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Latest Avios, Virgin Points & Travel News


British Airways has rejigged its Middle East flying again in a big way
British Airways has moved a big chunk of its Middle East schedule around again over the past few days, and I know a number of you were trying to target Dubai with your Avios this winter, so sorry in advance for being the bearer of bad news if you haven't heard already. Because BA keeps setting dates and then changing them, treat this as where things stand today rather than gospel. Dubai is still coming back from 25 October, but as once a day instead of three flights a day. Th

Sam
3 days ago3 min read


Could this free reward flight search, Ruma Travel, be the key to your next flight?
You'll all know the pain that is finding reward flights. Multiple tabs open at once, fighting airline systems that insist on logging you out every five minutes (I'm looking at you Virgin Atlantic, Qatar Airways etc). This, in part, is why we created our Avios calculator, because nowhere else online allows you to directly compare the Avios pricing among all the Avios airlines, and we felt like that was important. Meanwhile, for a user friendly experience that allows you to act

Sam
4 days ago4 min read


Qatar Airways is offering up to 10% off and double Avios until 30 July
If you missed it last week, Qatar Airways is currently throwing the kitchen sink at you, with up to 24,000 bonus Avios on flights to Australia, buy Avios sales, and now Qatar Airways are offering you up to 10% off your fare and double Avios on top. I wonder why... Who it's for Two groups of people qualify for this deal, and neither can have an active Qatar booking. They are: Privilege Club members with no collecting or spending activity in the last 24 months Privilege Club me

Sam
5 days ago2 min read


Not another one: the BA Accelerating Business Amex will also have its Avios rate cut from 7 October, with On Business points removed entirely
Another week, another cut to your benefits. In December, we lost a chunk of value in the Avios devaluation. In May they raised the taxes and fees for reward flights. Then Friday last week, Amex confirmed it's cutting the earn rate on the Premium Plus card and scrapping the triple Avios on British Airways spend. Now the British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card is getting an even more brutal cut. Everything below takes effect on 7 October 2026, the same day a

Sam
Jul 223 min read


Can you cancel Avios flights with British Airways, and how much does it cost?
You did it. You booked your dream Avios flights. You are going to the Maldives. But then BAM. You finally get off the waitlist for the operation you need / you realise you're going to be due to give birth at any moment / your ogre of a manager won't let you take the time off ... you get the idea. So you realise, you're going to have to cancel the flights. Now you're worrying about the cost and whether you get your Avios back. Oh my friend, take a breath, and let me reassure y

Helena
Jul 215 min read


Qatar Airways is giving away up to 24,000 bonus Avios on flights to/from Australia
If Australia has been sitting on your travel list, Qatar Airways has just given you up to 24,000 reasons to move it up. If you book a flight between Doha and Australia during the promo window below, you'll get up to 24,000 bonus Avios on top of whatever you'd normally earn. It's a short booking window, so worth acting on quickly if the numbers work for you, but you have quite a while before you have to have completed your flight. So if this is the winter (or summer in Austral

Helena
Jul 204 min read


Avios 25th anniversary flight apology: my take on what IAG Loyalty's statement really means
Well, they've said something. IAG Loyalty (AKA Avios) put a statement up on the 25th Anniversary Flight landing page on 16th July. It's short, but crucially, unlike a lot of corporate apologies, it does actually say sorry. Twice. Let's have a look. The statement in full "We know customers experienced technical issues accessing the booking page for our 25th Anniversary Celebration Flight with our partner, American Express. We're truly sorry for the frustration and disappointme

Helena
Jul 185 min read


HUGE BA Premium Plus Amex changes: The Avios earn rate is being cut, but Tier Points easier to earn
Amex has confirmed it's cutting the Avios earn rate on the British Airways Premium Plus Amex, and if you hold this card, the notification is either already in your inbox or about to be. From 7th October 2026, the card drops from 1.5 Avios per £1 to 1.25 Avios per £1. The old perk of triple Avios (3 per £1) on BA and BA Holidays spend is gone too, that spend now earns the same flat 1.25 Avios per £1 as everything else. BA Premium Plus Amex vs the free BA Amex: what's the real

Helena
Jul 176 min read


BA is adding Rovaniemi, Loganair is dropping Heathrow to Dundee, and Aer Lingus cuts eight routes: the Avios routes changing this winter
In a less eventful post compared to the last few days, we thought we'd do a quick Avios route round-up of what's being added, and what's going away. BA's going to see Father Christmas British Airways are to start flying from Gatwick to Rovaniemi on 4 December 2026, Mondays and Fridays, twice a week, through the winter. For those who don't know, you may know Rovaniemi as Lapland. Gatwick to Ivalo (also Lapland) carries on as before. Cabin Off-peak Peak Economy 15,000 Avios 16,

Sam
Jul 163 min read


Well that was predictable … my experience trying to get a ticket on the BA x Amex 25th Anniversary Flight
Updated at 10:00 Thursday 16th July We have had a statement from an IAG Loyalty spokesperson: "As you know Avios-Only flight to New York sold out yesterday afternoon following exceptional demand. Customers who registered their interest can still join a waitlist on our website should any tickets become available through cancellations. We know customers experienced technical issues accessing the booking page, due to the very high volumes of booking requests. We're sorry for the

Helena
Jul 154 min read
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