British Airways Gatwick Arrivals Lounge to close on October 31st

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If you are flying into Heathrow in First or Club World, and land before 2pm, the Terminal 5 Arrivals Lounge is not a bad place to have a shower, grab some food and catch up on your emails.

The Gatwick alternative, though, has never appealed to me. I have never even visited it, despite doing a few long-haul flights into Gatwick over the years. Perhaps it was the effort of going over to the Sofitel hotel, where it is based, or perhaps it was just the fact that I doubted it could have much to offer.

I’ll never get to find out, though, as British Airways is closing the Arrivals Lounge in the Gatwick Airport Sofitel on 31st October. It was apparently used by fewer than 5% of the passengers who were eligible to use it and, with the Sofitel contract up for renewal, BA has decided to spend its money elsewhere.

There is no word yet as to whether a replacement facility will emerge, but there will definitely be nothing available in the short term.

How to earn Avios points from UK credit cards

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 BA Amex American Express card

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 BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

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: