Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

Get 25% off CrossCountry trains next week

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The CrossCountry rail franchise is running a very decent sale starting on Monday.

You will get 25% off all CrossCountry Advance tickets purchased through their app between 18th January and 14th February 2016.

Whilst you need to book via their app, you will need a PIN code to access the deal which can only be obtained via their website!

You need to complete the online form here and you will be sent your PIN on Monday. 


How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

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 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 card

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.

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.

Comments (50)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Adam says:

    Thank you everyone that’s completed my survey so far. Your input has been invaluable!

  • AndyS says:

    Something strange with cross-country. I got my code and booked a ticket with the app. It was worth it for the discount but I won’t do it again, for 2 reasons, firstly it only gives you m-ticket and second you can’t choose seat, not even window or aisle. I was given aisle but I always book window. However the strange thing is I got an email yesterday stating that I had requested replacement tickets so here was a code to use at the station ticket machines. Well I didn’t request anything of the sort but it was welcome, now i can get through the ticket barriers without having to faff about with my phone. But the lack of seat choice is still a deal breaker (and of course the lack of nectar points or anything like you get with firstgroup bookings)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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