Bits: more luggage on BA via a travel agent?, Qatar Airways launching Dublin flights

News in brief:

BA offering bigger baggage allowances via some travel agents

A HfP reader who travels to India on a regular basis dropped me a note with an interesting observation.

The current free luggage allowance for long-haul World Traveller (economy) tickets is 1 x 23kg suitcase.

….. if you book via ba.com.

It seems, in order to avoid losing business from people who decide to compare prices and terms first, British Airways is quietly offering better deals via some travel agents.

ticketstoindia.co.uk states clearly on its home page that it has negotiated better luggage deals with some airlines.  Price up a BA economy ticket and you will see that you are offered 2 x 23kg suitcases for free rather than just one.  Lycafly apparently operates the same way, as does Southall Travel.  Something to bear in mind if you often find yourself in World Traveller and paying for an extra suitcase.

Qatar Airways to launch flights from Dublin

According to reports in the Irish press, Qatar Airways is gearing up to launch flights from Dublin to Doha next May.

This timetable is not firm as it relies on deliveries of Qatar’s troubled A350 order from Airbus.  These aircraft are required in order to free up a Boeing 787 for the Dublin route.

Dublin to Doha would be an attractive Avios redemption for many people who could hop over to Dublin to avoid Air Passenger Duty on a redemption from the UK.

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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:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

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.

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.

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.

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.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.