Bits: Qatar launches Cardiff with a 787, 500 Avios with £25 Amazon spend, Charles Tyrwhitt sale

News in brief:

Qatar Airways to launch Cardiff with a Boeing 787

I must be honest.  When Qatar Airways announced its plans to launch flights from Cardiff, I assumed that it would use a short-haul aircraft.  This is what it does out of some other smaller cities.

This week, however, Qatar Airways announced that Cardiff services will start on 1st May – using a Boeing 787.  It will fly daily.

This is very bullish, because Qatar needs to create a brand new market for long-haul travel out of the airport.  It isn’t just about enticing flyers to switch airlines, they need to change behaviour and stop people driving down the M4 to Heathrow.  They have 254 seats to fill every day.

This is great news for Avios collectors in Wales.   Avios availability should be excellent on this route, at least in the early days as the route builds up.  We will hopefully see some good sale fares as well.

If you want to know about other Avios redemption ideas from outside London, this HfP article looks at Avios flights from UK regional airports.

Last chance to get 500 Avios or Amex points with £25 Amazon spend

Tomorrow is the last day for the fantastic American Express Amazon offer.  It is available for many – but not all – British Airways American Express, Amex Gold and Amex Platinum cardholders.

If you haven’t done yet, check your offers on your online statement page for a combination of:

Get 500 / 1,000 Avios / Membership Rewards points when you spend £25 at amazon.co.uk before 17th September using your BA Amex / Amex Gold / Platinum card

There are various rules about what you can and cannot buy to trigger the bonus.  The easiest thing to do is buy a £25 amazon.co.uk giftcard via this link and add it to your account via this link.

Get 12% off Charles Tyrwhitt shirts this weekend

Finally, shirt company Charles Tyrwhitt is offering 12% off everything – no minimum order – this weekend with code UK12CT.

Tyrwhitt is an Avios partner and you will also earn 4 points per £1 on your shopping.  The site is here and the current clearance offers are here.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

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:

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

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

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.

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

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

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

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

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

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

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

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.

American Express Business Platinum

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

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.