Bits: 2400 Avios with £50 of toys, fly to Barbados from Heathrow, Hilton’s APAC resorts sale

News in brief:

Get 2,400 Avios with £50 of toys

Tesco Direct is offering 1,000 Clubcard points when spending £50 on Nerf, My Little Pony, Play Doh and Hasbro Gaming this week.  This means you get the equivalent of 2,400 Avios or 2,500 Virgin Flying Club miles for £50 plus a pile of toys.

My favourite of all the toys included in this offer is Pie Face. The showdown version costs £27.54 and the regular version £18.99.

Fly to Barbados from Heathrow with Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic is gearing up to launch the only direct route from Heathrow to Barbados.

From 12th December (just in time to escape the English Winter) Virgin Atlantic will fly to Barbados on Tuesdays and Saturdays.  The service will use an Airbus A330 with 33 Upper Class, 48 Premium Economy and 185 Economy seats.

Currently the airline is operating to Barbados from Manchester and Gatwick.  British Airways only flies the route from Gatwick. With the added Heathrow route, Virgin Atlantic will be offering 11 flights to Barbados per week – and passengers on the new route will able to check out the excellent Heathrow Clubhouse lounge we reviewed here.

Tickets are on sale from Monday 27th February and can be booked on the Virgin Atlantic website.

Up to 25% off Hilton APAC resorts

Hilton is currently running an ‘up to 25% off’ sale in the Asia Pacific region.

The Millenium Hilton in Bangkok for example costs $149 instead of $198 (selected nights only).  The Hilton Tokyo can be booked for $330 instead of $412 (selected nights only).

Note that these prices are Hilton Honors member rates – non members have to pay slightly more.  The ‘25% discount’ is not totally accurate as this is based on the Best Flexible Rate, but rooms booked under this offer will be non-refundable.

You need to book by 14th March for stays until the end of the year.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit and debit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.

NEW: Hilton Honors Plus Debit

10,000 bonus points, Hilton Gold status and NO FX fees Read our full review

NEW: Hilton Honors Debit

2,500 bonus points, Hilton Silver status and 0.5% FX fees Read our full review

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

Holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

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.

The Platinum Card from American Express

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

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

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.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points.