Bits: new American Express cashback deals, easyJet launches routes from Southampton

News in brief:

New American Express cashback deals launched

American Express has launched a new wave of travel-related cashback deals.  Some, all or none of the offers below will be found on the ‘Offers’ section of your online statement page, or in the Amex app.  You need to ‘save’ the offer before it is activated.

Airbnb – 2% cashback

This is an older deal but it has been extended to 25th August.  You can also get £30 off your first stay via our refer-a-friend link here.

Guoman Hotels (click for website) – £50 back on £195 spend

Valid until 29th September.  Includes The Tower and The Cumberland in London.

Thistle Hotels (click for website) – £35 back on £100 spend

Valid until 29th September.  Remember that the Thistle at Heathrow allows you (for a £5 fee) to take the driverless pods from the car park behind the hotel directly to Terminal 5 – more here.

Red Carnation Hotels (click for website) – £50 back on £250 spend

This may not be a well known brand, but they own the impressive Ashford Castle in Ireland as well as a few upmarket London properties.  I wrote this article about them because they are also a Virgin Flying Club partner, so you’ll earn 2,000 miles per night as well as getting £50 back!  Ends 13th September.

onefinestay – 10% back

This is a more upmarket airbnb.  Ends 30th September.

The existing Heathrow Express deal (£10 back on £50 spend) is still running until 23rd July.

easyJet launches flights from Southampton

easyJet is trialling flights from Southampton, albeit in a small way.  A thrice-weekly service to Geneva will begin on 14th December.

If you live in London and have never flown from Southampton, you may not appreciate how convenient it is. The train trip from Waterloo to Southampton Airport Parkway is a touch over 1 hour.  The station is directly at the airport and you will be in the terminal within 5 minutes.

When visiting the south coast, I have even rented cars from the airport in the past and travelled down by train from London.  It is quicker and less stressful than hiring a car in Central London and driving all the way down.

The airport even has an Executive Lounge – Breeze Priority – which we reviewed here.

It is worth noting that Flybe also has a huge number of routes from Southampton (list here) which you can book using Avios points.   Many of these are routes which are not served by British Airways, such as Brest, La Rochelle, Biarritz etc.