex Currency Exchange closed its outlets at Heathrow, which became Moneycorp branches

The situation for earning Avios is therefore:

Currency pre-ordering – you can ONLY earn Avios on pre-ordered currency via Amex Currency Exchange.  Unfortunately, Amex Currency Exchange no longer has any outlets in Terminal 5 for collection.  All you can do is pre-order for delivery to your home.

On-the-spot purchase – you can ONLY earn Avios from on-the-spot purchases via Moneycorp.  You are not allowed to pre-order currency and earn Avios!  Because of the truly shocking exchange rates for walk-up purchases at Moneycorp, I cannot recommend this route.

Until the end of February, though, there is a compromise!

If you pre-order £400 of more of foreign currency via Moneycorp you will earn 500 bonus Heathrow Rewards points.  These will convert to 500 Avios (or Miles & More miles, or Virgin Flying Club miles).

Because you will be pre-ordering, you will get a substantially better rate than being a walk-up customer.

Here is the small print:

500 extra points for any in-bureau foreign currency purchase over £400 or through online reserve at www.moneycorp.com/reserve. Online reserve purchases must be collected at any Moneycorp branch at Heathrow from 4 to 28 February 2014 inclusive. In-bureau purchases are over-the-counter transactions completed at any Moneycorp bureau de change branch at Heathrow from 4 to 28 February 2014 inclusive. Valid Heathrow Rewards membership number must be provided upon collection for online reserve transactions or presented at the point of sale for in-bureau purchases for points to be awarded. The offer does not apply to Sterling Travellers Cheques. There is no cash or alternative extra points offered. This promotion is not available in conjunction with any other Moneycorp Currency Exchange offers or promotions. 

You should, of course, double check the Moneycorp pre-ordering rate with the Travelex rate.  Remember, though, that Travelex is only available landside at Terminal 5 so you need to remember to pick up your money before going through security.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

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

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

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

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

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.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

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