Bits: earn Avios with the Malaysia / Emirates partnership?, changes to BA peak pricing?

News in brief:

Earn Avios with the new Malaysia / Emirates partnership?

It is a little known fact, unless you read HfP, that you can earn Avios points and British Airways tier points when you fly with Emirates.  The secret, as I explained here, is to book your Emirates flights under the Qantas flight code and not the Emirates one.

Malaysia Airlines has just launched its own codeshare arrangement with Emirates.  Most Emirates flights outside Asia can now be booked as Malaysia Airlines codeshares with an MH flight number.

Do these earn Avios and BA tier points too?  No.

As you can see on this page of ba.com, a flight with a oneworld flight code but operated by a non-oneworld airline does NOT earn Avios or tier points.  The Qantas / Emirates partnership is an exception to this rule as the small print shows:

“Flights booked under the Qantas code (QF) operated by a non-oneworld airline will earn Avios and Tier Points unless operated by Jetstar in a class other than L class.”

If you book an Emirates flight on a Malaysia flight number, you will be out of luck.  Stick with the Qantas flight codes.

Changes coming to Peak and Off Peak BA pricing?

British Airways has been reticent about publishing new ‘peak’ and ‘off-peak’ redemption calendars recently.  This is why it is impossible to know if this situation is a bug or not.

If you go to ba.com and try to book a redemption flight for Tuesday 14th February or Wednesday 15th February 2017, they are pricing at peak rates.  This will be half term for most schools.

When the new peak and off-peak timetable was introduced, BA promised that every Tuesday and Wednesday would be off-peak, whatever the season.  Something has either gone wrong with the IT or BA is planning changes.

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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.