Bits: all Aer Lingus UK flights now BA codeshares, Qatar’s business class sale ends today

News in brief:

All Aer Lingus UK flights to become BA codeshares

From 11th November, all Aer Lingus UK routes will become British Airways codeshare services.

BA was already codesharing on most Aer Lingus services from Heathrow and Gatwick.  This new arrangement will add the following:

• Heathrow to Belfast City
• Gatwick to Knock
• Dublin to Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool

This will mean:

• These flights will be bookable on ba.com under a BA flight number
• You will earn Avios and tier points when flying under the BA flight number
• Aer Lingus services which could previously only be booked as part of a connection to a BA long-haul flight will become bookable on a standalone basis

Last chance to book a Qatar Airways sale flight from £695

I know that I have been banging on about the great Qatar Airways sale fares this week, but I make no apologies for reminding you that these deals end today.  If you are planning to book, remember that the fares will probably disappear at midnight in the city of departure and not midnight UK time.

My two articles on the sale are here and here.  These articles list the best fares from each departure city.

When you have business class fares as low as £695 to the Middle East, £860 to Bangkok or Singapore, £818 to The Maldives and £1,500 to Australia, you should take a close look.  

Add in the facts that Qatar Airways has exceptionally high levels of service, has excellent seating on their A380 / 787 / A350 aircraft and earns you Avios and BA tier points when you fly and you have a great package.

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.)