Garage bits: get 60 Avios buying a coffee from Shell, get £5 off £50 at Esso from Amex

Petrol station news in brief!

Get triple Shell Drivers Club points for buying a coffee

Shell Drivers Club points can be converted into Avios at a ratio of 2:1.  This isn’t necessarily the best use of them, given that they can also be redeemed for gift vouchers at a decent rate, but it works for some people.  You can learn more about the Shell and Avios relationship in this article.

Shell has special earning rates for buying a takeaway (or perhaps you can drink in?!) coffee from the Costa Express machine.  You would earn 40 Shell points for a large cup and 20 Shell points for a small cup.

Until 14th September, these rates are tripled.  You will earn 120 Shell Drivers Club points (60 Avios) for every large Costa coffee you buy and 60 Shell points (30 Avios) for every small cup.

Get £5 off £50 spend at Esso with American Express

A new offer for £5 cashback on a £50 Esso spend has appeared on some American Express accounts.

To see if you are targetted, log in to your American Express account and look under ‘Offers’ on EVERY statement page if you have multiple cards.

You can earn Avios points when you buy fuel at Esso.  Almost all Esso garages now let you collect Tesco Clubcard points and those convert into Avios points. 

What makes this Esso deal better than the average Amex promotion is that you can earn the £5 cashback an unlimited number of times until the deal expires on 18th September.

If your Esso has a Tesco Express attached, you should also be able to use this deal to purchase £50-worth of gift cards and receive a £5 cashback credit – plus the usual 150 bonus Clubcard points for spending £50 on gift cards.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2025 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

In 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

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher 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

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

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

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

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