Bits: 2400 Avios with £99 tablet, Norwegian adds Singapore, more Amex Platinum lounges
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News in brief:
Get 2,400 Avios with a £99 Samsung tablet
Tesco Direct is running an interest Samsung Galaxy Tab offer this week. Until April 24th, these four tablets – all priced at £99 or £119 – come with 1,000 bonus Tesco Clubcard points.
That would get you 2,400 Avios or 2,500 bonus Virgin Flying Club miles, on top of your base points.
Norwegian adds flights to Singapore
Low-cost long-haul airline Norwegian turned up the pressure on British Airways yesterday with the launch of a new London Gatwick to Singapore service.
Services start on 28th September using a new Boeing 787-9. It will initially operate four times a week before stepping up to five. Headline entry fares are £180 one-way in economy (although checked baggage and meals are extra) and £700 one-way in Premium.
This is an aggressive move by Norwegian which has focused on UK to North America routes to date, and it remains to be seen if such routes will remain viable if fuel prices rise from their current low-ish level.
There will now be 50 flights per week between London and Singapore over Winter 2017.
Our recent article outlining the Norwegian Reward programme is here.
More Amex Platinum lounges – Bradesco lounges in Brazil
A reader pointed out that I missed one group. Amex – in conjunction with its local issuer Bradesco – has a network of lounges in Brazil. These can be accessed with a Platinum card or, it appears (my Portuguese is a bit ropey) a Gold card. Full details, in Portuguese, can be found here. Here are the lounges:
Sao Paulo Terminal 2 – Bradesco Lounge – airside – 1st floor
Sao Paulo Terminal 3 – Star Alliance Lounge – airside – mezzanine
Sao Paulo – Amex Centurion Lounge – airside – opposite gate 5
Rio De Janeiro – Amex Centurion Lounge – landside – 1st floor
Recife Terminal 2 – Sala VIP PontesTur – airside – ground floor
…. and Plaza Premium lounges
Amex Platinum cards issued in Hong Kong – but which look very similar to the UK version – can be used to access a large number of Plaza Premium airport lounges. You can learn more here.
Most Plaza Premium lounges are in Priority Pass, which means that you can enter anyway by using the Priority Pass card which comes with Amex Platinum, but this is a fall back option if you don’t have your Priority Pass with you.
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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (June 2025)
Here are the six options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.
Your best value option (but no points):
The cheapest route to a Priority Pass airport lounge card is via the Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.
The credit card has a fee of £15 per month, and comes with a Priority Pass which gives unlimited free access for the cardholder. If you add a free supplementary cardholder, they will also receive unlimited free access.
Unlike the version of Priority Pass you receive with American Express, the Lloyds Bank version also lets you access £18 airport restaurant credits.
Even better, the credit card has 0% FX fees and comes with 0.5% cashback. Full details are in my Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard review.
Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard
A Priority Pass, 0% FX fees and up to 1% cashback for £15 per month Read our full review
Lounge access via American Express cards:
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 in-depth review of The Platinum Card from American Express is here.
You can apply here.
The Platinum Card from American Express
50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card 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 Credit Card review here.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
Lounge access via HSBC Premier credit cards (Premier account holders only):
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 The American Express Business Platinum Card which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:
The American Express Business Platinum Card
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.
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