I'm sure just like you, we're starting to wind down for Christmas, and unsurprisingly, so are all the good deals and news that we usually bring you. So we thought we'd share with you the most read stories that we've brought you this year. Some may surprise you, but let us know in the comments if you've had any particular favourites, we'd love to hear! Equally, if you have an urge to contribute, or have any suggestions to what you want to see from us in the year ahead, or any

Christmas may be upon us, but here at Points Well Made, we've got a few more stories for you before the year is out. Below you’ll find out about a new way to spend your Avios to go to Australia, a tempting status match for anyone wanting to try a cruise, the full list of BA’s new Avios pricing (including a downloadable spreadsheet), and an explanation as to how American’s get all the good points deals. Qatar Airways Special Meals: How to Order and What You Need to Know Flying

If you've ever ventured into the world of online points and miles communities, you've likely experienced a familiar pang of envy. American members casually discuss earning 100,000 bonus points from a single credit card sign-up, stacking multiple cards to accumulate millions of points annually, and redeeming them for round-the-world business class adventures. Meanwhile, back here in Britain, we're celebrating a 25,000 Avios sign-up bonus and counting ourselves lucky if we mana

Virgin Voyages is offering what might be the broadest status match programme ever launched by a cruise line, accepting elite status from over 35 airline, hotel and cruise loyalty programmes. Until 16th January 2026, you can apply for a status match that'll give you Blue Extras perks on your next Virgin Voyages sailing. Who Are Virgin Voyages? Virgin Voyages is Richard Branson's adults-only cruise line, launched in 2021 out of our home port, Portsmouth. The fleet currently con

Finnair has announced it'll start flying to Melbourne from October 2026, adding Australia to its network for the first time. The daily service will route via Bangkok using an A350, connecting Melbourne to Helsinki. Flights depart Helsinki just after midnight, stop briefly in Bangkok, and arrive in Melbourne the following morning. Return flights leave Melbourne in the afternoon, connecting neatly with Finnair's morning European departures from Helsinki. Finnair fly to Heathrow

American Express has announced a significant devaluation to its Membership Rewards transfer partnership with Emirates Skywards. From 1 February 2026, the transfer ratio will change from 4:3 to 2:1 – representing a depressing devaluation for Amex cardholders looking to convert their points to Emirates Skyward miles. What are Emirates Skywards? Emirates Skywards is the frequent flyer programme of Dubai-based Emirates, one of the world's largest airlines. The programme has long

It's here. British Airways have now introduced their new Avios prices across the board for reward seats. Our initial assessment of price rises of around 10%, both in Avios and taxes/fees, has proved to be broadly correct (if you discount the 100% rise in taxes/fees for short haul redemptions, from only 50p, to a whole £1!). So if you wondered how much do British Airways Avios seats cost, then down below you'll find the up to date pricing chart for reward seats on British Air

If you're redeeming Avios for British Airways business class, you probably want to end up in one of their new Club Suites rather than the older seats. The problem is that BA's website doesn't tell you which aircraft or seat type you're booking when you search for award availability. You just see "Business Class" and have to hope for the best. Or, you can do some manual detective work to figure out what you're actually getting (some of us plane nerds may in fact enjoy this). F

Virgin Red is giving you the chance to win 300,000 Virgin Points, and entering takes about 30 seconds. All you need to do is link your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account to your Virgin Red account by 31st December 2025, and you're automatically in the draw. That's it. No purchase necessary, no jumping through hoops, just link two accounts you probably already have and you're entered for a prize that could book you multiple flights in the cabins of your choosing. What's the P

For those of us who diligently collect Avios, Virgin Points, or any other points, there's an almost instinctive urge to redeem them whenever possible. After all, you've earned them, and using miles for flights feels like getting something for free.But here's most of you will already know: sometimes paying cash is actually the smarter choice. Knowing when to use cash instead of miles can mean the difference between maximising your rewards and squandering them on poor-value red