Bits: Tesco trialling a 12000 Avios bonus for the Premium Credit Card, Aer Lingus traffic data

News in brief:

Tesco trialling a 12,000 Avios sign-up bonus for the Tesco Premium Credit Card

I was unexcited in my review of the Tesco Premium Credit Card when it launched a couple of months ago.  Whilst the benefits package could work for some people, most would struggle to get any value unless you spend £5,000 per year in Tesco to trigger the annual bonus.

There aren’t many of those people.  I would also guess that many of those who do are feeding large families – not filling their trolley with lobster – and wouldn’t want to pay a £150 annual fee for a credit card.

I get a feeling that my lack of enthusiasm has been contagious.  A reader sent me a targetted email yesterday offering him 5,000 Clubcard points – 12,000 Avios – as a sign-up bonus.  There wasn’t even a spending target to hit!

Given the £150 fee, even 5,000 Clubcard points doesn’t necessarily make the card worth it.  As I don’t need the travel insurance benefit, am not planning on buying any Club Europe flights in the next two months and won’t spend £5,000 this year in Tesco, it wouldn’t swing it for me.

If you were thinking of getting the card I would hold off.  An ‘open to all’ sign up deal may be on the way.

Interesting Aer Lingus traffic statistics

Aer Lingus sent me a lengthy press releases yesterday to remind me how wonderful it is.  I will spare you the details but there were some interesting numbers in it which made it clear how successful the airline has been in picking up North America traffic from the UK regions.

you can now connect to North America flights on Aer Lingus from 19 UK airports

Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool have seen 18% year on year growth in Aer Lingus departures to North America via Dublin

Manchester is the most popular Aer Lingus starting point for a US trip, followed by Birmingham

Dublin was the fastest growing major European airport in H1 2016

For Head for Points readers, the more important facts about Aer Lingus are:

You can redeem Avios points on Aer Lingus, but only by calling British Airways (see this article for details)

Tax in Business Class is under £75 return if you ticket from Dublin to avoid UK APD

Dublin to Boston is under 3,000 miles and so costs only 75,000 Avios return in Business Class

You can clear US immigration and customs in Dublin, allowing you to enter the US with no delays

There is a brand new lounge just after US immigration at Dublin Airport

Whilst delayed, Aer Lingus will be launching its own Avios scheme, AerClub, very soon.  I am currently thinking about how we will integrate this into HfP.

I am also very keen to review the new Aer Lingus business class seat and the Dublin lounges and this will be our key travel priority for the Autumn.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

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.