Now open: Plaza Premium T5, Virgin Atlantic’s onboard bars, a Hilton beach resort in Rijeka

Three things that have opened …..

Plaza Premium lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5

If you don’t qualify for access to the British Airways lounges in Heathrow Terminal 5, Plaza Premium has reopened its lounge.

The competing Club Aspire lounge at the other end of the terminal has been open for a few weeks, so it is good to see Plaza Premium back in business.

During the closure, virtually all Plaza Premium lounges have left the Priority Pass lounge card scheme. This doesn’t make any difference in Terminal 5, however, as this lounge was never in Priority Pass in the first place.

You can still get free access via:

• American Express Platinum (show your Platinum card at reception, one guest allowed)
• DragonPass

…. or book for cash via this page of the Plaza Premium website.

If you are able to access both Club Aspire and Plaza Premium, you would be crazy not to go with Plaza Premium. Irrespective of what the food offering may currently be, it is simply a far better designed and more pleasant space than Aspire.

Our last review of the Plaza Premium Terminal 5 lounge is here. Our recent review of the Club Aspire lounge in Terminal 5 is here.

A reader who was there yesterday said that he felt the list of ‘paid for’ alcoholic drinks had got longer, with fewer free options. We need to wait for more feedback to know if this is the case.

Opening hours are 6am to an early 5pm looking at the Plaza Premium website.

Virgin Atlantic reopens its onboard bars

If you are flying in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class in the near future, you will be pleased to know that the onboard bars reopened yesterday for the first time in 15 months.

On the A350 fleet, this means that you have access to The Loft, the largest social space in the fleet. This offers a 32 inch TV as well as a range of seating options as you can see above. There are smaller bars on the A330 and Boeing 787 fleets.

The service will be offered on all routes to Green and Amber destinations, including the Caribbean.

Virgin Atlantic also reopened its Clubhouse lounge at New York JFK yesterday, just a few days after opening the Clubhouse in Heathrow Terminal 3.

Hilton opens a new beach resort in Rijeka, Croatia

With Croatia now promoted to the Green List (well, Green Watchlist to be precise, meaning it could switch at short notice), it seems a good time to mention a new Hilton beach resort which opened a couple of weeks ago.

The Hilton Rijeka Costabella Beach Resort and Spa on Croatia’s Adriatic coast is:

“located between the charming town of Opatija and the vibrant city of Rijeka, surrounded by soaring mountains and cobalt-blue waters. The hotel enjoys one of Croatia’s best beach front locations, with 200 meters of private beach with mooring spots.”

The hotel features 132 rooms and 62 villas and suites, up to three bedroom apartments, all of which have sea views.  The resort also boasts 3,700 sqm of wellness facilities ranging from Finnish saunas and hydrothermal pools to a Himalayan salt room.

There are six restaurants and bars, including rooftop fine-dining at Nebo. This is run by Croatia’s youngest ever Michelin-starred chef, Deni Srdoč.

You can find out more on the hotel website here.

Looking at Hilton’s Points Explorer tool, redemptions are capped at 60,000 Hilton Honors points per night. Given our 0.33p valuation of a Hilton Honors point, you would be getting outsized value if room rates were higher than €235.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (March 2025)

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

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

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)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. 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.