Inside the British Airways Galleries First lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 5

As I have written a few times, Head for Points is NOT the site for you if you are interested in 15-part trip reports or photographs of airline food or aircraft toilets.  However, I do make the odd exception for a few personal pictures.

I was in Galleries First at Heathrow Terminal 5 recently and took a few snaps.  I thought they might be of interest because Galleries First is the lounge you are least likely to use if you are not a heavy BA flyer. 

If you are flying on a First Class redemption, you can use the Concorde Room (although you are also allowed in Galleries First).  If you are flying Club World or Club Europe, you are exiled to one of the three Galleries Club lounges in Terminal 5 / 5B.  Galleries First is used mainly by BAEC Gold card holders.

Double-click on the images to see a larger version.

Important things first.  Here is the champagne bar:

And the champagnes of the day.  The selection was Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle (RRP £100 !!, 1 glass drunk), standard Taittinger (RRP £37, 0 glasses drunk) and Bollinger Rose (RRP £45, 2 glasses drunk!).

Here is the main buffet (I was conveniently there for both breakfast – to 11am – and lunch – from 12pm):

And the breakfast and lunch ‘to order’ menu:

The terrace, overlooking Terminal 5B:

Part of the main seating area looking towards the dining area:

And, finally, the infamous horse lamp (one of a pair) that sits by the doors:

Should you want one for your own home, the manufacturer is Moooi ….

That’s it.  I promise you no more lounge photographs on Head for Points for the immediate future!

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a 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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios 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.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)