Bits: 20% off Best Western, pointless Aer Lingus hotel portal, new Avios Southend-Glasgow route

News in brief:

Get 20% off Best Western UK hotels with Mastercard

Last week we covered the launch of the new Avios partnership with Best Western.  That article also covered how to get a Best Western status match.

You will earn either a flat 500 Avios points per stay or you can convert Best Western Rewards points at the ratio of 5:1.

It turns out that Best Western runs two special offers for its UK hotels which can get you extra savings as well as earning Avios:

For Mastercard holders, for stays until 18th December, you will save 20% on Best Flexible refundable rate via this link although bookings made under this offer are non-refundable

For American Express holders, for an open-ended period, you will save 10% on Best Flexible refundable rates via this link although bookings made under this offer are non-refundable

Check prices carefully, because some properties seem to have their own non-refundable rates which undercut the promotional offers.

Aer Lingus launches a pointless hotel booking portal

Despite its IAG ownership, Aer Lingus seems to exist in its own world.  This is sometimes good – Aer Lingus has a long-haul business class seat which is far superior to BA Club World (and which we are reviewing soon) – and sometimes just odd.

Last week the airline launched its own hotel portal.  This is a white-label version of booking.com, as is clearly displayed on the site.

Can you collect AerClub Avios via this site? No.  Can you spend AerClub Avios via this site? No.  Can you use any booking.com special offer codes or deals via this site?  No.  Is there any point whatsoever to this product?  No.

Southend Airport launching Glasgow flights

London Southend Airport has announced that a new route, to Glasgow, will launch on 29th October.  This is in addition to the previously announced Dublin and Manchester routes.

It will be operated by Flybe, bookable here, via the Stobart Air franchise.  This means that you can earn and redeem Avios on Southend to Glasgow at the standard Flybe rates.

I had a day out at London Southend last year (read here) and was pleasantly surprised by what I found – if you work in the City or Canary Wharf, with easy access to the airport trains, it is worth considering.

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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.