Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

‘The Travel Brief’, the weekly Head for Points travel trade newsletter

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Welcome to The Travel Brief, your weekly trade round-up of UK business travel and travel loyalty news as well as the latest reviews and features from the Head for Points team.

If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up here to receive this free newsletter in your inbox every Monday. Please forward it to any colleagues who you think may be interested.

Win two business class flights to Taipei!

This month, we’re giving you the opportunity to win two business class flights to Taipei with China Airlines!

This is an exclusive competition for Head for Points readers.

China Airlines is a Taiwanese airline and the only carrier to fly direct from London to Taipei. It is part of the SkyTeam alliance (together with Virgin Atlantic) and offers good connections to Australia and New Zealand.

The competition closes on the 31st January. You can enter here.

(18+ only, 1 entry per person, UK & CI residents only, other T&C apply)

The latest UK business travel news:

Regional Scottish airline Loganair adopts Avios – but details, so far, are slim

Eastern Airways launches London Southend to Newquay flights

Marriott loses the The Ritz-Carlton Budapest but gains The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok

It’s back! Get British Airways Silver equivalent status by matching top tier hotel status to Royal Jordanian

Premier Inn launches a rare cashback offer with American Express

The IHG Winter Sale is now on, for stays until the end of March

How does the British Airways ‘Best Price Guarantee’ work?

Last chance to pick your annual Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Benefit – which is best?

Stories we recommend from other sites:

Edinburgh and Heathrow increase drop-off charges (Business Traveller)

Lufthansa expected to complete ITA Airways deal next week (Simple Flying)

Heathrow Express carries 20% fewer passengers over six months (Business Traveller)

Review: Lincoln Plaza Canary Wharf hotel

Our latest reviews:

Rhys popped down to Canary Wharf to try out Lincoln Plaza London, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection.

This hotel recently reopened after a four year (!) covid-induced closure.

SAS million point challenge

The latest UK travel loyalty news:

A reader is taking part in the SAS Million Points challenge and is documenting his journey for us. Here are the final instalments:

In other loyalty news:

REGISTER NOW: Accor launches a double points promotion across Europe

Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island now wide open for Hilton Honors redemptions

Get double Marriot Bonvoy points on Marriott Homes & Villlas rentals

Get an 80% bonus when buying Hilton Honors points – click here to buy

What is the best Star Alliance credit card?

How can you maximise your Barclaycard or Barclays Avios Reward upgrade voucher?

Don’t worry, Amex is not pulling Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer transfers

Why the only thing better than transferable points is INSTANTLY transferable points

Great reader results from the top-tier Radisson Rewards VIP status match – have you got yours? We list the suites our readers have been getting as upgrades.

Get 250 free Nectar Points (156 Avios) for literally 30 seconds’ work

Why you should use AwardWallet to track your frequent flyer points

Get a 30,000 points bonus (converts to 30,000 Avios) with 'free for a year' Amex Gold

ENDS TUESDAY: Get a 30,000 points bonus (converts to 30,000 Avios) with ‘free for a year’ Amex Gold

Until Tuesday 14th January, American Express is running a special sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold – apply here.

The bonus is increased from 20,000 to 30,000 Membership Rewards points which converts to:

  • 30,000 Avios
  • 30,000 Virgin Points
  • 30,000 Etihad, Flying Blue, Asia Miles, Delta, Qantas or SAS miles
  • 22,500 Emirates Skywards miles
  • 20,000 Singapore Airlines miles
  • 60,000 Hilton Honors points
  • 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
  • 90,000 Radisson Rewards points
  • 2,000 Club Eurostar points

…. and many other non-travel rewards.

You receive 30,000 Membership Rewards points after spending £3,000 in three months.

Even better, you get:

  • four passes for any airport lounge in the Priority Pass network
  • 24 x £5 credits to spend at Deliveroo (max one per order and two per month)
  • up to 12,500 bonus Membership Rewards points each year based on your spending (2,500 points per £5,000 spent)

The card is free for the first year. If you keep it beyond the first year there is an annual fee of £195. You receive a further four airport lounge passes and more Deliveroo credits on renewal.

Our main article on the 30,000 points bonus is here. Make sure you read the bit about whether or not you qualify for the bonus.

You can apply for American Express Preferred Rewards Gold with the special bonus on this page of the Amex website.

PS. Some people may see a higher bonus due to a geotargetting trial being run by Amex. The highest I have seen is 38,000 points. Click through to see.

The representative APR is 87.8% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 30.4% variable.

Head for Points receives a commission from American Express if you apply via our link – thank you.

Thank you for reading

Please drop me a note at rob@headforpoints.com with any feedback. See you next Monday.

Rob, Rhys, Sinead and Katie @ Head for Points

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