The British Airways High Life and Business Life magazines go digital

I know this is a topic which divides opinion, but I have always enjoyed the British Airways Business Life magazine, and to a lesser extent High Life.  In an dumbed down world, the magazines – especially Business Life – are better than you would expect.

Unfortunately, the magazines are also heavy.  Whilst they are not cheap to advertise in, they are also not cheap to produce due to the amount of editorial.  It is probably arguable whether, factoring in fuel and handling costs, they make money.

British Airways has now launched a trial on 10 aircraft to remove printed copies of the magazines.  Instead, you will be allowed to download them via the in-flight wi-fi.

There is a real risk here, I think.  The number of people who will bother to download them, compared to picking them up and flicking through, will be tiny.  More importantly, advertisers will want to see the exact numbers of downloads and it won’t be pretty.  At present they are presumably fobbed off with a huge number of ‘potential’ readers, based on installed copies multipled by number of people who sit in the seat over the month.

According to a Flyertalk poster, cabin crew on the affected aircraft have a secret stash of the magazines which can be handed out to anyone who complains!

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.)