News: join me on a loyalty podcast, £100 Eastern Airways cashback with Amex

News in brief:

Join me on the ‘Let’s Talk Loyalty’ podcast

I recorded another episode of Paula Thomas’s ‘Let’s Talk Loyalty’ podcast this week. It has now run to over 140 episodes, featuring guests from all across the loyalty spectrum. This is my second appearance since it started.

If you’re employed in the travel or loyalty space it is worth a listen. The main focus here is paid loyalty / subscription loyalty and how to make it appealing. We look at Emirates Skywards+, which I wrote about earlier this week, as well as InterContinental Ambassador and Pret’s coffee subscription. There are lots of other loyalty titbits along the way too.

You can listen directly from the Let’s Talk Loyalty website here, via Apple here or via Spotify here.

Save £100 on Eastern Airways flights with American Express

American Express has launched a cashback offer with a bit of a difference – £100 back when you spend £300+ with Eastern Airways.

The airline deliberately ignores London, but there are multiple routes from Southampton and it has some presence at most regional airports.

In terms of getting out of the UK, you are restricted to:

• Birmingham to Gibraltar
• Southampton to Gibraltar
• Southampton to Rennes
• Southampton to Nantes

For a couple, £300 would cover a return domestic trip in the UK. A solo traveller may struggle to spend that much on one journey.

The Eastern fleet comprises British Aerospace Jetstream 41 and ATR72-600 series turboprops, Embraer regional jets and Embraer E-jets. The seat count runs from 29 to 76. Wherever you fly, it will be a different experience to your standard British Airways short haul Airbus flight.

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How to maximise your miles when paying for flights (April 2025)

Some UK credit cards offer special bonuses when used for buying flights. If you spend a lot on airline tickets, using one of these cards could sharply increase the credit card points you earn.

Booking flights on any airline?

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold earns double points (2 Membership Rewards points per £1) when used to buy flights directly from an airline website.

The card comes with a sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points. These would convert to 20,000 Avios or various other airline or hotel programmes. The standard earning rate is 1 point per £1.

You can apply here.

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.

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

Buying flights on British Airways?

The British Airways Premium Plus American Express card earns double Avios (3 Avios per £1) when used at ba.com.

The card comes with a sign-up bonus of 30,000 Avios. The standard earning rate is 1.5 Avios per £1.

You do not earn bonus Avios if you pay for BA flights on the free British Airways American Express card or either of the Barclaycard Avios Mastercards.

You can apply here.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

Buying flights on Virgin Atlantic?

Both the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard and the annual fee Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard earn double Virgin Points when used at fly.virgin.com.

This means 1.5 Virgin Points per £1 on the free card and 3 Virgin Points per £1 on the paid card.

There is a sign-up bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points on the free card and 18,000 Virgin Points on the paid card.

You can apply for either of the cards here.

Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard

3,000 bonus points, no fee and 1 point for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review