Points and miles guides
Plain guides to earning points and spending them well. Each one opens with the short answer, then shows the working.
Travel hacking for beginners
What it is, what it is not, and a practical first 90 days.
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Points and miles: a beginner's guide
The main types of points, how to earn and spend them, and how to judge value.
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How to use Amex points
Every redemption option, the full partner list and what each is worth.
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Amex Platinum's Priority Pass cap from 2028
From 1 January 2028, UK Amex Platinum cards get 20 free Priority Pass visits a year (10 per Platinum Supplementary card) unless the account spent £30,000 the year before. Amex has told UK points sites that guests will use up visits, though that isn't in its published terms yet. How to count your visits, what a couple might pay and the fixes to try first.
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Amex Membership Rewards UK transfer partners
UK Amex Membership Rewards points move to 17 partners. Most airlines are 1:1, but Emirates, Singapore and the hotel schemes use other ratios, and some transfers take up to 15 working days. Which partner suits which trip, worked costs for two, and the one rule that matters most: transfers can't be reversed.
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Amex Gold or Platinum (UK)
Gold is free in year one and earns more points per pound on overseas and airline spending. Platinum costs £650 but adds unlimited lounge access for two until 2028 and £400 of dining credits. For a couple, it mostly comes down to how many lounge stops you make and whether you'll use the credits (our worked example, using an assumed price for extra Gold visits, puts the tipping point at about five stops). Plus why the order you apply in matters.
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Every way into a Heathrow lounge without a business class ticket, terminal by terminal
At Heathrow you can get into a lounge without flying business class: pre-book online from about £22–£49 (Nov 2026 'from' prices), use Priority Pass or an Amex card, or go as the guest of someone with BA or oneworld status. Every independent lounge by terminal, what a couple pays, and the T5 change: Club Aspire closes on 16 November 2026 and reopens as a No1 Lounge in early spring 2027, its operator says.
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BA Amex Premium Plus vs free BA Amex
Both British Airways Amex cards give a Companion Voucher when you spend £15,000 in a card year. The free card's voucher is economy only and lasts 12 months. Premium Plus costs £300, and its voucher works in any cabin for 24 months, with extra access to Club World reward seats. Plus tier points from April 2027. Worked examples show when the fee pays off and when it doesn't.
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How the BA Companion Voucher really works
The BA Amex Companion Voucher gets a second reward seat on the same flight without paying its Avios, but you still pay taxes and charges for both. How BA's fixed charges work, the minimum reward seats on Heathrow and Gatwick flights, the expiry and cancellation rules, and which routes from London give the voucher the most to save.
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Avios pricing explained
A BA reward price has two parts, Avios and cash, and both change with the date. How peak and off-peak pricing works, what Reward Flight Saver fixes and what it doesn't, and how to choose between Avios & Money options with simple maths. Prices shown are BA's "from" examples or labelled illustrations, not quotes.
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When cash beats Avios
One sum tells you whether an Avios booking is worth it: the cash fare minus the reward's taxes and charges, divided by the Avios. Worked examples with BA's published reward prices and sample cash fares show when cash wins, and what to do if it does.
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Lower fees on Avios redemptions
Avios work in several airline programmes, and each one sets its own prices and charges. How to price the same flight through BA, Iberia, Qatar Airways or Aer Lingus, move Avios between linked accounts, and weigh the trade-offs before you do. No programme is cheaper on every flight, so compare first.
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Buying Avios
Buying Avios can make sense when you're a few thousand short of a booking you can make today. How to work out the real price per Avios, judge a sale, and buy only the shortfall, with avios.com's limits and advertised rates. Prices and availability can change; nothing here is guaranteed.
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London to New York in business class on points for two
Two business class seats from London to New York on points means checking Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Aer Lingus via Dublin, in that order, and pricing both seats with charges before moving any points. What each airline publishes, a worked cost for two, and what to switch if the first search fails. Availability isn't guaranteed.
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Two award seats from London to Tokyo
Two award seats to Tokyo means searching for two from the very first search, on three engines: ba.com for BA and JAL, Virgin for ANA, and Finnair via Helsinki. What each programme publishes, a worked cost for two with labelled hypothetical charges, and what to try when two seats won't show together. Availability isn't guaranteed.
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A family Avios trip in school holidays
Four reward seats in the school holidays is the hardest search in Avios. Search for all four from the start, use the Companion Voucher where it helps, check the rules for children, and work out the cost per person before you book. Worked maths with labelled hypothetical prices, fallback dates, and the risks of splitting the family across two reservations. Availability isn't guaranteed.
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Virgin Points for Upper Class
Every Virgin Atlantic seat can be booked with points, but the price moves with demand and the cash charges are high. What Virgin publishes for Upper Class from Heathrow and Manchester, how to read the reward seat checker, and when Delta One or ANA through Virgin Points works out better. Worked maths with labelled hypothetical prices.
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Short-haul Europe on Avios from regional airports (Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast)
From Manchester, Edinburgh or Belfast, a BA reward to Europe usually means connecting in London, and, when every flight in the booking is eligible, Reward Flight Saver charges two flat cash prices plus Avios for every flight; if any flight isn't eligible, the usual taxes, fees and charges apply. Check the full total on ba.com's review page before you pay. Here's how the rules work, the full cost of connecting versus a separate positioning flight (with the maths, using hypothetical prices), and the protection you give up by positioning.
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Long-haul from regional UK airports
From a regional airport, a long-haul reward either connects through London on one ticket or starts with a separate positioning flight. Here's the full cost of each, with the maths shown using hypothetical prices, what BA and the CAA say happens if you miss a connection, and how to protect yourself if you position anyway.
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Avios vs Virgin Points
Avios and Virgin Points both come 1:1 from Amex UK, so you don't have to choose until you book. But how you travel decides which works harder: short-haul Europe and families tend to suit Avios; transatlantic Upper Class and some partner routes suit Virgin. Here's the comparison, the maths to compare one trip, and where to check your own totals.
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Flying Blue for UK travellers
Flying Blue, the Air France–KLM programme, discounts a changing set of reward routes each month and is a 1:1 Amex UK transfer partner. Here's how Promo Rewards work, what you'll pay on top of the miles, why the up-to-four-working-day transfer means you should find the seat first, and the rules to read before booking a discounted ticket.
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How to find BA reward seats
BA lets you book reward seats up to 355 days ahead and guarantees a minimum number per flight at Heathrow, Gatwick and London City, but nothing on a particular date. Here's a search routine for your whole party, where partner searches help, how independent alert tools work, and what to write down before you move any points.
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BA cancelled or changed your reward flight
When BA cancels or significantly changes a reward flight, you can usually choose a new flight or a refund, and the CAA sets out your right to care. But BA's published terms don't spell out everything for Avios bookings, including what happens to a Companion Voucher. Here's what is documented, what isn't, and what to get in writing before you choose.
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BA reward seat shows but won't book, or the price jumps at checkout
You found the reward seat on ba.com, but the booking fails, the seat vanishes or the price changes at checkout. Work through these checks in order: a fresh search, party size, partner flights, mixed cabins, browser, account rules and the Companion Voucher. Each is labelled as BA's documented rule or our own guidance.
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Amex UK points transfer delayed
Moved Membership Rewards points and they haven't arrived? Amex UK publishes its own estimate for each partner, from about 30 minutes to several weeks. Here's what's normal, when to chase, who to call, and how to avoid losing a reward seat while you wait.
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A European city break on hotel points
Four hotel programmes, four different ways of pricing a free night. Here's how Hilton, IHG, Marriott and ALL Accor work for a European city break, what you still pay on a reward stay, how UK Amex points convert, and a simple sum to tell whether points beat cash for your dates.
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BA Holidays with Avios
British Airways Holidays lets Club members knock money off a flight-and-hotel package with Avios. But the discount varies, Avios can't pay later balances or fees, and ATOL doesn't refund Avios. Here's how to price a package against booking the parts yourself, and when using Avios makes sense.
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The Maldives or Dubai on points from London at three budgets
The flight is only part of a Maldives trip on points. Here's how to plan the Maldives or Dubai from London at three budgets, counting the flights, the hotel, the transfer to the island and the meals, in points and in cash, so you can see the whole bill before you move a single point.
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Transferable points explained
Transferable points let you move one card's rewards into many airline and hotel programs. Here's how the five big US currencies work, which partners each one reaches, how to match them to your home airport, and how to decide which to build first, with the math to check a redemption.
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Cents per point
Cents per point tells you whether an award beats paying cash, but only if you subtract what the award still costs in cash and what you give up by not paying cash. Here's the full formula, three worked US examples and the yardstick we use.
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Award charts vs dynamic pricing
Some programs still publish what an award costs; others price seats like cash fares. Here's how to tell which is which, what a chart really guarantees, and how to use the difference to pay fewer points for the same flight.
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When cash beats points
Points aren't always the better deal. These five test cases, from a $129 domestic fare to a business-class seat, show when to pay cash, when a card's travel portal wins and when transferring points pays off, with every step of the math.
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Transfer bonuses
A transfer bonus gives you more airline or hotel points for the same card points. It's only worth using when you already have a specific booking in mind. Here's how to work out what a bonus really saves, with the math, and when to ignore one.
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Business class from New York to Paris on points, for one or two travelers
New York to Paris is one of the busiest premium routes from the US, and several programs can book it. Here's where to search first, what one or two business seats cost in points plus cash, which US cards transfer to each program, and what to do if nothing shows up.
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Two award seats to Japan from the US
Two award seats to Japan on the same flight take more planning than one. Here's where couples should search first, what business and economy cost in points and cash for two, why your departure city can change the price, and what to do when only one seat shows.
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A family of four to Hawaii on points
Four award seats and a week of hotel nights add up fast. Here's how a family of four can price Hawaii on points, from flights on the mainland to five nights in one room, with every fee that's still due in cash and the math to check it's worth it.
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Lie-flat to Europe from the West Coast on points
West Coast to Europe is a long flight, and the right routing can save tens of thousands of points. Here's where to search for lie-flat seats from LA, San Francisco and Seattle, why a connection can push the price up, and what one or two travelers pay in points and cash.
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AAdvantage miles for domestic flights
American prices its own award flights by demand, so the same route can cost very different numbers of miles. Here's how to find the low prices, when they beat paying cash, and the rules and fees to check before you book a domestic award.
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How to find award space
Award seats are only worth something if you can find them. Here's the order we'd search in, from the airline's own site to search tools and alerts, what the main tools cost, and how to tell whether a paid subscription is worth it for you.
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United MileagePlus in 2026
If you hold a United card, United's own award prices drop by at least 10%. That doesn't make United the cheapest way to book every United seat. Here's how the discount works, what it leaves out, and how to check another program before you spend miles.
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Airport lounge access with a guest in 2026
Most premium cards get you into a lounge. Getting your partner or kids in with you is where they differ. Here's what each of four cards charges for guests, based on the issuers' own pages, and what a couple or family of four would pay per visit.
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Chase points and Hyatt in 2026
Chase changed how Sapphire Preferred points move to World of Hyatt: 1,000 Chase points now become 750 Hyatt points. Here's how to check which ratio applies to you, how Chase lets you move points within your household, and when a 4:3 transfer is still worth making.
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Southwest Companion Pass under the 2027 rules
Southwest is changing how you earn a Companion Pass. From January 1, 2027, it comes through Tier Qualifying Points or qualifying flights, card welcome bonuses stop counting, and there's a new three-trip version. Here's what the new thresholds mean and who can still reach them.
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The award seat disappeared after you transferred points
You moved your points to an airline, and the seat you saw is gone. The transfer can't be undone, but the trip often can be rescued. Here's what to check first, where to look for the same seat, and how to avoid it next time.
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Points transfer delayed
You transferred points and they haven't arrived. Most transfers are quick, but issuers say some can take days. Here's what each US issuer says to expect, when a delay becomes a problem, and who to call first.
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Why your award ticket has high fees, and how to pay less cash
You found an award seat, then saw hundreds of dollars in 'taxes and fees'. Some of that is unavoidable tax; some is a carrier charge that changes by program and route. Here's how to tell the difference and lower the cash.
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Award ticket schedule change
The airline changed your award flight. Under US rules, a significant change can entitle you to a refund of miles and fees, and you can often ask for a better alternative. Here's what counts, what you're owed and how to ask.
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Mixed-cabin awards
Your 'business class' award has an economy flight in it, and it costs the full business price. That's how mixed-cabin awards are often priced. Here's the rule, how to spot it and how to decide whether it's still worth it.
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World of Hyatt award chart 2026
Hyatt still publishes an award chart, but since May 2026 each category has five price levels instead of three. Here's how the levels work, what Hyatt has said about the change, and how to find the nights that cost the fewest points.
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A seven-night Europe trip on points at three budgets
How many points does a week in Europe for two really take? Here are three budgets, from economy to business, built on Aeroplan's published chart, with hypothetical hotels and the cash you'll still pay.
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Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts vs Chase The Edit vs Capital One Premier Collection
Three premium cards, three luxury hotel programs, and from 2027 all of the headline credits need at least two nights. Here's what each gives, the minimum-night rules, and how to use the credit without wasting it.
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Hotel free night certificates
A free night certificate is easy to waste: it has a cap, an expiry date and rules about which rooms count. Here's how each of the big four chains' certificates works and how to get the most from yours.
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An Orlando theme-park trip for four on points
Points can cover the flights and the hotel for a family Orlando trip, but not the park tickets. Here's a five-night plan for four from Chicago, with published flight prices, a hypothetical Hilton stay and the cash you'll still pay.
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Looking for proof it works? Read member stories from Credit Club members