Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

Bits: new BBC ATC series starts tonight, Virgin economy sale, 30 Avios per £1 on flowers

Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission.  See here for all partner links.

News in brief:

‘Skies Above Britain’ starts tonight on BBC2

I have been asked by a NATS employee to plug ‘Skies Above Britain’, which I’m happy to do.  Starting on BBC2 tonight at 9pm, this five part documentary focusses on the work of air traffic controllers across the UK.

Virgin Atlantic launches economy sale

Virgin Atlantic has launched an economy seat sale running until 21st September.  Headline prices to the US start at £398, presumably aimed to match the current Aer Lingus ex-UK sale.

Hong Kong at £449 looked one of the better non-US deals.  You need to travel between Christmas and March for the US deals, dates vary elsewhere.

Full details can be found here.

If you live in the regions and want to visit the US, look at the Aer Lingus deals here which include the connecting flight to Dublin.

Virgin A350

Earn 30 Avios per £1 on flower deliveries

Finally, I wanted to mention that you can currently earn 30 Avios for every £1 you spend on flowers from Appleyard.

You need to order via the Appleyard page of the Gate 365 shopping portal here.  There are even some discount codes, valid until 21st August, on that page which can be combined with the deal. 

The offer runs until 30th September at which point it will return to the usual 7 Avios per £1.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

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:

Barclaycard Avios Plus 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 card

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

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

25,000 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.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a 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, 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.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review

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.

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

40,000 points sign-up bonus 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.

Category

Aer Lingus and AerClub, British Airways and Avios, Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club

Comments (83)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • James says:
    17 Aug17 August 08:38

    I’m going to badmouth Appleyard too! I’ve been sending my mother flowers for Mother’s Day from Interflora for a few years without complaint. The flowers from Appleyard looked great when they arrived but lasted two days. Their customer service was terrible, impossible to get through to on the phone and they ignored my emailed complaint. I should have disputed their charge with Amex but sadly a work rush meant it lost any priority. Still this posting is a little revenge! I would not use again or advise anyone else to give them a try.

  • James Alexander says:
    17 Aug17 August 08:44

    Dear HFP, PLEASE stop calling anywhere outside London “the regions”…. It is 2016 and some of us in “the regions” of the UK actually live in Nations! I suggest something like, “if you live in UK outside London”…. otherwise it is extremely patronising and London-centric to use terms like “the regions”.
    Many HFP followers would appreciate it, myself included!
    Cheers

    • Sussex Bantam says:
      17 Aug17 August 08:49

      Shirt-gate 2…

      • Liz says:
        17 Aug17 August 09:04

        Sitting in the lounge at Edinburgh airport – enroute to LHR-ORD – that made me laugh! Love this blog!

      • Jonty says:
        17 Aug17 August 09:19

        Raffles, are you still offering money-back guarantees for those hfp readers dissatisfied with BA/shirt/London bias?

        • harry says:
          17 Aug17 August 09:46

          I have a suggestion & a compromise solution! Would members generally be in favour of HFP referring to the regions henceforth as ‘in the sticks’? Somehow less disparaging.

          I do agree about shirts, though. Here, I suggest we alternate ‘space to hang my boob tube’ to get rid of any casual sexism.

        • Rob says:
          17 Aug17 August 09:59

          Certainly do, pro-rata refunds are available at any time on your annual HFP subscription!

      • Adey says:
        17 Aug17 August 13:51

        rofl!!

    • Danksy says:
      17 Aug17 August 09:03

      James – Sshhhhh !! We in the regions enjoy a better quality of life!

      http://www.bristol247.com/channel/news-comment/daily/news-wire/bristol-named-one-of-10-best-places-to-live-in-the-world

      I’m happy living in Bristol LOL…we don’t want all these London lot invading! (Irony is I invaded from London :P)

    • Danksy says:
      17 Aug17 August 09:03

      James – Sshhhhh !! We in the regions enjoy a better quality of life!

      http://www.bristol247.com/channel/news-comment/daily/news-wire/bristol-named-one-of-10-best-places-to-live-in-the-world

      I’m happy living in Bristol LOL…we don’t want all these London lot invading! (Irony is I invaded from London 😛 )

      • Worzel says:
        17 Aug17 August 09:21

        Danksy:

        A quiet Sshhhh! please!

        If you could dissuade further invaders it would be appreciated.

        From a Bristolian who lived up the smoke for 10 +yrs, 🙂 .

    • RTS says:
      17 Aug17 August 09:28

      But outside of London is the regions…

      • Kinkell says:
        17 Aug17 August 09:52

        and I stay in the most northerly region on mainland Britain. Not complaining.

        • harry says:
          17 Aug17 August 10:11

          Sounds like upper Caithness? Beautiful part of the world. My folks had a couple of houses on the other side (Kinlochbervie & Durness) so I spent all my summer hols up there when I was a kid. If you enjoy the call of the wild & a bit of Lebensraum, completely unbeatable. I think the stats were that Sutherland was the largest county in the UK…with a population of 8000!

          • Kinkell says:
            17 Aug17 August 13:38

            Not quite. Ross and Cromarty, part of Highland region. Absolutely gorgeous on a day like today and yesterday. Give me the regions, and I’ll take a bit d patronising any day!

          • harry says:
            17 Aug17 August 18:24

            yep a good day was either making a massive bonfire on the beach with the driftwood etc and doing the pyromaniac stuff or just taking the dog for a 15 mile walk 🙂

    • Rob says:
      17 Aug17 August 10:04

      I grew up in Rotherham and so get a free pass on how I describe the world outside Zone 1 🙂

      Point taken though.

      I am sending Anika off to Liverpool on Friday, you should know. And Manchester last week. We get about …..

      • Daz says:
        17 Aug17 August 10:16

        Rotherham famous people: Rob Burgess, The Chuckle Brothers and Ex Top Gear presenter James “Captain Slow” May.

        I’m in between meetings 😉

        • Gavin says:
          17 Aug17 August 10:46

          I’ve twice been to Rotherham, but only to run round it for 50 miles so I’ve missed the highlights

        • Rob says:
          17 Aug17 August 12:09

          Runner Peter Elliott

          Justine Greening, who lived on my road and was at my school, but 2 years ahead

          That bloke who was world darts champion

          Paul Shane

          Jeremy Clarkson worked at the Rotherham Advertiser

          William Hague

          A senior female partner at Deloitte in London who will probably read this 🙂

          • Fenny says:
            17 Aug17 August 21:32

            I worked in Rotherham for about a year, but never lived there. I watched Meadowhall being built on my daily bus journeys from and to Sheffield.

      • Boris says:
        17 Aug17 August 11:53

        Would love it if Anika’s wheels *were* nicked in Liverpool, and you had to report it…

      • raikje says:
        17 Aug17 August 13:28

        “I’m a big fan of the regions. In fact, just this week I am sending someone else there so I can, ermm, experience them remotely…” 😀

        • Rob says:
          17 Aug17 August 13:41

          I’ve done my share 🙂

          I am back in the HI Sheffield in a few weeks ……

      • Paul says:
        18 Aug18 August 06:44

        Tell her to try The Blind School or Italian Club Bistro for good food and anywhere on Hope St for a decent drink away from the stag & hen parties. Weather not good on Saturday so new Museum of Liverpool a must on a rainy day with the bonus of a dry view of the best waterfront in the world/regions!!!

      • Nick says:
        18 Aug18 August 07:28

        Now working in Rotherham I can confirm its equally as big a shit hole as you remember (no offence meant of course!), why you moved to London I’ll never understand (roll eyes)…..

    • Daz says:
      17 Aug17 August 10:07

      I live in a posh ENCLAVE!

      Gotta watch for those pesky arrows, It’s hellish out here.

    • mark2 says:
      17 Aug17 August 10:33

      you mean Nations like Mercia and Wessex?

    • Genghis says:
      17 Aug17 August 11:24

      Outside of London is the Regions. My employer also refers to it this way and the Regions bankers do not take offence. And I’m from the Regions myself (County Durham) and I don’t take offence.

    • Boris says:
      17 Aug17 August 11:45

      Dear dear

      Raffles is taking a linguistic pounding. Conscientious objectors to shirts yesterday, and now this 🙂

      Personally, I’m delighted to be described differently from the Londonerati.

      Perhaps we need to remember that the ‘nations’ each do comprise a region approximately the same size as all the English Regions, and are referred to as such in official publications.

      • Boris says:
        17 Aug17 August 11:54

        Can we standardise on “London”, The Regions, and The Chippy Regions ?

    • Nate1309 says:
      17 Aug17 August 16:11

      I live in Cardiff and we do have an airport but there are so few flights that Bristol is the closest for the majority of destinations, as this is a horrible drive, it can be quicker to whizz up the M4 to heathrow! If only they would expand CWL – always BA planes there being repaired, never one there to fly :'(

    • Graeme says:
      17 Aug17 August 22:36

      Evidence of these many followers? Or is it just you?

  • Melvin says:
    17 Aug17 August 09:31

    Appleyard flowers are poor quality plus images shown on thier website is for the the larger (extra cost) boquet.

    If a deal seems too good to be true then it nearly always is.

  • Mark says:
    17 Aug17 August 10:21

    O/T. How long does the economist normally take to post the subscription Avios bonus to an Iberia Plus account? I tried to credit some NH Hotel rewards to Iberia Plus back in June but they never made it (tiny amount so not worth chasing) so it would be helpful to know when I should start chasing Iberia/Economist for my Avios…thanks!

  • idrive says:
    17 Aug17 August 10:46

    Thank you, good idea! I will definitely enjoy the documentary!
    And thanks to all these 1000s controllers and workers who make it happen!

  • Rash says:
    17 Aug17 August 12:20

    Slightly O/T but my sister would like to go Hong Kong over Xmas this year with her kids. Has anyone seen any ‘cheap’ fares recently? The Virgin fare mentioned by Raffles is excluded over the Xmas hols.

    • Peter K says:
      17 Aug17 August 22:06

      Try places like skyscanner.net opodo.com expedia.co.uk etc as a starting point.

      • Rash says:
        18 Aug18 August 08:24

        Thanks Peter, I did try them already, I should have said. I was just thinking there may be some ex-EU deals out there that I had missed

  • n says:
    17 Aug17 August 14:09

    I had to submit 4 times to get an email confirmation yesterday

  • Will says:
    17 Aug17 August 14:24

    Another resident of the regions here who has had a terrible experience with appleyard. Worst quality flowers I’ve ever bought.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

New to Head for Points?

Welcome!  We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Got any questions? Ask them in our forums.

NEW: Sign-up bonuses boosted to 3,000 and 18,000 points

Latest Forum Posts

Get 40,000 bonus points (worth 40,000 Avios) and £300 dining credit with The Platinum Card

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Get £10 when you spend £150 on your free Currensea card

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.7 million of rooms to date. Click for details.

SME? SPECIAL OFFER TO 12TH MAY EARN POINTS WORTH 30,000 AVIOS WITH CAPITAL ON TAP

Get 20,000 bonus points, four airport lounge passes and your first year free with American Express Gold

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here.

Got it!