Bits: British Airways schedule changes for winter, free Etihad Gold with a £500,000 deposit

News in brief:

British Airways announces more winter schedule changes

British Airways has announced a new batch of schedule changes for the winter season.  These kick in from 30th October and are, in terms of the cancellations, pretty short notice.

These are the changes, all from Heathrow:

Stockholm – increase from 34 to 41 flights per week

Nice – increase from 35 to 41 flights per week

Berlin Tegel – increase from 47 to 52 flights per week

Bergen –  decrease from 13 to 7 flights per week

Stavanger – decrease from from 13 to 7 flights per week

The Bergen change, photo below, does not surprise me.  It is a lovely city but Norway is very, very expensive for tourists.  There is a pleasant Radisson by the harbour which would make a good Club Carlson redemption.

The route was incredibly cheap in the last British Airways sale – although anyone who booked it may now find their flight cancelled.  BA is unlikely to have emailed you yet if you have booked Bergen or Stavanger so I would double check any booking.

On the upside, if you had been looking for Avios seats on a particular date to Stockholm, Nice or Berlin then you should check again. The new services will have the usual four Euro Traveller and two Club Europe seats available.

Get free Etihad Gold status with £500,000 deposit

I have covered the new HSBC Premier World Elite credit card on Head for Points recently.  At 1 Avios or other airline mile per £1 spent, it is the most generous Visa or Mastercard currently available.  It also comes with access to a few hundred airport lounges via LoungeKey.

All in all, it is not a bad deal for the £195 fee – especially as you will receive 40,000 Avios points for signing up and spending £12,000 in your first year.  You do need to be a HSBC Premier customer which has strict income or savings criteria.

Reader Jonathan got in touch to point out that there is a way of getting the £195 fee waived.  You will also receive free Etihad Gold status as well.  All you need to do is sign up for HSBC Jade.

What’s the catch?  Well …. you must “maintain a relationship balance of £500,000 in cash savings and / or investments; and pay your annual income into your HSBC Premier Bank Account.”

Oddly enough, with interest rates so low, this is not a terrible deal if you have £500,000 sitting around (as you do ….).  HSBC’s interest rates are not the best but they are not appalling either.  You save £195 on the credit card fee.  You get Etihad Gold status which leaves you well placed for any status matches to other airlines.  You also get a number of other benefits on top.

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How to earn Etihad Guest miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)

Etihad Guest does not have a UK credit card.  However, you can earn Etihad Guest miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

Cards earning Membership Rewards points include:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 20,000 Etihad Guest miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

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.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 50,000 Etihad Guest miles.

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 Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 10,000 Etihad Guest miles. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:1 into Etihad Guest miles which is an attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 1 Etihad Guest mile.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it, not just with Etihad but with any airline.