Hailo taken over by mytaxi – so claim your 1,000 Avios whilst you can

London taxi app Hailo is to be taken over by mytaxi, the European taxi app owned by Daimler.

‘Taken over’ is perhaps not the right word, since the CEO of Hailo will become the new CEO of mytaxi.  Hailo shareholders will be in the minority in the new business, however, and the acquisition is a reflection of investor pressure following huge losses in a failed attempt to break into the North American market.  There will also be substantial job losses in London.

Within 12 months the Hailo name and app will disappear.  The business will be absorbed into the mytaxi app.  The upside is that you will be able to use the app to order a cab in nine European countries.

Hailo is currently running a promotion with British Airways Executive Club to earn 1,000 Avios.  As there is no certainty that this deal will continue once the business is absorbed into mytaxi, you might as well take a look now.  You have four days left.

You need to download the Hailo app (from the Apple or Google Play stores) and take your first trip before 31st July.  The journey can be as short as you like.

You must have added your BAEC number into your Hailo profile for this offer to kick in.

Note that you must be physically in London for the app to give you the option of adding your BAEC number.

Going forward, you will earn Avios on all of your Hailo trips at the rate of 1 Avios per £1 spent.  The company used to offer a flat 100 Avios if your ride takes you to any London airport but I can no longer find any references to that.

Full details can be found on this page of ba.com – scroll down to the Hailo deal.

Note that Hailo is being very slow at adding on the bonus Avios.  I don’t know anyone who has got them yet, although it is possible that the company has always planned to do them in one go once the offer ends.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

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:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

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.

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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

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.

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