Guides

If you've signed up for an American Express card where you're eligible for a welcome bonus, you'll have a minimum spend requirement. For the Amex Gold, it's typically £3,000 in three months to get the welcome bonus. For the Platinum welcome bonus, it's £6,000. That's a fair amount to put through a card, especially if Amex isn't widely accepted where you normally shop. But lets say you're just short of hitting the amount, how about buying a gift card? This strategy works for a

Buying Avios is one of the easiest ways to increase your balance, and, in most cases, one of the worst ways to do it. That may sound blunt, and I apologise for that, but it reflects the reality of how Avios pricing works. When you buy points outright, you are almost always paying more per Avios than you would through nearly any other method of earning them. Both subscriptions, and even boosting transactions almost always deliver better value. Buying Avios isn’t useless. There

Sponsored by Status Match If you hold status with almost ANY airline, or hotel chain - and we mean almost any - here's an easy win for you. Club Avolta, the loyalty programme behind the World Duty Free shops and Hudson News in the US and Canada, is running a status match that hands you 12 months of free Platinum membership. The headline draw 10% off in participating stores, which for anyone passing through a UK airport is worth five minutes of your time to apply. But it also

A reader recently asked us about booking a special trip to Mauritius for his fiancée's 41st birthday - with twin one-year-olds in tow, talk about a challenge! Mauritius was our first "big" holiday coming out of covid, and it's somewhere we'd like to go back to. This conversation had so many good little nuggets of information that I felt I had to bring it to you. You may know some of this, you may not. Hopefully you'll gain an insight into how I think when I'm trying to book a

Airports have become increasingly stressful places to spend time. Whether it's hunting for somewhere to sit, paying £6 for a coffee, or navigating a departure hall so crowded it tips into full sensory overload. Waiting for a flight is not as simple as it should be. These are exactly the problems Priority Pass was designed to solve. Instead of waiting in the terminal surrounded by noise, chaos and drama, members can access airport lounges around the world, offering a welcome r

Avios subscriptions are one of the quieter corners of the Avios ecosystem. Launched in 2022, they sit on the Avios website alongside buying and boosting points, but they rarely get the same attention. That’s partly because they’re slower, partly because they require steady financial commitment, and partly because for many people there’s simply a better alternative. That doesn’t mean Avios subscriptions are pointless, there is a time and a place. Here’s what an Avios subscript

Balance Boost lets you multiply recently earned Avios from your British Airways Club account for as little as 0.92p per point—up to 62% cheaper than buying Avios outright. If you're short on Avios for a redemption, need points quickly, or can't earn enough through flying and credit card spend alone, boosting Avios can bridge the gap faster and cheaper than most alternatives. But Balance Boost isn't right for everyone. Used strategically, it's one of the best ways to top up yo

Over February and March, we’re taking a proper deep dive into Avios. This will be a great article to send to anyone you know who might be Avios-curious! Avios is one of the most talked-about rewards currencies in the UK, yet it’s also one of the most misunderstood. It’s often associated with frequent flyers and travelling in premium cabins, but in reality Avios can be just as useful for occasional travellers and everyday spending. The challenge isn’t Avios itself, it’s unders

We’re back in the Bargain Bin once again, rummaging through Virgin Atlantic’s dynamic pricing in search for the really good, cheap fares that we know you love, and honestly, February through April 2026 is quietly stacked. This time, we've also included some frankly laughable redemptions too with prices in the hundreds of thousands! If you’ve been sitting on a pile of Virgin Points wondering when to strike, this could be your sign. From 6,000-point economy legs to Premium retu

A couple of weeks ago we brought you the news that if you had BA Status, you could match your status to Air France/KLM's loyalty programme called "Flying Blue" Airline status is one of those travel perks that sounds far more mysterious than it really is. You’ll hear people mention they’re “Silver with BA” or “Gold on Virgin”, usually followed by an assumption that they must live on planes. Airline status is simply a loyalty reward, and while it can meaningfully improve your