What you missed on Head for Points last week
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Welcome to the Head for Points weekly newsletter, full of the latest Avios, travel loyalty and travel credit card news, hints and tips.
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Latest travel news:
We go onboard Iberia’s latest A350 with a brand new business class seat. Rhys heads to Madrid for a preview of Iberia’s next-generation cabins, including a suite with fully closing doors.
The Avios changes:
Our coverage of how British Airways has repriced long haul Avios redemptions continues:
Holders with Barclays Upgrade Vouchers and low Avios pots have been stuffed. We continue to analyse the fall-out from the introduction of long haul business class Reward Flight Saver.
Gold Upgrade Vouchers have become useless for First Class redemptions.
Other British Airways & Avios news:
British Airways has reduced its Summer flying schedule from Southampton Airport. A smaller fleet means it needs to trim some routes.
Finnair is relaunching flights to Osaka creating new opportunities to reach Japan on Avios.
British Airways has cancelled two routes from London City Airport. Guernsey and Santorini will not be returning in Summer 2023.
How to earn Avios, miles and points from Europcar rentals. It has become a new conduit for earning Avios.
Get double Avios at Bicester Village until the 16th January. Useful if you’re going for the Boxing Day sales!
Credit Card news:
Review: the Currensea travel money card. This card is a good alternative if you don’t have a credit card with 0% FX fees. There is a £10 incentive for trying it out.
Where can you fly on Aer Lingus with your Amex 241 companion voucher? The voucher extension opens up a lot of low-tax routes.
Hotel news:
Rhys reviews the iconic TWA Hotel at JFK Airport. Want to experience the romance of the Jet Age? This hotel is just the ticket.
Le Meridien has opened a new NYC property on 5th Avenue. This is a brand-new 21 storey hotel, bookable via Marriott Bonvoy.
IHG opens a new Hotel Indigo in Exeter.
Rhys reviews the New York Times Square Marriott Marquis. It is the biggest hotel in New York – but its prime location makes it work.
My experience using Marriott Suite Night Awards. Starting the year with 15 Suite Night Awards to (try to) use, Rob explains how it worked out.
How useful are Accor Live Limitless guaranteed Suite Night Upgrades? Rob also had a pile of these to use up!
Get a 25% bonus when buying World of Hyatt points. The annual cap has also been doubled. You can buy here.
Get 20% off in the Hilton Winter sale. You can book stays up until 24th April.
Other interesting articles:
Rhys goes behind the scenes at AirX, a private jet charter company. Take a peek behind the curtain of how the other half live, or at least fly. Image above.
Emirates secretly devalues Skywards redemptions. You now need 20% more miles for a business class ticket to Dubai, even though taxes and fees were also pumped up recently.
London City Airport wants to increase its flying hours. The Saturday afternoon closure may become a thing of the past.
TAP has unveiled a refurbished flagship lounge in Lisbon.
Flybe has cut a number of its proposed routes from Southampton Airport.
Aer Lingus is dropping Belfast to Heathrow in March, with British Airways adding additional flights to compensate. Blame Brexit.
Happy Christmas!
Our latest roundup of miles and points offers closing soon is here.
Don’t forget to visit our forum if you have any questions relating to frequent flyer or hotel loyalty programmes or loyalty credit cards.
We’ll see you in two weeks. Thank you for your support this year.
Rob, Rhys and Sinead
