Bits: all Aer Lingus UK flights now BA codeshares, Qatar’s business class sale ends today

News in brief:

All Aer Lingus UK flights to become BA codeshares

From 11th November, all Aer Lingus UK routes will become British Airways codeshare services.

BA was already codesharing on most Aer Lingus services from Heathrow and Gatwick.  This new arrangement will add the following:

• Heathrow to Belfast City
• Gatwick to Knock
• Dublin to Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool

This will mean:

• These flights will be bookable on ba.com under a BA flight number
• You will earn Avios and tier points when flying under the BA flight number
• Aer Lingus services which could previously only be booked as part of a connection to a BA long-haul flight will become bookable on a standalone basis

Last chance to book a Qatar Airways sale flight from £695

I know that I have been banging on about the great Qatar Airways sale fares this week, but I make no apologies for reminding you that these deals end today.  If you are planning to book, remember that the fares will probably disappear at midnight in the city of departure and not midnight UK time.

My two articles on the sale are here and here.  These articles list the best fares from each departure city.

When you have business class fares as low as £695 to the Middle East, £860 to Bangkok or Singapore, £818 to The Maldives and £1,500 to Australia, you should take a close look.  

Add in the facts that Qatar Airways has exceptionally high levels of service, has excellent seating on their A380 / 787 / A350 aircraft and earns you Avios and BA tier points when you fly and you have a great package.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 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

30,000 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.

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

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 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 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 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

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

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

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.