British Airways launches Costa Rica flights from May 2016

UPDATE – JULY 2025:  This is an old article, and the credit card information given is likely to be out of date.

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British Airways announced yesterday that it will launch flights to Costa Rica (San Jose) in May 2016.

The service will operate from Gatwick.  It will start out at two flights per week, on Wednesday and Saturday, before increasing to three flights per week for Winter 2016.

It will be operated by a Boeing 777 in a three-class configuration, which means that there will be no First Class cabin.

Cash tickets are already available for sale at ba.com although Avios seats have not yet been loaded.  When they are, you should see excellent availability – as is usual with new routes – so it may be worth thinking about a trip for next year.

If you do not have a British Airways American Express 2-4-1 voucher to spend, you should also look at the existing Iberia service from Madrid.  Tax on Business Class redemptions out of Madrid is over £300 lower than on BA flights from London, which easily covers the cost of a connecting flight.  The connection must be on a separate ticket to avoid paying long-haul UK Air Passenger Duty.

It is impossible to say if you will need more or fewer Avios for the Iberia service.  You will need to compare the table of peak and off-peak dates for both BA and Iberia – which, of course, do not match.  On some days BA is peak and Iberia is off-peak, whilst on other days it is the other way round.  Or both might be peak.  Or both might be off-peak.  What a great system ….

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (July 2025)

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

Get 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 Card

30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express Credit Card

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 Credit Card

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

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 on the FREE standard card and 1 Avios per £1 on the Pro card. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card

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.

The American Express Business Platinum Card

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

The American Express Business Gold Card

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.