Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

BP is leaving Nectar on 31st May

Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission.  See here for all partner links.

BP has confirmed it is leaving Nectar on 31st May.

As we covered in this long article back in March, there are major changes in petrol station loyalty taking place this Summer.

Shell Drivers Club is closing to be replaced by a new scheme called Shell Go+.  This is NOT points based and so you cannot earn Avios.  The last day to collect Avios from Shell Drivers Club is 30th June.  Learn more on ba.com here.

Esso is withdrawing from Tesco Clubcard.  The exact date is not known but I assume it will be 31st May.

BP is withdrawing from Nectar.  The date for this is now confirmed as 31st May.  You will not be able to earn or spend Nectar points at BP from this date.

Once this is done, Esso will be signing up with Nectar on 1st June – a move that I genuinely cannot understand, since Nectar has about as much traction with the public as a greasy pole.  You can already register your Nectar number via the Esso app.

In terms of points collection opportunities:

Avios collectors can only collect at Tesco filling stations, via Clubcard conversions.  You will no longer be able to earn via Shell Drivers Club or Esso.

Virgin Flying Club collectors can only collect at Tesco filling stations, via Clubcard conversion.  You will no longer be able to earn via Esso.  The Texaco / Virgin Atlantic partnership ended last year.

Nectar collectors cannot earn at BP from 30th May but will be able to collect at Esso from 1st June.

We will cover this again in more detail nearer to the time that Shell Drivers Club closes.

You can learn more about the end of the Avios / Shell partnership on this special page of ba.com.

Our review of the American Express Nectar credit card is here if you are interested in other ways of boosting your Nectar points.


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.

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.

Comments (174)

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

  • guesswho2000 says:

    Presumably Nectar earners can still get Nectar points at Sainsbury’s own branded servo’s?

  • Sandgrounder says:

    I had an email from Tesco yesterday:
    ‘We wanted to let you know about some changes to where you can collect Clubcard points on fuel.
    The good news is that you’ll still be able to collect Clubcard points on fuel at all Esso petrol stations with a Tesco Express and all Tesco petrol stations. This means you can still collect points at over 700 petrol stations across the UK.
    However, from 1 June, you’ll no longer be able to collect Clubcard points at Esso stations where there is no Tesco.’

    • Michael says:

      I wonder if the 200 CC Points offer still stands for your first fill up with the Esso app? Going to drive a few miles to my nearest Esso tonight to see if it works.

  • Chris L says:

    Can anyone explain why BA are not installing an F cabin on the A350? Makes no sense to me.

    • Rob says:

      They MIGHT be added to the 2nd batch. To be fair, Club Suite is very good and BA would really need to push the boat out to justify First.

      • Michael C says:

        But current Tel Aviv has F, right? One of the shortest trips to do so?

        • Robert says:

          Yes, TLV currently has F, and will continue to, but in the winter schedule it’s usually just the morning flight out of LHR and afternoon back from TLV that has it, while the Red-eye out of LHR (departing TLV in the morning) has been a 788.

    • David says:

      I don’t think they’ve ruled it out on the A350-1000s, but this first batch are all 350-900s. My explanation would be that with the smaller plane size, an F cabin would proportionally take up too much of the aircraft to be economical, and also putting the existing F setup on the same aircraft as Club Suite will make F look a bit silly. I assume BA will design a new F hard product at some point in the next few years, probably before the 350-1000s start arriving, that looks comparatively better than Club Suite.

      • Segun says:

        BA only have A350-1000s on order. No A350-900 aircraft.

        • David says:

          Ah, in which case, ignore my first reason – it’s just because F isn’t good enough!

    • ChrisC says:

      In the scheme of things very few BA routes currently offer F anyway.

      It’s not on the 787-800 for example

      • Bagoly says:

        True, but according the The Economist, BA currently offer the second largest number of First Class seats, behind only Emirates.
        The chart at https://www.economist.com/international/2019/03/09/first-class-air-travel-is-in-decline shows that Lufthansa have cut more than half in the last ten years.
        BA presumably either need to do the same, or create a truly special new First Class.

        • Michael says:

          The problem is Business Class is so good these days mainly driven by the gulf carriers there is little need for first (ironically though Emirates still have it but I think over time even they will phase most of it out). + Many companies will no longer pay for it. BA First has continued for so long as Club World is so inferior.

        • Michael says:

          The problem is Business Class is so good these days mainly driven by the gulf carriers there is little need for first (ironically though Emirates still have it but I think over time even they will phase most of it out). + Many companies will no longer pay for it. BA First has continued for so long as Club World is so inferior..

  • Andrew says:

    I updated the Esso app yesterday and added my Nectar number for collecting points from 01 June.

  • PaulW says:

    Hilton seem to have also quietly launched a sale? Like Amex I find the visa offers work fine for pre paid bookings so may combine nicely for some.

  • Alex W says:

    OT. Virgin money not giving me my 10k miles for life insurance. Has anyone got a screenshot of the T&C’s? Thanks.

    • Shoestring says:

      might have!

      when exactly did you start the policy?

      • Alex W says:

        About mid-July.

        • Shoestring says:

          I think you’re way too late – my screenshots are dated 21st June

          surely Virgin changed the glitch T&Cs a long time before mid-July?

          what exactly are they denying you?

          • Alex W says:

            They are saying I have to wait another 30 days. Mrs W got a separate policy at the same time and got her 10k a couple of months ago. Both policies were >£10/month. We got proper policies to cover the value of the mortgage, not just for the points!

        • d4ve says:

          Point appear in your statement back when you took the policy out. If you have had lots of activity since, they get lost. Have you check back a bit. I was caught out the same.

    • BJ says:

      They’re going on much too long already Alex. I think you should now give them two months notice in writing to resolve the problem and then go to the Ombudsmen if they do not.

    • Graham Walsh says:

      Have they confirmed that you used the correct link to sign up? Took me a few weeks of calling them each week to ask for the points. Eventually got them the other week.

  • MikeB says:

    Same Hilton 12% back on £75 minimum spend on my First Direct visa but oddly the expiry date is 15th June!

    Only valid at UK hotels which is a bit of a shame as I will be travelling round the USA for most of the month.

  • Kazim says:

    For some reason, my shell drivers club has already become shell go+. No idea how or why I’ve already changed to the new scheme? This happened roughly 2 months ago

    • Peter K says:

      If you use your old card you’ll still get the old style points. There is a hidden/buried link in the app to find out more. I think in the FAQ.

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

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here.