Bits: good SPG auction ends today, third runway to destroy British Airways HQ, new Gatwick route

News in brief:

Good SPG Moments auction ending today

There is an attractive SPG Moments auction ending today which, so far, has attracted very little interest.  It is one of those auctions where the headline used to sell it vastly undersells the value of what you will receive.

The Moments home page is here.

The auction is headlined “Get backstage passes to Five Guys Named Moe at Edinburgh’s Christmas”.  The current bid at the time of typing is 9,500 Starwood Preferred Guest points (28,500 Marriott points).

Dig into the auction and it looks a lot more interesting:

• A two-night (2-night) stay in a Club Room at Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh, checking in on 4 December 2016 and checking out on 6 December, 2016
• Two (2) 55-minute spa treatments at One Spa
• Dinner for two (2) at One Square on Monday 5 December
• Two (2) tickets for the Street of Light on Sunday 4 December, 2016 (6:00 pm showing)
• Two (2) VIP tickets to Five Guys Named Moe on Monday 5 December (show starts at 7:30 pm)
• Private backstage meet & greet with the cast of Five Guys Named Moe on Monday 5 December, 2016

As long as you are free on those dates and can get to Edinburgh, this looks like a good deal to me.  The Sheraton Grand was fully refurbished a couple of years ago and is one of only a handful of Sheraton hotels to carry the ‘Grand’ name.  The hotel website is here.  I value the package at around £700.

The auction ends at noon today although the closing time extends by 5 minutes if there are any bids in the last 5 minutes, and only ends when there are 5 minutes with no bids.

Third runway to destroy BA’s Waterside headquarters

Falling into the ‘couldn’t make it up’ category comes this article from The Guardian yesterday.

Apparently, until he saw the final draft of the Airport Commission report into Heathrow expansion, Willie Walsh (CEO of IAG, the parent company of British Airways) didn’t actually know that the third runway would require the demolition of BA’s state-of-the-art and hugely expensive Waterside HQ – photo above, I’ve been, it’s very nice.  No-one from Heathrow Airport had ever bothered to tell them …..

Whilst BA will receive 25% above its market value when the site is purchased, this is of limited benefit as the airport recoups the cost by increasing charges to airlines – 56% of which is paid by BA.

New British Airways route to Limoges

British Airways has announced a new route to Limoges in France.

Flights will operate four times a week from Gatwick, with the service commencing on 28th May 2017.

Tickets, for cash or Avios, are available for booking at ba.com.

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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.