When miles really matter

For all the debates you can have about what miles are worth, you sometimes find yourself grateful that you have them at all.

I was up at 5am yesterday morning entertaining my wide-awake young son whilst the rest of the household slept.  Looking at my overnight emails, I saw one from a cousin in Canada.  Her sister’s daughter (who I was meant to be hosting in London next week, as part of an archetypal young persons tour of Europe) had had an accident in Venice and was now on her own in an Italian hospital.  Her mother obviously wanted to get over there as quickly as possible.

The daughter had no travel insurance, however, since there is a Canada / EU medical treatment deal in place and she had few possessions with her worth stealing.  This meant her mother would not be covered for the extortionate cost of buying a last minute flight ticket from Canada to Italy. 

The cousin who had emailed me thought that I may be able to help, since she knew I had got my own Mum out to Canada earlier this year on a miles ticket, and that I had also booked some internal Air Canada flights on Aeroplan miles by trading some hotel points with a friend.

Within an hour, I was able to book her on the British Airways flight from Calgary yesterday evening, with a connection to Venice today.  I was even able to book her into Club World for the long haul, which will give her the chance to get some much needed rest on the way.  

Yes, there is still a slug of taxes and charges to be paid, but it will cost them a fraction of the money they would otherwise have had to spend.  I will write off the Avios, but I am not exactly short of them and it is hard to think of a better cause.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.