As has become somewhat of a tradition, the March reset of my Tier Points is as good a time as any to look back over the last year of flying and to look forward to what the next year might bring. I did the same in 2015-16 and 2016-17, and it is very interesting to… Read More My flying year – 2017-2018
My first Avios redemption was from London to Edinburgh for my little brother’s Stag do. That was back in 2013 and in the following 5 years I have kept track of where and how I have spent then. It struck me the other day that, with the purchase of flights for Christmas 2018, I have… Read More I’ve just spent my millionth Avios!
The key to this miles and points game is to make things work for you. There are often many options for where you can credit and spend them, and funny quirks of arbitrage that can work to your advantage. Perhaps one of the most most flexible currencies is the American Express Membership Rewards Point. You… Read More Did I use my MR points wisely?
American Express have been putting on some decent offered recently, including a £100 rebate for spending £500 with British Airways, and a £50 rebate for spending £200. An offer has just popped into my inbox offering a bonus 7,000 Avios if I spend £7,000 between now and the end of July. Now, given that the… Read More 7,000 bonus Avios from BA and AmEx
It is around this point every year when all the hard-earned tier points get wiped from my account and the balance is reset to 0. In the last year, I have done more flying than in previous years, and was able to accrue exactly 1500 Tier Points to reach Gold status. This will give me… Read More My flying year – 2016-2017
Most people tend to spend points and miles in the currency they are in for whatever the chain does; people will redeem Avios for flights on British Airways or IHG points for hotel nights at InterContinentals or Holiday Inns.. Typically this offers the best value, but there are some circumstances where this is not always… Read More Can you Belieb what I did with my SPG points?!
I wrote a while ago about the Curve card, one of these ‘front’ cards that allows you to choose, via an app, which if your payment cards the transaction goes to. It’s similar to the Supercard, except that it does have foreign exchange fees and you can use an American Express. The ‘game-changer’ for this… Read More Ahead of the Curve? No – I’m leaving it behind!
Normally I take the train to the airport. It’s so quick and easy; regular readers will know how much I love the Heathrow Express! I have an upcoming flight leaving Gatwick at 0715, which probably means being at the airport by 0600. I’ve taken a taxi from home before, but that was about £45 and… Read More JustPark – leaving your car at the airport is cheaper than you think!
In the olden days, and by that I mean last year, you would wait patiently to see if and when the bonus points for referrals would drop into your American Express account. There was no fanfare and no communication. I referred someone last week and, as usual hadn’t heard anything. When I saw them this… Read More AmEx referral email
So, if you were to have followed the advice in the previous post, you would have found yourself in possession of 57,000 American Express Membership Rewards points, which are worth 57,000 Avios, and not have spent any additional money. If you want to go further, and experience more luxurious travel, the best next step is… Read More Part two: Taking the next step with credit cards
