BOOK NOW: Wide open Avios seats to The Maldives, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Buenos Aires
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British Airways has started to roll out its Summer 2023 schedule with a number of new routes announced today.
As usual, this means that Avios availability on these routes is wide open. You will find 14 Avios seats (four Business, two Premium Economy, eight Economy) bookable now on all of these flights.
When I say ‘now’, I mean as at 11.45am on Wednesday. Snooze and you WILL lose, especially for The Maldives.
The Maldives
British Airways is bringing back Heathrow to The Maldives as a year round service. Flights were due to end in late March at the end of the Winter flying season.
Outbound flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with the return the following day.
This SeatSpy screenshot show days with 2 x Club World business class seats bookable for Avios, as of 11.15am.
Seats are wide open from the end of March until mid August, which is as far out as you can book at the moment.
Las Vegas is back!
The popular service from London Gatwick to Las Vegas is also resuming for Summer 2023, which in airline terms means from the last week of March to the last week of October.
Flights will depart three times per week, on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, returning the same day.
The outbound departs Gatwick at 11am, landing at 1.50pm. The return leaves Las Vegas at 3.40pm, landing the next day at 9.40am.
Here is SeatSpy availability for two Club World seats as at 11.15:
Vancouver is launching as a new London Gatwick route
This is a surprise one. British Airways is launching flights from Gatwick to Vancouver next Summer, complementing the Heathrow service.
This starts later than the other routes, from 19th May. Flights will be daily except Tuesday.
The outbound flight leaves Gatwick at noon, landing at 1.35pm. The return leaves Vancouver at 3.25pm, landing in Gatwick at 8.40am on the following day.
This is from SeatSpy this morning for days with two Club World business class seats for Avios:
Buenos Aires returns as a direct service
Finally, British Airways has announced the return of direct flights to Buenos Aires from Heathrow.
This has, for a while, operated via Sao Paulo whilst loads were too low to justify separate flights to each city.
The new service will operate five days per week.
Here is a screenshot from SeatSpy for two Club World seats:
Happy booking! Remember that seats only open up 355 days in advance, so the latest you can book today will be mid August 2023.
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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.
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