Could you save money by rebooking your summer holiday flights?

Do you have a flight or hotel booked for the next couple of months which you booked and pre-paid before coronavirus struck?

If so, you probably overpaid.  Our comments section and my emails have had a few stories recently from readers who realised that they could get back this overpayment.

Let’s imagine that you are flying to Palma on Saturday 15th August.  If you had booked this flight back in February, pre covid, you probably paid at least £200 one-way on British Airways.

At the moment, BA has seats on the afternoon flight from Heathrow for £76 one-way.

You might think you have to suck this up – but you don’t.

Remember that British Airways is running its ‘Book with Confidence’ guarantee – see ba.com here.  For flights up to 30th September (this has been extended from 30th August – full details tomorrow) booked before 3rd March, you can cancel for a British Airways voucher, valid until April 2022.  If you booked on or after 3rd March, you can get a voucher for flights up to 30th April 2021.

You can then rebook your flight.  You could use the voucher, but BA says that it may take seven days to arrive.  For safety I would book your replacement flight first for cash – in case they disappear – and plan to use the voucher for a future trip.  This could save you hundreds of pounds if you’re lucky.

Other airlines are running similar voucher schemes, as are many hotel groups.  Just because you still intend to travel this Summer, it doesn’t mean that you have to accept the high price you locked in many months ago.

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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.