Bits: Virgin Atlantic / Tesco offer, Qatar Airways increases IAG stake, last long-haul BA 767

News in brief:

Tesco / Virgin Flying Club 20% bonus promotion is live

Over the weekend I wrote about what appeared to be a secret Virgin / Tesco 20% conversion bonus.

Emails went out yesterday confirming that the promotion is on.  You will receive a 20% bonus on all conversions of Clubcard points to Virgin Atlantic before 16th September.

Full details can be found on the Virgin Atlantic website here.

You will also receive 1,000 Virgin Flying Club miles if you activate auto-conversion on your Tesco account so that all future points are sent automatically to Virgin.  I do not recommend this as it is better to retain flexibility in how you use your Clubcard points.  However, nothing stops you cancelling the auto-conversion once the 1,000 miles have arrived.

My views on whether converting Tesco points is a good idea or not can be found in the article from Sunday.

Qatar Airways increases its shareholding in IAG to 20%

On 28th July, Qatar Airways increased its shareholding in IAG, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, to 20.01%.  Under EU law it is allowed to increase this as high as 49.9% if it wishes.

The airline stated:

While Qatar Airways’ interest in IAG is purely financial, the increased shareholding reflects the strength of commercial and strategic ties between the companies and evidences the continued support for the ongoing strategy of IAG.

“The recent market valuation of one of the world’s leading airline groups has provided what we believe is an attractive opportunity to increase our shareholding in IAG. We continue to be highly supportive of IAG’s strategy and management team and we do not intend to increase our percentage shareholding further unless there are material changes to the current situation,” said Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways.”

Final British Airways Boeing 767 long-haul flight completed

On Sunday, flight BA229 to Baltimore became the final long-haul British Airways flight to be operated by a Boeing 767.

The remaining Boeing 767 aircraft (photo above), which have a short-haul seating configuration, will be phased out during 2017.  The cost of refurbishing the long-haul aircraft was deemed prohibitive and the running costs are high.  The long-haul aircraft are not being sold immediately, however, and may still pop up on routes such as Istanbul, Athens or Larnaca as cover from time to time.

Air Canada, United, American and Delta, among others, are still flying the 767 to and from the UK so it will be a long while before they disappear for good.

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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.