There's something interesting happening in the miles world right now - and it's pulling in two very different directions. On one hand, IAG Loyalty just made it easier to earn Avios on something most of us do every week anyway. On the other hand, Virgin Atlantic has quietly made its award redemptions more expensive - again. Let's unpack both, and I'll leave you with a time-sensitive tier point opportunity that closes on Sunday.

How many Avios do you currently earn per £1 spent on a standard Uber Eats order in the UK (assuming you meet the minimum spend)?

The answer is waiting near the bottom... keep scrolling 👇

Right, this one is genuinely useful. As of yesterday, IAG Loyalty has expanded its Uber partnership to include Uber Eats - meaning you can now earn Avios when you order a takeaway, not just when you hail a ride. For anyone who orders regularly, this is a nice little passive earner.

Here's the quick breakdown of the earning rates now in place:

Heads up: the £25 minimum is worth noting. If you regularly order smaller deliveries, you won't earn anything. But for a Saturday night order for two - or a family meal - that threshold is pretty easy to hit.

The maths is straightforward. A £30 Uber Eats order earns you 30 Avios - worth roughly 30p at 1p per Avios. That's not going to get you to Tokyo, but it stacks. Order twice a week and you're looking at around 3,000+ Avios a year just from food delivery - that's worth about £30 towards a redemption. Worth having for zero extra effort. You can check how far those Avios could take you using our BA Avios Map.

It takes about 90 seconds to set up. Here's exactly how:

Warning: only one Uber account can be linked to one Avios account at a time. If you have multiple Avios accounts in your household, each person needs to link their own Uber account individually.

For all our coverage on Avios earning and redemption, check out the full Avios Points hub. And if you want to see how much your current Avios balance is actually worth, our Avios Value Calculator is the quickest way to work it out.

This one is a bit frustrating to report, honestly. Virgin Atlantic has increased its award surcharges again - and this is the second time in less than a year. Since last June, fees on Virgin Atlantic awards have gone up by as much as 118%. That is a significant hit to redemption value.

To be clear - this doesn't change how many Virgin Points you need for a seat. It changes the cash surcharges you pay on top. And those surcharges have now ballooned to the point where they meaningfully eat into the value of your redemption.

The stated reason is rising jet fuel costs - which is fair enough to acknowledge. But here's the thing: fuel prices fluctuate, and there's very little precedent for airlines reducing surcharges when costs come back down. In my opinion, this is a trend worth tracking. Virgin Atlantic remains a strong programme for certain routes, but if surcharges keep climbing, the maths on redemptions starts to get uncomfortable.

Bottom line: if you've been sitting on Virgin Points and eyeing a redemption, it's worth crunching the numbers now before any further increases. Use our Virgin Atlantic Points Calculator to get a current read on what your points are worth after fees. For all our Virgin Atlantic coverage, including previous surcharge changes, head to our Virgin Atlantic page.

Something a bit more positive from Virgin's camp: there's currently a promotion offering 300 bonus Flying Club Tier Points when you book a Virgin Atlantic Holidays package worth £4,000 or more. The booking window closes on April 20, 2026 - that's this Sunday.

This is specifically aimed at Flying Club members who are chasing or protecting status. 300 Tier Points is a meaningful chunk - to put it in context, a return economy flight from London to New York with Virgin earns somewhere in the region of 160-320 Tier Points depending on fare class. So this bonus alone is roughly equivalent to a transatlantic return in economy.

Heads up: the £4,000 minimum spend is steep. This isn't for everyone - but if you were already planning a Virgin holiday this summer, it's worth timing your booking before Sunday to pick up the bonus. For more on Tier Points and how they affect your Flying Club status, we've covered it in depth on our Tier Points hub.

The answer is 🔵 1 Avios per £1 spent. The new Uber Eats earning rate matches the standard Uber ride rate - 1 Avios per £1. Just remember the £25 minimum order applies, grocery orders are excluded, and Northern Ireland isn't included (yet). Simple enough to remember.

Now that Avios can be earned on Uber Eats - which other everyday spending category do you wish earned Avios? Supermarkets? Coffee shops? Fuel? Hit reply and let me know - I read every single response and the best answers might just inspire a future newsletter.

That's all for today. See you Friday - and enjoy your weekend takeaway, guilt-free (you're earning Avios now 😉).

- Smart With Points

P.S. Follow us on Instagram @smartwithpoints for daily deal alerts between newsletters.

Looking to redeem your points? Here's what's available right now (via Award Travel Finder):

Hotels:

Status Matches:

See all award deals at AwardTravelFinder.com →

Before we wrap up, I wanted to share some timely opportunities I've been tracking (courtesy of our friends at AwardTravelFinder). These deals won't last long, so let's dive in.

Airline programs:

Hotel programs:

These are the top credit card welcome bonuses we're tracking. Offers change frequently - see all cards.

1. Business Platinum Card: 120,000 points after spending £12,000 in 3 months (£650/yr)

2. Platinum Card: 50,000 points after spending £6,000 in 3 months (£650/yr)

3. Gold Card: 40,000 points after spending £5,000 in 6 months (£195/yr (waived first year))

4. Business Gold Card: 20,000 points after spending £3,000 in 3 months (£195/yr (waived first year))

Award Travel Finder hunts down the best redemptions so you don't have to.

See all deals at AwardTravelFinder.com →