British Airways offering ‘overnight bag drop’ at Heathrow Airport

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British Airways is now publicising the fact that you can check in your bags at Heathrow on the day before you fly.

Whilst it has only just been added to the website, it appears that this has been quietly offered since last Autumn to anyone who turned up and asked. British Airways has now decided to make it an official part of its service.

Here are the times it is available, plus times for Gatwick and Edinburgh where it has been offered for a while:

Heathrow Terminal 5 – check-in between 16.00 and 22.00 for flights departing before 13.00 the next day

Heathrow Terminal 3 – service not available

Gatwick South – check-in between 16.00 and 22.00 for flights departing before 13.00 the next day

Edinburgh – check-in between 04.00 and 20.00 (18.00 on Saturdays) for flights departing before 09.30 the next day

It is not available at any other airport at present. Whether it rolls out further will depend partly on take-up but also on the ability of the airport to handle luggage which is checked in early.

PS. If you missed it, take a look at our recent article on the top 10 reasons why you may want to apply for the British Airways American Express credit card.

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

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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

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The Platinum Card from American Express

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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:

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Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

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Category

British Airways and Avios

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

Secret Squirrel says:

10 Feb10 February 19:00

OT:
Anyone here got a Hilton status match recently who has had a status match previously? Been reading some people refused due to matched in the last 2x years?
Grimz says:

10 Feb10 February 19:21

OT, if I take out the Starwood Amex cc does this then stop me from getting the bonus on Platinum or BA cc.
- Shoestring says:
  
  10 Feb10 February 19:27
  
  assuming that’s your first Amex in 2 yrs, you can then go on to get BAPP and Plat in no particular order, as far as I remember – though not free BA Amex card
  
  hang on I will find the cheat sheet
  - Shoestring says:
    
    10 Feb10 February 19:28
    
    https://headforpoints.com/2020/01/06/how-to-earn-185000-avios-from-american-express-bonuses/
    - Grimz says:
      
      10 Feb10 February 19:35
      
      Brilliant the cheat sheet 😂! My last Amex was the BAPP 08/01/19. I haven’t had any other Amex card for 2years.
      - Shoestring says:
        
        10 Feb10 February 19:38
        
        yep but that means you have to wait another 11 months
        
        otoh good reports that applying for the SPG card whilst it still exists could get you the bonus points anyway
      - Grimz says:
        
        10 Feb10 February 19:48
        
        Yes but if I do that does that mean I’m back to 2 years wait for both Platinum and BAPP.
      - Shoestring says:
        
        10 Feb10 February 19:49
        
        yep, unfortunately
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        10 Feb10 February 21:25
        
        Nope Platinum is only 2 years since you held an MR earning card isn’t it. BAPP is 2 years since holding either BA card.
        
        However I applied for both SPG and BAPP since the rule change and still got the welcome bonus no change in any details ie same name address bank etc
Bazzer says:

10 Feb10 February 20:26

Thanks mainly to this blog I’ve managed to earn enough avíos for a 241 ticket to JNB in first to which I’m very grateful for! I’ve got a question about the lounges at Heathrow if anyone could help please…I have booked our ticket from INV to JNB so I know we will be able to use the lounges on the day of the flight but if I book a separate positioning flight up to INV from LHR for the day before, would we be able to use the lounges in Heathrow the day before as well?
- BJ says:
  
  10 Feb10 February 20:45
  
  Only if you book a CE flight to INV. Plaza Premium will be available if you have amex platinum or Priority Pass.
  - BJ says:
    
    10 Feb10 February 20:56
    
    Sorry, I meant Dragon Pass not Priority Pass.
    - Bazzer says:
      
      10 Feb10 February 23:14
      
      Thanks for that
U old git says:

10 Feb10 February 20:45

RE Rob, BJ,,Anna, Lady London, and Spaghetti Town and my query about not being able to see the seat map for my 2 4 1 return booking. It was cock up rather than conspiracy! BA had omitted my Amex CVS number, I have just seen my latest statement and they had not taken my payment. I made the booking about 3 weeks ago. Anyway BA has now corrected and the payment has now been taken. They are reissuing the ticket within the next week. With a bit of luck this later payment will also trigger my 3000 Avios bonus from Amex. Thanks for all the advice.
- Anna says:
  
  10 Feb10 February 21:00
  
  Glad it’s all cleared up – and enjoy the LPGS, sweetie!
- BJ says:
  
  10 Feb10 February 21:24
  
  A good result then, 3000 aviis plus no nasty shocks at tbe airport. Don’t worry if you don’t have the ticket reissued within a week. It’ll go into a fluid stack that is done in priority order favouring close-in departures. If your flight is a long way off then it may not be reissued for a while given the current situation.
- Lady London says:
  
  10 Feb10 February 21:55
  
  Glad to hear that. However as it’s a 2-4-1 to Barbados which is a route with higher demand at the front end of the aircraft than some, I would keep a proactive eye on it.
BJ says:

10 Feb10 February 21:27

Hyatt card?? Have you stayed at a Hyatt Place? Thinking about giving the one in Bangkok a try this summer.
- Harry T says:
  
  10 Feb10 February 21:35
  
  @BJ
  Have you tried the W in Bangkok? Planning a couple of nights there in November.
  - BJ says:
    
    10 Feb10 February 21:46
    
    No, have not tried many hotels there as we had a house there until 2016.
  - BJ says:
    
    10 Feb10 February 21:58
    
    Leave an early morning message for John, he’s very knowledgeable on Bangkok hotels. If you’re not too confident about using a taxi then just be sure to get a hotel adjacent to a skytrain or subway. station.
    - Harry T says:
      
      11 Feb11 February 07:45
      
      @BJ
      Thanks – I’ve been to Bangkok before, so I’ll be okay with the taxis 😊.
- Rob says:
  
  10 Feb10 February 21:46
  
  We reviewed one of the Dubai ones (a new build) and I was impressed.
  - BJ says:
    
    10 Feb10 February 21:51
    
    Thanks, I’ll have a look.
- Lady London says:
  
  10 Feb10 February 21:59
  
  Stayed in 2 Hyatt Places in the US and really like the format. Not sure there isn’t a whole lot of nice hotel competition in BKK though.
  - BJ says:
    
    10 Feb10 February 22:18
    
    Yes, spoiled for choice really but pics look good and it’s convenient for BTS. Big bright rooms with lots of windows which is what I like. I don’t like dim beige places, like many hotels are. We could stay with friends who have great houses and condos but my partner prefers to havd his own space which I can understand.
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  11 Feb11 February 00:33
  
  No Hyatt card in the UK that I know of but people travel around these days 🙂
  
  I haven’t but it was on the list for Bangkok a couple years back but ended up staying at the Marriot Queen’s Park which was a really nice hotel with a great club lounge.
  - BJ says:
    
    11 Feb11 February 06:06
    
    Thanks, I thought so but just wanted to double check. Yep, that Marriott is probably the most overlooked but possibly one of the better options. A lot of choice now since the merger though.
SilverInSix says:

11 Feb11 February 19:56

It’s actually been available at LGW ever since they moved to the south terminal a coupe years back. Tbh I’m surprised it’s taken this long for LHR to get it as obviously LGW is always the poor relation in BA’s eyes.

For any sceptical or worried I can vouch for it at LGW at least having made use of it several times. You can do it at the self service machines, dedicated bag drop desks or if you’re flying F or J or have Silver / Gold/ OW Sapphire / Emerald then at the dedicated desks in the ‘mini wing’ area
Trevor says:

11 Feb11 February 22:08

We have had overnight bag drop at Gatwick Airport for as long as I can remember.
Caroline Scott says:

17 Feb17 February 14:43

BA’s twighlight drop off works really well at Edinburgh (as does Ryanair’s) I was slightly nervous our bags would go AWOL. However if you are traveling with a pushchair you need to put in the hold, you either need to drop that off at the same time as your bags or queue for a tag the next day. Just something to factor into timings. Same policy for both airlines, assume it is a security feature.