BA news: Avios 2023 peak/off-peak analysis, Jersey flights to remain at Heathrow

News in brief:

British Airways peak/off-peak Avios analysis

A couple of weeks ago we published the British Airways peak and off peak calendar for Avios redemptions in 2023.

Our friend Andrew has taken the data and compared it to previous years. You can read his full finding here. Here are a few of his findings:

• The number of peak and off-peak dates has remained fairly static over the past four years, with between 138 and 140 peak days per year. In 2023 there are 139 peak dates, or around 38%.
• Like this year, BA has shifted a number of peak days from the summer holidays and spread them out across weekends throughout the year

Andrew concludes that:

“So if you can fly midweek in the Summer, you should be happy with the 2023 British Airways Avios calendar.

But if you like weekend flights, or getting away in June, then you need to budget for some extra Avios in 2023.“

British Airways guarantees Jersey flights will remain at Heathrow

Ports of Jersey issued a press release yesterday which confirmed that British Airways flights between Jersey and London will remain at Heathrow for the next five years.

This is a rather unusual press release to issue. You can only assume that Ports of Jersey has offered British Airways a generous ‘incentive’ if it agrees not to transfer the flight back to its long-term home of Gatwick.

With short haul flights not operating from Gatwick during the pandemic, Jersey services have operated from Heathrow since the island reopened to visitors in July 2020.

The Jersey Government has been active in encouraging passenger flights to and from the island. In July 2020 it gave a soft loan of £10 million to regional airline Blue Islands in return for it moving its operating base to the island.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

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

Get 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

30,000 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.

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.

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.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large 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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

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

50,000 points when you sign-up 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.