News: BA London City sale, Dublin Airport’s Radisson to rebrand, new look for Nectar Amex
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News in brief:
BA celebrates 25 years at London City with a sale
Over the next few days we will be running two articles to promote the 25th anniversary of the first British Airways flight from London City Airport – which was to Sheffield!
I actually flew this once – my parents lived two miles from the airport – but the fact that I only did it the once and then returned to the train was a good sign of why the airport was doomed to fail. Getting out to London City, which was trickier than it is now, waiting for the flight and then landing at an airport with no useful public transport wasn’t great.
Anyway …. as part of the celebrations, British Airways is offering a 25% discount on flights from London City. You need to book by 11th November for travel by the end of March 2025.
Typical return fares are £105 to Barcelona, £128 to Berlin, £114 to Florence, £148 to Geneva, £118 to Ibiza and £116 to Prague.
You can book at ba.com.
Radisson Blu hotel at Dublin Airport to rebrand
Dalata Hotel Group, the largest hotel operator in Ireland, has bought the Radisson Blu Dublin Airport hotel for €83 million.
It looks like a decent deal for Dalata, with the hotel generating €6.5m of EBITDA before franchise fees. The 229 room hotel was refurbished in 2019 and apparently requires minimal investment. There is also planning approval for two expansion schemes. The downside is the threat from the 400+ room Sofitel opening in 2026.
Dalata will rebrand the hotel under its ‘Clayton’ brand. This won’t happen immediately because the sale will not complete until early next year.
This appears to be a defensive move by Dalata, which in January 2026 will lose the operating contract for what is currently the Maldron hotel at the airport.
The Nectar American Express card gets a new look
A couple of weeks ago someone in our comments section was criticising the old fashioned look of the Nectar American Express card.
I can see what they were getting at:
The good news is that American Express was already onto it. The card has a new vibrant look:
…. which existing cardholders will receive at their next renewal.
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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2025 update
If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.
In 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
You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.
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
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher 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
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review
Earning miles and points from small business cards
If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:
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
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
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
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