Bits: good SPG auction ends today, third runway to destroy BA HQ, new Gatwick route

News in brief:

Good SPG Moments auction ending today

There is an attractive SPG Moments auction ending today which, so far, has attracted very little interest.  It is one of those auctions where the headline used to sell it vastly undersells the value of what you will receive.

The Moments home page is here.

The auction is headlined “Get backstage passes to Five Guys Named Moe at Edinburgh’s Christmas”.  The current bid at the time of typing is 9,500 Starwood Preferred Guest points (28,500 Marriott points).

Dig into the auction and it looks a lot more interesting:

• A two-night (2-night) stay in a Club Room at Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh, checking in on 4 December 2016 and checking out on 6 December, 2016
• Two (2) 55-minute spa treatments at One Spa
• Dinner for two (2) at One Square on Monday 5 December
• Two (2) tickets for the Street of Light on Sunday 4 December, 2016 (6:00 pm showing)
• Two (2) VIP tickets to Five Guys Named Moe on Monday 5 December (show starts at 7:30 pm)
• Private backstage meet & greet with the cast of Five Guys Named Moe on Monday 5 December, 2016

As long as you are free on those dates and can get to Edinburgh, this looks like a good deal to me.  The Sheraton Grand was fully refurbished a couple of years ago and is one of only a handful of Sheraton hotels to carry the ‘Grand’ name.  The hotel website is here.  I value the package at around £700.

The auction ends at noon today although the closing time extends by 5 minutes if there are any bids in the last 5 minutes, and only ends when there are 5 minutes with no bids.

Third runway to destroy BA’s Waterside headquarters

Falling into the ‘couldn’t make it up’ category comes this article from The Guardian yesterday.

Apparently, until he saw the final draft of the Airport Commission report into Heathrow expansion, Willie Walsh (CEO of IAG, the parent company of British Airways) didn’t actually know that the third runway would require the demolition of BA’s state-of-the-art and hugely expensive Waterside HQ – photo above, I’ve been, it’s very nice.  No-one from Heathrow Airport had ever bothered to tell them …..

Whilst BA will receive 25% above its market value when the site is purchased, this is of limited benefit as the airport recoups the cost by increasing charges to airlines – 56% of which is paid by BA.

New British Airways route to Limoges

British Airways has announced a new route to Limoges in France, pictured above.

Flights will operate four times a week from Gatwick, with the service commencing on 28th May 2017.

Tickets, for cash or Avios, are available for booking at ba.com.

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.)