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Alaska Airlines will join the oneworld alliance on 31st March 2021

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In February, Alaska Airlines announced its intentions to join the oneworld alliance.  It will become the 14th full member.

The airline was hoping to complete formalities in record time, with membership finalised by the end of 2020. This has now fallen through, and the airline has just announced that 31st March 2021 is the revised joining date.

Because of the existing British Airways / Alaska partnership, covered in this article, you are gaining less than you think from their entry into oneworld.

Alaska Airlines joins oneworld early

It is already possible to spend Avios on Alaska.  The problem is that you only can book by calling British Airways as it is not integrated into ba.com.  This should change once Alaska joins oneworld fully.

The real benefit is from tier points.  Whilst you currently earn Avios when flying with Alaska, you do NOT earn British Airways Executive Club tier points.  This will now change.

British Airways Executive Club Silver and Gold members will also get access to the full range of oneworld benefits when flying with Alaska, including lounge access, priority check-in, baggage, boarding and preferred seat selection.

Members of other oneworld frequent flyer programmes have more to gain from this announcement than Executive Club members, as it will open up Alaska award inventory to them for the first time.

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

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.

Category

oneworld alliance partners

Comments (67)

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

  • Robert says:
    14 Oct14 October 10:13

    Good news both on the Marriot deal and amazon credit so thanks guys.

  • MissGeekChic says:
    14 Oct14 October 10:15

    When I click to go to the amazon deal, it says that the offer has ended. Does anyone else see that too? I thought it was running till midnight?!

  • Niall says:
    14 Oct14 October 11:27

    Help! I hadn’t realised that London Edition (the hotel) is still closed whereas Berners Tavern (the restaurant) is open. I’ve a night booked on the 27th to take up the Amex offer via Virtuoso on non-refundable terms that can only be cancelled up to midnight tonight (not sure why nights can be booked when the hotel’s not yet open).

    Should I cancel? Or take the risk that the hotel will open a folio for me even though I’ll only be dining at Berners Tavern? Don’t want to be out of pocket by £400 because of a ‘schoolboy error’….

    • Harry T says:
      14 Oct14 October 11:48

      There’s a good chance that charges from the restaurant will trigger as a separate entity to the hotel payment system – I doubt you’ll get your amex credit.

      The hotel is scheduled to open on 22nd October, according to their last email to me.

      • Niall says:
        14 Oct14 October 12:10

        That’s what I see online too (22nd opening), but the reception appears to be unsure (or unwilling to confirm).

        What a dilemma! Maybe I should just ask them now if they’ll be able to use the hotel payment system, seeing as I’d be registered on it that night as a guest?

    • Andrew (@andrewseftel) says:
      14 Oct14 October 12:22

      For a £400 restaurant reservation in this economic environment, I’d just email the restaurant explaining your situation with the Amex offer and ask them if they can promise to bill it through the hotel if it doesn’t open as planned.

    • Scallder says:
      14 Oct14 October 16:53

      Berners Tavern does come through as Marriott – have always got the bonus points on the SPG/Bonvoy Amex

      • Harry T says:
        14 Oct14 October 18:57

        Nice, thanks for letting us know. Every hotel is different!

        • TGLoyalty says:
          14 Oct14 October 19:32

          Yup, if only we had a forum where we could mention these things for future Amex offers 🙂

      • Niall says:
        15 Oct15 October 10:37

        Thanks! Though that presents a new dilemma as to whether or not “Marriott” spend at Berners Tavern would qualify for the Amex offer. It’s not exactly check-out spend…

        • AY says:
          16 Oct16 October 20:23

          Did you cancell? I also have a room booked through FHR on 25 October but now when I look at rooms it doesn’t show availablity. Amex haven’t contacted me to cancel though.

  • TomD says:
    14 Oct14 October 11:49

    Urgh! Been wanting an Amex Plat, not sure if worth jumping the gun (for no joining bonus as I cancelled my Amex Gold 2 months ago)

  • Harry T says:
    14 Oct14 October 12:37

    Thanks for the amazon link, Rob. It forced the app to open on my phone, so hopefully that still generates commission.

  • María J says:
    14 Oct14 October 22:32

    Rob, re the Marion offer, if you check out on the 19/12 is that valid?

  • María J says:
    14 Oct14 October 22:33

    * Marriott

    • Rob says:
      14 Oct14 October 23:21

      Presumably – the rules discuss stay dates as opposed to when the payment clears, which is 2-3 days later.

  • GRice says:
    15 Oct15 October 10:20

    Just a Watch-Out for anyone booking a Turnbury weekend. If you book one of their standard ‘packages’ rather than a rack-rate, they’ll automatically deduct a £150 deposit from you. Having confirmed with AMEX, their offer is based on a single transaction charge to your Platinum card, rather than the total of multiple transactions, so in my case (booking 2 nights at £250 per night [total £500],but with a deposit of £150, I wouldn’t qualify for the £400 Amex refund). After a long chat with the hotel there is a work-around – ask for your deposit back at Check-in, but I can’t help think they’re not automatically honouring the spirit of the offer!

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

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