Bits: Kimpton Amsterdam on points, British Airways dropping and starting routes at City

News in brief:

Amsterdam’s forthcoming Kimpton bookable on IHG points

OK, if you’re not a bit of a hotel geek the headline above might not mean much.  However, fans of Kimpton Hotels – the cult US boutique hotel brand now owned by IHG – have been eagerly awaiting the launch of the first European site in Amsterdam.  This will be a conversion of the Crowne Plaza in the city centre, pictured below.

Kimpton has now been owned by IHG for two years.  IHG has been very wary of messing with a successful formula, however, which is why Kimpton has retained its own loyalty programme and the hotels do not allow you to earn or spend IHG Rewards Club points.

Except … Kimpton Amsterdam (home page here) IS now available for IHG Rewards Club redemptions.  It is due to open on 26th June and is pricing at 50,000 points per night.

As a trade off, you will NOT earn Kimpton Karma Rewards if you stay here.  This may not go down well with Kimpton fans in the USA.

50,000 points is a little toppy, given that cash rates for the opening period are around €260 – €280, but I would still redeem at that level.  In fact, I will be redeeming at that level because I want to check it out as soon as I can!

Note that the hotel cannot be booked on the Kimpton website, either for points or cash – you need to use ihg.com. 

Changes for British Airways at London City

British Airways has announced some adjustments to its London City services.

Flights to Hamburg, currently 3 x daily, will be suspended from 27th March

Flights to Angers, due to operate 3 x weekly during the Summer starting from 27th March, will not now happen

If you are booked onto either of these routes you will be transferred to a Heathrow service.

Instead, BA is launching a new route to Skiathos in Greece.

The timings are a little odd.  There will be three flights per week, but those days are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday only.  The service runs from 26th June to 6th September.

BA will also offer an extra flight to Mykanos from City.  This will operate on Fridays from 30th June to 8th September, adding to the existing Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday services.

Avios and cash seats for these new routes are already available 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.)