For Rip Off Britain viewers …. an introduction to Head for Points

I am appearing on Rip Off Britain on BBC1 this morning, doing an (unpaid and unofficial) PR job on behalf of Avios.  If you’ve visited Head for Points after seeing me on the programme, I’d like to say Hi and point you towards a few good starting points.

Head for Points is the UK’s largest frequent flyer website with 1.2 million monthly page views.  Our daily articles are a must-read if you collect Avios points or other frequent flyer or hotel loyalty points.

If you sign up for our emails or visit the site daily, you will be surprised by how much you can learn and how quickly the quality of your travelling improves.  Your miles and points have real value and you owe it to yourself and your family to get the best possible value from them.

For Avios beginners:

There is a lot of information on Head for Points, which reflects the complexity of most airline and hotel loyalty schemes.  We try to break through the noise by serving up the most important travel loyalty news of the day in our three daily articles, all of which are published by 6am.

If you want to learn more about spending Avios points, a good place to start is a series of articles we call ‘Avios Redemption University’.  These articles are being updated during January 2018 but note that some still date back to 2015 – please check the information in those before relying on it.

The beginners guide to redeeming Avios (updated 2018)

The secrets of Reward Flight Saver (updated 2018)

How to upgrade with Avios (updated 2018)

How and when to use ‘Avios and Money’ (updated 2018)

Understanding BA and avios.com household accounts (updated 2018)

How to earn and use your BA Amex 2-4-1 companion voucher (updated 2018)

Is it worth using Avios for hotel redemptions? (old)

What is the cheapest way to buy Avios points? (updated)

Using Avios for non-stop flights from UK regional airports (old)

Low tax long-haul Avios redemptions on Iberia (old)

Saving tax on US and Canada redemptions with Aer Lingus (old)

Redeeming Avios for low tax US domestic flights (old)

Using Avios for tax-free flights on Alaska Airlines (old)

Saving tax on Asian redemptions with Cathay Pacific (old)

How to earn and redeem Avios points with Flybe (old)

For ‘advanced’ Avios collectors:

If you already have a decent understanding of the Avios scheme, there is still a lot for you on Head for Points.  Take a look at these eight Avios collecting and spending tips.  I am 99% certain that you won’t be familiar with all of these, however experienced you are.

Click through the links in the headlines if you want to know more about any particular statement.

So …. did you know …..?

… that you can get 20,000 Avios points quickly, and for free, by signing up for the FREE American Express Gold charge card?

Most people know that American Express issues an ‘official’ British Airways card.  Few people know that points from its Gold card can also be transferred to Avios at 1:1 – and that the Amex Gold card has a ludicrously generous sign-up bonus.  Find out more here.

… that the tax on Iberia redemptions is 60% lower if you transfer your Avios to Iberia Plus and book via their website?

Iberia Plus does not charge the full range of airport taxes and fuel surcharges imposed by ba.com.

Let’s look at Madrid to New York in Business Class, return. Iberia, when you book on iberia.com, will charge £159.

A BA redemption from London to New York (via ba.com on a BA plane) on the same route in Club World costs £502 in taxes and charges! That is, by any stretch, a big difference. It makes it well worth heading to Madrid to start your trip if you are price conscious.

More interestingly, if you try to book the Iberia Madrid to New York flight on ba.com using BA Avios, it will charge you £361 of taxes! This is for the SAME Iberia flight which costs only £159 of tax on iberia.com using Iberia Avios.

… that the Iberia Plus redemption chart has certain quirks which make some redemptions exceptionally cheap?

The Iberia Plus chart is in this article.  It is ALMOST the same as the BA chart, but not quite.

The difference is most pronounced in Band 5.  Business Class flights on Iberia to Band 5 (which includes New York) are 68,000 Avios return off-peak and 100,000 Avios peak.  British Airways redemptions in Band 5 are 100,000 Avios return off-peak and 120,000 Avios peak.

Would you buy a separate ticket to Madrid if you could use 68,000 Avios and £159 of tax to fly to New York on Iberia compared with 100,000 Avios and £502 on tax with BA from London?

… that British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia have different off-peak dates which leads to arbitrage opportunities? 

British Airways Executive Club and Iberia Plus do NOT share the same table of peak and off-peak dates, especially around half-term school holidays in the UK.

You can see the 2018 peak and off-peak dates for BA and Iberia in this article.  Aer Lingus is in this article.

This means that New York in Business Class can be as low as 68,000 Avios return from Madrid (on an off-peak date) on the same day that BA wants 120,000 Avios return from London (because BA treats it as a peak day).

… that you can earn Avios when you fly on Emirates as long as you book a Qantas codeshare service?

I got my wife to test this out and it works fine as this article shows.

… that you can earn Avios when you fly United Airlines – even though it is a Star Alliance member – by crediting your flights to Aer Lingus AerClub?

I genuinely expected this feature to go away when Aer Lingus AerClub was launched but, for now, it is still there.

… that there is more Avios availability on Iberia flights if you move your points to Iberia Plus and book from there?

It isn’t clear why this is the case, but it is.  Don’t rely on what ba.com shows you if you want seats on Iberia.

… that Aer Lingus redemptions have lower taxes if booked via BA on the phone than via the avios.com site?

You can finally now book Aer Lingus redemptions online via avios.com.  There is some jiggery pokery going on with the taxes, however.  If you keep your Avios in British Airways Executive Club and ring them to book – it can’t be done online – you will pay a lot less.

Make sure you read Head for Points regularly if you want to keep up to speed with tips like these.

Thank you for taking the time to visit the site today.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

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:

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

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.

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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

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.

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