Bits: Priority Pass relaunch, Cathay devalues, using pay.com to top up Amazon accounts

News in brief:

Priority Pass relaunches

Priority Pass, the membership scheme which gives you global airline lounge access, relaunched yesterday with a new website and a new logo.  The new logo was certainly overdue.

The new site seems to feature more, and larger, lounge photographs to give you a better idea of the space you will be visiting.  The search feature has changed from a drop down list to a box where you type in the name of the airport you are visiting.

Pricing remains unchanged.  For UK residents, it is either:

£69 plus a £15 fee per lounge visit (£15 per guest)

£159, to include your first 10 visits, and then £15 thereafter (£15 per guest)

£259 for unlimited visits (£15 per guest)

Interestingly, you still cannot buy the version of Priority Pass which is given away free with American Express Platinum.  This offers unlimited visits and one free guest per visit – and you get a second Priority Pass, which also admits a free second guest, for your main supplementary cardholder.  This gets a family of four into a lounge for free.

Cathay Pacific unveils major changes to Marco Polo Club

Cathay Pacific has announced major changes to its Marco Polo Club loyalty scheme.

Many HfP readers will be a member of Marco Polo Club because American Express was, until early 2014, giving away free Gold status (which got you into British Airways lounges) with the Platinum card.

The changes are similar to those put in place by British Airways in April.  People who fly on flexible business and first class tickets will earn status more quickly and earn more miles.  Those who fly on discounted economy tickets will earn less – far less.

In some ways, the changes make BA look angelic.  You will earn 5 tier points for a discount economy flight of up to 3,700 miles.  To put this into context, you could fly the equivalent of London to New York a ludicrous 119 times one-way in economy and still not qualify for a Silver card at 600 points.

These changes will be in place from 15th April.  Full details are on the Cathay website here.

How to use pay.com cards to top up your Amazon account

If you are buying pay.com cards at Tesco to generate free Clubcard points (and free Avios), one of the most popular ways of cashing them out is to buy Amazon gift cards.  I wrote more about pay.com here if you are not familiar with it.

You can email these to yourself and add the balance to your existing Amazon account.  It is used up automatically when you make a purchase.

This is a little fiddly, however.  There is now an easier way.  By using this link, you can now top up your Amazon account directly using a £25 pay.com card.   No need to fiddle about with redeeming a gift card.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2025 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

In 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

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up 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

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

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

Capital on Tap Visa

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

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review