News You May Have Missed at Points Well Made - 15th March

Well I got more than I bargained for this past week...

You can read all about the pivot to rescue my trip, the curious case of the rise of points earning debit cards, a strategy to help you hit your sign-up bonuses, how to extend your companion voucher, and the culmination of Helena's points challenge to see how many Avios she can earn on her trip!

As always, if you want to get in touch to change your subscription to a weekly only email, or from weekly to daily, then please do email sam@pointswellmade.co.uk. Or if you have anything else you want to ask us, tell us or request for us to cover, we love to hear from you so feel free to email helena@pointswellmade.co.uk.

You'll also find our fortnightly Q+A over on our Instagram stories today if you have any burning questions that you want answered!

Sam

How War Curtailed My Trip to the Philippines, and What I'm Doing About It

On the morning of Saturday 28th, the United States and Israel launched air strikes targeting Iran. This is occurred whilst I was sitting at Heathrow waiting for my flight to Helsinki, before connecting onto Doha, Qatar, and then onwards to Clark, Philippines.

Yes, my route was convoluted (here is my detailed post very excitedly explaining it), but to many of you I am "the Avios man", and I planned my route to show you how you too can use your Avios on a variety of airlines, routes, planes, and cabins.

Helsinki is cold, who'd have thought!

I boarded my flight to Helsinki with the news ever-present in my mind, assuming that even if my flight to Doha aboard Finnair does get cancelled, then they would be able to reroute me. Or so I thought...

Read all about my trip here.

Why Hilton, Marriott, IHG and United Airlines Are All Launching Points Earning Debit Cards in the UK

United Airlines and IHG (the hotel group behind Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, and Six Senses) are both launching new cards in the UK, exciting! Full details on earning rates and annual fees are still to come, so once we hear about the actual important details, we of course will give you the full write-up. But one thing is clear about these cards, they're both debit cards.

That might sound like a footnote. But I don't think it is. United and IHG are joining Hilton, and Marriott Bonvoy, in choosing the debit card route for the UK market. Hilton was first out of the blocks, followed by Marriott a year later, both launching cards with Currensea. A couple of weeks ago, IHG announced during an earning's call that they have struck a deal with Revolut to launch a debit card later this year.

Overall, four major travel loyalty programmes have launched new cards. None of them credit.

This is not a coincidence, as there are some specific reasons why some of the biggest names are turning away from credit cards in the UK. This will be a deeper dive than you may expect from us, but I think it gives important insight as to where the winds may be blowing.

You can read all about it here.

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Can You Buy Gift Cards to Meet Amex's Minimum Spend to Get the Bonus?

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 any credit card with a minimum spend requirement, but it's particularly useful for American Express cards given their generous welcome bonuses and higher spending thresholds.

Everything you need to know can be found here!

Can You Extend Your BA Companion Voucher If Your Flight Is Cancelled by the Middle East Conflict?

If you have a trip that has been, or will soon be cancelled thanks to the conflict in the middle east, you might be thinking your luck is running out.

People plan their holidays up to a year in advance, and with no sign of this conflict dissipating, that trip you booked a year ago might now be in the crosshairs.

But what if you booked your British Airways flight using Avios and a Companion Voucher, what happens to the Companion Voucher?

The full answer can be found here.

American Express Refunds: The Hidden Threat to Your Sign-Up Bonus

If you hold an American Express card and you’re working towards your sign-up bonus, refunds are one of those sneaky things that can trip you up.

Whether you’re eyeing up a juicy sign-up bonus, pushing towards a British Airways Companion Voucher, or chasing an annual spend perk, it’s well worth understanding how American Express treats refunds behind the scenes.

Because alas, when it comes to rewards credit cards, refunds are never just “nice to have your money back”.

Here's how your bonus could be affected.

Helena’s Points Challenge Part 2: How Many Avios Can I Earn On Safari

Well!

I knew this challenge would be interesting.

What I didn’t expect was quite how many of you would ask for the full breakdown, nor the fact I would surpass my goal of 10,000 Avios by a huge margin!

This has turned out to be such a great example of why we talk about having a clear points strategy. Every single pound was thought about intentionally earning me Avios. Instead of letting thousands of pounds drift past without a second thought, I tired my utmost to strategically spend to enable as big a point haul as possible. Stacking points earning where possible, with a points earning card, and the Avios store where possible.

Read all about it here!

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