Fly a British Airways Boeing 787 in First to Amsterdam
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
If you’ve never flown British Airways Club World (not Club Suite, unfortunately) then now is your cheapest ever opportunity. You may even be able to try First Class.
British Airways is rostering a Boeing 787 on the Amsterdam route for the next few weeks.
It is currently scheduled to fly:
Outbound
- Tuesday and Friday, 08.20 Heathrow, arr 10.40 Amsterdam
Inbound
- Tuesday and Friday, 12.10 Amsterdam, arr 12.30 Heathrow
The last flight is Friday 31st July. Remember that British Airways can swap aircraft at will so a Boeing 787 is not guaranteed, but I imagine that these flights are being rostered for cargo purposes and so are likely to remain in the schedule.
This is what I see when I do a dummy booking and select a seat:
As a BA Gold, I am allowed to sit in First Class (row 1 and 2) or Club World with a Business Class ticket. Not all flights seem to be operated by the 787-9, which has First Class, but some are and it is clear from the seat map before you book.
You do NOT get access to the Concorde Room at Heathrow, as your ticket shows Business Class and not First Class.
For clarity, be aware that there is a chance that – on the day – cabin crew will decide to close First Class and make you sit in Club World. You have no recompense if that happens. The service is the same regardless of where you sit.
You are, of course, taking a gamble on the UK inbound quarantine restrictions being lifted by the date you travel.
Irrespective of UK travel guidelines, UK citizens cannot enter the Netherlands until at least 6th July without going into 14 days quarantine. Technically, of course, this doesn’t stop you doing a day trip or even an overnight trip.
An Avios redemption would be fully cancellable up to 24 hours before travel for a full refund less a £35 fee. If you booked for cash, you would be able to cancel for free for a British Airways ‘Book With Confidence’ travel voucher, valid until April 2022.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 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 Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
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 £12,000 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
Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers 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.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive a huge 120,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Platinum by 9th April 2024. You receive 80,000 points for spending £12,000 within 90 days and a further 40,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Gold by 9th April 2024. Remember that the card is FREE for the first year. You receive 40,000 points for spending £6,000 within 90 days and a further 20,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
American Express Business Platinum
Crazy 120,000 points bonus (to 9th April) and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
Huge 60,000 points sign-up bonus (until 9th April) 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.