Bits: Qatar launches Cardiff with a 787, 500 Avios with £25 Amazon spend, Charles Tyrwhitt sale

News in brief:

Qatar Airways to launch Cardiff with a Boeing 787

I must be honest.  When Qatar Airways announced its plans to launch flights from Cardiff, I assumed that it would use a short-haul aircraft.  This is what it does out of some other smaller cities.

This week, however, Qatar Airways announced that Cardiff services will start on 1st May – using a Boeing 787.  It will fly daily.

This is very bullish, because Qatar needs to create a brand new market for long-haul travel out of the airport.  It isn’t just about enticing flyers to switch airlines, they need to change behaviour and stop people driving down the M4 to Heathrow.  They have 254 seats to fill every day.

This is great news for Avios collectors in Wales.   Avios availability should be excellent on this route, at least in the early days as the route builds up.  We will hopefully see some good sale fares as well.

If you want to know about other Avios redemption ideas from outside London, this HfP article looks at Avios flights from UK regional airports.

Last chance to get 500 Avios or Amex points with £25 Amazon spend

Tomorrow is the last day for the fantastic American Express Amazon offer.  It is available for many – but not all – British Airways American Express, Amex Gold and Amex Platinum cardholders.

If you haven’t done yet, check your offers on your online statement page for a combination of:

Get 500 / 1,000 Avios / Membership Rewards points when you spend £25 at amazon.co.uk before 17th September using your BA Amex / Amex Gold / Platinum card

There are various rules about what you can and cannot buy to trigger the bonus.  The easiest thing to do is buy a £25 amazon.co.uk giftcard via this link and add it to your account via this link.

12% off Charles Tyrwhitt shirts this weekend – and earn Avios

Finally, shirt company Charles Tyrwhitt is offering 12% off everything – no minimum order – this weekend with code UK12CT.

Tyrwhitt is an Avios partner and you will also earn 4 points per £1 on your shopping.  The site is here and the current clearance offers are here.

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.)