Good Finnair and SWISS business class deals from the UK

Whilst we wait for another round of cheap Qatar Airways business class fares, two interesting offers have appeared from Finnair and SWISS.

Both are worth a look.  Finnair is a British Airways partner and you will earn Avios and tier points if you fly with them.  SWISS is a member of Star Alliance so you won’t earn Avios, but you will get to experience a fantastic business class product.

Finnair deals to Asia

These Finnair prices are for travel from London or Manchester via Helsinki.  You must book by October 12th.  Travel dates vary by destination but are generally valid until 30th April 2016.

• Bangkok £1,219
• Beijing £1,199
• Chongqing £1,199
• Ho Chi Minh City £1,199
• Krabi £1,199
• Shanghai £1,299
• Singapore £1,525

Full details are here on the Finnair site.

SWISS deals

The SWISS offers are also valid until 30th April and require a Saturday night stay.  These fares are about 20% more expensive than the Finnair deals but you are guaranteed a fully flat seat.

All fares are from London, changing in Zurich.

You must book by October 18th.

• Bangkok £1,595
• Beijing £1,597
• Dar es Salaam £1,700
• Delhi £1,398
• Dubai £1,698
• Jo’burg £1,995
• Mumbai £1,400
• Muscat £1,696
• Nairobi £1,699
• Sao Paulo £1,997
• Sao Paulo £1,897
• Singapore £1,998
• Tel Avis £846

Only certain travel dates are available.  Go here, click on the ‘Business Class Intercontinental Special’ box and you will see a calender.

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How to maximise your miles when paying for flights (September 2024)

Some UK credit cards offer special bonuses when used for buying flights. If you spend a lot on airline tickets, using one of these cards could sharply increase the credit card points you earn.

Booking flights on any airline?

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold earns double points (2 Membership Rewards points per £1) when used to buy flights directly from an airline website.

The card comes with a sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points. These would convert to 20,000 Avios or various other airline or hotel programmes. The standard earning rate is 1 point per £1.

You can apply here.

Buying flights on British Airways?

The British Airways Premium Plus American Express card earns double Avios (3 Avios per £1) when used at ba.com.

The card comes with a sign-up bonus of 30,000 Avios. The standard earning rate is 1.5 Avios per £1.

You do not earn bonus Avios if you pay for BA flights on the free British Airways American Express card or either of the Barclaycard Avios Mastercards.

You can apply here.

Buying flights on Virgin Atlantic?

Both the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard and the annual fee Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard earn double Virgin Points when used at fly.virgin.com.

This means 1.5 Virgin Points per £1 on the free card and 3 Virgin Points per £1 on the paid card.

There is a sign-up bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points on the free card and 18,000 Virgin Points on the paid card.

You can apply for either of the cards here.