Bits: get 10% off 16-25 Railcards, will Monarch go bust today?, a HfP reader wins big
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News in brief:
Get 10% off a 16-25 Railcard until tomorrow
If you are in the right age group or are a full time student of any age, or have one in the family, you can get them a 16-25 Railcard with a 10% discount until the end of the month.
You need to enter code SAVE10OCT on the Railcard website here. The price will be £27 instead of £30.
Alternatively, you can also redeem Clubcard vouchers.
Is Monarch in trouble?
Low cost airline Monarch, now run by the ex-Avios Group CEO Andrew Swaffield, may reach the end of line today if it does not receive a cash injection from its 90% shareholder Greybull Capital.
All airlines have to convince the Civil Aviation Authority on a regular basis that they have the required funds to operate. Monarch’s license expires tonight and press reports suggest that it does not currently have enough liquidity to meet CAA requirements.
Monarch transitioned from a charter airline into a low cost carrier in recent years and appeared to be making a decent job of it. Competition is clearly fierce, however, and it may not have had the financial discipline or cost structure needed to compete.
If the airline does collapse it will be interesting to see if it is acquired by IAG – who could merge it into Vueling – or potentially Eurowings which is in the process of buying chunks of airberlin. I would be surprised if easyJet or Ryanair would be interested given that they already have the assets required to take over the most attractive routes if Monarch disappears.
Monarch is an Avios redemption partner but only when you book via avios.com. Details of that relationship are in this article.
A HfP reader wins big
Finally, I was delighted to receive this email from a reader this week:
Hi Rob,
I just thought I’d drop you a note to say that I have heard that I won the Hilton World Tour competition that you mentioned on headforpoints back in June:
https://www.headforpoints.com/2016/06/11/hilton-concert-tickets-competition/
[The prize is two tickets to a concert ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD of your choice, with travel and accommodation thrown in!]
I mention it because I undoubtedly wouldn’t have entered had it not been for your site. This is just the sort of competition which usually passes me by, but getting your emails every morning makes it easy to just click the link and enter. So thanks very much for the service.
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 Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)
There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit and debit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.
There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.
You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.
We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.
You can apply for either card here.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.
NEW: Hilton Honors Plus Debit
10,000 bonus points, Hilton Gold status and NO FX fees Read our full review
NEW: Hilton Honors Debit
2,500 bonus points, Hilton Silver status and 0.5% FX fees Read our full review
There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.
Holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card. It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.
We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.
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.
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:
- American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
- American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)
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.
and for small business owners:
- American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
- American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)
The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors points is 1:2.
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