Qatar Airways resumes flights to Ras Al Khaimah

Qatar Airways has resumed flights between Doha and Ras Al Khaimah, part of the United Arab Emirates, this week.

I’m mentioning this because we have covered Ras quite a bit on HfP. Ras is an interesting holiday option for someone who likes the quality of resort and the weather you get in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, but for a fraction of the price.

The trade off is that, unless you head out into the mountains for day trips, there isn’t much to do in Ras itself. When you’re there, most of the outings recommended by the hotels involve heading back to Dubai!

Ras is about an hours drive from Dubai so very manageable, especially given the low cost of car transfers in the region. However, with Avios availability to Dubai tight, the ability to fly via Doha on Qatar Airways – redeeming or earning Avios on the way – is worth considering.

The airport at Ras is on the same scale as London City Airport. You don’t need to worry about queues. The last time I used it, they had to unlock the executive lounge for me.

The obvious hotel choice in Ras is the Waldorf Astoria (review here). This is currently closed for refurbishment but reopens soon. It is better than the Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah in Dubai in my view and far cheaper. The image above is of the Waldorf.

For a more Maldives-style stay, you have Marriott’s The Ritz Carlton Al Hamra beach resort, reviewed here, and, in the desert, The Ritz Carlton Al Wadi, reviewed here. Recent openings include an InterContinental and a huge mid-market Hampton by Hilton.

You can look up flight times via the Qatar Airways website here.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (September 2024)

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 26th September 2024, sign up for FREE Barclaycard Avios Mastercard and you will receive a sign-up bonus of 10,000 Avios. This is double the usual bonus! You only need to spend £1,000 within 90 days. Our full review is here. Click here to apply.

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.

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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

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 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. 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.