News You May Have Missed at Points Well Made - 22nd March

Hello, I hope you've all had a good week!

Big news from BA this week. Melbourne and Colombo are joining the network for winter 2026, along with frequency boosts on routes like Cape Town, Tokyo, and Barbados. It's the most significant route announcement we've covered on Points Well Made, and we've gone through every destination, the Avios pricing, and what's worth booking.

Elsewhere, we've reviewed the American Express Centurion Lounge at Heathrow T3 (I was the third person through the door at 5:30am, which tells you how keen I am), taken a proper look at the new United Airlines debit card from Currensea, and written an open letter to Amex about why United miles desperately need to be a transfer partner. We've also got fresh sign-up bonuses on the Amex Gold and Platinum cards running until May, and a new guide on how to fly a family of four using Avios: companion vouchers, school holidays, the lot. We ran the Instagram Q+A a day early this week, so if you head to our Instagram stories you can see all the questions that we answered there!

Lastly, a bit of housekeeping, 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.

All the best

Sam

American Express Centurion Lounge, Heathrow Terminal 3: Review

I arrived at the American Express Centurion Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 3 at 5:30am on a Saturday morning, right as the doors opened. I was proudly the third guest of the day. I was flying Finnair to Helsinki on what was was supposed to be a two-week trip to the Philippines, before the Middle East situation spoilt that. But that's another story. This one is about whether Amex's only Centurion Lounge at Heathrow justifies the hype, and whether it's worth your time.

The short answer: yes, broadly.

Here's our review of the American Express Centurion Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3

British Airways Launches Melbourne and Colombo, Boosts Cape Town, Tokyo and Barbados: New Routes, Avios Prices, and What to Book Now

This is a big one.

British Airways announced a major expansion to its winter 2026 long-haul network, and it is comfortably the most significant route launch we've ever covered on Points Well Made.

Two brand new destinations. Frequency increases across 11 existing routes. A nine per cent growth in long-haul flying. And for the first time in 20 years, BA is flying to Melbourne.

Flights are starting in time for the Australian Grand Prix

Let's go through everything.

Are you following us social media? If not, why not! Go drop us a follow on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok so that you never miss any of your favourite content!

The United Airlines Debit Card Is Here: What UK Travellers Need to Know

United Airlines, Currensea, and Mastercard have launched the United Airlines Debit Card, the first rewards debit card offered to UK travellers by a US airline. It's available now.

We've been keeping an eye on this one since the waitlist opened a few weeks ago. We wrote recently about why every major travel loyalty brand is launching debit cards in the UK, and United is the latest to follow Hilton and Marriott through that door. It's also the first airline-branded debit card from Currensea, which up until now has only done hotel partnerships.

Here's what you get.

Earn Up To 100,000 Membership Rewards Points with the American Express Gold and Platinum: New Sign Up Bonuses for March 2026

American Express has launched yet another round of limited-time sign-up bonuses on the Gold and Platinum cards, running until 26 May 2026. If you missed out on the last set of offers (which ended in January), this is your second chance to grab a good haul of Membership Rewards points.

Today we are going to cover what is on offer for both new and existing cardmembers, and we will also show you how to bag an even bigger bonus through a referral link.

Here's everything you need to know.

Dear Amex: Please Add United Miles as a Transfer Partner

I wrote a couple of days ago about the new United Airlines debit card from Currensea, and if you haven't read that yet, click here to give it a read. It's a solid product for the right person, particularly if you fly United regularly or want access to Star Alliance redemptions.

But there's a problem, and it's not with the card itself. It's with how difficult it is to earn United miles in the UK in any meaningful volume.

The earning problem... here's what I'm talking about.

Complete Guide on How to Fly a Family of Four With Avios

If you've landed on this page, chances are you've heard that Avios can save you a fortune on family flights. And they can.

Most Avios guides are written for couples or solo travellers, and for good reason. It's much simpler when you're only booking two seats! Families of four are a different deal as you'll need more Avios, more seats, more planning, and if you're using an American Express companion voucher (not sure what I'm on about, click here for that guide), a strategy for that said companion voucher which works when there are four bums that need to be in four seats.

This guide covers all of it. How many Avios you need, how to earn them, how to make companion vouchers work for a family, and how to actually find those seats during school holidays when half the country is after the same flights.

If you're completely new to Avios, start with our free Avios guide first. It covers the basics of what Avios are, how the British Airways Club works, and the different ways to earn. This article builds on all of that.

But for the family of four guide, you can find that here.

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