Bits: 30% ‘buy Avios’ bonus, 50% off Emirates eco redemptions, Radisson Edwardian deal

Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. A list of partners is here.

News in brief:

30% bonus when you buy Avios points

ba.com is currently offering a 10% – 30% bonus when you buy Avios points.

This is certainly not unmissable. You need to buy at least 31,000 Avios to get the full 30%. Even when purchasing the maximum of 35,000 points, you are paying £575 for 45,500 points. 1.26p per point is NOT a great deal.

The deadline is 28th October. The ‘buy Avios’ page is here.

50% off Emirates Skywards redemptions in Economy

Emirates is currently offering a 50% discount on all economy class redemptions made using Skywards miles.

The deal runs until October 19th. About 20 destinations are excluded – check the Skywards website for details.

The reason I am not more excited about this is that Emirates taxes and charges are very high – even higher than British Airways. In general, you will still be getting a very poor return on your miles by redeeming them in this way. There are, of course, certain routes and certain dates which are expensive for cash tickets and where you may find it works, but it won’t be easy.

The travel window is also tight – 1st to 30th November.

Special Visa deal with Radisson Edwardian

Radisson Edwardian – which operates primarily in the London market – has launched a special offer with Visa which runs until the end of the year.

Book via this link and you will receive free breakfast for two people and a free room upgrade, subject to availability, at check-in. There does not seem to be any requirement to pay with a Visa, just to have one.

How to earn Radisson Rewards points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)

Radisson Rewards does not have a dedicated UK credit card. However, you can earn Radisson Rewards points by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards. These include:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 60,000 Radisson Rewards points. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with two free airport lounge passes.

The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 30,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 90,000 Radisson Rewards points

American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 5,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 15,000 Radisson Rewards points. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:3 into Radisson Rewards points which is a very attractive rate. The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 3 Radisson Rewards points.

Even better, holders of The Platinum Card receive free Radisson Rewards Gold status for as long as they hold the card. It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status. We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here.

(Want to earn more hotel points? Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)

Category

British Airways and Avios, Emirates and Emirates Skywards, Radisson Rewards

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

mark2 says:

16 Oct16 October 11:59

OT but important?

I sent an email to Pay.com asking whether Tesco are still stocking their cards and have received the following reply:

‘As of the 14th of October, the 3V prepaid GiftCards are no longer available for purchase.
However, we will still be providing the 3V Vouchers are participating Paypoint outlets across the country.’

A major blow!
Liz says:

16 Oct16 October 12:12

That’s a major blow – I only started doing this in July. How does it work at Paypoint outlets? Feeling depressed now!
Liz says:

16 Oct16 October 12:21

This is what is on the Pay.com site:

3V Vouchers have an Activation Code printed on them. Once you enter the Activation Code on this site, you will be able to view your Visa Number and security details (expiry date and CVV2 number). Make sure you activate it as soon as possible, as the Voucher expires after 2 months from the date of purchase.

The security details for your Visa Number will also be sent to your email address.

You can use the Visa Number for 2 calendar months from the date of activation (plus the remainder of the month in which it was activated), and can transfer any remaining funds to another Visa Number or your bank account at any time.

3V Vouchers are issued from PayPoint terminals in thousands of stores across the UK.

The retailer will find the voucher under ‘Cash Vouchers & e-Money’ on the terminal.

Find your nearest PayPoint Store here

My Account

Once you have activated and accessed your Visa Number you are ready to shop. You will also have a personal account where you will be able to view your Visa Number(s) and security details, keep track of your online purchases, check your balances, transfer funds from one Visa Number to another or to your bank account, and manage your personal information and preferences.

How much does it cost?

3V Vouchers carry a small surcharge based on the value you purchase. The surcharges are set out below. There are no transaction fees on purchases made in Pounds Sterling.

3V Voucher Value

£20-£90 Surcharge £2
£100-£150 Surcharge £3.50
Transaction Fees None

For other fees and charges that may apply and for usage restrictions, please see the Help section.
Terms and Conditions
- M says:
  
  16 Oct16 October 14:59
  
  Is there really a market for those? It’s not even a physical gift card…
  - harry says:
    
    16 Oct16 October 17:58
    
    There’s definitely no market for them for HFP readership.
    
    Given it’s a new Pay.com owner, I guess they must be expecting to catch out people with the T&Cs, which look very dodgy.
    
    Definitely a clear AVOID & nothing in it for us as you can use Amex @ Paypoint in any case, eg to buy your council tax. No need to involve Pay.com.
mark2 says:

16 Oct16 October 13:34

The sole purpose of buying 3V/pay vouchers is to get the Tesco ClubCard points or other retailer incentives e.g. Morrison’s fuel discount. The Visa and American Express cards can still be used for this but they have a cost whereas 3V was free of charges.
- harry says:
  
  16 Oct16 October 13:44
  
  Will they still stock Morrisons? That’s become more lucrative still:
  £1000 = £60 in free fuel (100p off per litre x 60 litres)
  +2000 Avios = £20
  +£5 Match & More points on the cards from 2/11/15 – 5 points per £1 = 5000 points = £5
  +60 litres of fuel = 600 M&M points = 60p
  + the more you use Morrisons, the more frequently the till throws out vouchers, last one this week was £10 off £50
  Total return for my £1000 spend on giftcards = £95.60 & meet Amex spend targets
  
  ***
  
  Do Tesco stock the £50 Amazon giftcards? Could be a way through Pay.com’s departure.
  - Erico1875 says:
    
    16 Oct16 October 19:55
    
    Is there a limit on the fuel? My son puts about £100 a week in his Transit.van. It would be handy if he could get £1 off per litre
    - harry says:
      
      16 Oct16 October 22:13
      
      100 litres, as much money off per litre as you have vouchers for (no more than the actual cost)
- Grimz says:
  
  16 Oct16 October 22:02
  
  So are 3v gift cards removed altogether from Tesco, Morrisons etc?
  - xcalx says:
    
    17 Oct17 October 08:03
    
    Saw 1 pay. com card in a Tesco yesterday and quite a few in Boots.
    
    Have the T&Cs changed on the pay .com cards
    
    You must not attempt to Activate 3V Visa Numbers with a cumulative value greater than £1,625 in any 12-month period and You must not seek to redeem a cumulative balance greater than £650 in any 12 month period without first completing full and extended verification requirements as required by Us. Please note that we may change these limits from time to time in accordance with Clause 8.
    
    I don’t remember seeing the £650 limit. If it was there it certainly was not enforced
Liz says:

16 Oct16 October 13:56

Mark’s message said they are stopping the purchase of the gift cards so I assume that is everywhere and switching to the voucher system which is now on their website as shown above. The only way this new system would help me is to buy some vouchers to help towards a bonus target spend and to pay some bills via credit card spend rather than direct debit to get the Amex /Avios points but now there is a charge to that route. We will all miss the Tesco clubcard points.
- harry says:
  
  16 Oct16 October 14:02
  
  I see it now, means Pay.coms are out. What about Amazon giftcards? Depends how much you can spend there, I suppose.
  
  We personally have little use for the other store giftcards – but could probably channel a bit more through Amazon.
  
  Might have to do a multiple Morrisons raid to mop up a few lingering Pay.coms down in this neck of the woods.
- Idrive says:
  
  17 Oct17 October 00:15
  
  Correct they have always been around but they do not require a plastic card to be distributed.
  
  CONFIRMED giftcards would not activate seems like they have shutdown the server. Even if you find them they are just a piece of plastic now. I was stupid enough not to buy them last week. This is a major issue but i am lucky enough to have jumped on the train a couple of years ago. I have collected them all and now they will be used for a wall installation, a very coloured one!! Maybe one day i will post the picture. As always there will be other opportunities to go to. And luckily there is plenty of visa fee cards around still accepted for council tax and other visa merchants. RIP 3v, we will miss you! You sre welcome to come back!
  - Liz says:
    
    17 Oct17 October 07:26
    
    It is working this morning. I had a few I didn’t activate so doing it now..
harry says:

16 Oct16 October 14:59

O/T bit
£15 Discount for New Customers Online at UBER
VCUK15
harry says:

16 Oct16 October 18:05

O/T maybe not the forum but it IS Friday!

Anybody know Plymouth? Moving thataway because of work, 2 of my kids have been offered places in the grammar schools so that’s good as well. Main train line + 10 mins would be my first preference, some nice bits in Saltash but what about Plymouth proper? Any inside tips welcome – thanks.
- Brian says:
  
  16 Oct16 October 19:26
  
  Depends partly how much you want to pay. Mannamead is supposed to be the ‘upmarket’ part of town and bits of Stoke are nice, too. The Royal William Yard is lovely, though I’m not sure if that’s not only apartments, which might be a bit small for your needs. Plymouth does have some dodgy areas, so make sure you take a careful look at a potential area before committing!
- Kipto says:
  
  16 Oct16 October 20:09
  
  You are right. It is totally off topic. Suggest you go on trip advisor.
Avios Purchase Promotion - A Question - FlyerTalk Forums says:

18 Oct18 October 19:01

[…] See here – https://headforpoints.com/2015/10…dwardian-deal/ […]