British Airways launches a new service to Lima
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
If your holiday plans for 2016 are not yet firm, British Airways has thrown you a curve ball with the potential to use your Avios points to head down to ….. Lima. A trip to the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu might be on the cards.
From May 4th, you will be able to fly from Gatwick to Peru. This will be the only direct service available between the two countries.
Operated by a three class Boeing 777 (so no First Class option), the service will operate three times a week – Wednesday, Friday and Sunday – in Summer and twice a week in Winter.
Cash tickets are already available on ba.com although they had not loaded Avios availability when I checked yesterday.
As is usual with new routes, you can expect very good redemption availability whilst the route beds down.
Iberia also flies to Lima and, of course, Iberia Avios redemptions in Business – when booked on iberia.com – usually save you around £300-£400 per person in tax. If you are not using an American Express 2-4-1 voucher, you may still prefer to book from Madrid. To avoid UK long haul Air Passenger Duty, you would need to buy or redeem a separate ticket to Spain.
Remember that British Airways is also launching Costa Rica as a new route next May – details in this article.
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.
Comments (24)