Bits: Lufthansa Miles & More expands online booking, is Royal Air Maroc joining Avios?

News in brief:

Lufthansa Miles & More expands online booking

One of things that BA should get credit for is online Avios reward booking.  You can book flights on all oneworld member airlines via ba.com.  This is something that we take for granted but is something that Star Alliance and SkyTeam have struggled to adopt.

The Lufthansa Group’s Miles & More programme recently expanded its online booking system to handle 26 airlines.  This is excellent news as it makes it easier to book and far easier to check availability.

The airlines now covered are: Adria, Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels, Ethiopian, Condor, Croatia, Egyptair, Eurowings, Eva, LOT, Lufthansa, Lux Air, SAS, Shenzhen, Singapore, South African, SWISS, TAP, Thai and Turkish.

To save you working it out, the missing Star Alliance partners are United, Air India, Copa and Asiana.

IHG Rewards Club ‘buy points’ bonus launched

Until tomorrow, 21st December, you can buy IHG Rewards Club – the InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza etc scheme – points with a bonus of up to 80%.

The page to buy points is here – log in and see what is available.

This is not the most generous offer IHG has had, and it is also staggered which is unusual:

• Buy 5,000-19,000 points, get a 60% bonus
• Buy 15,000+ points, get an 80% bonus

Some people have an even better offer of a 100% bonus, although 80% seems to be the most common.

I wouldn’t buy speculatively with an 80% bonus as I am fairly sure that a 100% bonus for everyone will be along in a few months.  If you need to top up your account in advance of a planned redemption, however, you might as well do it whilst the bonus is on.  It is also worth buying if your IHG Accelerate promotion has a ‘buy points’ target you need to hit.

Is Royal Air Maroc still joining Avios?

Back in 2016, I wrote in this article that IAG had announched Royal Air Maroc was going to adopt Avios as its reward currency ‘this year’.  18 months later, we are still waiting.

I’ve nothing more to add …. it just popped into my mind.

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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.