Is it correct that Lloyds Avios credit card upgrade vouchers are not valid on Zone 3 flights?

Yesterday I published an update on BA’s roll-out of ‘zero taxes’ Avios redemptions on short-haul.

At present this has only been rolled out to Zone 3 routes which traditionally require 10,000 Avios each-way in Euro Traveller and 20,000 Avios each way in Club Europe.

EDIT: Ignore this article – BA has now fixed the problem.

According to Stuart in the HfP comments yesterday, it is not currently possible to redeem a Lloyds Avios Rewards credit card upgrade voucher on any of these routes.  The IT changes required to offer ‘zero taxes’ Avios redemptions have had the side effect of stopping the BA computers being able to use the vouchers.  This means that you currently cannot use the vouchers to upgrade to Club Europe on routes such as Malta, Greece, southern Italy, Morocco etc.

This HfP article tells you all you need to know about upgrading British Airways flights with Avios.

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.)