Get up to 12,500 Avios for 1.2p each with a subscription to The Spectator

In late 2020, Avios launched a partnership with The Spectator magazine. There is a generous incentive available if you sign up for a subscription.

You can check out the Avios deal here.

What is The Spectator?

If you’ve never read The Spectator, it is a weekly news and reviews magazine with a high-end and right-wing slant (Boris Johnson was once editor).

Even if you don’t agree with the political slant, the reviews and columns in the back half are generally a good read. It is printed on very light paper and is the perfect thing to read whilst travelling – shove it in your laptop bag and it keeps you busy for a short flight.

Of course …. you may find the Avios deal attractive even if you don’t like the magazine.

What is the Avios deal?

As you can see here, there are four options:

• Digital subscription for 6 months – £59.50 and earn 5,000 Avios

• Digital subscription for 12 months – £119 and earn 10,000 Avios

• Print & digital subscription for 6 months – £79.50 earn earn 6,250 Avios

• Print & digital subscription for 12 months – £159 earn earn 12,500 Avios

The digital subscriptions work out at 1.19p per Avios. The print and digital combos are marginally more expensive at 1.27p per Avios.

When do you receive your Avios?

The rules says that you will receive your Avios within two weeks of taking out your subscription. This is presumably as soon as the 14-day refund period expires.

Am I signing up for a recurring payment?

It isn’t clear. You can only pay by credit card or PayPal – there is no direct debit option. It doesn’t say anywhere that you will be setting up a recurring payment.

In any event, it seems easy enough to cancel. The magazine FAQ say:

“For some subscriptions, you can set your subscription to cancel on expiry from within your account section. To do so, go to www.spectator.co.uk to log in and then click on the account tab in the top right corner. Under the ‘my account’ section, click on the ‘subscriptions’ tab. Click on the ‘manage’ link, and then switch the auto-renew toggle off. Once the auto-renew toggle has been turned off, you will be able to see the date by which your current subscription will end. No further payment will be charged. If this option is not available for your subscription you can contact our customer service team to cancel your subscription.”

Conclusion

This is an easy way to pick up between 5,000 and 12,500 Avios for around 1.2p per point.

Even better, you should have the points in your British Airways account after two weeks.

You can find out more, and sign up, on this special page of The Spectator website.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 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:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.