Bits: how to pre-order your BA duty free, 180 Avios for giving Tesco your insurance details

News in brief:

How to pre-order your BA duty free for at-seat delivery

I would be fibbing if I said that I had never bought any duty free items on a flight, but I’m rarely in the mood – especially when trying to keep two children under control.  The pre-order service – known as ‘buy before you fly’ – from British Airways is therefore worth a look, and very few people know it exists.

You can go to this website before your flight, and select duty free items at your leisure from the High Life Shop.  If you sign up for the High Life Shop newsletter, you will also receive a 10% discount code for your first pre-order.

Your items will be delivered to your seat and you will earn 2 Avios per £1 on your spending.

This is only available on long-haul flights, with ‘selected’ routes excluded (a list in on the website linked from the home page).  You need to order at least three days before you fly.

This method also allows you to compare prices before you fly, so you will know if you are genuinely getting a bargain or not …..

Get 180 Avios for giving Tesco your insurance details

Tesco has a long-running promotion offering bonus Tesco Clubcard points if you fill in a very short form telling them when your various insurance products are up for renewal.

The number of points offered with this deal jumps around.  Until August, it is offering 75 Clubcard points, worth 180 Avios or 188 Virgin miles. It has been as high as 150 points in the past, but given that the offer only changes twice per year you might not want to wait.

Here is the form you need to complete.  You can earn the points once every two years so even if you have done it in the past it might be possible to get the points again.

You are asked for your car, home and pet insurance renewal months. You only need to add in one date to get your 75 points, so I recommend just doing that if you want to reduce the level of email Tesco sends you later on.

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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.