Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

News: Sainsbury’s Nectar credit card bonus cut, did you win our Plaza Premium competition?

Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. A list of partners is here.

News in brief:

Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card bonus cut

We ran an article last week warning that the bonus on the Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card was about to change.

We didn’t know what the change was going to be, but it has dropped from 10,000 Nectar points (6,250 Avios) to 8,000 Nectar points (5,000 Avios).

You need to spend £400 at Sainsbury’s or Argos within two months to trigger the bonus. Gift card purchases for other retailers count.

Our full review of the Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card, which has been rewritten to reflect the new bonus, is here.

Sainsbury's Nectar Credit Card bonus cut

Plaza Premium lounge pass winners

Thank you to everyone who entered our two competitions – one on the website and one on Instagram – to win two passes to any Plaza Premium airport lounge.

The 10 winners are:

  • Olly L
  • Ruediger K
  • Chris W
  • Ben M
  • Dawn K
  • Jordan D
  • Tracey L
  • Mark E
  • Mark G
  • Robert H

Rhys has already made contact with the winners, so if you think one of the above names is you, it isn’t ….

Thank you to Plaza Premium for donating the prizes. Remember that you can book Plaza Premium’s Heathrow lounges for cash via this page, and if you download their Smart Traveller app there is currently a special offer running for buying multiple passes.


Getting airport lounge access for free from a credit card

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (March 2023)

As a reminder, here are the four options to get FREE airport lounge access via a credit card:

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and unbeatable travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta Air Lines and Eurostar lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

American Express Business Platinum

Crazy 120,000 points bonus (to 30th March) and a £200 Amex Travel credit every year Read our full review

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

Until 30th March 2023, the sign up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. T&C apply, see the application forms for details.

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

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £20.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free LoungeKey card, allowing you access to the LoungeKey network.  Guests are charged at £20 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here.