An interesting Finnair tier point run for British Airways Executive Club members
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
Airline Route reports that Finnair is switching its Helsinki to Malaga service to a long-haul A330-300 aircraft between 14th December and 29th March – but only on Friday and Sunday. On other days it will remain a short-haul route.
(Looking at finnair.com, the A330 is not yet showing on every Friday / Sunday flight but it is there in March.)
Why is this even vaguely interesting? Because Helsinki to Malaga is 2,086 miles according to Great Circle Mapper (gcmap.com). By breaking 2,000 miles, it qualifies for long-haul tier points if you credit the flight to British Airways Executive Club. You would earn 280 tier points for the return flight in Business Class. With an A330, it would be a comfortable 4+ hour flat bed flight.
You should expect to pay around €600 return for this flight in Business, which is £2 per tier point. This is decent. You can pay less on other days but you will be on a short-haul aircraft.
Remember that London / Manchester to Helsinki is an 80 tier point route, or 160 tier points return, in Business Class.
This means that if you flew London / Manchester – Helsinki – Malaga – Helsinki – London / Manchester, you would earn 440 tier points in Business Class. The total cost of the two tickets would be around £950. This isn’t a bargain but it is a lot easier than, say, flying to Asia with Qatar Airways in Business Class in order to earn 560 tier points.
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:
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
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
25,000 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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a 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, 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.
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review
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.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
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
40,000 points sign-up bonus 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.