BA domestic Club Europe – book with Avios today, check existing flights

As we revealed exclusively on Head for Points two weeks ago, British Airways will launch Club Europe business class on domestic flights from 1st April.

Some behind-the-scenes work was going on yesterday to get things ready.  No domestic flights could be booked for travel from 1st April.  Normal service was meant to resume at 8am this morning.

Firstly ….

If you have an existing domestic sector booked, take another look at it.

You may find that it now shows Club Europe.  This is especially likely if you are connecting to or from a premium class flight in London.

Anyone with a standalone Business UK ticket should also be upgraded.

Secondly ….

Take a look at your seat allocations over at ba.com.

As of last night BA had not rearranged seating on existing bookings.  However, I would expect it to be done by the time you read this.

If you have an existing domestic booking and were sat towards the front of the aircraft, you are likely to have been moved towards the middle or back.  You may want to check and move yourself if you aren’t happy with where you ended up.

If you were moved into Club Europe, you should check to see if the window or aisle seat you have been given is suitable.  If you are travelling with other people, check that they are still near you – remember that Club Europe seating is 2×2 rather than 3×3 in Euro Traveller.

Thirdly ….

Avios redemption seats for Club Europe on domestic flights should be available from 8am today when the booking system reopens.

I would expect two Avios seats in Club Europe to be showing on every flight.  If I’m right, this is a great opportunity to bag yourself some seats for peak dates – Edinburgh during the Festival, anything you may need for Christmas, New Year, Easter or Bank Holidays etc.  Yes, you’ll be paying 9,000 Avios each-way but that is still probably a better deal than paying cash.

Cash tickets for business class – which we assume will earn 80 tier points return – are pricing at around £199 at ba.com.  If you after a quick tier point run, they may be worth a look.  If you’ve got more time, however, you can get weekend breaks to certain European destinations for similar money and which are likely to be more fun.  A key difference is that these domestic tickets do NOT appear to require a Saturday night stay.

---

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.