The British Airways High Life and Business Life magazines go digital
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I know this is a topic which divides opinion, but I have always enjoyed the British Airways Business Life magazine, and to a lesser extent High Life. In an dumbed down world, the magazines – especially Business Life – are better than you would expect.
Unfortunately, the magazines are also heavy.
Whilst they are not cheap to advertise in, they are also not cheap to produce due to the amount of editorial. It is probably arguable whether, factoring in fuel and handling costs, they make money.
British Airways has now launched a trial on 10 aircraft to remove printed copies of the magazines. Instead, you will be allowed to download them via the in-flight wi-fi.
There is a real risk here, I think. The number of people who will bother to download them, compared to picking them up and flicking through, will be tiny. More importantly, advertisers will want to see the exact numbers of downloads and it won’t be pretty.
At present they are presumably fobbed off with a huge number of ‘potential’ readers, based on installed copies multipled by number of people who sit in the seat over the month.
According to a Flyertalk poster, cabin crew on the affected aircraft have a secret stash of the magazines which can be handed out to anyone who complains!
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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (January 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:
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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
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The Platinum Card from American Express
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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.
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Capital on Tap Pro Visa
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There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
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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.
American Express Business Platinum
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American Express Business Gold
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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.
