Join an Amex-sponsored charity dinner at Hotel Cafe Royal

If you were unlucky in getting a spot at the Head for Points reader dinner next week, you may be interested in a charity dinner at the Hotel Cafe Royal on Regent Street on Saturday 26th October.

This is an annual charity event organised by luxury travel consultancy Driven2travel, who I know, and sponsored by American Express.  For out-of-towners there are other events going on over the weekend around the dinner, but there is enough space at the venue to add additional guests (like you!) just for the meal and the charity auction.

The gala dinner will be held in the Domino room at Hotel Cafe Royal.  Following a ludicrously huge investment over recent years, Cafe Royal now looks gorgeous and is well worth a visit.  As you can see, it is a lovely room (click to enlarge):

The event is organised on a fully non-profit basis and has raised over $25,000 for HUSK Cambodia over the past three years alone. This year, the money raised will be shared between HUSK Cambodia and the Shinta Mani Foundation, two charities that support needy families living near Siem Reap with education, housing and hope for a sustainable future.  A photo of a project supported by the event in previous years is below.

The evening costs just £60 per person.  This is exceptional value for a welcome champagne reception and a three-course dinner with wine in such a venue.  The price is so low because American Express is fully sponsoring the dinner.  Your £60 fee does not pay for your meal (Amex is paying) but covers a donation to HUSK and is also valid as a credit during the charity auction after the dinner.

Here are the highlights of the current auction list.  There is an opportunity to bid on a stay at some great hotels and all income from the auction is donated to charity.

• 3 nights at Shinta Mani Wild, a member of the Bensley Collection, including transfers, all-inclusive dining (including as much champagne as you like!), all activities, spa treatments and use of the hotel’s zip-line!
• 2 nights at the Park Hyatt New York, including breakfast
• 2 nights at Capri Palace, including breakfast
• 3 nights at any Myconian Collection property, including breakfast
• 2 nights at the Park Hyatt Mallorca, including breakfast
• 2 nights at the Chedi Muscat, including breakfast
• 2 nights at the Park Hyatt Vienna, including breakfast
• 2 nights at Canaves Oia Suites, including breakfast
• 2 nights at the Fairmont San Francisco, including breakfast

Many of the fellow guests are Flyertalk users and, whilst not all conversation at the event may be focused on miles and points, everyone will be a passionate traveller.  The organisers will seat HfP readers on the same table where feasible.  Attendance is limited and the remaining seats are available on a first come, first served basis.

For full clarity, I have attended this dinner in the past and it is a very pleasant evening with a fascinating bunch of people.  I also know Jenny who organises it and who I know is very committed to the evening and indeed to the HUSK charity.  However, neither myself or Rhys will be attending – I am on holiday as it is half term, and Rhys will be in Israel with Sir Richard Branson, as you do.  Anika’s baby is due the same week so she’s not going either.

If you would like to attend (and you won’t find a better value Saturday night in the West End), you need to register here and pay the £60 per person fee.

If you want to spend the night at the Hotel Cafe Royal, Jenny can book you in and get you the added Virtuoso benefits on top.  A lot of HfP readers will have a ‘£100 cashback on £400 Cafe Royal spend’ offer on one of their American Express cards at the moment, but this expires on 24th October so you’d need a pre-paid room.  Contact jenny.price@driven2travel.co.uk for more information.

PS. If you are reading this but are not a regular Head for Points visitor, please consider signing up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters. They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and deals to improve how you travel. To sign up, visit this page of the site or click any of the ‘Subscribe’ links on this page. Thank you.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2025 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current 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

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up 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

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback when you spend at least £2,000 per month.

Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit Card

Get 1% cashback when you spend at least £2,000 per month* Read our full review