News You May Have Missed at Points Well Made - 18th Jan
- Sam
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Another week, another Points Well Made round up post! The news cycle is slowly warming up out of it's Christmas slump (myself included), so we thought we would start the last week going through British Airways' peak/off-peak calendar. Understanding this calendar is crucial to getting the most out of your Avios if you're able to be flexible! The news then kicked into gear with two increased bonuses on BA Amex's, a status match to Air France/KLM if you have BA status, and a 30% off sale at Reward Flight Finder (a mightily handy tool!).
We are also formalising a fortnightly Q&A on our Instagram stories. We've posted last weeks Q&A onto our main Instagram feed in-case anyone missed that, but the next one will be held on Sunday 25th. We take any and all questions, no matter how small or silly you make think they are. I look forward to hearing them!
As always, thank you all for your kind messages, we really love hearing about your points funded travels.
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 me sam@pointswellmade.co.uk.
Sam
British Airways prices its Avios flights according to peak/off-peak calendar, and if you're sitting on a stash of points, it's worth paying attention to. The difference between peak and off-peak pricing can be substantial, up to 38,500 Avios per person each way on long-haul flights, with Premium Economy seeing the biggest swing.
The good news is that 2026 is slightly more generous than 2025, with fewer peak days scattered through spring and autumn. The bad news? August is entirely peak (every single day), and July and December are heavily weighted towards peak pricing, so if you're tied to school holidays, you're somewhat stuck. But if you've got even modest flexibility—departing a day earlier or later, avoiding half-term weekends—the savings add up quickly. BA's system is at least transparent and fixed in advance, unlike Virgin Atlantic's dynamic mess, so you can actually plan around it.
Full 2026 calendar, month-by-month breakdowns, and exactly how much you'll save here.
"We regularly recommend using search tools like Reward Flight Finder to actually make use of the Avios you've collected. British Airways' own way of searching is notoriously frustrating (good luck is all I'll say), but finding exactly which flights have availability, on which dates, and whether you're getting the "good" business class seats requires a significant amount of manual effort.
Yes, you have to pay for them, but third-party tools solve this problem by doing the heavy lifting for you, which is why we think they're worth paying for if have a specific redemption in mind.
Reward Flight Finder has launched a week-long sale offering 30% off both Silver and Gold memberships, running until midnight on Sunday 18 January. Gold Annual drops to £55.99 (normally £79.99), whilst Silver Annual falls to £27.99 (normally £39.99). You can also pay monthly at £5.59 (normally £7.99) for Gold, and £2.79 (normally £3.99) for Silver."
Is it worth it? Click here to find out.
"Hot off the back of cancelling the majority of their flights due to snow and fog, and then having to beg for de-icing supplies from Germany just to stop the rest of Schiphol airport from collapsing, Air France/KLM have decided they'd like to poach some members of the BA Club, and I'm sure some of you will happily oblige. KLM alone fly to 19 UK airports, giving them more coverage across the country by a huge margin compared to BA.
As of 14th January 2026, Air France/KLM are prepared to match your British Airways status to the equivalent within the Flying Blue scheme. BA Bronze matches to Silver. BA Silver matches to Gold. And BA Gold matches to Platinum.
You get one year of status upon approval. Let's say that your BA status year ends March 31st, and you're unable to fly enough to retain Silver. Match your status to Flying Blue and you'll have Silver equivalent status into 2027 with Air France/KLM."
"Good offers often come back around in the miles and points world. However, that doesn’t mean they hang around forever, and this one is now right at the wire.
If you hold the free British Airways American Express Credit Card and have never added a supplementary cardholder before, then this is your final reminder to act before the offer disappears.
Until tomorrow, 15 January 2026, you can earn 9,000 Avios by adding a supplementary cardholder to your free British Airways American Express Credit Card, provided that you have never had a supplementary card on this account before. Even if you added one years ago and later cancelled it, you won’t qualify."
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I appreciate that this offer has now passed, but this offer does come back around, so it's still a worthwhile offer to acquaint yourself with. All the details here.
"British Airways has just boosted the sign-up bonus on its Premium Plus Card from 30,000 Avios to a much more generous 50,000 Avios. This card does not just offer you the chance to earn Avios, but also an all important Companion Voucher allowing you to book 2 for 1 trips when using Avios to book your flight. Apply before 24 February via, but do not apply via the American Express website. More on that below."
All the details on this offer, and how you must sign up, can be found here!
Yesterday, we covered the increased bonus to the British Airways Premium Plus card, but not to be forgotten, British Airways have also quietly increased the welcome bonus on its free British Airways American Express Credit Card, doubling it from the usual 5,000 Avios to 10,000 Avios. While this card doesn’t come with a hefty annual fee or flashy perks, it does offer an easy route into Avios collecting, and access to a Companion Voucher once you spend enough.
To qualify for the enhanced bonus, you must apply via the correct link by 24 February 2026. Apply elsewhere and you may only receive the standard bonus. All can be found here.
Yesterday, 15 January 2026, all 11 airlines in the Lufthansa Group will now prohibit passengers from using or charging power banks during flights, joining a growing list of carriers restricting these devices.
Lufthansa Group airlines affected:
Lufthansa
Eurowings
Austrian Airlines
ITA Airways
Swiss International Air Lines
Brussels Airlines
Air Dolomiti
Discover Airlines
Edelweiss Air
Lufthansa CityLine
Lufthansa City Airlines
Look, we have all come to rely on our portable power banks to charge our phones, tablets, or laptop on the go. But they're increasingly being banned by airlines around the world from in-flight use due to fire safety concerns over lithium batteries. This article will hopefully raise your awareness regarding your future travel plans.
If you’re going to gallop across Africa, you might as well earn a mountain of points while doing it. That, at least, is my logic as I prepare for one of the most exciting trips of my life: a riding safari in Botswana from 14th–21st March with Horizon Horseback Safaris.
This isn’t just a dream holiday fuelled by horses, wildlife and wide open spaces. It’s also a full-blown personal experiment in spending as little as possible on the kit I need while earning as many points as humanly achievable.
Welcome to Helena’s Points Challenge – The Safari Edition.
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