Get A350 Business Class to Dubai using Avios points for just £116 in taxes ….. on Finnair

Here is something I came across by accident this week when preparing an article on something else, but I thought it was worth mentioning in its own right.

Finnair runs a seasonal service to Dubai.  As a British Airways partner, you can earn and redeem Avios on this route.

What was VERY interesting is that Helsinki to Dubai is under 3,000 miles.  This means that it falls into a cheaper Avios pricing band than Dubai flights from London.

Finnair (Helsinki-Dubai) costs 75,000 Avios in Business Class, 365 days per year.  British Airways wants 120,000 Avios on peak dates and 100,000 Avios off-peak.

Finnair also has very low taxes.

Here is an example:

Yes, you can fly Business Class from Helsinki to Dubai for 75,000 Avios and just £116 in charges, return.

Obviously you need to get to Helsinki in the first place, but Finnair has regular services from Manchester and Edinburgh (bookable on Avios or for cash) and both BA and Finnair fly from Heathrow.  There are presumably also low-cost options.

Remember that return cash tickets to Helsinki from the London earn 160 tier points in Business Class too!

Historically, there was a snag ….

Finnair used to run a short-haul A320 on this route which is why I never talked about it much.  It was pretty pointless going to Helsinki just to fly on a short-haul plane with a British Airways Club Europe-style seat for five hours.

This seems to have changed.  Whilst ba.com shows a blank when you select aircraft type for these services, a quick look at finnair.com shows that they are now operated on some days by a brand new Airbus A350-900.

I have reviewed Finnair’s A350-900 in Business Class – click here – and it is an impressive service.

I have also reviewed the Hilton at Helsinki Airport (click here), if you are on the day flight to Dubai which leaves at 08.10.  There is also an overnight option, leaving at 20.40 from Helsinki, which could be done in the same day from London.

Here is Finnair’s A350 business class (click to enlarge) – you can find out more in my review:

Obviously this sort of routing is not for everyone, but if you are up for a bit of adventure and wouldn’t mind a quick look at Helsinki too then it is well worth a look.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2023)

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Successfully apply for either of the Barclaycard Avios credit cards by 2nd April 2023 and you will be entered into a free draw to win ONE MILLION AVIOS! Full details are on the application forms here (free) and here (paid). This competition is exclusive to Head for Points readers. T&C apply.

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.

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.

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.

Until 30th March 2023, the sign up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. The bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to 60,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. T&C apply, see the application forms for details.

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