Bits: 10% off pre-ordered BA duty free, should BA use EU261 as a marketing gimmick?
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News in brief:
Save 10% on pre-ordered British Airways duty free
You have been able to pre-order duty free items for delivery to your aircraft seat on long haul British Airways flights for some time. Not that I know anyone who has ever done it ….
To give you some encouragement, BA is offering a 10% discount on pre-ordered duty free items until 30th April. You will also receive the usual 2 Avios per £1 spent on inflight duty free items.
Here are the rules:
You need to order via highlifeshop.com
Tobacco and clearance items are excluded
Offer not available for home delivery
You need to use promo code H01EXEC17 at checkout
What is not clear is whether you need to be flying by 30th April or whether that is the deadline for placing your pre-order.
Should BA use EU261 as a marketing gimmick?
Bear with me on this one 🙂 I’ve never had a marketing job and I haven’t read a marketing book since “The Long Tail” by Chris Anderson was published eight years ago.
We have discussed EU261 compensation – the compulsory EU legislated compensation for flight cancellations, delays or downgrades – extensively on Head for Points recently. Here is Anika’s guide to claiming EU261 from British Airways for her own benefit after a delayed flight.
There is one tweak to EU261 rules. Inbound flights operated by non-EU airlines do not qualify. If your Thai Airways flight TO Bangkok from Heathrow is delayed by four hours, you get €600. If your inbound flight is delayed by four hours, you get nothing.
British Airways is legally bound to pay you this money – so why don’t they make a virtue out of it? Perhaps put a little logo in their ads reminding readers that flights on non-EU airlines don’t quality coming home.
There is, after all, very little to choose between long-haul economy carriers these days when you balance out seat width, pitch and service. The chance of losing out on €600 compensation if your flight home is delayed may be enough to swing a few potential passengers, especially when their ticket is likely to cost less than €600 in the first place.
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:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable 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.
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.
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 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
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
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.
American Express Business Platinum
40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year 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.
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