New Avios redemption options as BA launches three new routes

British Airways is launching three new short-haul routes from Heathrow today, taking advantage of some of the slots freed up by the acquisition of bmi.

The new routes are:

• Leeds Bradford
• Zagreb
• Rotterdam

… all served with Airbus 319’s, should you care about such things!

The most useful of these for Head for Points readers is probably Leeds Bradford.  It will allow for quicker connections to Heathrow for Avios redemptions for a large group of people who would otherwise be faced with a longer trot to Manchester.

Don’t write off Zagreb either!  I went there on a few work trips about 15 years ago and found it a surprisingly pretty city.  If you’ve ticked off Prague and Budapest, Zagreb is worth a look for a long weekend.  A redemption in Economy is 15,000 Avios plus £30 taxes, return.

All are bookable now at ba.com

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.)