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 (October 2022)

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.

EDIT: Until 25th October 2022, there is an exceptionally generous sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card. You will receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points – double the usual amount – and £200 to spend at Amex Travel. You need to spend £6,000 within six months to earn the bonus.

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 10,000 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.

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