British Airways’ latest Avios redemption price hike came into effect at around 9am yesterday and I spent the day analysing what has changed. If you’re interested in route-by-route pricing then we have updated our article which lists the…
How many British Airways Avios points do you need to fly to a particular city? It is surprisingly tricky to find out how many Avios are required for a particular route. British Airways no longer publishes pricing tables online. This table…
Few people know that you can redeem Virgin Points for holidays on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island retreat in the British Virgin Islands. Necker Island was badly damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017. After substantial rebuilding, the…
The daily chat thread is now part of our forums. Click here to go to the forum home page and then select ‘Click here for today’s chat thread’. Thank you.
This is our review of premium economy on Air Canada’s Boeing 737 MAX. Did you know that Air Canada operates the shortest year-round non-stop transatlantic flight to London? Only one flight is shorter – WestJet’s Gatwick to St John’s…
Last Monday, Barclays launched a sign-up bonus of 35,000 Avios on the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard credit card. This is the first special sign-up bonus we have seen on this card for a long time, and runs until 15th January 2026. Our…
I receive occasional emails from readers asking ‘How can I stop my Hilton Honors points from expiring?’ or ‘When do my Hilton Honors points expire?’. This series, which we are updating this week, looks at the major hotel loyalty programmes…
The daily chat thread is now part of our forums. Click here to go to the forum home page and then select ‘Click here for today’s chat thread’. Thank you.
Welcome to The Travel Brief, your weekly trade round-up of UK business travel and travel loyalty news as well as the latest reviews and features from the Head for Points team. If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up here to receive…
Many hotel chains let you use your points to pay for food, drink and spa treatments whilst a guest. Is it ever worthwhile, or would you be better saving your points for another free night in the future? Let’s see. Using World of Hyatt…
This is our review of the Hilton London Metropole hotel. Hilton is currently running its latest weekends sale for hotels and resorts across the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. You can get up to 20% off participating properties for…
Late last year, US airline JetBlue said it would (finally) introduce its own airport lounges at its hubs in New York and Boston. Just over a year later – and right on schedule – it is opening its first lounge at New York JFK. As the first…
The aim of this feature is to summarise flight, hotel and points offers that are ending soon. Everything listed below has been covered on HfP in recent weeks, but years of experience of running offers for HfP readers has made it very clear…
I receive occasional emails from readers asking ‘How can I stop my ALL Accor points from expiring?’ or ‘When do my ALL Accor points expire?’. This series, which we are updating this week, looks at the major hotel loyalty programmes and…
The daily chat thread is now part of our forums. Click here to go to the forum home page and then select ‘Click here for today’s chat thread’. Thank you.
Capital on Tap, the small business credit card (Limited Companies only) which offers Avios at a very attractive rate, has announced an increase in Priority Pass guest fees for Pro cardholders. This is, by any measure, a chunky rise. The…
This is our review of The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul hotel. I’d always wanted to visit Istanbul. The dual continent aspect intrigued me and I’d heard great things about it as a place to explore. When offered the opportunity to review The Ritz…
News in brief: Transport for London raises Elizabeth Line fares to Heathrow Transport for London is planning to raise fares for tube and TfL rail journeys across London as part of a £2.2 billion funding settlement agreement with the…
The daily chat thread is now part of our forums. Click here to go to the forum home page and then select ‘Click here for today’s chat thread’. Thank you.
Welcome to the Head for Points weekly newsletter, full of the latest Avios, travel loyalty and travel credit card news, hints and tips. If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up to this free Saturday newsletter by filling in the form…
On Monday, Barclays launched a sign-up bonus of 35,000 Avios on the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard credit card. This is the first special sign-up bonus we have seen on this card for a long time, and runs until 15th January 2026. Our…
Two bits of hotel news in brief: Virgin Hotels launches a redemption sale The loyalty side of Virgin Hotels is, with the best will in the world, a bit of a mess. Earning Virgin Points is an easily missed side benefit of registering for its…
News in brief: Air France to open a Heathrow Terminal 4 lounge After a 17 year hiatus, Air France will have an own-brand lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4. The new lounge will open in “spring 2026” and promote “the French art of hospitality”…
The daily chat thread is now part of our forums. Click here to go to the forum home page and then select ‘Click here for today’s chat thread’. Thank you.
As we trailed earlier this week, the Plaza Premium lounge at Edinburgh airport is now a Turkish Airlines lounge. In fact, it is the first Turkish Airlines in Europe outside of Turkey itself. Because Turkish is a Star Alliance member, this…
News in brief: Qatar Airways rolls out new Diptyque amenity kits Qatar Airways is upgrading its already impressive business class amenity kits. Since 2022 the airline has offered amenity kits in partnership with French perfumer Diptyque in…
The Marriott conversion machine has been in action in Birmingham. Two ‘new’ hotels are now showing on the Marriott website – although not in the app, oddly – but neither are currently bookable. Let’s start at the airport. The Ibis Styles…
IHG One Rewards is continuing its offer of a 15% discount on redemptions at selected new hotels. The list has just been extended to the end of February 2026 so I thought we’d take another look. IHG now shows the original price crossed out,…
The daily chat thread is now part of our forums. Click here to go to the forum home page and then select ‘Click here for today’s chat thread’. Thank you.
TAP Air Portugal, a member of Star Alliance, has launched a status match. It is a great opportunity for a mid-tier British Airways Club Silver member to get Star Alliance Gold status. Virgin Atlantic elite members cannot take part,…