Get 2,000 Avios points when you join Zipcar

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British Airways has a low key partnership with ‘by the hour’ Avis-owned car rental group Zipcar. It is so low key that I didn’t know that the sign-up had been increased from 1,000 to 2,000 Avios at some point in the last few months.

I like Zipcar. We have a membership in London and there are about 15 cars within a 15-minute walk of our house. The nearest, which is available 80% of the time, is about 30 seconds away. £6-£7 per hour for the car, plus £59.50 annual fee, is a lot cheaper and easier than owning a car.

Regular HfP readers will remember that, slightly bizarrely, I was interviewed for Management Today last year about my use of Zipcar, Uber and Gett. Terrible photograph as well.

The process is very simple. You initially unlock the car using a credit card-sized membership card or via your smartphone. The keys are in the glovebox. At the end of the rental, you reverse the process.

If the petrol tank drops below 25% full, there is a fuel card in the car to allow you to fill it up. This is an additional opportunity to earn some free Avios if you visit a Tesco, Esso or Shell garage.

If you join Zipcar via this British Airways / Zipcar sign-up page, you will receive 2,000 bonus Avios points.

Once you are a member, you receive 50 Avios for every trip you book. This is a pretty decent return given that a short one hour rental will cost you as little as £5.95.

If you are already a Zipcar member, you can opt in to the Avios option at no extra cost. Annoyingly, however, it cannot be done until your membership is next up for renewal. You need to email aviosrenew@zipcar.co.uk and they will switch you over to the BAEC membership plan at that point.

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: