Avios scraps its restaurant booking partnership with ResDiary from 20th February

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In April 2017, Avios launched Restaurant Circle, a restaurant booking site that lets you earn 250 Avios with every reservation you book.

The system did not work well from the start. The initial launch was delayed, and when it did launch the selection of restaurants was not as comprehensive as, say, OpenTable or even ResDiary, the company that runs Restaurant Circle.

The problem was partly self-inflicted, because Avios was charging restaurants a monthly fee to be included on the Restaurant Circle website despite the fact that they were already paying be on the parent ResDiary site. This did not prove popular.

Avios restaurant circle

ResDiary has now decided to pull the plug on Restaurant Circle. In a statement it said:

While it’s been beneficial for some, we know other venues had trouble justifying the Avios listing fee and we’ve been attempting to permanently remove it. Unfortunately, Avios have decided it’s a non-negotiable condition of the program, so we’ve taken the decision to stop the partnership. This will happen on the 20th February 2018.

But you can still earn until 20th February ….

To earn Avios from your meals out, you need to create a Restaurant Circle account and add your Avios or BA Executive Club membership number to your profile. If you live in Ireland, you can add an AerClub number. There are a large number of Irish restaurants included.

For every booking you make via the Restaurant Circle site, you will receive 250 Avios. As long as you turn up for your reservation (!), the Avios will be added to your account within two weeks. You can search for restaurants on the Restaurant Circle website by postcode, city or restaurant name.

You can read more about the partnership, whilst it lasts, on the British Airways website here.

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: