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Finnair launches flights to Sapporo, bookable on Avios

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Finnair, a British Airways partner in the oneworld alliance, will launch flights to Sapporo in Japan this Winter.  It becomes the first European airline to fly to the city since KLM dropped the route back in 2002.

The service will only operate for a short period between 15th December and 27th March 2020.  Flights will depart from Helsinki on Thursdays and Sundays.

Finnair Schengen lounge

Sapporo will be the 5th Finnair destination in Japan following Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka.  The direct route from the UK to Japan takes you over Scandinavia which is why the flight time from Helsinki to Sapporo is only 8hr 55 min.

Booked with Avios, Economy seats are 50,000 points + £254.  Business Class is 150,000 Avios + £362.

Finnair appears to have released two Economy and two Business Class seats per flight, and availability was good when I looked yesterday.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

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 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 card

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.

Category

Finnair and Finnair Plus

Comments (158)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Peter says:
    16 Jan16 January 05:12

    Note that Hilton Honors will only status match you once, so choose your timing carefully as to when to apply for a status match.

    • Craig says:
      16 Jan16 January 06:52

      Not technically true, I’ve done it twice. However, the underlying scheme changed between the two matches. The plan is to gift Mrs S IHG Platinum when I hit Spire next year and then for her to do it to see us through for another few years.

      • Matt says:
        16 Jan16 January 07:32

        Hi Craig you seem to know what you’re talking about so feel free to ignore my thoughts, but isn’t it better to take 25k points rather than gift Plat as you can earn that easily with the credit card.

        • Genghis says:
          16 Jan16 January 08:05

          Agreed. I’d value the 25k points at £100. The credit card costs £99 but then opens the door to the sign up bonus and the free night at £10k spend.

        • Craig says:
          16 Jan16 January 08:26

          I’d generally agree that the points are more valuable than the status gifts. However, I’m spending over 100 nights a year at a HI with work so to say I’m flush with points would be a major understatement.

        • Stuart H says:
          16 Jan16 January 10:06

          Once you hit spire how/when do you get the choice of the points or gift platinum.. I became spire on Dec 27th, heard nothing. Thanks

          • Alan says:
            16 Jan16 January 10:11

            Should be pretty much straight away – nothing showing in your IHG account?

        • Craig says:
          16 Jan16 January 10:10

          IIRC there was no email, just hit the my rewards section on the left of the account page or somewhere like that.

        • Stuart H says:
          16 Jan16 January 10:46

          Solved it thanks…. The mistake i was making was that i was relying on the app to show it, which it didn’t…i find the app really good but not in this case

          • Alan says:
            16 Jan16 January 10:50

            The IHG app is decent but lacking certain things – this is one, proper breakdown of points earning is another (something that is clearly laid out on the website).

        • Lady London says:
          16 Jan16 January 12:16

          @Craig as you seem to really know about the IHG scheme, with your stay pattern would there be any use to you or Mrs. S in signing up for Ambassador? Platinum comes with, from Feb…?

        • Craig says:
          16 Jan16 January 12:25

          @Lady London, I already have Ambassador, it’s more than worth it for the 57k rebate in points I’ll get this year. The weekend certificate is an added bonus.

          @Genghis, I have the IHG card and hit the £10k spend each year, as I’m also churning HSBC WE I think hitting that as well as IHG and 2 BAPP might be tricky if I sign Mrs S up for the IHG with the intention of the free night. What I hadn’t though of was just signing her up for the bonus, status matching her and saving my 25k points which seems like a better plan.

      • BJ says:
        16 Jan16 January 10:02

        I have also matched to Diamond twice. Second time was in September 18 but I’m not sure if that was before or after the changes you refer to.

    • John says:
      16 Jan16 January 08:12

      You can always close and open a new account like someone suggested yesterday to improve their IHG promo targets

    • Paul says:
      16 Jan16 January 11:21

      Not true – on my 2nd stays match challenge to Diamond in 3 years and this one is for HH Gold to Diamond if I do 10 stays or 18 nights in next 90 days.

      • PT says:
        16 Jan16 January 14:49

        I’ve just been turned down for a second status match in the last 10 days, so there appears to be inconsistency as to how Hilton treat people.

  • Roger says:
    16 Jan16 January 05:21

    BA / BAPP supplementary card addition bonus 1000 / 3000 confirmed!
    https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/benefits/supplementary-cards/?sourcecode=A0000F0VTT&intlink=uk-en-hp-hero-cta-primary-iahub-29112018

    • Mike says:
      16 Jan16 January 07:20

      Thanks for highlighting this, 5000 MR for a Plat supplementary card will be useful

      • jtz says:
        16 Jan16 January 07:57

        Yep, I got 5000 for supp gold, from plat account, (they had already sent me a plat supp when applying)

        • Qwerty Bertie says:
          16 Jan16 January 20:47

          I would like to do this, but I don’t have anybody other than my wife I would trust to be added, and she has a plat supp from the time of application. Could I give myself a gold/green supp and get the points?

        • Genghis says:
          17 Jan17 January 00:41

          Yes

    • TripRep says:
      16 Jan16 January 08:02

      Sweet nice one, just added to my new BAPP.

    • Rob Walker says:
      16 Jan16 January 08:53

      This seems to work even if you added a supplementary card at the time of application. I added my mother in law to my platinum despite having added my wife during the application and received 5k.

    • Craig says:
      16 Jan16 January 10:45

      Data Point. BAPP has been open for several years and I haven’t added a supp card for yonks. Applied today and got 3000 Avios. Thanks for the info.

    • M says:
      16 Jan16 January 12:09

      Good one! I’ve just applied for a BAPP sup card and the 3K Avios are already in my Amex account.
      That was quick! 🙂

  • ee says:
    16 Jan16 January 06:43

    OT. Is anyone else seeing delays with the £200 off £600 at Amex travel posting to their account? Transaction made 4/1 with instant email confirmation. Transaction posted 9/1 to statement, and offer is showing under the ‘savings’ tab but not on statement. Getting twitchy as we want to cancel the plat card before anniversary in a couple of weeks…

    • Roger says:
      16 Jan16 January 06:46

      Last time it took some time (more than a week, touching ten days from Pending to Processed.
      However once processed the cash back was paid out within 5 days or so.

      • Sam G says:
        16 Jan16 January 07:02

        Yes – myself & OH. Chat told me to wait 30 days. Unusual as all my offers have always posted pretty much immediately

        • Alan says:
          16 Jan16 January 09:53

          Very unusual for them to post instantly IME over lots of offers over the past few months. Emails still come through instantly though (if they’re going to, sometimes they don’t!)

    • Relaxo says:
      16 Jan16 January 07:09

      Took about 10 days to post last time around. Just used offer again last night. Got instant email confirmation that offer was used.

    • Andrew M says:
      16 Jan16 January 07:36

      You’ll be fine. Even if anniversary passes, Amex refund prorata. And likely in full, if no spend post anniversary on card.

    • SimonW says:
      16 Jan16 January 09:21

      As a date point. I triggered this offer yesterday in two separate bookings – £236 and £366 – and got the email as soon as second booking got me over the £600 line……

    • Brighton Belle says:
      16 Jan16 January 09:28

      Mine posted last night. About 14 days between spend and 2 x £200 on mine and supplementary card. That’s my Platinum annual fee almost zeroed out in one hit.

    • rams1981 says:
      16 Jan16 January 09:49

      Mine hit the savings tab yesterday and the credit has appeared this morning. Between me and wife’s cards and supps saved £800 which nicely covers the fees paid and then some including shop small and other offers (plus will cancel wife’s Plat now credits have posted)

    • Alan says:
      16 Jan16 January 09:51

      That’s pretty much par for the course I’d say. Has been much slower in recent months. Once it’s showing up in savings I find it’s normally only a day or so away from showing on main statement.

  • Roger says:
    16 Jan16 January 06:49

    Rob,

    A month or so ago, it wasn’t posted about VS Aero Mexico Joint Venture.
    Any further updates on this about miles earning on each other’s flight.

    I have an AM J flight next month and might consider crediting to VS particularly in conjunction with using VS 241 miles if my business class flight earns enough miles for VS Silver or higher.

  • krys_k says:
    16 Jan16 January 07:21

    OT. Any sales coming up to Asia on the horizon that anyone knows of? Thanks

    • Matt says:
      16 Jan16 January 07:37

      There’s just been quite a few! Check if Finnair are still offering good fares from Manchester to Bangkok – we fly on Thursday and looking forward to trying out the A350 J product.

      • ankomonkey says:
        16 Jan16 January 08:24

        I flew AY A350 J LHR-BKK last summer. Food and service were both excellent. Seat was fine for me, but I know taller people are less keen. Enjoy!

        • Alan says:
          16 Jan16 January 09:55

          Yeah I found the foot cubby/coffin a bit claustrophobic on their service. Was still nice for LHR-HEL though!

        • Lady London says:
          16 Jan16 January 17:56

          I’m 5ft 7in stretching and only just found it long enough. Plus foot cubby drove me nuts. It effectively stops sleeping on your side.

          Give me the A380 anyday over the A350.

    • Tom1 says:
      16 Jan16 January 08:59

      Qatar apparently launching something tomorrow I believe. Not sure what.

    • Rob says:
      16 Jan16 January 09:00

      Qatar sale may launch tomorrow.

      • krys_k says:
        16 Jan16 January 11:36

        Will it be for flights from UK or ex-UK? I’m holding a flight from Stockholm to Singapore over the summer for 72 hours – runs out 10am Friday.

        • Rob says:
          16 Jan16 January 12:18

          The sale will be global. I am only guessing it launches tomorrow, based on the fact that all of Qatar’s current global fare sale promotions end at midnight tonight. They don’t have any ads booked with us.

  • Roger says:
    16 Jan16 January 07:51

    on dummy quote, rates are pathetic.
    Tried, mexico for next month and they want close to £300 for a week

  • Yawn says:
    16 Jan16 January 07:57

    Interesting question. Would love to know the answer to this as well.

  • jtz says:
    16 Jan16 January 07:58

    Wondering those who recently have closed their spg card, how log did it take to transfer points?
    I’m considering self referral before I close plat, but don’t really want to be waiting ages for the points…

    OT: still waiting for hilton gold from plat, have called both and they said it’s not showing yet on their system and to just wait…any ideas..?
    Thanks

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