Register Now for Starwood Preferred Guest Double Take Promo

Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) is a loyalty program for Starwood Hotels, and the currency is Starpoints.

The Starwood hotel family includes the following brands:

• Sheraton


• Meridien


• Loft


• The Luxury Collection


• Westin


• Four Points


• St Regis


• W Hotels

 

Starwood Preferred Guest has 7 categories of hotels.

At the lowest end, a category 1 hotel costs 2,000 Starpoints for a free weekend night and 3,000 Starpoints for a free night during the week.  The Four Points by Sheraton in Zagreb, Croatia is an example of a category 1 hotel.

At the highest end, a category 7 hotel costs 35,000 Starpoints for a free night in a standard room in high season. The W Hotel in Paris, France is an example of a category 7 hotel.

 

Starwood Preferred Guest Double Take Promo

The Double Take promotion offers double Starpoints on all eligible stays from 1 May through 31 July 2013 at participating Starwood hotels and resorts worldwide. Elite-level extra Starpoint earnings and other bonuses will not be doubled. Only the base two-Starpoints-per-dollar earnings are doubled. There is no limit to the number of bonus Starpoints that can be earned during the promotion period.  Disappointingly there is a fairly long list of hotels that are not participating in this promotion, which can be found here. The United Kingdom non-participating hotels are,

• Le Méridien Piccadilly, London


• Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh


• Sheraton Park Tower, London


• The Lanesborough, a St. Regis Hotel, London


• The Park Lane Hotel, London


• W London — Leicester Square, London

This promotion is also restricted to stays at an ‘Eligible Rate’, which is any rate that is eligible to earn Starpoints in the Starwood Preferred Guest program. So certain prepaid rooms, where the booking is made through a third party (including travelocity.com, expedia.com, orbitz.com and delta.com), are not eligible rates and do not earn Starpoints or qualify for this promotion.

You also receive 500 additional bonus Starpoints for each eligible booking made through spg.com mobile site, the SPG App for iPhone, or the SPG App for Android.

Bonus Starpoints will post within 2 to 4 weeks after the qualifying stay posts.

Members must register online at spg.com/doubletake by 30 June 2013.

 

Other Promos

Starwood recently launched an innovative tie-up with Delta Airlines offering reciprocal status benefits. If you have status with Starwood you receive status benefits with Delta and vice versa. If you are an American Express Platinum cardmember then you have automatic Gold status with the Starwood Preferred Guest program. Further details and how to register can be found here.

You can also earn Starpoints through their UK American Express credit card. I have further details here.

Register Now for Starwood Preferred Guest Double Take Promo

Avios Award Booking - London to Cancun, Mexico

I was recently asked to help someone book a British Airways Avios award from London to Cancun in August, dates flexible with holiday to last more than 7 days. I thought this would make an excellent example for anyone not sure on how best to maximize their Avios.

 

Step 1

I need to find which airlines fly to Cancun, Mexico from Europe. I will use this information to examine the various routes this journey can take. Remember British Airways Avios can be used on all OneWorld carriers not just British Airways. The best method of finding this information is Wikipedia.

The following OneWorld carriers have services to Cancun, Mexico:

• British Airways – London, Gatwick


• Air Berlin – via Dusseldorf


• American Airlines  - via Chicago-O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, and New York-JFK

 

Step 2

Avios is a distance-based system, you can find out more here. My next step is to work out the distance for the possible journeys I can take. I will calculate with economy class in mind but if you want a business class seat you just need to double the number of Avios required.

I will use the Avios redemption chart.

 

 

• London to Cancun, Mexico is 4,954 miles, which is zone 6 on the Avios redemption chart. Zone 6 is 25,000 Avios one-way in economy


• Dusseldorf to Cancun is 5,247 miles (25,000) and London to Dusseldorf is a zone 1 reward saver (4,500 plus £15), making a total of 29,500 Avios
  


• London to Chicago is 3,961 miles (20,000) and Chicago to Cancun is 1,426 miles (10,000), making a total of 30,000 Avios
  


• London to Dallas is 4,759 miles (25,000) and Dallas to Cancun is 1,008 miles (7,500), making a total of 32,500 Avios
  


• London to Miami is 4,436 miles (25,000) and Miami to Cancun is 527 miles (4,500), making a total of 29,500 Avios
  


• London to New York is 3,471 miles (20,000) and New York is Cancun is 1,543 miles (10,000), making a total of 30,000 Avios
  

 

From this analysis, we can move forward with the Direct London to Cancun flight as it is unsurprisingly the lowest number of Avios, and also, the flights via Dusseldorf and Miami. The flights via Chicago, Dallas and New York cost more Avios than alternatives so should only be pursued if you wish to arrange a stopover in those destinations.

You could work out the number of Avios on the British Airways calculator for official confirmation.

 

Step 3

Now, we need to calculate the additional taxes and charges for each route to make a fair comparison.

You can search ITA Matrix for a quick idea of the fees.

London to Cancun direct on British Airways comes with taxes of £366.81.

ITA also gives us the lowest fare for a 7 day holiday in August, which is £700 in economy and £2370 in business (correct at time of writing), which we shall use to determine the value of our Avios.

An Avios economy return is 50,000 Avios + £366.81, which means saving of £333.19 (1 Avios = 0.7 pence)

An Avios business return is 100,000 Avios + £627.75, which means savings of £1,742.25 (1 Avios = 1.74 pence)

To book award seats use the British Airways Executive Club but remember to check the British Airways timetable to know what days there are flights. British Airways between London and Cancun fly on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. So, I know to check those days for availability. Since, the introduction of the British Airways availability calendar this has become less important but it is also good to know as flights on those days may not be appropriate for your schedule. It will also become very important when we check OneWorld partners.

Now, we know the cost of using British Airways we can check the other OneWorld flights to see if they are cheaper. The main reason they may be cheaper is because flights leaving London and British Airways long haul flights have substantial surcharges that you still have to pay when you book an Avios award. Departures from other cities and awards booked through OneWorld partners have much lower surcharges.

I will start with the Miami route. As part of this journey is not flown by British Airways it is best to search on the American Airlines website as searching on British Airways for OneWorld partners requires a very tedious day-by-day search. The American Airlines website has a much more user-friendly month-long calendar display.

London to Miami return is 50,000 Avios + £ 358.35 taxes and Miami to Cancun is 9,000 Avios + £47.00, a total of 59,000 Avios + £405.35.

This is more expensive than the direct route in both cash and Avios term so I would only pursue if you want to arrange a stopover in Miami.

 

Next is the Dusseldorf route. Again, I will use American Airlines to find availability but first I must check the flight schedule to know when AirBerlin fly between Dusseldorf and Cancun.

Dusseldorf to Cancun is 50,000 Avios + £88.40 taxes and London to Dusseldorf is 9,000 Avios + £30 taxes, a total of 59,000 Avios + £118.40, meaning a saving of £581.60 when compared to a direct paid ticket (1 Avios = 0.99 pence) .

So, for an extra 9,000 Avios and a stop in Dusseldorf you could save £248.41 in reduced taxes.

The savings are even more dramatic on a business class seat. Dusseldorf to Cancun is 100,000 Avios + £88.40 taxes and London to Dusseldoft is 18,000 Avios + £40 taxes, a total of 118,000 Avios + £128.40, meaning a savings of  £2,241.60 when compared to a direct paid ticket (1 Avios = 1.90 pence).

 

 

 

Avios Award Booking - London to Cancun, Mexico

Quick & Easy 60 Avios for Completing Tesco Feedback Form

Tesco wants to hear from you to improve their service. They know that everyone hates to fill in forms so they’re offering a sweeter, 25 Clubcard points (60 Avios). The form does not take long to complete, no more than 5 minutes. This is a quick and easy way to increase your Avios total and is very useful for someone who has not collected for a while and faces the danger of their Avios expiring.

Here is the link.

You are asked to provide a code for your local store but if you don’t have a receipt handy and don’t know the code then you can enter a random code. It worked just fine for me.

This offer is available one per household per week.

Quick & Easy 60 Avios for Completing Tesco Feedback Form

Tesco Offering 180 Avios for Insurance Renewal Dates

I did a post previously about Tesco offering 240 Avios (or the equivalent in Clubcard points) for insurance renewal dates. They are running the same deal now but for a lower 180 Avios (or 75 Clubcard points).

It is hardly earth-shattering but it’s free and quick.

According to the Tesco website,

“Just tell us your car, home or pet insurance renewal months, or all three, on our renewal dates website so that we can contact you at the right time with our latest offers and deals.

If you’re a Clubcard customer, you will get 75 Clubcard points if you enter your dates before 21st May 2013. Simply enter your Clubcard number on the renewals website.”

Terms and conditions say, “one offer of 75 points per customer.” But do not mention the previous deal so I think it’s safe to assume that even if you have already provided your insurance renewal dates before then you can do it again and still receive the points.

Remember you only need to provide one date for one type of insurance to qualify for the points and you will be contacted by Tesco around the time of your renewal. So, be prepared for a little marketing hassle if you do this.

The link for this deal is here.

 

Hat-Tip to HeadforPoints

Tesco Offering 180 Avios for Insurance Renewal Dates

1,920 Avios for 2 Cases of Tesco Wine! Deal Ends Sunday!

You can earn an extra 750 Tesco Clubcard points when you purchase 2 or more cases of wine worth over £50 at Tesco Wine. Tesco Clubcard points can be converted into Avios. I will go through the exact details of this deal a little bit later. First, let me go through what is being offered.

When you spend over £50 on 2 or more cases of wine from Tesco Wine you will earn an extra 750 Tesco Clubcard points if you enter a special code (code found below). Tesco Wine is a discount wine retailer. You buy wine in bulk and enjoy lower prices per bottle than at the supermarket because of the economics of scale of bulk buying.

This offer ends Sunday 21 April 2013.

Delivery is free for orders over £50.

Enter code XX6TJP at the checkout. The code can only be used once per person, per order. It cannot be used with any other code beginning XX. There is a code XXMML4 to get £10 off £50 orders for new customers. You can try it but according to the rules it should not be valid.

Tesco Wine has special offers. According to MoneySavingExpert you can get 25% off French wines when you buy two cases before Thursday 18 April. You should be able to get around £50 worth of wine for around £3-4 per bottle.

Delivery is free for overs over £50.

Here is the all important maths section,

£50 Tesco Wine = 50 Clubcard points + 750 bonus Clubcard points = 800 Clubcard points

800 Tesco Clubcard points = 1,920 Avios (1 Avios = 2.6 pence)

This is above my personal valuation of Avios, which is 1 Avios = 1 pence. You may have a different valuation or you may wish to take advantage of this opportunity to buy yourself some relatively cheap wine.

However, it is worth saying that these discount wine operations make a profit by taking bog-standard wine, slapping an expensive looking label, claiming exclusivity and then charging a higher price than its actual worth. You should go into these deals thinking that you’re getting some very ordinary wine for below average prices and nothing more.

Remember, there is cashback available on all Tesco Wine purchases.

• 
  TopCashBack are offering 3.03% cashback


• 
  Quidco are offering 3% cashback

 

HatTip to PaidtoShop

 

 

1,920 Avios for 2 Cases of Tesco Wine! Deal Ends Sunday!

960 Avios for Pre-Order of 'John Whaite Bakes' Cookbook

As I have discussed on many occasions on this website, Tesco is an excellent way to earn Avios. They are constantly offering bonus Tesco  Clubcard deals and Tesco Clubcard points can be converted to Avios at a standard rate of 1 Tesco Clubcard point equal to 2.4 Avios.

The latest offer for to pre-ordering John Whaite Bakes, a new cookbook. As it says on the Tesco website,

“John Whaite is the winner of the BBC’s the Great British Bake Off, 2012. He has been a keen baker and cook since he was a tiny tot, when he would spend many hours in the kitchen with his mum. From banking to baking, John was able to give up his mundane day job as a city commercial banker, to focus on the one thing he is truly obsessed with: food. In 2013 he fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams and attend Le Cordon Bleu in London to study the nine-month patisserie diploma.”

If you are interested in buying the cookbook to see how Mr Whaite can help you improve your baking then excellent. What I am interested in is the opportunity to earn Avios so here is the maths,

£10.00 plus standard delivery of £1.75 = £11.75 = 400 Tesco Clubcard points = 960 Avios (1 Avios = 1.22p)

This is above my personal valuation of Avios at 1 pence but you may have a different valuation and therefore consider this an excellent opportunity. If you do not have a valuation yourself yet then work out how you would like to redeem Avios and compare it to the actual monetary cost of doing so without Avios.

You have to use ecoupon TD-JHNW to earn the bonus Clubcard points

For those who are interested here is the synopsis from the Tesco website:

“John Whaite Bakes. He always has. Whether he is happy or sad, in love or heartbroken, on his own or with friends, he believes that whipping up his favourite Dishes provides nourishment for both the body and the soul. Now, fresh from winning the 2012 Great British Bake Off, he wants to share his mouth-watering creations with us so we can find the perfect recipe to fit our mood too. There are comforting dishes here like Self-Saucing Chocolate Mud Pud and Pork, Apple and Thyme Sausage Rolls that will warm up the coldest of winter evenings, inspiring flavour combinations such as Fig and Rose Savarin and Salted Caramel Rum Babas, romantic dishes to share such as Pizza Puttanesca and Passion fruit Tart and some new showstoppers too, including the brand new Hellfire and Brimstone Cake. So, whether you need a pick-me-up for dinner or a lazy Sunday breakfast treat, John Whaite Bakes is full of indulgent, delicious recipes to suit your every day and every mood.”

Sounds delicious…

 

960 Avios for Pre-Order of 'John Whaite Bakes' Cookbook

The Best Way To Get To...Heathrow Airport

This is the first in a series of posts where I will look at the best way to travel to London’s airports. I will start the series with London’s most important and busiest airport, Heathrow.

Now, I’m sure some of you will be thinking I know how to get to Heathrow already. What more can I learn? I thought the same until I was told about the Heathrow Free Travel Zone. At the time I had never heard of it and could not believe it did not know about it sooner. So, I decided to write a post explaining the best, quickest and cheapest ways to get from Central London to Heathrow Airport. It is a post for everyone from the very beginner just planning their first journey to one of the world’s greatest cities to the hardened Heathrow veteran.

So, what are your transport options?

From this map you can see there are four public transport options:

• Heathrow Connect


• Heathrow Express


• Piccadilly Underground Line


• National Express Coach

I will now examine each of these options in more detail.

 

Heathrow Connect

Heathrow Connect is the standard train service between London Heathrow and London Paddington. Trains depart Paddington from 4:42am with a later start of 6:12am on Sundays and run until just after 11pm wth a train usually every half an hour. The journey takes 27 minutes and connects to Heathrow Central Station (Terminals 1 & 3).

A standard single costs £9.50 and an open return (valid for one month) costs £19.00. Pre-paid Oyster cards are not valid on the Heathrow Connect.

You can use the following rail discount cards on Heathrow connect services:

• Family & Friends Railcard (off-peak only)


• Senior Railcard (off-peak only)


• Disabled Persons Railcard


• Young Persons Railcard


• HM Forces Railcard (off-peak only)


• Network Railcard/Gold Railcard


• New Deal Railcard

Off-Peak is defined as after 9.30am Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).

 

Heathrow Express

Heathrow Express is the fastest rail link between London Heathrow and London Paddington. The journey takes 15 minutes between Paddington and Terminals 1 & 3 and slightly longer to Terminals 4 & 5. First Trains leave Paddington just 5:10am and run until 11:25pm with trains every 15 minutes.

Express Saver (a ticket bought before boarding) costs £20 and an open return (valid for one month) costs £34. You can also purchase a carnet for £199.80, which is 12 singles for the price of 10, for frequent travelers.

If you are traveling with another person you can book a couple return for £50 and there is a discount for a group of three or four adults together.

You can use the following discount rail cards on the Heathrow Express:

• Friends and Family Railcard


• Young Persons Railcard


• Disabled Persons


• Senior Railcard


• International Student


• BritRail Passes


• HM Forces Railcard

You can also collect BAA WorldPoints for Heathrow Express bookings. You receive 1 WorldPoint for every £1 you spend. There frequent BAA WorldPoints sign up bonuses on offer if you do not have an account yet. You can transfer BAA WorldPoints to Avios.

 

Piccadilly Underground Line

The Piccadilly Underground Line is the cheapest public transport option available. There are three undergrounds stations at Heathrow: Terminals 1,2,3, Terminal 4, and Terminal 5. The standard journey time from Heathrow Terminals 1 & 3 to Central London on the underground is around 40–50 minutes. You can change at Hammersmith for the District Line, South Kensington for the Circle Lin, Green Park for the Jubilee and Victoria Lines, Holborn for the Central Line, and King’s Cross/St Pancras for Northern Line, Hammersmith & City Line, Metropolitan Line, National Rail Services to the North, and International Rail Services to Europe.

The cheapest method way of paying for Underground transport is the Oyster card. The Oyster card is a plastic smartcard. You can buy one for a refundable £5 deposit at any Transport for London ticket office. You put prepay credit on the card before you travel then you touch in at your entry station and touch out at your exit station and the system automatically charges you the correct fare for your journey.  London Heathrow is in Zone 6. A single from Zone 6 to Zone 1 (Central London) costs £5.00 at peak-time (6:30am to 9:30 am and 4pm to 7pm Monday to Friday) and £3.00 off-peak (any other time plus travel into Zone 1 between 4pm and 7pm Monday to Friday). You can buy a travelcard to cover any amount of travel per day, week or month but it would be cheaper to pay just for Zone 1 or Zone 1 to 2 rather than the Zone 1 to 6 necessary for Heathrow to Central London tube travel. Oyster cards can be used on London buses as well – a single costs £1.40.

 

National Express Coach

National Express Coach is a coach service with a very extensive national network. If you are traveling outside of London to a major town or city then this will normally be the cheapest method of transport.

At Terminals 1 and 3 the coach uses the Central Bus Station which is only a 5 minute walk from the terminal buildings, at Terminal 4 the coach uses stops 13 and 14 right outside the terminal building at arrivals level, and Terminal 5 the coach uses stops 13-16 right outside the terminal building at arrivals level.

London Heathrow to Victoria Bus Station takes around 40 minutes, depending on traffic, and costs £6 single £11 open return. London Victoria is the main bus station in London and connects to the expensive National Express Coach network as well as the Underground Lines – Victoria, Circle and District.

If you do book a coach ticket to London then you can take advantage of the 2-for-1 London Offers, including Madame Tussauds, Tower of London, Churchill War Rooms, West End Theatre Productions and a Tour of Lord’s Cricket Ground (a Must See!).

The National Express Coach is the easiest way to travel between London’s Main Airports -  Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton. The service between Heathrow to Gatwick runs 100 times a day and costs £25 one-way and £40 return. However, you may have to factor a possible traffic delay for any airport transfers.

You are allowed to take two medium-sized suitcases – weighing up to 20kg each – plus one small piece of hand luggage per person on a National Express Coach.

 offers 5.05% cashback

 offers 5% cashback

 

The Heathrow Free Travel Zone is an area where all public transport is free of charge. It is designed to allow quick and easy transport between the various parts of Heathrow terminal, including the off site airport hotels. This zone is particularly useful if you are staying in a nearby hotel for awaiting an early flight or need a night to sleep after a late arrival. Check the location of your hotel and see if any TFL bus stops nearby then see if the bus number is part of the Heathrow Free Travel Zone. If you have large and heavy suitcases then you may wish to use the Hotel Hopper bus service rather than local Transport for London buses because of the extra luggage space but at £4 each way it is very expensive.

 

Private Taxi

The most expensive and most convenient method of transport is private taxi. You can hire a Black Taxi from outside the Terminals, all drivers are fully licensed and have passed the famous “knowledge” test and know London’s streets back to front. You can hail a cab without pre-booking or you can prebook here. A Black Cab from Heathrow Airport to Leicester Square will cost around £80 plus tip, but you can pay by credit or debit card as well as cash.

You can use a private mini cab service and there are many available within the London area. Heathrow Airport uses greentomatocars. Normally mini cabs are cheaper than Black Taxis with the same journey costing around £60-70 plus tip.

 

Best Method of Transport

The best method of transport depends on your situation, particularly where in London you wish to be. The Heathrow train services, Connect and Express, are excellent for journeys to London Paddington and surrounding areas but are inconvenient for journeys to the East and South of London. In that situation it would make more sense to travel via the Underground as you will be able to connect easily from the Piccadilly Line. However, if you are traveling with large suitcases or small children tired after a long flight then you may wish to choose something more comfortable. If you are staying in Central London then you could combine an Express train journey to Paddington with a Black Taxi to your hotel for maximum comfort and speed but still within a budget. If you are connecting to another London Airport then the best option is a National Express Coach. My own favourite method of transport is the London Underground as I am a frugal traveler in no particular hurry.

 

 

The Best Way To Get To...Heathrow Airport

Combine Double Avios at BA eStore with Amex Spring Offer!

British Airways has an online store called BA eStore. It works the same as topcashback.co.uk and Quidco. You select a retailer you wish to purchase from, click through from BA eStore to their website, then purchase as normal. You earn a predetermined number of Avios per pound spent, which varies retailer to retailer.

 

BA eStore is offering 50% more Avios with the following retailers for purchases made between 8 April 2013 and 21 April 2013:

• Apple Store (4 Avios per £1)


• B&Q (4 Avios per £1)


• Charles Tyrwhitt (16 Avios per £1)


• Currys (4 Avios per £1)


• Debenhams (4 Avios per £1)


• Elemis (8 Avios per £1)


• House of Fraser (4 Avios per £1)


• johnlewis.com (4 Avios per £1)


• Laura Ashley (8 Avios per £1)


• PC World (4 Avios per £1)


• TM Lewin (16 Avios per £1)


• Topshop (4 Avios per £1)

 

There are also 500 bonus Avios available for first time purchases only made between 8 April 2013 and 21 April 2013, and are awarded to those who have not made a purchase via the BA eStore before. To receive the 500 Bonus the eligible transaction must be £50 or over.

All bonus Avios will be added to your account in a separate transaction to the standard reward within 35 days.

Avios will not be awarded on items that are returned or cancelled.

Now, you can combine this double BA eStore offer with the American Express Spring Offers. Here is a brief overview:

Cardmembers earn the additional reward depending on their reward program.

• Membership Rewards will earn one additional Membership Reward points


• Cashback will earn an additional 1% cashback


• British Airways cards will earn double Avios

You are able to earn additional rewards at spending in Nike stores, House of Fraser stores and website, Gap stores and website, and thetrainline.com when charged to your account.

You must register your American Express card before 19 April 2013.

Register your card here.

This means you can earn 4 Avios per £1 through the double offer at BA eStore and double rewards with the American Express Spring Offer at House of Fraser. You could also combine with any gift cards you have from the recent Foursquare – American Express deal.

This is an excellent opportunity for earning Avios if you like to shop at House of Fraser.

 

Combine Double Avios at BA eStore with Amex Spring Offer!

Double Avios on First and Business with BA & American

British Airways and American Airlines are offering double Avios for First class and Business class travel to selected destinations between 20 February 2013 and 30 April 2013.

 

Departure – London Heathrow (including connecting services from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Manchester)

• Sydney


• Chicago O’Hare


• Delhi


• Dubai


• Johannesburg


• Rio de Janeiro


• Seattle


• San Diego


• Beijing


• Tel Aviv


• Hong Kong


• Sao Paulo


• Philadelphia


• Los Angeles


• Las Vegas


• Cairo


• Bangkok

Departure – Manchester (operated by American Airlines) to

• New York (JFK)


• Chicago O’Hare

 

Terms

• Only Qualifying Flights on BA in First (selling classes F or A) or Club World (selling classes J, C, or D), and flights on AA in First Class (selling classes F, A or P) or Business Class (selling classes J, D or R) are eligible for this promotion


• Avios Points will be credited to your account within 24 hours of completion of each Qualifying Flight


• This promotion is only open to residents of the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland, aged 18 years or over

To be sure of purchasing an eligible ticket for this promotion when booking at ba.com, check the selling class by clicking on the flight number on the “Dates and Flights page” or on the “check your flight itinerary details” page. The selling class is shown in the pop up box, next to the “selling class”.

You can calculate the number of Avios you will collect through this promotion by multiplying the usual Avios awarded for that flight (provided at: http://www.britishairways.com/travel/calculatemilesandpoints/public/en_gb) by two

To participate in this promotion, you must pre-register for the offer  and book and complete the outbound and return sectors between 20 February 2013 and 30 April 2013.

 

Double Avios on First and Business with BA & American

Three New Bonus Avios Offers From Tesco

Tesco Clubcard points can be converted into Avios at a ratio of 1 Clubcard point to 2.4 Avios. Tesco also runs occassional transfer bonuses that increase the number of Avios per Clubcard point. The last bonus was in August and increased the number by 50%. It is impossible to predict when a bonus conversion offer will appear but if you do not have a specific Avios redemption that require the conversion of your Clubcard vouchers then it is best to keep them hidden away and wait for a bonus to appear.

Tesco is offering bonus Clubcard points on several products, which means bonus Avios.

100 Tesco Clubcard points on DVD pre-orders

The cheapest is Ben and Holly’s Little K. Vol. 6 – Magic Test at £7.00.

£7.00 = 100 Clubcard points = 240 Avios (1 Avios = 2.9p)

This is above my valuation of 1 Avios = 1 pence. However, worth considering if you are looking to buy any of the DVDs anyway.

200 Tesco Clubcard points on Blu-Ray pre-orders

The cheapest is Sense and Sensibility at £10.00.

£10.00 = 200 Clubcard points = 480 Avios (1 Avios = 2.1p)

This is a better deal from an Avios perspective but still above my valuation. Again, only worth it if you want to buy the Blu-Rays anyway.

If you are planning on buying a new DVD or Blu-Ray then definitely check the Tesco list. You can view the extra Avios collected as a form of cashback on the deal.  Most of the recent Oscar films are included as well as The Hobbit.

 

The next deal is…

 

Triple Clubcard points on Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 13.3 inch, Silver for £1,249.00. Triple Clubcard points equals 3747.

£1,249.00 = 3,747 Clubcard points = 8992 Avios (1 Avios = 13.9p)

This deal is not worth it are collecting Avios. However, if you are in the market for this particular Apple MacBook then you can view the extra Avios as a £89. There is also code TDX-PTWP for £30 off any laptop over £400.

 

The final deal is…

 

1,000 extra Clubcard points when you a buy a LeapPad 2 learning tablet.

You can choose between green or pink at £79.99.

£79.99 = 1,000 Clubcard points = 2,400 Avios (1 Avios = 3.3p)

Again only worth it if you want the learning tablet anyway but a useful discount if you do.

 

Remember cashback is available for Tesco Direct purchases.

 

 offers 3.03% cashback

If you haven´t already then you can Join Top CashBack. I will receive a £10 referral credit after you have earned £10 cashback through TopCashBack. Alternatively, you can have a friend recommend you through their TopCashBack account. There is no fee for using TopCashBack.

 

offers 4.5% cashback (for next 6 days only!)

If you haven´t already then you can Join Quidco. I will receive a £2.50 referral credit after you have earned £5 cashback through the Quidco. You can also have a friend recommend you through their Quidco account. Quidco take the first £5 cashback you earn through their website each year as a fee. There is no fee if you have not earned at least £5 cashback.

 

 

 

 

Three New Bonus Avios Offers From Tesco

20,000 Avios for Lloyds TSB Credit Card!

Lloyds TSB offer two credit cards that earn Avios. Previously the sign up bonuses offered for these two cards involved a complicated voucher system. After meeting the spending requirement you earned an Avios voucher that could only be redeemed through Avios.com when also booking a hotel. If you didn’t use all of the Avios then you lost the rest. However, Lloyds have changed their credit cards and made them much more attractive. You now earn normal Avios that can be redeemed without any restrictions. The spending requirement has remained restrictive though. You have to spend £500 EVERY month on the American Express card only. If you spend in places that do not accept American Express then this may be a problem. I discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the two cards in my reviews; links below.

There are two Lloyds credit cards, one fee and one non-fee.

Lloyds TSB Duo Avios Credit Card has no annual fee and 15,000 Avios sign up bonus. I have a full review here.

Lloyds TSB Premier Avios Duo has a £50 fee and 20,000 Avios sign up bouns. I have a full review here.

 

These new sign up bonuses are scheduled to last until 15 September 2013 so there is no need to hurry with your application.

Remember, these Lloyds Avios cards are completely different to the British Airways Avios cards so if you have one then you apply for the other and still earn the sign up bonus.

If you are interested in points earning credit cards then I have a round-up list here.

20,000 Avios for Lloyds TSB Credit Card!

Double Avios When You Convert BAA WorldPoints! Ends 14 April!

BAA WorldPoints is the loyalty program for Heathrow Airport. You earn points when you buy things in their shops and restaurants. If you are not yet a member then go immediately to the bottom of this post.

BAA WorldPoints can be converted into Avios and there is a 100% bonus for all conversions made before 14 April 2013.

The standard conversion rate is 300 Avios for every 250 BAA WorldPoints.

This bonus makes the conversion 600 Avios for every 250 BAA WorldPoints.

If you are not a member of BAA WorldPoints then there is a new joiner bonus I have written about here (even if you are a member then another household member could join instead!) You earn 1,000 WorldPoints after spending £10. This will now convert into 2,400 Avios. It takes time for the BAA WorldPoints card to arrive so you will have to scan your receipts and email them to ensure your points are credited before the deadline on 14 April.

HT to Milesfrom Blighty

Double Avios When You Convert BAA WorldPoints! Ends 14 April!

American Express Spring Offers! Additional Rewards!

American Express are offering additional rewards when spending with Nike, House of Fraser, GAP and thetrainline.com.

 

American Express

 

Cardmembers earn the additional reward depending on their reward program.

• Membership Rewards will earn one additional Membership Reward points


• Cashback will earn an additional 1% cashback


• British Airways Avios will earn double Avios

This is based on total transaction values.

 

You are able to earn additional rewards at spending in Nike stores, House of Fraser stores and website, Gap stores and website, and thetrainline.com when charged to your account.

 

An eligible card for this promotion is defined as a valid American Express card issued in the UK by American Express Services Europe. Prepaid cards, gift cards, small business and corporate cards are not eligible. This means any American Express branded personal card is eligible, including MBNA, Lloyds TSB and supplementary cards.

 

 

It may take up to 12 weeks from the end of the campaign for the reward to be posted. So, be prepared to make a note of your qualifying purchase and keep your receipt so you can follow it up with American Express if the reward has not posted after 3 months.

 

You must register your American Express card before 19 April 2013.

Register your card here.

 

If you do not have an American Express and are interesting in applying for one then I have a page for you here. This blog focuses on cards that offer travel related rewards such as air miles. There are other American Express cards available that offer cashback. I would only recommend a travel rewards card if you are familar with the points program and know how you will use the points before you travel. If you are interested in knowing more about points then I suggest you read Understanding Avios and How to Use Avios. Otherwise get a cashback card because cash is the easiest reward available to use.

American Express Spring Offers! Additional Rewards!

Foursquare / American Express Cashback - April 2013

Foursquare and American Express started a partnership last year offering cashback for purchases at select major retailers. There is a new special offer for April 2013.

I understand many readers of this blog will be familiar with the relationship between American Express and Foursquare. However, there are those who are new to this blog and the points world in general, so this post will start with a full explanation of how to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.

 

What is Foursquare?

Foursquare is a location-based social network. Users “check-in” via mobile devices, such as smartphone or tablets, that use GPS-based hardware to calculate the user’s location. Each check-in rewards the users with points and occasional badges. Users can have their check-in posted on Twitter and Facebook allowing them to connect with friends and share tips about locations.

In June 2011, Foursquare partnered with American Express to offer location-based special offers for American Express cardmembers. This initially was for the United States but was eventually extended to the United Kingdom in 2012.

 

How It Works

To take advantage of the Foursquare / American Express partnership you must be an American Express cardmember and registered with Foursquare.

There are many American Express branded cards available in the United Kingdom. For this blog I only focus on cards that award the user with travel-related points, such as British Airway’s frequent flyer currency Avios. I have a list of the current UK travel credit card offers here. It is important to note that you can use any American Express card with the Foursquare offer.

It is best to download the Foursquare application onto your smartphone or tablet and you can do it here. You can download and register with your home computer but you will not be able to check-in as that software requires GPS-based hardware.

Once you have registered with Foursquare you then need to sync your American Express card. This matches your Foursquare account with your American Express card details granting you access to the location-based special offers. You can sync your card here.

Now you have synced your American Express card with your Foursquare account you next need to check-in to a participating location. You do not have to be at the location to check-in. You can check-in from home before you travel. Simply click the explore option on Foursquare then search the location you wish to check-in. If you are already at the location then you can just click check-in and the location-based software should recognise where you are and prompt the location for you.

After you check-in to the location an American Express-branded special offer should appear automatically. Tap the special offer then click “load to card”. You do not need to do anything else. You do not need to show your phone or tablet to anyone in the store. No codes or vouchers are required. Everything is done automatically. Simply pay with your synced American Express card and you will earn the special offer as a statement credit within 3-5 working days.

 

Important Extra Information

This blog is always looking to maximize every offer for our readers and this partnership is no different. There are couple ways you can take full advantage of this offer. Everything I discuss here is perfectly legal and within the term and conditions of the special offer.

You can register any American Express card. This means supplementary cards as well. A supplementary card is an additional card for a family member living at the same address connected to the same credit account. You can usually have a certain number of free supplementary card before being charged. You can register all these cards with Foursquare and enjoy the same special offer multiple times. Each card requires its own Foursquare account but a Foursquare account only requires an email address. Simply register an email address for each card and remember to write down which card is registered to which email address as many cards can make it quickly confusing. When you wish to take advantage of a special offer just log in to each individual Foursquare account, check-in to the location, load to card then log out and repeat.

The retailer participating in the special offer does not place any restriction on what can be purchased. They simply place a minimum qualifying spend amount. This means you can purchase gift cards for that minimum amount and combine gift cards for more expensive items, or use gift cards on their website, or save those gift cards for a sale period later on. You need to be careful with gift cards for three reasons.

• Gift cards are worthless if the company goes into administration, like HMV. You need to be confident the company will survive, at least until you redeem the cards.


• Gift cards usually have an expiry date. Make sure you note that date in your calendar if you don’t intend to use the gift cards immediately.


• Gift cards usually have spend restrictions. For example, Harrods gift cards cannot be used at their Heathrow Airport store. Check what are the restrictions before purchase.

The use of gift cards and sale discounting can provide substantial savings. I used the recent Debenhams 50% sale and Foursquare / American Express spend £50, get £25 back promotion for an effective 75% discount on my purchase.

 

Foursquare/American Express Special Offers – April 2013

There are two special offers for April 2013.

• Spend £100 at Harrods and earn £25 statement credit (ends 30 April)


• Spend £50 at Shell and earn £15 statement credit (ends 18 April)

 

The Shell offer has been around for some time and I expect many of the readers of this blog have already taken advantage of it. If you haven’t then act quickly as it ends on 18 April. Remember, you can use supplementary cards as well!

The Harrods offer does not appeal unless you are expecting to spend a hefty amount at the store already. It is significantly less value than the offer available in February.

I do hope that Foursquare and American Express launch new special offers throughout April that will appeal to a wider audience. If they do then be sure to check out this blog for all the latest news!

 

Before You Go…

If this is the first post you have read of my website and are interested in learning more about collecting travel points/air miles then may I suggest you try the following beginner posts:

• Understanding Avios


• How to use Avios


• Best Travel Credit Cards

Also, you can sign up to my subscription list through the link on the left of this page. You will receive every new post as an email. I usually send one email a day (two is the maximum) and you can unsubscribe at any time. This will keep you up-to-date with all the latest offers, especially useful for the time-limited ones that need to be taken advantage of as soon as possible.

 

Foursquare / American Express Cashback - April 2013