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An update on how you can redeem Avios points on Flybe

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I was chatting with the Avios team about Flybe redemptions and a couple of things came up which were news to me and so may also be news to you.

I don’t think any of it was meant to be secret but there had been no real effort to communicate it widely.

Here’s the first thing:  there are now Avios seats made available on ALL Flybe flights.  This mirrors the guaranteed availability offered by British Airways in Economy on its own services.

Redeeming Avios on Flybe

Secondly, there is no longer any difference in availability between what it shown on avios.com and what is shown on ba.com.  This was not always the case in the past.

Thirdly, to clarify what we wrote last week, ba.com will tell you that you do not get a checked baggage allowance on a Flybe redemption.  This is not true – even though your e-ticket will also tell you that you do not get a free suitcase.  At the airport it should be visible to the check-in staff that you do actually have a 1 x 23kg baggage allowance.  The call centre staff have been reminded of this anomaly and should no longer be giving incorrect advice to anyone who calls to enquire.

Flybe redemptions are not always good value because of the taxes and charges, but their pricing can be high on some of the niche routes and – adding in the free suitcase – it may work out OK.

You can take a look at the Flybe route network here.  Details of their Avios partnership are 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:

Nectar American Express

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 Platinum card Amex

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 card

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.)

Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (164)

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

  • HP says:
    17 May17 May 04:10

    140 hours of cleaning every 10 years. Nice.

  • Din says:
    17 May17 May 04:11

    Does anyone have ideas on what will happen next for MBNA Emirates Skywards card? Worried they will shut down too!

    Having just closed Amex Gold Pref and Companion card, this will be the main card esp to earn points

    Perks like 10% off emiratesholidays will go too! Havent had a chance to use the code yet

    • Tony says:
      17 May17 May 07:42

      Companion Card still works if you already have Gold charge card and hadn’t been down the Companion card route. Plat Companion also still works, naturally.

  • IanMacK says:
    17 May17 May 04:15

    Wholeheartedly agree with Rob’s sentiments regarding the CW footstool collapsing, and the IFE not working, and the CW seat not fully reclining or returning to position, and the toilet being out of commission, and this, and that, and something else …
    Too many niggly ‘maintenance issues’ which seem to crop up almost every long haul flight (or have caused a delay to the aircraft when inbound).
    Am I alone in noticing this trend ??

    • Simon says:
      17 May17 May 11:57

      Had my very first Club World flight to Rio a couple of weeks ago and guess what. My footstool collapsed twice and my seat got stuck in the lie flat mode. Had to move for my 2nd meal and landing. The guy next to me had the same issue with his seat.

      • Liz says:
        17 May17 May 13:09

        My footstool was jammed in the upright position on our F flight to SIN last Wed. I was given a box as my feet didn’t reach which was fine by me. I didn’t complain or ask for any compensation but at the very end of the flight I was given 10k Avios – was happy with that!

  • Kiran Kaja says:
    17 May17 May 04:30

    The fact that BA is cleaning their aircraft and it made the news is a clear demonstration of how desperate the situation is. It almost sounds like BA is doing a favor by providing a clean airplane.

    • Dave says:
      17 May17 May 06:04

      It’s an extra 125k Avios if you would like a clean plane, I shouldn’t give them ideas!

    • Anna says:
      17 May17 May 06:37

      There have been some shocking photos on social media recently of BA plane interiors – some of the toilets wouldn’t look out of place in a developing country!

      • The Original Nick says:
        17 May17 May 07:12

        I flew YYZ – LHR in CW this week and noticed there was no tissues. My TV also wouldn’t click into place and was held in place by a piece of paper for me. It was clear to me that the Cabin crew were rushed for time. Apologies were made to me from the Manager. I’m awaiting a response from BA.

        • Tilly says:
          17 May17 May 10:23

          Hi Nick. I have to admit I’ve put in a complaint about the same flight. Also observed the crew seemed rather stressed out and rushing around/short of time to get everything done. I was told at check-in there would be a full breakfast service. As we boarded I was given the card to complete for breakfast but then told I didn’t need to complete it when I mentioned my special meal. When breakfast was served ……I wasn’t, had to ask if I was getting a meal to be told i didn’t complete the card. I repeated conversation with other crew member and they brought me my meal ……..croissant and tiny portion of fruit. I’m allergic to dairy, when I pointed this out the croissant was removed from the tray and i was left with fruit. I wasn’t even offered a drink so had to ask for a cup of tea. I asked if there was anything else i could eat and the crew member went to check and came back with a no. So I was very hangry getting off the plane.

        • Kathy says:
          17 May17 May 10:33

          A BA CW low lactose special meal should have included a hot main course – usually some form of omelette, as well as fruit and a roll. They must have not loaded it at all!

        • Tilly says:
          17 May17 May 10:55

          The crew member told me no hot option …… hmmmmmm when in CE I get decent hot breakfast.

  • Colin MacKinnon says:
    17 May17 May 05:18

    Aaaargh! My strategy of AA for low fee transatlantic and SPG for the rest (including Marriott Travel Packages – with free brekkie for gold) has now collapsed!

  • Jonathan Cohen says:
    17 May17 May 05:30

    I hold appropriately 70k AA miles from Visa spend on this card and not likely travelling to US soon. Do I have any other options (ie transfer to Avios or similar). Thanks

  • Martin says:
    17 May17 May 05:54

    I’ve only made one Flybe redemption and I wish I’d just bought a cash ticket. BA.com showed the availability but errored when I tried to book it, and it then took 7 phone calls to get it reserved and ticketed. And they overcharged me on taxes (by charging APD for a child) and deducted twice the number of Avios. 6 weeks on and I’m still trying to get the overcharge refunded.

    • MattC says:
      17 May17 May 07:04

      I use the Resolver web site (Martin Lewis backed) for complaints and escalations. If all else fails you can get the £ refunded using credit card charge if they dont get back to you in a reasonable time frame. But not sure about the Avios, you might need to take it to the CEO or ombudsman.

  • Oli says:
    17 May17 May 06:02

    I had noticed for a couple of months the much better availability of redemption seats on Flybe. Previously virtually no redemption seats were made available on SEN-RNS, and now there are often 9+ seats per flight.

    My feeling is that redemption seats are available until the cash price reaches a certain level, but I might be wrong.

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