Bits: BA Cambridge flights on Avios, T5 Priority Pass lounge, new Tesco bonus point deals

News in brief:

Cambridge to Gothenburg on British Airways now redeemable

In February I wrote about the launch of the first British Airways service from Cambridge Airport.  In a deal underwritten by drugs giant Astra Zeneca, the Scandinavian based BA franchise airline Sun-Air launched a daily service to Gothenburg.

This is not a random choice – it was done to connect two major Astra Zeneca facilities.

At the time it was launched there were no Avios seats available.  However, as spotted on Flyertalk over the weekend, seats are now available over at ba.com.

Two economy seats are now available for most flights (there is no business class).  Remember that the service only operates Monday to Thursday and that it departs Cambridge at an early 7am.  On the upside, there is a Priority Pass lounge.

I was tempted to do this for the novelty value but the requirement for an overnight stay in Cambridge beforehand – and a very early start the next day – does not make it easy.

First image of the Terminal 5 Aspire (Priority Pass) lounge

The first independent lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5 is due to open in a couple of months although the exact date is not yet known.

It will be run under the ‘Aspire’ brand by Servisair / Swissport.  A image has now appeared on the Swissport website of how it will look:

The entrance will be by Gate 18 which means it will sit underneath the British Airways Galleries First lounge.  It isn’t clear how big it will be – it looks like it wraps around the edge of the terminal.  All will be revealed soon ….

Access is likely to be available for cash or with a Priority Pass and potentially Lounge Club card.  This will be good for American Express as it will make the Platinum card (which comes with a free unlimited-use Priority Pass) and the Gold card (which comes with a ‘2 visits’ Lounge Club card) more attractive.

New Tesco bonus point deals

Finally, two quick bonus point deals for additional Clubcard points.  These can be converted into Avios at 1 : 2.4 or Virgin Flying Club at 1 : 2.5.

You receive 150 bonus Clubcard points (360 Avios, 375 Virgin miles) when you pre-order the new Muse CD, Drones.  It cost £10 and you must order by June 21st.  The order page is here.

It isn’t worth buying purely for the points but it is a decent kick-back if you would have bought it anyway.

More interestingly, you can earn up to 5,000 bonus Clubcard points – a whopping 12,000 Avios points – when you buy selected Hotpoint and Indesit domestic appliances.  Only washing machines and fridge freezers seem to be included.

Details of the Hotpoint / Indesit offer are here.  Again, the deadline is June 21st.

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.)