Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

Mobile app-only bank Monese launches an exclusive partnership with Avios Group

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The globally-connected banking service Monese has launched an exclusive partnership with Avios.

Back in December we wrote about how Avios Group had joined a £60m funding round for Monese and asked whether this was going to lead to an Avios earning partnership.

This week we got some answers.  Monese and Avios have announced that users can now link their Avios account to their Monese account and see their Avios earning and spending in the app. For now you cannot earn and spend via Monese, but watch this space …..

Earning Avios from Monese

What is Monese?

Monese is a globally connected banking service that was founded in 2013 by Norris Koppel.  It aims to simplify the process of getting a bank account in Europe.  It’s a ‘mobile app only’ bank that gives users a £ and a € account allowing them to bank like a local across the UK and Europe. Accounts can be opened within two minutes with a photo ID and a video selfie.

The company launched its banking product in 2015 and has currently 800,000 users in 30 countries and supports 12 languages.  Customers are currently moving $3 billion through their Monese accounts each year.

How does Monese work?

You can find full details of how Monese works on its website.

In summary, there are three different plans to choose from.

  • Starter – FREE
  • Plus – £4.95 / month
  • Premium – £14.95 / month

What are Monese’s key feature?

Monese accounts are linked to a contactless Mastercard that is accepted in 200 countries and territories. Users can make unlimited transactions with their card, but depending on the plan there might be charges for ATM usage and foreign exchange transactions.

Monese accounts can be operated like a traditional current account with your salary paid in.  If you don’t want to do this, you can also top up your balance from another bank account or with cash using PayPoint or over the counter at a Post Office.

Introducing the new Avios partnership

This week Monese and Avios launched the first stage of their partnership.  Users can now link their Avios account to their Monese account and track their Avios earning in the same app as their banking balance.  This includes Avios earned from flights, via the e-store and any Avios earned from credit cards.

The app currently lists your last five Avios transactions and Monese is working on increasing this.

Monese Avios

What does the future hold for Monese and Avios?

In the coming weeks Monese will introduce further benefits for Avios collectors. There will be various earning and spending opportunities including earning Avios for referring friends to Monese and earning Avios by paying for items with your Monese debit card.

Customers will also be able to send Avios to their friends as long as they have a Monese account.

Norris Koppel, CEO and Founder at Monese, says about the Avios partnership:

“We are delighted to be announcing this partnership with Avios, following our successful Series B fundraise. We serve a fast-growing and incredibly international audience who travel the world for study, work, family, or retirement. We’re proud to offer customers a smart, portable and seamless way to manage their lifestyles, as well as their finances. We know that these customers would value an easy and simple way to track and maximise Avios alongside their finances and travel. In the coming months, our Avios offering will become even smarter and stronger and it will help our customers make better decisions, wherever they may be in the world.”

Andrew Crawley, CEO, Avios Group, believes:

“Partnering with Monese is a significant move to making it even more convenient for customers to track their Avios while on the go. As Avios can be collected and spent in over 190 countries, we understand the need to have a banking account that’s as mobile as its customers. We look forward to working with Monese on our exciting plans to make collecting and spending even more rewarding.”

If you are reading this on a mobile device, you can get the Monese app by clicking here.

You can find out more about the company on its website here.

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

British Airways and Avios

Comments (204)

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

  • Jtz says:
    22 Feb22 February 08:43

    OT, no bits:
    I just tried to apply for Amex spg before I close plat and got this at the end of application:

    We are unable to provide a decision at this time. We have recorded all the relevant information and will finalise your application as soon as possible.

    We’ll send you a note in the post or email within the next 10 days to advise you of the decision.

    Thank you for your patience

    Is this because I put my Amex Plat number in on one of the questions that asked if I currently hold an Amex? Or is it something else?

    Thanks

    • Shoestring says:
      22 Feb22 February 08:48

      It’s nothing much, happens a lot of the time to most of us, just wait a few days to get the decision/ card

    • Mr. AC says:
      22 Feb22 February 10:33

      If nothing happens after a couple of days, call them and inquire (on a weekday). Usually a decision can be made on the spot.

    • Rob says:
      22 Feb22 February 11:08

      Just how it is. I get this message opening new cards sometimes and I’ve been a cardmember since 1997 (so it tells me all the time).

    • TheSkintTraveller says:
      22 Feb22 February 20:08

      Always get this, five days later the card pops through the letter box.

  • Bill says:
    22 Feb22 February 08:46

    Curve have notified me they will close my account due to my address being isle of man

  • BSI1979 says:
    22 Feb22 February 08:57

    O/T but no ‘bits’ today, one for anyone that was able to get any of the recent £100 economy flights as part of BA’s centenary.

    Have you been able to upgrade said flights via Avios or cash….?

    Thanks

    • stevenhp1987 says:
      22 Feb22 February 09:09

      Yes you can, if there is availability. Cash upgrades are very expensive due to the difference in the fare…

      • Lewis says:
        22 Feb22 February 09:36

        Mine to WTP is £179 to Abu Dhabi which I’m considering…

        • stevenhp1987 says:
          22 Feb22 February 09:43

          We’re flying to Cape Town next month and it’s coming out £3,215.22pp to upgrade to WTP… Which I would never consider. If it was £179pp like you, I’d consider it…

        • BSI1979 says:
          22 Feb22 February 09:52

          £206 to upgrade to WTP flying to Rio hence I am also considering it. I have the option online/app to upgrade but always fails at final point….will need to phone to see if there is in fact availability.

        • Lewis King says:
          22 Feb22 February 10:02

          Yeah I wouldn’t bother for that to Cape Town… but you are going to CAPE TOWN I AM SO JEALOUS! I tried so hard for those tickets 🙁

        • Alex says:
          22 Feb22 February 11:03

          @Stephen, it mostly depends on load-factors. 179GBP is probably a POUG (pro active upgrade offer) which BA use to lure you in. The price you quoted sounds like you’re asking for a quote for an upgrade through the “normal” channel, so you’re paying the price difference between the 100 pound fare and a WTP return ticket…

  • I A says:
    22 Feb22 February 09:02

    Will this be better than earning avios from Tesco Mastercard club card?

    • Shoestring says:
      22 Feb22 February 09:18

      I think it’s more on the lines of e store

    • Frenske says:
      22 Feb22 February 10:29

      It is definitively better if you are a drug dealer and don’t want your address associated with dirty money.

  • Callum says:
    22 Feb22 February 09:03

    You probably should have saved this advert for when there was something interesting to offer.

    A current account that you have to pay £5 for, pay for foreign usage, pay for ATM withdrawals and pay to pay in cash!? How ridiculous!

    • Mikeact says:
      22 Feb22 February 09:06

      Totally agree….£1 per ATM withdrawal, why would I want to do that.

      • Callum says:
        22 Feb22 February 09:08

        I just hope they gave him a decent sum of money to make it worthwhile!

        It’s not a good sign that they seem to think people on this site would fall for their rubbish product though – do they know their clientele at all?

        • Shoestring says:
          22 Feb22 February 09:24

          That’s what a lot of banks charge in Europe – fees per transaction that we get free of charge in UK

          so if Monese is a European product, people in other countries won’t see it as expensive

        • Filipe says:
          22 Feb22 February 19:04

          It’s very expensive but banking in the UK is filled with fees in general. In a lot of countries in Europe current accounts and all transactions including ATM withdrawals are free and unlimited. Only loans and insurance have fees/interest associated

      • FlyingChris says:
        22 Feb22 February 09:12

        Not that this product is of interest personally, but I haven’t made an ATM withdrawal in probably over a year. Can’t even remember the last time I actually paid cash for anything.

        • Tina says:
          22 Feb22 February 09:49

          Milkman? Massage + ?

        • BJ says:
          22 Feb22 February 09:53

          Obviously Curve was not for you either then, what a missed opportunity.

        • Peter K says:
          22 Feb22 February 13:19

          No cash? Lunch at a local cafe? Tip for a maid at hotel? Car park that doesn’t take cards?

          • Rob says:
            22 Feb22 February 15:48

            Was out with a mate last week and he has gone totally cashless. Was surprised as he is not usually at the cutting edge. I thought cutting out coins, which I’ve done, was radical 🙂

        • Lady London says:
          22 Feb22 February 15:47

          His butler carries it for him 🙂

        • FlyingChris says:
          22 Feb22 February 18:11

          OK – I tell a lie – when I worked near a branch of my bank, I used the £200/month on Curve to withdraw cash, walk 30 seconds & deposit it back into my account. Otherwise no point in carrying it around. Too easy to lose coins – have a slimline wallet with just a few cards & a £20 note for emergencies (e.g. cab if can’t order an Uber etc) – but otherwise everywhere I go takes card.

        • Alan says:
          23 Feb23 February 11:31

          Must say I only need cash for the canteen at work – everything else I use card!

    • Rob says:
      22 Feb22 February 11:07

      I’m guessing you have not just moved to a new country and are in need of a bank account ASAP. That is the target market, although they are happy accept UK residents who have always lived in the UK and are not planning on leaving 🙂

      Ask some of your domestic staff how difficult they found it to open a bank account when they arrived in the UK.

      • illuminatus says:
        22 Feb22 February 11:22

        + 1, it is a nightmare to open a bank account for ‘new arrivals’ in the UK, so there is a niche for this product

      • Callum says:
        22 Feb22 February 12:26

        Some of my domestic staff!? I know you live in a different world to me but Jesus Christ! Are you that out of touch, or did the joke go way over my head?

        There are other app based banks that are just as easy for new arrivals – though it’s crystal clear this advert is not targeting them so that’s a bit irrelevant.

      • S says:
        22 Feb22 February 14:06

        I like how the target audience of this site is affluent City workers when it suits the narrative, but also ‘domestic staff’ or serial Now TV box purchasers when not.

      • meta says:
        22 Feb22 February 14:50

        But there is HSBC Passport for example. I opened one 15 years ago without any credit history. All they asked was a copy of my passport and an address in the UK and it was processed within 15-20 minutes. I guess some people don’t do enough research before moving to a new country…

        • Lady London says:
          22 Feb22 February 15:51

          That was 15 years ago. Since then the jobsworths have made it progressively more difficult for ‘real’ people. It’s a nightmare for many real people’s needs.

          • Rob says:
            22 Feb22 February 16:06

            HSBC Passport, which he mentioned, is when HSBC will give you an account because you bank with them in another country. Which is hunky dory if you bank with HSBC in one of the few countries they are still in but not for anyone else.

        • meta says:
          22 Feb22 February 17:13

          Fyi, I didn’t bank with HSBC in my country and still got Passport account. I admit, perhaps, it got more difficult, but I know at least of dozen people who moved in last 3 years who had no problem opening an account.

      • Ricatti says:
        22 Feb22 February 18:08

        Compared to where things were in 2000es, it is infinitely simpler to open a bank account in the UK.

        Today’s bank accept simple letters from your GP and employer in the absence of other proof.

        Opening the account with Revolut/Monese/etc does not create a record with Experian, and therefore, you will still be absent from the radar and find most credit being unavailable.

        If you plan living in the UK, you do need “a proper” current account at an established bank.

      • Adam says:
        22 Feb22 February 18:18

        I don’t doubt that this may serve a small percentage of people’s needs but having moved countries a few times I have always found it pretty easy to open a bank account, granted I haven’t needed to open one in a hurry in the UK and I have kept an international account as a back up but my experience has always been that it is just a case of go down with ID and a willingness to hand over your money.

        What I don’t really get is the benefit of having your Avios transactions alongside it, my balance doesn’t change so much that I can’t keep up with it on the BA app or Award Wallet. Obviously I wish them well as any company that is looking to fill a gap in the market should be encouraged, but from the Avios point of view this strikes me as being more “because we can” than “because its good for our customers”

    • Steve-B says:
      22 Feb22 February 11:13

      “Ask some of your domestic staff…”

      LOL, we don’t all live in castles Rob 😉

      • Russ says:
        22 Feb22 February 11:21

        The days of only the landed gentry having staff have long gone. In the street where my brother lives he guesses nearly half have help, including him and he’s a part time manual laborer. One of the lesser published but priceless benefits of having help is when you’re away they look after the property.

        • BJ says:
          22 Feb22 February 11:56

          Daft idea, better just to sign a letting agreement with somebody and charge them over £1k/month or whatever the rate in your area is. When you do that a few times over there’s ample time to take care of all your own stuff and buy a castle too.

      • Andrew L says:
        22 Feb22 February 15:39

        Just asked all of my domestic staff…..and the wife says it’s a rubbish product! 🤣🤣

        • Adam says:
          22 Feb22 February 18:07

          Asked my wife as well – probably shouldn’t have said domestic staff, now I need somewhere to live – hopefully the butler will let me lodge with him!

  • Michael says:
    22 Feb22 February 09:08

    OT: Can i use my curve card to buy premium bonds? They have a pay with debit card option when buying on their website. Be handy to earn some miles through that if possible.

  • Andy says:
    22 Feb22 February 09:20

    A Nationwide Flex Plus account and Nationwide Select Credit Card seems a far better option than this.

    I have far more confidence in Nationwide than these e-money firms.

    For £13 a month you get:

    Fee free ATM withdrawals worldwide with the debit card
    Fee free purchases wouldwide with the credit card
    Worldwide family travel insurance
    Worldwide family mobile phone insurance
    UK & EU breakdown cover
    3% credit interest up to £2500
    5% regular savings account (up to £250 per month)
    £250 interest fee overdraft

    • VinZ says:
      22 Feb22 February 14:21

      I have the same and not planning on leaving them!

    • Matt says:
      22 Feb22 February 14:26

      It’s a great product and I have it. My guess is that this site doesn’t cover it because Nationwide has a chav image.

      • Andrew L says:
        22 Feb22 February 15:45

        The travel insurance offering from Nationwide FlexPlus is much more comprehensive than that pointless offering that Curve negotiated and that got coverage here.

        • Rob says:
          22 Feb22 February 16:03

          You can’t review travel insurance sensibly, no-one does it. This is because the key thing is willingness to pay. Some insurers try to avoid it using every means at their disposal, others do not. Axa has paid numerous Amex Plat claims when we clearly and openly broke their rules, for example – many cheap insurers would not.

  • Andrew says:
    22 Feb22 February 09:23

    Quote: “Customers are currently moving $3 billion through their Monese accounts each year.”

    Sorry Rob, not impressed. When I was an office Junior, in a medium sized bank branch in the early 1990s, £100M would pass through my branch’s books every single day.

    Besides, “Mon Ese” sounds like an intimate lubricant or haemorroid cream.

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