News You May Have Missed at Points Well Made - 29th March
- Sam
- Mar 29
- 5 min read
Hello, I hope you've all had a good week!
The big one this week is our final (I promise) status match roundup before the BA Club reset on 31st March. If you or someone you know is about to drop to Blue, this is the one to read as we've gone through every match worth doing, and there's even a route back into oneworld if what you really want is to keep your BA perks.
Elsewhere on Points Well Made, the newly refurbished Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow has been unveiled, we've taken a look at the changes to the Hilton Honors debit cards (good news if you're a Hilton loyalist, less so if you're not), and Helena has reviewed BA's A380 premium economy to Johannesburg — on her favourite plane, naturally. We've also got a double Virgin Points offer on train tickets that works on any operator (not just Virgin Trains, which hasn't existed since 2019), and a breakdown of where Amex's income requirements stand right now if you've been wondering whether you'd qualify.
This weeks Q+A will be early this week taking place on Friday evening on our Instagram stories.
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.
Sam
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow has had a facelift. The first phase of a redesign is now complete, and it brings some interesting additions to what was already one of the better airline lounges at the airport.
We've covered the Clubhouse in detail in our full review.
The Hilton Honors debit cards have gone through a mid-life refresh, makings changes for new and existing cardholders. They’re adding new features to both cards, cutting the fee for the standard card, and boosting the sign-up bonus on the Plus card until 28 May 2026.
Overall, you may find the changes a bit marmite depending on if you're a Hilton roadwarrior, or more of a Hilton casual.
If you're not familiar with these cards, a quick recap. Hilton partnered with Currensea in September 2024 to launch two debit cards that earn Hilton Honors points. These debit cards connect to your existing bank account through open banking, so there's no new bank account to open and no credit check beyond a ID verification. Currensea has since launched similar cards with Marriott Bonvoy and United Airlines.
There are two versions of the card. The Hilton Honors Debit Card is the cheaper option at £60 per year with Silver status. The Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card costs £150 per year and comes with Gold status, which includes free breakfast.
Right, this is it, this is the last status match post I'm doing for a while (unless something truly extraordinary happens). I'm conscious how many posts I've done on the subject, but you may want to send this one to that BA loyalist in your life.
In just under a week, 31st March 2026, a large number of BA's Bronze, Silver and Gold members are going to lose the perks they've had for years as its become too difficult to retain with the changes they've made. This means no more lounge access, no more priority boarding, just a shiny new (online) membership card with the word "Blue" on it.
Hello darkness my old friend...
But other airlines have been eyeing you up, and they want you.
So we've gone through every status match offer currently available to BA Club members, and cut the list down to the ones that are actually worth your time and money.
We've also included a route back into oneworld at the end, because if what you really want is to keep your BA perks, there is a way to do that too.
Quick thing: It should also be said that you can also apply for these status matches if you are going to retain your BA status. It's not just for the losers...
Virgin Trains Ticketing is running two offers until 19th April that are worth knowing about if you collect Virgin Points and travel by train. But before we get into it I need to clear something up. Virgin Trains Ticketing works with any operator across the UK. It's a common misconception that the booking system is only for Virgin Trains (even though Virgin Trains hasn't been a thing since 2019), but I use it where I live for South West Trains all the time.
American Express reintroduced minimum income requirements for its UK credit cards back in 2023, after several years of taking a more holistic view of applicants' finances.
Between 2016 and 2023, Amex looked at the broader picture. Household income, the gap between what you earned and what you spent, your overall financial health. A single person living at home on £25,000 was treated very differently to someone earning £35,000 with a mortgage and two kids. It made sense. But Amex scrapped that approach and moved to a blunter system based on stated personal income thresholds.
Those thresholds were then tweaked slightly in 2025, with a handful of cards becoming easier to qualify for.
There’s a particular mood to a late-night long-haul departure if you're leaving from Heathrow. It’s a strange mix of exhaustion, anticipation, and quiet hope that the stars aligns just enough to allow for a few solid hours of sleep somewhere over Africa.
On paper, British Airways’ overnight service to Johannesburg in World Traveller Plus (premium economy) should do exactly that. In reality, this flight delivered a combination of a good level of comfort, strong service, but a few reminders that parts of the experience are beginning to show their age.
Naturally I was in my most joyful mood as this flight is on the incomparable Airbus A380, also known as Helena's Favourite Plane.
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