Bits: Tesco / Flybe promo, Tesco / BA competition, 2500 Hilton points for using Keyless

News in brief:

Tesco launches unexciting Flybe promotion

We had been promised a Flybe promotion from avios.com and Tesco and it is here.  It is underwhelming.

Details are on avios.com here.

Anyone who has converted Tesco Clubcard vouchers into Avios via avios.com (NOT ba.com) in the last 12 months is eligible to book a return Flybe redemption for a saving of 3,000 Avios.  This takes the price down to 6,000 Avios in most cases.  Bookings under this offer can only be made by telephone.

Where’s the catch?  Simple.  Flybe is NOT in Reward Flight Saver.  As the email I received reminds me, the tax on Manchester to Amsterdam is £62.  You may well be able to buy a flight on another carrier for that without having to use 6,000 Avios on top.

Of course, on some routes, it might make sense.  Flybe has no competition on some routes so prices may be higher and a redemption more valuable.

If I remember correctly, you receive one free piece of checked luggage on an Avios redemption on Flybe.  This does improve the value proposition if you do need to take a suitcase as a 20kg case costs £34 return.

You need to book by December 15th and fly before December 31st.  The Flybe route map can be found here on their website.

Tesco and British Airways launch a competition – but no conversion bonus

If you were hoping for a Tesco to Avios conversion bonus this quarter, think again.  Instead, there is another competition.

The details are on tesco.com here.

For every £5 of Tesco vouchers you convert before 15th August, you will receive one entry.  The prize is underwhelming – four people will win a pair of Club Europe return flights and two nights in a 4* hotel in either Florence, Lyon or Seville.

2,500 Hilton HHonors points for trying keyless door entry

Hilton is offering 2,500 bonus points if you stay at a hotel which has the new ‘smartphone’ keyless entry system and agree to use it.

This ONLY works with iOS phones, unfortunately – not sure what Android did to upset them – via the Hilton app.

Details can be found here.  You don’t need to register – the points seem to post automatically.

The promotion runs to September 30th.  It is not clear if you only get the 2,500 bonus points once or for every keyless stay you do before that date.  I think that only US hotels are being changed over at the moment, so it is unlikely to be working in the UK before the closing date.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)