Free cups of tea now available in British Airways short-haul Economy – if you bring a teabag

Tea lovers rejoice, for free tea is back in British Airways Euro Traveller (Economy).

Sort of.  And it is a secret, so don’t tell anyone.

The new Marks & Spencer on-board menu was launched on 1st May.

I will go into some of the changes in a minute, but the key fact is that the tea has switched from Twinings to Teapigs.

Why is this key?  The Twinings tea came with a built-in cup.  Teapigs does not, so British Airways is using its own paper cups.

And ….. they will give you one for free.

You don’t get a free teabag, of course, because that would be c-r-a-z-y.  However, according to cabin crew I know:

you can have a free paper cup

you can have some free hot water

However …..

you must bring your own teabag

HfP readers who have British Airways status will be getting excited now, because loose tea bags are available in the lounges at Heathrow and Gatwick.  You can now pinch a teabag from the lounge and have a free cup of black (I doubt you will get free milk) tea if travelling in Economy 🙂

If you don’t bring your own bag, a cup of tea is now £2.50.

Elsewhere on board, the changes include – and note this is not a full list:

The coffee is now Cru Kafe, which comes in a bag.  Apparently the old coffee, which Anika has consistently raved about, was unpopular with some customers who did not like the filter or having the granules floating around.  Initial feedback online to Cru Kafe has not been great, to be honest.

New lines include Love Cocoa Hot Chocolate, Loveau Raspberry, Strawberry & Blueberry Infused Sparkling Water, Estini Espresso Martini and Pinkster Small Batch Raspberry Gin

Brewdog’s Speedbird 100 IPA is available (£4.45 per 330ml can)

The hot option is a mozzarella and tomato flatbread (£4.95)

Children can choose a Marvin’s Magic Activity Box with snacks and games (£6, not an M&S product)

Afternoon tea with scone, jam and clotted cream is added for £5 (not an M&S product)

British Airways is also offering 15p off tea or coffee if you bring your own cup.  Stojo collapsible cups are available for £10.  My wife has one of these and finds it useful, with the 50p saving in Pret soon covering the cost ….

The full Euro Traveller food and drink price list can be found on ba.com here.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (May 2025)

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

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Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

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There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card

30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express Credit Card

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

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American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card

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The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large 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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

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There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

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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.

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The American Express Business Gold Card

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