pointszilla

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The Ultimate Guide To Earning Avios For Small Businesses

How to maximise your Avios earning opportunities as a small business Running a small business is hard. One of the perks is that it’s easier to earn points than as a consumer, and those points can lead to business or first-class business travel. The vast majority of business expenses could earn you points and with minimal effort. Small business, big Avios earning potential If you’re the owner…

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Can you really pay HMRC with an Amex or credit card?

Earning Avios on your Self-Assessment, PAYE or Corporation Tax bills Savvy points earners look for any opportunity to put spend through a credit card and earn points, but HMRC aren’t big fans of American Express. In fact, they don’t allow it at all. There are some sneaky ways to get around this, but the bigger question is – is it worth it? What type of taxes does this article cover? I’m using…

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Hotel Review: Sofitel at Heathrow Terminal 5.

The best, but not the cheapest, hotel option for Heathrow T5 This review has been a long time coming. I’ve stayed at the Sofitel a lot over the years, but – like a lot of travellers – I’ve been on rushed visits, arriving late and then departing early. A recent connection in Heathrow and a longer layover than usual allowed me to write up a full review of this giant 605-room hotel. Where is the…

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Qatar close to 100% rollout of Starlink on 777s

Super fast Internet is rolling out quickly on Qatar I have to be honest: when Qatar had a test flight last year with Starlink connectivity, I thought it was a nice PR stunt. Their CEO made a video call to Elon Musk while the plane was in flight. The reality was that they were fully committed to this project, and the rollout has gone so quickly that they have twice beaten their own timelines on…

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BA (Re)launches Kuala Lumpur, doubles Tokyo Haneda flights

For the first time in five years, you can fly BA to Malaysia BA stopped their KUL flights during the pandemic. They were due to restart back in November 2024, but this launch was delayed. The flights have officially restarted, with a daily overnight service from London Heathrow. What do we know Direct flights from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur started on the 1st April. BA will fly daily to KUL.…

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BA Avios Shopping Website: What is it, how does it work?

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to earn Avios points When I talk to people about earning Avios, the Avios Shopping portal is usually not on their radar. Despite being easy to use, the points-earning approach also causes the most head-scratching. It it, by far, the most underused method of earning Avios points. What is the Avios Shopping website? Previously, and occasionally still, called…

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Twenty years ago we were promised gyms, shops and even casinos on planes. That didn't pan out, but what we did get is bars and lounges on certain aircraft. These social spaces can make a long flight more enjoyable. But which planes can you find them on?

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The Qantas Lounge at Heathrow T3 is surrounded by other airline lounges. If you're flying with BA in First or Business you would probably head to their lounge, or the nearby Cathay Pacific lounge. Here's my review of what you're missing.

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Avios launches Goals: a new way to track progress towards reward seats

Looking for a free way to track reward seat availability? You might be in luck…. Avios has launched a new feature within their app that could make finding reward seats even easier. It’s not perfect – there are some serious limitations – but it’s a new way to keep track of seats and focus on earning the Avios needed to secure them. What has been launched? Avios has a new feature called Goals.…

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New Emirates Lounge at Manchester Terminal 2

Emirates is making the move to T2 The airline is making the move to Manchester’s Terminal 2, which means its premium passengers will be looking for a new lounge. Sending those discerning customers to the airport’s catch-all lounges wouldn’t do, which means that Emirates had some building work to do. Emirates Lounge at Manchester Airport At the time of writing, Emirates flies from the aged…

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Avios Hotels: How does it work, and why should you use it?

My guide to using Avios Hotels to earn thousands (or even tens of thousands) of points. Sometimes the room you book will be less than other aggregators, and even the hotel website itself.

One of the easiest ways to earn Avios points If you’re booking hotels, even just for one night, then you should be using the Avios Hotels website. It’s one of the easiest ways to earn Avios and at a significant rate. Read on to understand more, and how to leverage more points from your trips. What is the Avios Hotels website? BA/Avios operate a hotel booking website where you can earn points…

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BA's Seattle Lounge has been refurbished

For travellers flying out of Seattle, the BA lounge there has been reopened after a refurbishment. With similar design cues to Singapore, it has stunning views across the airport.

SEATAC is the latest international lounge to get an upgrade BA is on a roll. They’re completing lounge upgrades at a steady pace. Last month, it was Singapore, and before that, Lagos and Washington, DC. Most of their network is in need of an upgrade, so they can’t get these upgrades completed quickly enough. Customers flying out of SEATAC with BA or on a BA codeshare will now have a much better…

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Review: Qatar First Class (Al Safwa) Lounge in Doha

After a failed attempt and a change of flights, we finally got to visit the GOAT. It’s long been a dream of mine to get into the Qatar First Class lounge. I attempted an upgrade a couple of years ago but the lounge guardian said no. We then booked one of those rare First Class flights with Qatar to make sure we could use the lounge, but were downgraded after an aircraft swap. We finally got in…

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Aether Pricing Increase: £560 more for families

Is this the fastest launch-to-price-increase in MAG's history? Pricing for Aether has gone up three months after it launched, and for a family of four that means £560 more for the trip.

MAG have a cash cow, and they want to milk it. Manchester Airport loves to empty your wallet whenever it can. It’s perhaps unsurprising that they’ve increased the pricing for Aether, although the speed at which they’ve done this is a little shocking. What is Aether? Aether is Manchester Airport’s private terminal. For a fee you can avoid the main airport and experience quite a luxurious…

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Act Quick: How to earn 21.5 Avios per pound at Avios Hotels

Catch this Avios Hotels offer while you can I love Avios Hotels. Their per-room pricing is usually the same as booking elsewhere, but you can earn mountains of points. Best of all, it’s reliable – every single booking I’ve made has resulted in points What is Avios Hotels? It’s a website run by BA/IAG that is similar to other hotel aggregators like Hotels.com or Booking.com. In fact the backend…

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Which BA planes have WiFi? And how much is it?

British Airways was late to the WiFi Party, but has now caught up To some, being disconnected from the Internet sounds like heaven. Most plane passengers would revel in the chance to download, stream and message. Thankfully, BA’s planes can keep you connected. Best of all, their messaging package is entirely free for Executive Club members. A short history of BA WiFi 2018 doesn’t feel that…

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What happens if my BA account gets hacked?

Hackers are getting smarter, and there’s value in your Avios You may be surprised to hear that your Avios are a target for hackers. If you’re sat on hundreds of thousands of Avios, that could be worth thousands of pounds. How would a hacker use those points, how can you secure your account, and what happens if you end up being hacked? Why would a hacker steal your Avios? It might seem like an…