Bits: £20 Pizza Express Amex cashback, more uses for Avios as Alaska buys Virgin America

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News in brief:

£20 Pizza Express cashback for all Amex-issued Amex cards

A few new American Express cashback deals have appeared – you can see what you have been targetted for by going to your online statement page for each card and clicking the ‘Offers’ tag.

The most useful one is £20 cashback on a £50 Pizza Express spend. This is valid until the end of June, but you only get the cashback once per card.

It doesn’t even matter if you aren’t targetted for it. This particular offer has crossed over to the Amex ‘cardmember offers’ website. You can register any Amex-issued personal Amex card there irrespective of whether it shows on your statement page.

If you have a Lloyds, MBNA or Barclays Amex-branded card, you can register at the Amex Connect website.

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BA partner Alaska Airlines buys Virgin America

Alaska Airlines announced yesterday that it is buying Virgin America, the US regional airline which operates primarily on the West Coast.

I reviewed Virgin America in late 2014 and was impressed. Even their safety videos were a substantial improvement on the usual turgid fare.

Alaska Airlines is a partner with British Airways Executive Club. I wrote in this article how you can use your Avios points to redeem for their flights.

It is not yet fully clear what will happen to the Virgin America brand but Alaska is hinting that it will disappear, even if some elements of the Virgin service and approach live on. The Elevate loyalty scheme seems likely to go, to be replaced by Mileage Plan.

Once the airline is fully integrated, which is likely to take two years because of the regulatory approvals needed, you should be able to redeem Avios for ex-Virgin America routes. Until then, you will still be able to redeem Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles for Virgin America flights.

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: