Bits: want a job redeeming miles?, airberlin adds cheap US Avios routes, Curve raises $10m

News in brief:

Want a job redeeming miles?

John from the Nightly.travel hotel booking site sent me an interesting job ad that came across his desk.

Seedstars World, an established start-up investor, is looking for a remote working ‘travel hacker’ to book travel for its staff using the frequent flyer miles they collected on previous work trips.

Not sure I like the sound of that as a company policy, and no idea what the job pays, although by definition they seem like they are a bit tight ….

airberlin adds new Avios routes to the US

If you don’t like paying the high level of taxes and charges on British Airways Avios redemptions, airberlin is your answer as this HfP article explains.

(Aer Lingus – read here – and Iberia – read here – may also be your answer, but airberlin has the biggest low-taxes network.)

How low?  When Anika did her review of airberlin business class from New York to Berlin last year, she paid £4 in taxes and charges.

airberlin has just announced the following new routes which will be served during the winter season for the first time.  These flights should be available for Avios redemption at ba.com:

Orlando, from Dusseldorf – five flights per week

Boston, from Dusseldorf – four flights per week

San Francisco, from Dusseldorf – four flights per week

San Francisco, from Berlin – four flights per week

Other US destinations served from Dusseldorf are Fort Myers, Los Angeles, Miami and New York JFK.  Other winter US routes from Berlin are New York, Chicago and Miami.

airberlin also serves a number of ‘winter sun’ destinations.  Curacao from Dusseldorf is possibly the most interesting, as this Caribbean island is not well served from the UK.  Most people fly with KLM, given the close links that the island has with the Netherlands.

The airberlin website is here if you want to know more.

Curve confirms $10m in Series A funding

TechCrunch has reported that London fintech startup Curve has raised $10m in Series A funding.

We cover the Curve Card quite a bit on HFP because it allows you to spend abroad with just a 1% transaction fee AND have the purchase recharged to any other points-earning Visa or Mastercard you own.  You can also withdraw £200 per month from an ATM and have it recharged to another credit card as a points-earning purchase.  I wrote more about how it work here – the card is free to apply.

The list of investors in impressive and, given that Santander is on the list, raises questions over whether Curve is about to partner directly with major banks.

New investers include TransferWise founder Taavet Hinrikus, Azimo founder Michael Kent, Ed Wray of Betfair, former members of the Google Wallet team, Santander InnoVentures, Investec, Connect Ventures, Speedinvest, Oxford Capital, Breega Capital, Henry Ritchotte (ex Deutsche Bank COO), Gael de Boissard (ex Credit Suisse board member), Alessandro Hatami (The Pacemakers; ex Lloyds, Paypal, GE Capital) and Paul Townsend (Vitesse PSP, Barclays, WorldPay).

Curve will pay you £10 for trying it out if you use our link.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – March 2025 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current 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

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher 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

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

American Express Business Platinum

Up to 120,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

Up to 60,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

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

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

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