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Bits: get 1200 Avios for £30 of LEGO, London City Airport launches a Business lounge

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News in brief:

New Tesco / LEGO promotion launched

Tesco Direct has launched a new LEGO promotion, this time with LEGO Disney Princess.

As you can see here, you will receive 500 bonus Tesco Clubcard points – worth 1,200 Avios or 1,250 Virgin Flying Club miles – when you spend £30 by Monday evening.

This deal requires a smaller minimum spend (£30 for 1200 Avios) than the recent ‘£60 for 2400 Avios’ deal, and may work better if you want to give the LEGO as a gift for a specific child in your life.

The full list of available LEGO Disney Princess sets is here.

London City Airport launches a Business Lounge

Regular readers will remember our recent review of the First Class Lounge at London City Airport.  It is based in the Private Jet Centre next to the airport.  

It comes with a premium price tag (£95) but you get peace, privacy and – depending on which airline you are using – access to a private security lane and a chauffeur car to drive you across the tarmac to our aircraft.  Which is quite cool.

London City will launch a ‘pay as you go’ Business Lounge on Monday, also in the Private Jet Centre.  We will be popping down to take a look in the next week or so.  This has a lower price point – £33 per person – but you do not get driven to your plane.  You will be driven to the main terminal instead just before your flight departs and you need to pass through standard security before boarding.

This may be a better option for British Airways passengers as BA refused to participate in the ‘be driven to your plane’ scheme.  This took away one of the main reasons to pay the £95 fee for the First Class Lounge.

A review will follow.

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Getting airport lounge access for free from a credit card

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (April 2025)

Here are the five options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here.

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

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

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.

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

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A good package, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.

Category

British Airways and Avios, Tesco Clubcard, Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club

Comments (81)

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

  • Graham Walsh says:
    17 Mar17 March 09:35

    Re the council tax, got mine and says I can call up and pay Hertsmere directly. Doesn’t say what cards they take or fee. As I”m used to DD, do I just pay the monthly DD amount (either over the phone or via PayPoint)?

    • Genghis says:
      17 Mar17 March 09:38

      Yes. You’re only required to pay what’s due at that time. So I only paid just over a month yesterday at PayPoint to help with cash flow (and no credit card sign up bonuses at the moment). For my council, it says PayPoint takes 5 WDs so you might want to get your payment in quick before the start of the month?

  • Nate1309 says:
    17 Mar17 March 10:58

    O/T just seen IAG launching a new airline “Level” flights to start in June. Looks like trying to compete with Norwegian. Only flights leave from Barcelona.

    • zsalya says:
      17 Mar17 March 12:13

      Not that IAG can get flylevel.com to work yet!

      • zsalya says:
        17 Mar17 March 12:14

        Nor are the flights yet showing for redemption on ba.com: “We do not fly that route”

      • Nate1309 says:
        17 Mar17 March 12:50

        Yeah I saw that. No indication of when will be working either.

    • Lev441 says:
      17 Mar17 March 18:50

      Will be interesting to see how this pans out in the U.K.. would they bring it over here if the concept works in Barcelona?

  • Genghis says:
    17 Mar17 March 11:04

    “Chris Clayton, London City airport Jet Centre Customer Service Manager, said: “London City Airport’s new Business Lounge is the perfect option for passengers who want first class hospitality, comfort and privacy.”

    I think Chris needs to work on his marketing a bit. Surely passengers who want first class hospitality, comfort and privacy should be forking out the 95 quid for the First Class lounge?

    • The Original Nick says:
      17 Mar17 March 12:07

      Genghis, O:T, Sorry, I think you answered this question for me when I asked the last time. I left the Hilton Opera Hanoi on Wednesday just gone. I’m now in Conrad Bangkok. My points have hit my honors account including the 2017 HH1 2K EVERY DAY but I used my new Barclays Hilton CC to pay for my few drinks from the bar so I was wondering when the 2500 points hit for using the CC because they’re not showing. Do they take a while longer to hit?

      • Genghis says:
        17 Mar17 March 12:22

        Sorry. I’ve no idea.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        17 Mar17 March 23:44

        They can take a few days if not just message barclaycard vis secure message and they will add them

      • Alan says:
        18 Mar18 March 17:35

        They can take a few days but TBH more often than not they never turn up.

        I complained to Barclaycard CS before, they couldn’t even add them but I managed to get them to pay the equivalent amount for me to buy them (and that wasn’t when there was a bonus points sale on with Hilton either!)

        • Crafty says:
          19 Mar19 March 09:33

          I am still chasing the equivalent from using my card in KL and it’s reached absurd levels. Barclaycard have registered it as a complaint, which has resulted in 3 customer service calls to me and counting. Amazing amount of wastage for them. All, as I keep pointing out, over about £7 worth of points.

          • Alan says:
            19 Mar19 March 09:45

            Escalate to the Executive Office if required, you should get decent compensation out of them.

  • Rob says:
    17 Mar17 March 12:08

    Avios has no responsibility. It is made very clear that it is basically optional whether you get the points.

    • Anna says:
      17 Mar17 March 18:06

      Are they not breaching advertising standards? It doesn’t say on a particular offer that you might not get the avios.

      • Rob says:
        17 Mar17 March 21:41

        It will be there in the T&Cs. It is possible that anti spyware software on your PC is the problem, stopping the tracking cookie being placed.

  • rick says:
    17 Mar17 March 14:57

    OT- I have just received my new Virgin card and can put another card worth of spend so thinking of referring Mrs. Rick for white virgin card.
    IIRC, people in the past have stated about referring Virgin cards. Any ideas on how I can do that?
    Is that via MBNA website or via Virgin Flying Club? Thanks.

    • Genghis says:
      17 Mar17 March 15:00

      MBNA send you an email with a referral link. Not sure how else you can get one.

      • Lev441 says:
        17 Mar17 March 18:46

        I got an email ages ago from them with the referral link… when I went to find it it had disappeared from my inbox.. called up flying club who told me to go to MBNA who told me to go back to flying club who then told me to go back to MBNA etcetc so I gave up.. misteriously I got a new email with the referral link a few days ago….

    • d4ve says:
      17 Mar17 March 18:47

      You get an email with a link but it might take a few months to come through. I didn’t find a way of forcing it.

  • Canuck says:
    17 Mar17 March 15:31

    OT- Just had a baby girl (wooo!). Can one get a BAEC account for an infant? And can they accrue avios? I am keen to add her to our Household account.

    • Genghis says:
      17 Mar17 March 15:41

      Congratulations!

    • Wyle E Coyote says:
      17 Mar17 March 17:53

      Congratulations! It’s very cute you are enrolling her for her Avios accrual.

    • the real harry1 says:
      17 Mar17 March 18:57

      sure, I enrolled our kids onto BAEC no problem, ISTR somebody said the rules forbid it but never had any problems

    • Andrew* says:
      17 Mar17 March 19:26

      Congratulations! Yes, you can register infants for BAEC (but not Avios). Found this out just before booking a family holiday and had to go off and register two children then go back through the whole booking procedure…

  • Graham Walsh says:
    17 Mar17 March 15:33

    So after my 5hr delay from AMS to LTN with easyJet, I got this after prompting them yet again
    —————
    Thank you for your reply to our response sent on February 14th 2017

    We can reconfirm that your flight from Amsterdam to Luton was delayed due to weather.

    As your flight delay/cancellation was caused by a lighting strike, which is an extraordinary circumstance, you are not eligible for compensation under article 7 of EU261/2004.

    Whilst we realise you are disappointed, we hope you understand the reasons behind the decision. We now consider this case closed and will not respond to any further correspondence about your claim.

    If you wish to take this further you should refer your complaint to CEDR Services Limited, International Dispute Resolution Centre who is approved by the Civil Aviation Authority to provide an independent review of complaints. There is a fee for using this service.

    Once again we are sorry for the delay/cancellation of your flight but hope to welcome you on board again soon.
    ————–
    So I video recorded the crew announcement when they came on to apologise at 2:30am in the morning and they said it was due to the plane being in Iceland and then back to AMS and delayed due to de-icing. It was also delayed do to no crew being available so had to fly into Gatwick to get some. Surely this message of lightening is BS? How can they prove it? It was snowing (1cm) back in Feb, not lightening.

    Have I got a chance to claim with CEDR?

    • Talay says:
      17 Mar17 March 22:14

      I would investigate whether this is attempted fraud by the airline (or whatever it is when they deceive you and lie to save money).

      The thing is that they won’t have made up that story at the time and yet some beancounter and his merry men have pushed an executive to lie later and his minion is the one sending the email.

      Now if this executive is a director, it all gets very messy very quickly because you can’t lie to deceive people and remain a fit and proper person to act as a company director of any company, nevermind a PLC.

      I would quietly find out who sent the email and who decided to make up that story (if possible) and then go for the jugular and perhaps hit their website for their Conduct Risk statements and then go straight to the Chairman highlighting this as a prima facie breach of their aforementioned Conduct Risk policy.

      A friend in PA News, or the Metro paper or some other news desk on a slow news day might help.

      • the real harry1 says:
        17 Mar17 March 22:18

        I like it

      • Graham Walsh says:
        18 Mar18 March 00:30

        Nice idea. The email was sent by Ekta, easyJet Customer Services. So just a minion being told what to reply I guess.

  • LEE says:
    17 Mar17 March 16:43

    virgin still not paid out Bonus miles for Tesco conversion , 3 phone calls and 2 emails and losing patience

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