Bits: Economist promo back, Heathrow Rewards adds new partner, Regus Express coming to T3

News in brief:

13,200 Avios for an Economist subscription

Avios.com and The Economist have brought back their special offer for taking out a subscription.

As you can see at this link, you can earn 13,200 Avios if you take out a 1-year digital and print subscription to The Economist. The cost is £179.  This works out at 1.35p per Avios.

Alternatively, you can earn 10,200 Avios with a £145 print-only or digital-only subscription.  This works out at 1.4p per point.

This offer is particularly attractive if you are self-employed or run a company.  Whilst I am not a tax expert and you should obviously take your own advice if necessary, it would be hard to argue that The Economist magazine is not an acceptable tax-deductible purchase for most business people.

The price charged seems to be in line with the price charged via other channels so you are not over-paying.

The Economist changed the rules of this promotion two years ago after a large number of people took out a subscription and then cancelled it for a partial refund a few weeks later.  Your subscription is now non-refundable.  However, £179 for 13,200 Avios plus a full year of The Economist in print and online is certainly not a bad deal.

If you have any friends in the United States who may enjoy The Economist in print (you could access the digital version yourself), there is a bigger deal to be had.  The cost is $190 (£142) for 13,200 Avios.

Note also that the DIGITAL ONLY version for US residents is $152 (£117) and you get 10,200 Avios for yourself.

The offer runs until 31st January 2018.

PS.  There is a similar version for 11,400 Miles & More miles (8,700 with the cheaper package) – see here.  This is not a bad deal at all, given how tricky it is to accumulate Miles & More miles in the UK.

Heathrow Rewards adds a new airline partner

Heathrow Rewards is adding a new airline partner today – Royal Brunei.

You will be able to transfer your Heathrow Rewards points (available from airport shopping, parking or Heathrow Express tickets) into Royal Brunei Royal Skies miles at the rate of 1:1, in chunks of 250.

It joins a list of airline transfer partners that includes Avios, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Emirates, Etihad and Singapore Airlines.

If you transfer your points to Royal Brunei during December, you will be entered into a competition to win a pair of return flights from Heathrow to Dubai with Royal Brunei.

Regus Express business lounge coming to Heathrow Terminal 3

If you have ever used the Regus Express business lounges in Heathrow Terminal 5 Arrivals, Heathrow Terminal 2 or at Gatwick, you will be pleased to know that a Regus Express is opening in Heathrow Terminal 3 very soon.

This could be used as a departure lounge because it is quite well positioned.  It is situated by Pret a Manger which is UP the escalator from the check-in hall.  Regular users of Terminal 3 will know that you turn left at the top of the escalator to get to security.  The Regus Express is on the right, tucked away around the corner.

The problem with using this before a flight is, of course, that you still need to clear security and will need to very aware of the cut-off time.  It will be an option for anyone who is at the airport a couple of hours early and would prefer to do an hour of work in the Regus lounge before going airside.

You will be able to get access with a Regus Gold card or with a DragonPass airport lounge access pass.  I imagine that you can also pay, but if you were planning to do that it would be preferable to clear security and pay for the No 1 Lounge (review) or Club Aspire (review) lounges in Terminal 3 instead.  Regus lounges are not part of Priority Pass or Lounge Club.

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, here are the three options to get FREE airport lounge access via a credit or charge card:

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here. 

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta and Eurostar lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

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

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with two free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here. 

Additional lounge visits are charged at £20.  You get two more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free LoungeKey card, allowing you access to the LoungeKey network.  Guests are charged at £20 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.