Bits: £20 Pizza Express Amex cashback, more uses for Avios as Alaska buys Virgin America

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• TomTom says:

  5 Apr5 April 09:23

  OT – What is the best way to book flights to/from Japan/Hong Kong with Avios? Possible to pay no fuel surcharges?

  • Rob says:

    5 Apr5 April 09:36

    No fuel surcharges FROM Hong Kong, so book any trip as 2 x one ways as it is cheaper than a return.

    I assume JAL or Cathay can get you between Tokyo and HK and both should be low tax.

    If no 241 to burn, the cheapest way TO HK is using Cathay but starting in Europe, eg Dusseldorf, Amsterdam. Check aircraft type and seats first though.

    • TomTom says:

      5 Apr5 April 14:51

      Looking at the Finnair option from Helsinki to one of the Japan airports… How can I book a direct positioning flight from MAN to HEL on Avios? They don’t seem to offer the direct flight, only via LHR.

      • Rob says:

        5 Apr5 April 16:12

        You can book the MAN flight, eg 1st December it is available, but availability only seems to be there further out.

        There is also Edinburgh to Helsinki and Dublin to Helsinki as options.

  • John says:

    5 Apr5 April 09:38

    Umm, on the BA website?? There are no fuel surcharges for any tickets originating in Hong Kong or on Cathay

  • Andrew (@andrewseftel) says:

    5 Apr5 April 09:40

    Probably something out of Helsinki to Japan (don’t forget that AY fly to FUK and KIX as well as Tokyo), flight to HKG and then back from HKG, booked as three one-ways.

• Lumma says:

  5 Apr5 April 10:09

  I don’t know if many people have been targeted but I currently have £100 off with qantas when spending £600 in my gold Amex offers. It’s not available on either of my other cards however so it must be targeted.

• Nick_C says:

  5 Apr5 April 10:17

  The Pizza Express offer is showing on my partner card as well as my own. Can we get the discount twice on the two cards?

  We’ve only used the partner card once to get the 500 avios bonus.

  • Rob says:

    5 Apr5 April 10:39

    Yes (not with MBNA partner cards though as the number is the same)

• MARY ELLEN HOCKENHULL says:

  5 Apr5 April 10:18

  I am slightly worried about this Amex Pizza Express offers because it says not to be used for promotions or offers. Pizza Express often has Wednesday offers and Sunday meal deals – how are they going to tell if you have used an offer? I have signed up my Sainsburys nectar Amex and it seemed to register fine.

  • Rob says:

    5 Apr5 April 10:38

    They won’t know. As long as a £50 charge hits your card you get the £20.

  • TimS says:

    5 Apr5 April 11:27

    They won’t know. I redeemed it yesterday & also used a 25% off food items code in the same transaction. No problem at all and I got the confirmation email from Amex that the code had been redeemed before I even left the restaurant.

• Wally1976 says:

  5 Apr5 April 10:47

  OT – anyone know of a way of paying TV License with Amex (with no/minimal fee)? Thanks in advance

  • Toby says:

    5 Apr5 April 12:47

    Take the reminder letter into your local Co-Op and pay with your AMEX there 🙂

    • Toby says:

      5 Apr5 April 12:51

      Although, I should add, my local Co-Op [Kings Road, Chelsea] has staff which actively ask you what card you are using to pay for the bill – I have always said “my debit card” since they don’t ask to see it and that is all that needs saying. Very good method for paying Water Bills, Energy Bills and previously rent with my Amex… and since it is a BA Amex they probably end up £££in 🙂

      • mark2 says:

        5 Apr5 April 13:11

        If you get the Tesco money off coupons, use them to buy GoSpendIt cards at Tesco with Amex and get additional 7.2 Avios (or 7.5 Virgin miles) from Tesco ClubCard. You can then use the GSI card at Coop. This is not theory; I did it last week and will do it again this week.

    • Simmo says:

      5 Apr5 April 13:20

      My Co-Op still doesn’t seem to take AMEX! (despite the fact it works in others I’ve tried!)

  • Wally1976 says:

    5 Apr5 April 14:47

    Great, thanks folks. Need to check when renewal is and cancel the DD.

• whiskerxx says:

  5 Apr5 April 10:59

  Not sure why anyone would want to spend money in a Pizza Express.
  If its a pizza you want the Pizza Express brand are regularly sold at half price in Tesco and Waitrose.

  • Kathy says:

    5 Apr5 April 12:48

    That’s not terribly useful when I have an hour to eat dinner in central London between finishing work and seeing a play.

    • luke says:

      5 Apr5 April 13:02

      what, a cold, uncooked pizza express pizza doesn’t appeal? strange 🙂

  • Rob says:

    5 Apr5 April 12:59

    You clearly have no kids (which, to be fair, is about the only way to get to £50 unless a group go out!).

    Clever thing to do I suppose would be to use Clubcard vouchers at 4x face for the food and then spend £50 on booze!

    • Callum says:

      5 Apr5 April 13:22

      Is Pizza Express (outside of especially affluent areas) really that popular with families? I didn’t know anyone who went while I was growing up – we all much preferred the lowbrow alternatives like Pizza Hut and Dominos!

      • Jonny says:

        5 Apr5 April 13:35

        Pizza express great for kids. My 2yo loves it, real treat for her. They’re v good with allergies etc (she’s lactose intolerant, can bring our own cheese etc). and I like the “Romana” pizzas too.
        Quite often the offers (e.g. 40% off) apply after 5pm Sunday, and can be redeemed against the kids menu – in which case the place tends to be full of young families.
        How one would spend £50 in such a scenario though is another question!

        • TimS says:

          5 Apr5 April 14:27

          Pizza Express is my 4 year old’s favourite restaurant! She would eat nothing but dough balls & garlic butter given the chance! She actually prefers the pasta to the pizzas, as does our 1 year old.

          The colouring menus & stickers also help keep the kids occupied until the food arrives.

      • Rob says:

        5 Apr5 April 16:15

        They didn’t exist when I was growing up! Pizza Hut is in huge retreat in the UK and shrinking aggressively – the healthy eating trend saw them off. Getting a Dominos delivery is not the same ‘meal experience’ (as the consultants would say) as an ‘eat in’ at a Pizza Express.

    • whiskerxx says:

      5 Apr5 April 14:21

      I’m sure everyone will be considering Pizza Express as part of a balanced diet, and not be increasing frequency of visit as a result of “getting something for nothing”. PE will of course have healthy products on their menu.(cough)
      But for information:
      Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980.
      In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 600 million were obese.
      39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2014, and 13% were obese.
      Most of the world’s population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
      42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2013.
      In 2013 in the UK 30% of boys and girls were overweight, that number is increasing.
      Obesity is preventable.

      • Rob says:

        5 Apr5 April 16:13

        You clearly haven’t tried the ‘under 500 calorie’ leggera range of pizzas!

        • Kathy says:

          5 Apr5 April 17:04

          Yes, the leggera range is rather tasty.

        • whiskerxx says:

          5 Apr5 April 18:30

          Haven’t tried it, but I know its a pizza with a hole in the middle. Nutritional claims are akin to Walkers offering lower fat, lower salt crisps by putting less in a bag. Its marketing b******s*.
          Fact remains its largely fat, carbs (quite a lot of sugar in some), and salt. Very little protein.

        • Sussex bantam says:

          5 Apr5 April 22:40

          And in shock news today – pizza isn’t good for you revelation….

        • Nick says:

          5 Apr5 April 20:19

          My wife eats the legara then manages to swill it down with a large glass of wine my 2 year says he wants half the money then ears dough balls or garlic bread so £50 goes in about 1 minute easily done

• John says:

  5 Apr5 April 13:36

  Yeah I was thinking booze was the way. I tried to find their drinks menu yesterday to see how much the most expensive bottle of wine was, but they don’t seem to have drinks menu online

• luke says:

  5 Apr5 April 16:03

  don’t think ive ever seen a hfp report with quite so many comments on essentially a theme-chain restaurant! what happened to discussion of LPGS vs Krug? haha

  • Mark says:

    5 Apr5 April 16:13

    Does Pizza Expess sell Krug?!

    • Rob says:

      5 Apr5 April 16:18

      If you are in London you may have an offer for £25 off £50 at Mayfair Pizza Company. They sell Krug for £95 a bottle I believe. You could split the bill over two cards …..

      • luke says:

        5 Apr5 April 16:35

        thought I would double check that raffles for a laugh…and you are right! that is an incredible price, not sure how they can make money on that when I rarely see it RETAIL for less than 3 figures…tks for the tip! I might register for the offer for the wife and I and then just walk in there and see if we can buy a bottle, unopened, for £100, so effectively paying 50 pounds…cheapest bottle of krug ever purchased…will let you know how I get on!

      • Gavin says:

        5 Apr5 April 17:06

        Have that offer with Pizza Express too. Lots of pizza for me evidently. Don’t live in London but have saved the offer just in case…

      • Brian says:

        5 Apr5 April 22:57

        The Mayfair Pizza Co offer is on Amex Connect, so anybody can (or could) register, regardless of location.

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