News: £70 Opodo discount code, British Airways Arrivals Lounge closed, Hilton in Cape Town

News in brief:

Save up to £70 with an Opodo discount code

If you are looking to book a flight this week, Opodo has launched two new discount codes:

Offer 1:  £20 off flight bookings (minimum basket value £500)
Code: SUMMER
Valid: 13th to 19th July

Offer 1:  £70 off flight + hotel bookings (minimum basket value £900)
Code: SUMMER
Valid: 13th to 19th July

Full details are on this page of the Opodo site.

Bear in mind that if you need to cancel or reschedule your flight you will – as we found in the last few months – find it far easier if you booked direct with the airline.

British Airways closes its Arrivals Lounge at Terminal 5

The positive feedback from the reopening of the Galleries Club (South) and Galleries First lounges at Heathrow Terminal 5 continues.  I haven’t tried them myself yet but it does seem that British Airways has done an excellent job in getting these up and running.  I hope to take a look over the weekend.

What hasn’t worked, however, is the reopening of the Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 5.  The main users of this facility were passengers on overnight flights from the US and Asia, and clearly there aren’t many of those at the moment.  The Arrivals Lounge has therefore closed until there is a pick-up in long-haul traffic.

Hilton closes in Cape Town

With international tourism in South Africa down to effectively nothing, Hilton has handed back the keys of its Hilton Cape Town City Centre hotel.

The hotel ceased to be operated by Hilton from last Saturday.  You can find out more in The South African here.

There are no alternative Hilton Honors properties in the city centre, unfortunately.  There is a DoubleTree in Woodstock, and a Canopy is due to open next year.

---

How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (September 2024)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points and they come with generous sign-up bonuses. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)