British Airways Terminal 5B Galleries Club lounge refresh coming to Heathrow

British Airways is refurbishing its Heathrow Terminal 5B Galleries Club lounge over the summer. Quite why it chose the summer – the busiest period of the year – to do this is a mystery ….

The upgrade will include “new and reupholstered furniture, as well as a refreshed layout.”

Note that it is only a ‘refresh’ and not the full back-to-basics refurbishment which the lounges at Heathrow need. This is largely just a (literal) reshuffling of furniture and, I hope, a temporary improvement until something bigger can be done.

At the heart of the lounge refresh will be the installation of a dedicated Whispering Angel rosé bar. This is the a la mode LVMH rosé from Caves d’Esclans which is already available on board in Club and First (and which Virgin Atlantic is also offering this summer).

I don’t get the hype around Whispering Angel personally, but it is very on-trend and I’m sure it will be attractive to some. BA describes it thus:

“Château d’Esclans’ Whispering Angel boasts a delicate Provençal pink hue, spoiling customer with sun-kissed creamy flavours of peach and raspberries, with refreshing citrus undertones and a smooth, dry finish.”

If you fancy a glass but can’t make it to the T5B lounge, it is also available across all of BA’s First and Club lounges at Heathrow and Gatwick.

No completion date for the lounge refresh has been given beyond “the coming months”. By the sounds of it, the lounge will remain open throughout.

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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

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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

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American Express Business Gold

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