Credit cards Archives - Turning left for less Champagne travel on a Prosecco budget Fri, 05 May 2023 07:49:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://www.turningleftforless.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/cropped-Leftforlessicon-32x32.jpg Credit cards Archives - Turning left for less 32 32 120045813 This Week in Travel Episode 14 – Starting with collecting points and miles on credit cards https://www.turningleftforless.com/starting-with-collecting-points-and-miles-on-credit-cards/ Fri, 14 Apr 2023 17:05:51 +0000 https://www.turningleftforless.com/?p=53233

In this week’s video I will look at what options are available for those that wish to use a credit card to collect Avios miles or points. What is the…

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In this week’s video I will look at what options are available for those that wish to use a credit card to collect Avios miles or points. What is the best card to start out with? Which one is best for a solo traveller or a couple? What perks can I get from my credit card?

You may think that some cards sound very expensive, but in fact if you use all the perks and offers, you can often make a profit.

Cards covered:

  • American Express Preferred Gold
  • American Express Platinum
  • BA Amex Premium Plus
  • BA Amex (free)
  • Barclaycard Avios Plus
  • Barclaycard Avios (free)
  • Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard 
  • Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard (free)
  • Marriott Bonvoy Amex

You can find the new episode on Youtube:

Podcasts will be available on the following platforms:

    • Apple Podcasts 
    • Spotify
    • Libsyn
    • Amazon Music/Audible 
  • Google Podcasts

You can find episode 14 here:

 

If you missed our launch episode celebrity special featuring TV presenter Andi Peters, Sky News Reporter Jonathan Samuels and industry expert Paul Charles of the PC agency, you can find it below. They are all very regular travellers who gave me some fascinating insights. I chatted with them about their thoughts on what travel will bring in 2023 and what their personal travel plans are.

You can see the first episode on Youtube here.

You can find the podcast version of Episode 1 here: https://sites.libsyn.com/454770

 

 

 

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]]> 53233 American Express Platinum fantastic new dining benefits for UK and abroad https://www.turningleftforless.com/american-express-platinum-fantastic-new-dining-benefit-for-in-uk-and-abroad/ https://www.turningleftforless.com/american-express-platinum-fantastic-new-dining-benefit-for-in-uk-and-abroad/#comments Wed, 20 Jul 2022 00:01:00 +0000 https://www.turningleftforless.com/?p=42858

Although the Amex Platinum can seem expensive at £575 a year, with all the offers and benefits, it’s always been a good deal if you use them all. With the…

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Although the Amex Platinum can seem expensive at £575 a year, with all the offers and benefits, it’s always been a good deal if you use them all. With the latest edition it makes it even more worthwhile with an extra £300 to spend in total. Even if you just add in the Harvey Nichols benefit at £100 a year that gives you £400 back without including things like the Priority Pass for unlimited visits for you and a guest, the travel insurance, car hire excess insurance and the monthly offers which can give hundreds of pounds back and discounts. 

American Express has launched an exciting three-year offer, giving current and new Platinum Cardmembers up to £300 in statement credits each year when spending at top restaurants in the UK and internationally. Although the offer is not totally new, it’s the first time we have seen it guaranteed for 3 years and a separate credit to be used abroad. 

Running through 2022, 2023 and 2024, Cardmembers can receive up to £150 in statement credits at UK restaurants and up to £150 at restaurants internationally, each calendar year. Cardmembers simply need to save this newly-launched offer to their Card and choose from the global selection of over 1,400 restaurants in the UK and internationally. The first offer is valid until 31 December 2022 and the following two years will run from 1 January to 31 December.

NOTE: The UK offer is not live yet but should be by the end of 20 July

A full list of restaurants is available here.

Ivy restaurant

There’s a decent choice of restaurants, not just in London. However, outside London the choice is quite limited.

  • Aqua Shard
  • Amazonico London
  • Bar Des Pres
  • Bread Street Kitchen (Edinburgh and others)
  • Brigadiers
  • Daphnes
  • Frog
  • Gordon Ramsey Bar and Grill
  • Gymkhana
  • Hawksmoor (excellent steak restaurant – various locations)
  • Helen Darroze at the Connaught
  • Lucky Cat (Gordon Ramsey’s Asian inspired restaurant)
  • Mere
  • Opheem
  • Roka
  • Tattu (Birmingham, Edinburgh Manchester, Leeds)
  • The Ivy (Cardiff, Glasgow and more)
  • Ugly Butterfly

Outside the UK, restaurants are available in a decent range of countries including the US, Thailand, Australia, Spain and France. But there is only one or two restaurants included in most cities apart from New York.

Cardmembers must register for both the UK and international offers through the American Express website or app, then book direct with the restaurant and pay with their Platinum Card at the venue to receive the statement credit. The spend will usually be credited on the Cardmember’s account within 30 days from the transaction.

There is even more good news that makes it easy for everyone to get the full value from the offer – the credits can be used across multiple meals and there is no minimum spend requirement.

For more information and terms, click here.

Here are some of the other benefits:

  • Up to £100 a year back, in statement credits, when spending at Harvey Nichols – a new benefit announced in January 2022.
  • Worldwide travel insurance for the Cardmember, their family and supplementary Cardmembers.
  • Hotel benefits including complimentary room upgrades upon arrival (when available) and a late checkout, when booking through Fine Hotels and Resorts.
  • Access to the world’s largest independent airport lounge access programme – Priority Pass. Access to American Express Centurion Lounges around the world, including Heathrow Terminal 3, which opened in October 2021. In total, access to over 1,300 airport lounges in 140 countries. You can also access Plaza Premium lounges and certain Lufthansa lounges when flying on most Lufthansa group flights. 
  • Cardmembers enjoy one-of-a-kind experiences at exclusive Platinum events from dining and lifestyle experiences, to fashion and iconic sports events. Bookable through the Amex Experiences app.

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]]> https://www.turningleftforless.com/american-express-platinum-fantastic-new-dining-benefit-for-in-uk-and-abroad/feed/ 14 42858 Wallet Audit: Which UK cards should you have for Avios, miles & points now Clubcard is not as good? https://www.turningleftforless.com/wallet-audit-which-uk-cards-should-you-have-for-avios-miles-points-now-clubcard-is-not-as-good/ https://www.turningleftforless.com/wallet-audit-which-uk-cards-should-you-have-for-avios-miles-points-now-clubcard-is-not-as-good/#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2021 05:13:28 +0000 https://www.turningleftforless.com/?p=31726

I have had a few queries about this, but even if you don’t have a Tesco Clubcard credit card, it’s worth a read to check that you have the best…

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I have had a few queries about this, but even if you don’t have a Tesco Clubcard credit card, it’s worth a read to check that you have the best cards for earning miles and points. Unlike most other sites, we don’t earn anything for referring credit cards so you will get my unbiased opinion. 

So at the moment, I have a lot of cards, Amex Gold, Amex BA Premium, Lloyds, Virgin and Capital on Tap. I don’t use my Lloyds card at all, it’s just there as a backup. I switch between my cards depending on whether they accept Amex or not. I would normally have an Amex Platinum but have downgraded while I am not travelling.

I will take a quick rundown of all the cards related to travel below, but first a quick look at what you need to decide before you chose. 

 

Choosing cards

pocket of credit cards

There are a couple of things you need to decide before you look at which card to chose. Obviously, whether you can afford it is one crucial question. I treat my credit cards as a debit card and pay off the balance every month by direct debit and I would strongly advise everyone else to do the same. 

Here are some things to consider:

  • Do I want a card that I can collect points that have multiple uses such as the ability to transfer into different airline or hotel schemes?
  • Do I want to stick to one particular airline as I know that usually I will book flights with them and gain plenty of extra miles that way?
  • Do I not care about the airline but have a particular holiday that I want to get miles/points for?
  • Do I need to use a non-Amex card for a lot of my spending?
  • Am I getting a card because I want the extra travel perks?
  • Do I want a big sign up bonus? If you have had a personal Amex in the last 24 months (excluding MBNA, Lloyds Bank, supplementary, and small business Amex cards), you will not qualify for many of the sign up offers for the other personal Amex. It’s pretty complicated depending on whether it is a Membership Rewards card or not. If it is important to get the bonus, make sure you read the fine print to check you qualify. 

The other thing I would say is, I would not rush into getting a paid card for travel perks right now unless you have imminent travel or there is an offer about to expire. 

 

The most flexible cards for hotels and airlines

Marriott Bonvoy

The Marriott card may not sound that flexible but there are plenty of programs you can transfer points into, despite the name.

  • Sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 points bonus when you spend £3,000 in your first three months
  • Cost: Free for first year, £140 afterward
  • Benefits/Perks:15 Elite Night Credits to help achieve status
    • Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status which gives 10% more points on every eligible hotel purchase. Priority Late Checkout, a dedicated phone line for Elite members and the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee (not really worth having)
    • Earn Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status when you spend £15,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in an anniversary year.
    • One Free Night Award after you spend £25,000 in an anniversary year, redeemable for a one-night stay (redemption level at or under 25,000 points – pretty cheap hotels only) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
    • Earn 10 points from American Express for each £1 of eligible spend at Marriott properties. Offer ends March 31st 2021. Additional bonus earn rate is capped at 20,000 and subsequent to this limit being reached will revert to your standard earn rate.
    • Bonvoy points convert 3:1 to 44 airline miles schemes including Avios, Alaska, American, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Turkish, TAP and Virgin.
    • Transfer 60,000 Marriott points and get 20,000 airline miles + 5,000 bonus miles for all but 3 of the airlines.
  • Points per £1:6X Points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
    • 2X Points on all other eligible purchases.
  • Pros: Flexibility – the best range of airline schemes plus it’s fairly cheap. If you are a heavy Marriott user its is worth considering if you want to credit to airlines outside the Membership Rewards scheme
  • Cons: The earnings rate for airlines is less than for the other Amex cards for non-Marriott purchases. 

 

IHG Rewards Club Mastercard 

 IHG Rewards Club covers loyalty for hotels such as Crowne Plaza, InterContinental, Hotel Indigo, Kimpton, Regent and voco.

  • Sign-up bonus: 10,000 IHG Rewards Club points when you spend £200 within 90 days
  • Cost: Free
  • Benefits/Perks: Gold Elite status in IHG Rewards Club
    • Points count towards elite status
  • Points per £1: 1 IHG Rewards Club point per £1 spent
    • 2 points per £1 for spending in IHG Rewards Club properties OR 2 points per £1 for overseas spend
    • Points convert at 5:1 into Avios or other airline miles with 45 airline partners
  • Pros:Flexibility – a great range of airline schemes. Partners include BA, Alaskan, Virgin, Emirates, Etihad, Singapore and Cathay. 
    • If you have no hotel status it’s worth considering to get Gold in IHG though it doesn’t get you much. It could be useful for a status match though. 
    • It’s free.
  • Cons: The earnings rate for airlines is very poor and less than for the other Amex cards and the Marriott card.

 

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card

This is the one I currently have as I don’t see the point in paying for Platinum since the majority of the perks are of no use when I am not travelling. Many of the offers that you get with Amex Platinum in terms of the monthly offers for discounts and cashback on various purchases including most major hotels and some airlines, are also on the Gold Card. And it’s free for the first year.

Here are the basics:

  • Sign-up bonus: 20,000 points when you spend £3,000 within three months.
  • Cost: Free for first year, £140 afterward
  • Benefits/Perks:Amex Membership rewards which can convert into multiple partners (see below),
    • As an Amex Gold cardholder you receive free membership to Priority Pass, which has a large range of airport lounges worldwide. Each year you get two free lounge visits and can purchase extra visits for £20 each which is much cheaper than normal. 
    • 10,000 bonus points for spending £15,000 per year
    • 10% discount and free additional driver on Hertz bookings
    • A $100 hotel credit and an upgrade, if available, when you staying two nights or more at an Amex The Hotel Collection hotel. 
    • Spending offers for money off travel and non travel purchases potentially worth hundreds of pounds per year
  • Miles per £1:You get 1 Membership Reward point per £1
    • Plus 1 additional Membership Rewards point for every full £1 spent on flights, prepaid hotels, car hire, and activities on americanexpress.co.uk/travel.
    • Foreign currency transactions and airline purchases also get an extra 1 MR per £1 spent.
  • Pros: It’s free, it’s flexible and it has a couple of useful perks for travel. 
  • Cons:Not that many perks for £140 a year and if you don’t use the spending offers, you may be better off with the free card after the first year.
    • It’s not the best-earning rate for Avios or Virgin Points

The American Express® Rewards Credit Card

  • Sign-up bonus: 5,000 Membership Rewards® points when you spend £2,000 in your first three months
  • Cost: FREE
  • Benefits/Perks: Amex Global Assist®, Travel Accident Insurance
  • Miles/Points per £1: You get 1 Membership Reward point per £1 
  • Pros: It’s free and it’s flexible to transfer into multiple hotel and airline partners. If you are not travelling there are plenty of other ways to spend membership rewards. 
  • Cons: It’s not the best-earning rate for Avios or Virgin Points

 

American Express Membership Rewards – what are they for?

There are lots of different ways to use MR including using as cash off any purchase on your card. Here I will look at travel transfers partners:

Airlines transfer MR points at a 1:1 ratio. The options are:

  • Avios (BA or Iberia)
  • Alitalia 
  • Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)
  • Delta
  • Etihad
  • Emirates
  • Finnair
  • Flying Blue
  • SAS
  • Singapore Airlines  
  • Virgin Atlantic 

For hotels, the transfer rates vary. Per 1 MR you get:

  • 3 Radisson Rewards points
  • 2 Hilton Honors points
  • 1.5 Mariott Bonvoy points

Plus you can transfer into Club Eurostar with 15 MR points to 1 Eurostar mile.

The beauty of MR is the flexibility so you are protected against airline devaluations, travel companies going bust or worrying about miles expiring if you don’t use them. I leave my points sitting in Amex until I decide I need to use them for something. 

 

The best for Avios and short-haul destinations

While you can use Virgin Points to book Air France and KLM short-haul flights, the route network and value for money is poor in comparison to Avios. 

Pure Avios cards that are not Amex are thin on the ground now. I will look at Amex first and then other options.

British Airways American Express Cards

how to use ba amex 2-4-1 two for 1 voucher
There are 2 versions – a free one and a premium one (the Premium Plus) with a fee.

British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card

  • Sign-up bonus: Collect 25,000 bonus Avios when you spend £3,000 in your first three months 
  • Cost: £195
  • Benefits/Perks: 2-4-1 voucher when you spend £10,000 within a year – one free Avios companion ticket but you need to pay taxes and charges for both. It’s valid for two years. 
    • Spending offers for money off travel and non travel purchases
  • Miles/Points per £1:1.5 Avios per £1 
    • 3 Avios per £1 spent on ba.com
  • Pros:Best overall earning for Avios points and good if you book a lot of flights through ba.com.
    • Also best for short haul redemptions if you don’t want to pay a lot of Avios or cash due to their Reward Flight Saver offer which offers reduced taxes for short haul.
    • Also Avios is one of the only ways to get flights almost free by paying £1 in taxes but more Avios.
  • Cons:Expensive per year and with low cost flights likely to be around for the next 12 months, vouchers are less valuable as most long haul tickets cost around £650 in taxes/charges per person in Club and First.
    • Not very flexible and you need to spend a lot to get the real benefit from the card which is the 2-4-1 voucher. You can read more about them here. 

British Airways American Express® Card

  • Sign-up bonus: Collect 5,000 bonus Avios when you spend £1,000 in your first three months 
  • Cost: Free
  • Benefits/Perks: 2-4-1 voucher when you spend £20,000 within a year – one free Avios companion ticket but you need to pay taxes and charges for both. It’s only valid for a year versus the paid card which is two. 
  • Miles/Points per £1:1 Avios per £1 (no ba.com bonus)
  • Pros: Free and a decent sign up bonus for a low spend. 
  • Cons:Not great earning rate.
    • Not very flexible and you need to spend a huge amount to get the real benefit from the card which is the 2-4-1 voucher. You can read more about them here. 

 

If you own a business, then one of the best options is the Capital on Tap card.

 Capital on Tap Business Rewards Credit Card

  • Sign-up bonus: 10,000 bonus points to redeem for £100 cashback or 10,000 Avios when you spend £5,000 on your card in your first 3 months
  • Cost: £99
  • Benefits/Perks: No FX or UK ATM charges
    • Up to 20 free supplementary cards
  • Miles/Points per £1: 1% cashback or 1 bonus point = Avios for every £1 of card spend
  • Pros:Not an Amex and relatively low charge for a decent return on Avios.
    • No FX fees is also useful for travel and can save a lot of money if you travel a lot
  • Cons: Only available for small businesses and credit limits can be quite stingy even after a long period with them.

 

If you are a high earner or HSBC customer the best option is

HSBC Premier World Elite Credit card

 

To get the card you need a HSBC Premier account which is pretty tricky to qualify for but if you can, or could qualify, it is worth considering. You need to

1) have savings or investments of at least £50,000 with HSBC in the UK; or
2) have an individual annual income of at least £75,000 and one of the following products with HSBC in the UK:

  • a mortgage;
  • an investment, life insurance or protection product;

Interestingly, there is no fee for the account itself, just the card.

Here are the card details:

  • Sign-up bonus: Receive 40,000 reward points when you spend £2,000 on your card in the first 90 days of card membership.
  • Cost: £195
  • Benefits/Perks:Complimentary airport lounge access with membership in the LoungeKey programme for main and supplementary cardholders
    • Complimentary global Wi-Fi access
    •  10% discount on selected hotels booked with your HSBC Premier World Elite Credit Card through Expedia or Agoda plus 12 months’ complimentary Expedia+ Gold Membership.
    • Mastercard Travel Rewards
  • Miles/Points per £1: 2 HSBC Premier Reward points if it’s in pounds or 4 HSBC Premier Reward points if it’s in non-Sterling currency. Every 2 points are worth the equivalent of 1 frequent flyer mile. 
  • Pros: Hard to qualify, expensive and average earning rate
  • Cons:Plenty of perks if you are a frequent traveller.
    • The lounge access is cheap compared to Amex Platinum if you don’t need the other Platinum benefits. 

 

The best for US/Caribbean long haul flights 

Virgin credit card

If you aren’t too worried about flying BA, the Virgin Atlantic credit card has some excellent perks as well as a very generous earning rate for a non Amex card. Personally, I wouldn’t bother with the free one as the earning rate is so low, but here are the details on both. 

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

  • Sign-up bonus: 15,000 bonus points with your first card purchase within 90 days of opening your account when you spend £20,000 in a year. 0% for 6 months on balance and money transfers (you’ll pay a 3% fee).
  • Cost: £160
  • Benefits/Perks: an upgrade to Premium or a Companion ticket when you spend £10,000 in a year (taxes and fees still apply for both tickets) or Clubhouse.
  • Miles/Points per £1: 1.5 Virgin Points for every £1 you spend on everyday card purchases. And 3 points for every £1 you spend with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays. 
  • Pros:Great earning rate and the companion voucher or upgrade can be valuable. 
    • Also, as it’s not an Amex, it’s accepted pretty much everywhere.
    • Virgin now use points instead of miles that never expire.
    • The points can be used for a wide range of products as well as travel including transfers into Hilton or IHG.
    • Can be used on lots of airlines including a great value redemption for First on ANA plus Hawaiin, Delta, KLM, Air France, Singapore and Air New Zealand. 
  • Cons:Virgin miles availablity is often worse than BA.
Virgin Clubhouse heathrow review
Virgin Clubhouse Heathrow

Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard

  • Sign-up bonus: 0% for 6 months on balance and money transfers (you’ll pay a 3% fee).
  • Cost: Free
  • Benefits/Perks: an upgrade to Premium or a Companion ticket when you spend £20,000 in a year (taxes and fees still apply for both tickets) or Clubhouse pass. 
  • Miles/Points per £1: 0.75 Virgin Points for every £1 you spend on everyday card purchases. And 1.5 points for every £1 you spend with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays. 
  • Pros:Cheap and good if you want to do a balance transfer. 
    • The points can be used for a wide range of products as well as travel including transfers into Hilton or IHG.
    • Can be used on lots of airlines including a great value redemption for First on ANA plus Hawaiin, Delta, KLM, Air France, Singapore and Air New Zealand. 
  • Cons:Low earning rate and hard to spend enough to get the bonus.
    • Virgin miles availablity is often worse than BA.
    • Some of the rewards are status and class dependant. 

 

The best for travel perks

American Express The Platinum Card

Platinum amex offers

  • Sign-up bonus: 30,000 Membership Rewards® points when you spend £4,000 in your first three months
  • Cost: £575
  • Benefits/Perks:Amex Membership rewards which can convert into multiple partners (see above),
    • Complimentary access to over 1,200 airport lounges across more than 130 countries worldwide with Priority Pass for you and a guest
    • Amex Centurion lounge access (mainly in US but growing worldwide)
    • Access to Plaza Premium lounge T5
    • Eurostar lounge access in London, Brussels and Paris
    • Hilton Gold status
    • Melia Gold Status
    • Radisson Gold status
    • Marriott Bonvoy Gold status
    • Access to FHR hotels which give similar perks to Virtuoso but with more guaranteed. Perks include upgrades, late check out and $100 credit. 
    • Complimentary Supplementary Cards – the first one gives the same travel perks
    • Comprehensive worldwide travel insurance for you, your family and your Supplementary Cardmembers. (often does not include existing conditions)
    • Comprehensive car hire insurance
    • Platinum Concierge
    • £10 per month of Addison Lee taxi credit
    • $200 cashback on every onefinestay home rental – available unlimited times, no minimum spend
    • Multiple spend offers per month on everything from hotels and airlines to drinks and beauty products
  • Miles per £1:You get 1 Membership Reward point per £1
  • Pros: You can easily get your money back on the fee if you use all the spending offers.
    • The perks are the best in the market and can also save a lot on insurance and hotel breakfast or lounge access.
  • Cons:It’s very expensive and if you won’t use the travel perks or the spending bonuses, the Gold card is better.
    • It’s not the best-earning rate for Avios or Virgin Points
Plaza Premium lounge Heathrow Terminal 5
Plaza Premium lounge Heathrow Terminal 5

Disclaimer: Turning Left for Less is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be taken as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any credit card is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based only on the ability to earn miles and points or get travel perks and do not consider any financial considerations beyond the basic fee for the card. 

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]]> https://www.turningleftforless.com/wallet-audit-which-uk-cards-should-you-have-for-avios-miles-points-now-clubcard-is-not-as-good/feed/ 6 31726 NEWS: Should you cancel or “furlough” your Amex Platinum, Gold or British Airways cards? https://www.turningleftforless.com/news-should-you-cancel-or-furlough-your-amex-platinum-gold-or-british-airways-cards/ https://www.turningleftforless.com/news-should-you-cancel-or-furlough-your-amex-platinum-gold-or-british-airways-cards/#comments Sat, 11 Apr 2020 04:17:33 +0000 https://www.turningleftforless.com/?p=25371

With it looking like many months before we start to travel again, you may be wondering whether it is worth keeping your current portfolio of miles earning credit cards. I…

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With it looking like many months before we start to travel again, you may be wondering whether it is worth keeping your current portfolio of miles earning credit cards. I am personally considering cancelling my Platinum American Express card. Before you do so, here are some things worth considering.

American Express Platinum charge card

Platinum amex offers

With the fees now an eye-watering £575 a year, you may want to consider “furloughing” your card for a while if your renewal is due soon. 

Things to consider:

  • If you do cancel, you will get a pro-rata refund of the fee. 
  • Before you cancel you need to consider whether you will want to apply for this or another credit card again in the near future. It is predicted that credit will be harder to come by as criteria become more stringent due to the current situation.
  • Many of the benefits you get with Amex Platinum are not of use if you can’t travel. These include hotel statuses like Hilton, a Priority Pass and FHR hotel benefits. 
  • You can still earn Membership Reward points which are much more useful than miles at the moment. The fact you can convert them into many different things including miles, hotel points and even cash off shopping means there is less risk.
  • However, if you have Membership Rewards on your account you need to have another account that earns Membership Rewards open before you close your Platinum account. Otherwise, you would lose them all. Alternatively, you could transfer them all into one of the airline or hotel schemes or redeem them against something else. You can get a free Membership Rewards card that earns 1 MR for every £1 spent which is called the American Express Rewards Credit Card.
  • You do still get offers on the American Express Platinum card which for me usually negate the fee. Nevertheless, with the current situation, you are likely to be spending far less, so it’s unlikely to offset the cost in terms of offers.
  • You do still get the Addison Lee £10 a month credit which, if you are a user, will offset £120 of the fee once we are out of lockdown. 
  • The included travel insurance also needs to be considered. Are there trips that you may need to claim for outstanding? Will you be able to get travel insurance that is suitable for your needs if you cancel the card and take out a new policy? Most new policies are excluding cover for COVID-19.

 

British Airways Premium Plus Credit Card

how to use ba amex 2-4-1 two for 1 voucher

This card carries a £195 fee but offers 1.5 Avios for virtually every £1 spent and a companion voucher when you spend £10,000 in a year. Obviously, with a long period of not travelling, you may be wondering if it is worth earning another companion voucher. 

Things to consider

  • At the moment Amex has offered a six-month extension to both existing and new vouchers which gives you some breathing room. 
  • Even if you don’t want to earn another voucher, the card still offers the best-earning rate for Avios credit cards.
  • You will receive a pro-rata refund of your annual fee if you cancel.
  • A lot will depend on where you are in your voucher earning year and how close you are to the voucher.
  • If you are close to the end of your year and near to earning your voucher, I would leave reaching the bonus as late as possible but still try to make it through your natural spending. You will then have 2½ years to use the voucher.
  • If you are coming up to the end of the year and face renewal fees, I would be considering how many vouchers I already have to use and whether my spending has reduced to the point that getting a new voucher would be more difficult.
  • If you decide that you do not want to earn a voucher this year, there is an alternative to cancelling. You could downgrade to the free BA Amex card to keep earning and switch back to the more costly BAPP at a later date. This is probably a better option than cancelling since you have nothing to lose unless you want to switch to a different credit card altogether. The earning rate is not as good at 1 Avios for every £1 spent, but it is still not a bad rate. 
  • You can pay the taxes and fees for the companion flights on any American Express card – but obviously, you need to make sure you still have an Amex if you are cancelling the BA one and have a voucher to use. However, the terms and conditions say you must use the original card, but in practice, they don’t enforce this. 
  • Your flights should not be cancelled if you cancel your BA Amex card after making your companion voucher booking. Again the T&C say  “Cardmembers must remain eligible for this promotion at the time of travel. British Airways and Amex reserve the right to refuse to issue or honour any Companion Voucher in the event that the Cardmember is in breach of the terms of the British Airways American Express Card or the British Airways Executive Club Membership”. Again in practice, I have never heard of this happening and other blogs agree. If you don’t want to risk it, just downgrade to the free card. 
  • You also don’t lose the voucher if you cancel your card after you have earned it, but it is the same situation as the previous point. 

 

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card carries a £140 fee after the first year but offers 1 Membership Reward or more for virtually every £1 spent. There are also several perks including lounge visits and Travel Inconvenience and Travel Accident protection. Obviously, with a long period of not travelling, you may be wondering if it is worth paying the money for benefits you are not using.

  • You will receive a pro-rata refund of your annual fee if you cancel.
  • If you are planning to just transfer any Membership Rewards into Avios, then you may be better with the free BA card. However, having flexibility with points is a good thing at the moment.
  • However, if you have Membership Rewards on your account, you need to have another account that earns Membership Rewards open before you close your Gold account. Otherwise, you would lose them all. Alternatively, you could transfer them all into one of the airline or hotel schemes or redeem them against something else. You can get a free Membership Rewards card that earns 1 MR for every £1 spent, which is called the American Express Rewards Credit Card.
  • Even if you don’t have an MR balance, if you will not get much benefit out of the travel perks for the remainder of your year, it may also be worth considering the free American Express Rewards Credit Card to keep the flexibility of earning MR points. 

 

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]]> https://www.turningleftforless.com/news-should-you-cancel-or-furlough-your-amex-platinum-gold-or-british-airways-cards/feed/ 6 25371 How to get 2 First class BA flights for £110 & British Airways First Class B777 review https://www.turningleftforless.com/get-first-class-ba-flight-cheap-review-of-british-airways-first-class-b777/ https://www.turningleftforless.com/get-first-class-ba-flight-cheap-review-of-british-airways-first-class-b777/#comments Sat, 14 Jan 2017 06:00:11 +0000 http://www.turningleftforless.com/?p=1230

This review is of the return flight on British Airways First Class from Moscow to London Heathrow. Thanks to my roving reporter for this report. How to get 2 return…

The post How to get 2 First class BA flights for £110 & British Airways First Class B777 review appeared first on Turning left for less.

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This review is of the return flight on British Airways First Class from Moscow to London Heathrow. Thanks to my roving reporter for this report.

BA first classHow to get 2 return First class flights for £110

This route is one of the cheapest ways to experience First Class, although obviously you don’t get as long to enjoy it as the flight is only 4 hours long. The flight was paid for using Avios and a British Airways Amex 2 for 1 voucher so the total cost was 68,000 Avios  and £110 tax for 2 people. To get a 2 for 1 voucher you will need to get a BA Amex card. They do 2 versions – a free one where you have to spend an eye watering £20,000 a year to get the voucher or a paid version for £195 where you have to spend £10,000 to get the voucher. Remember you can get a companion card on the same account for your partner or spouse to help meet the target.*

The First Experience at Heathrow

If you go First both ways you will of course get to enjoy the Concorde lounge at Heathrow as well. You will also get access to the Elemis Spa treatments and unlike Club passengers, can book a treatment 28 days in advance. They have a range of 15 minute treatments including facials and massages.

We had lovely treatment from staff in the Concorde Room. Whilst there I had an early light breakfast washed down by a glass of the Gran Siecle (delicious as always) and a tasting of BA’s new bespoke gin (which was not to my taste).

BA First wing
BA First wing

British Airways’ First and Gold Executive Club customers travelling from Heathrow will soon have access to a new ‘First Wing’, creating a dedicated walkway from check-in to the lounges in Terminal 5. The First Wing, is set to open in April 2017 next to the BA First check-in area. It will create a private check-in zone where customers will use two new dedicated security lanes and then enter into the First Class lounge. This should allow you to get into the lounge much quicker than at present.

The on board experience

The flight was on the 4 class BA B777-200 which has 14 first class seats on the 4 class version with a 78 inch pitch and 22 inch wide. The configuration is 1-2-1 with the seats in the middle offering a privacy screen if you are travelling solo. I chose a window seat. On the B777 the toilets are at the front so if you are not bothered about having row 1, rows 2 and 3 are probably the best bets being the quietest away from both the galley and the toilet.

The First suite offers a number of features:

  •  Seat turns into a 198cm (6ft 6in) fully flat bed with quilted mattress, white cotton duvet and pillowBA wqashbag
  • First branded cotton pyjamas
  • Aromatherapy Associates (women) & Refinery (men) amenity kits. Liberty designed bags coming Spring 2017.
  • Personal power supply for laptops and electronic devices
  • 15in IFE screen and noise-cancelling headphones
  • a USB port and RCA jack for using your laptop, iPod or digital camera on the bigger screen
  • A double window blind controlled with a button

The crew on this flight were excellent from start to finish. Friendly, professional and efficient and most importantly my glass was never empty! We had to wait on the ground for quite a while whilst we were de-iced and my Champagne was constantly topped up the entire time. It is unfortunate that this level of service is not consistent with BA First class as I have had a bad experience in First previously with rude and unprofessional crew.

I started with a glass of the excellent Laurent-Perrier Gran Siecle Champagne which retails at over £100 a bottle. This was accompanied with warm nuts and bottled water was also given out.

Dinner was served on this evening flight and there was a good choice on the menu:

Starters

BA first B777 review

 

 

 

 

I went for the smoked salmon and also the borscht soup. Both were excellent but we had one major problem with the borscht. My travelling companion is vegetarian and had started eating the soup before we discovered bits of meat in it. There was no mention of this on the menu but the crew were very apologetic. I accompanied the salmon with a glass of the Chablis Premier Cru Vaulorent 2013 La Chablisienne.

The meaty borscht!

Main course:
BA First B777 review

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was nice to see Lamb on the menu as beef is all too often featured on BA and is rarely that great unless you like it well done.  The lamb was also delicious. I didn’t fancy the red wine so I switched to Bodega Garzon Albarino from Uruguay which was a bold choice for BA given that the wines of Uruguay are relatively unknown to most people.

Dessert:
BA First class

For dessert I had the pistachio sponge accompanied by a glass of KWV The Mentors Late Harvest 2015 from South Africa. This was made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes so was an excellent accompaniment to the sour cherries.BA first class review B777

In summary this was an excellent and enjoyable First experience if a little short and at a bargain price too!

 

Disclaimer: Turning left for less is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Reviews are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points and do not consider interest rates, service levels or any impact on your credit history.

 

 

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