Bits: BA Holidays Avios bonus cut, Flying Blue promo awards, 30% bonus buying Carlson points

News in brief:

BA Holidays Avios bonus halved

British Airways has – very quietly – announced a cut to the Avios earned when booking via BA Holidays.

Currently the earning rate is 2 Avios per £1 spent. This is on top of the Avios you earn from the flight and from the credit card used for booking.

For new bookings from 2nd October the rate will be cut to 1 Avios per £1.  The upside is that, going forward, you will also be able to earn 1 Avios per £1 spent on hotels, car hire and sightseeing excursions through BA Holidays when no flight is involved.  You can see the details at the bottom of this page of The Club magazine.

Flying Blue promo awards launched

Flying Blue, the Air France / KLM loyalty scheme, has launched a new batch of discounted redemption routes.

These routes are being released on the first day of every month and can be booked as early as three months in advance.

The Flying Blue promo awards website is here.  The new batch of deals must be booked by the end of September for travel in November or December.

Some of the interesting long-haul premium economy and business class deals include:

Paris to Cayenne (business) – 50% off at 75,000 miles return

Europe to Vancouver (world business class) – 25% off at 93,750 return

Europe to Johannesburg (economy) – 50% off at 30,000 miles return

Europe to Shanghai (premium economy) – 25% off at 120,000 miles return

Europe to Hong Kong (premium economy) – 25% off at 120,000 miles return

Europe to Bangkok (premium economy) – 25% off at 120,000 miles return

Europe to Seoul (business) – 25% off at 150,000 miles return

Remember that Flying Blue is an American Express Membership Rewards partner if you need to top-up your account.

Get a 30% bonus buying Club Carlson points

Club Carlson has launched a promotion for a 30% bonus when you purchase points which runs until 5th October.

This is rubbish, frankly, given that there have been promotions as high as 75% lately. I only recommend it if you need to top up your account for an immediate redemption.

On the other hand there is still time to sign up for another Club Carlson promotion which is way better: Free Fridays.

For every two stays you make before 1st July and 30th September, you will receive a free Friday night at ANY Club Carlson hotel worldwide.  We covered this offer here.

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How to earn Radisson Rewards points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

Radisson Rewards does not have a dedicated UK credit card. However, you can earn Radisson Rewards points by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

These cards earn Membership Rewards points:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 60,000 Radisson Rewards points. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

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.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 150,000 Radisson Rewards points

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 Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 30,000 Radisson Rewards points. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:3 into Radisson Rewards points which is a very attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 3 Radisson Rewards points.

Even better, holders of The Platinum Card receive free Radisson Rewards Premium status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here. You can apply here.

Got a small business?

You can get free top-tier Radisson Rewards VIP status with the new Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card for small business. Clck here to apply.

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

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