Get a 15% discount on hotel and car hire bookings made with Avios – worth it?

British Airways Executive Club has emailed some, not all, members with a special deal.  Until 30th September, you can book a hotel or car with your Avios and save 15% on the usual price.

Stays must be completed by 31st December.

Because it is a targeted offer, you won’t see anything online to prove that it is actually working.  Trust me, it is if you got the email.  If the results of your search look poor, it is because this deal IS poor.

Under this promotion, you will be getting 0.66p per Avios redeemed.  This is poor in my book, although better than the standard rate which works out at around 0.57p per Avios.  Above is an example.

As the cost is 29,850 Avios or 1,000 Avios + £190, you are saving £190 by using a net 28,850 Avios.  This is (19000/28850) 0.66p per Avios.

Even worse,  the stays will be non-qualifying so you won’t receive any hotel loyalty points or status benefits either.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (September 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards. Both have increased sign-up bonuses until 2nd November 2021:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

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:

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies. This card has a limited time offer of 60,000 Avios when you sign up:

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

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)