Thirty percent off the Avios price of a Milan or Rome flight doesn't come around often - and right now, Iberia is running exactly that. The catch? You've got until this Saturday 10th May to book. There's a lot in this issue, so let's get into it.

Iberia is one of several airlines where you can spend your Avios balance - but how many Avios does a return Economy reward flight from London to Madrid typically cost (without the current 30% discount)?

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

Iberia has launched a promotion offering up to 30% off Avios redemptions on reward tickets across its network, covering flights operated by Iberia, Iberia Express and Iberia Regional Air Nostrum. You need to book by this Saturday 10th May and travel by 15th September 2026.

The most important thing to understand here: Avios are fully interoperable. If you've been collecting with British Airways Executive Club, you can transfer those Avios to Iberia Plus and book directly. It's a great way to squeeze more value out of a balance that might be sitting idle.

The discount tiers break down like this:

Let's run the numbers on a popular example. A standard Iberia Economy redemption from London to Rome typically runs around 13,500 Avios one-way. With 30% off, you're looking at closer to 9,450 Avios - saving roughly 4,000 Avios per leg, or ~£40 in value at 1p per Avios. On a Business class redemption, those savings scale up considerably.

Heads up: Taxes and fees are not included in the discount - these are paid separately on top of the Avios price. Also, the promotion doesn't cover Vueling, LEVEL, or the Iberia Air Shuttle. All discounted flights operate from Madrid, so factor in your positioning costs from the UK.

If you want to check what your Avios are actually worth before booking, our Avios Value Calculator can help you decide whether to spend now or hold. And if you want to compare Iberia pricing against BA routes, the BA Avios Flight Calculator is useful for a quick side-by-side.

Bottom line: If you've got Avios burning a hole in your account and a summer trip in mind, this is one of the better reasons to book via Iberia rather than BA. Milan and Rome at 30% off in Business and Economy is genuinely good value. Don't sit on it - the booking window closes this Saturday.

British Airways has updated its General Conditions of Carriage to explicitly ban passengers from filming, photographing, or livestreaming cabin crew and other staff without their express consent. The rule now sits under the "unacceptable behaviour" section of BA's policy, and the consequences are real: removal from the aircraft, cancellation of onward flights, or even criminal prosecution.

The policy was quietly flagged via a change to the onboard announcement - something many passengers would have missed entirely. It covers everything from smartphones to wearable tech like Meta AI glasses and GoPros, and applies to fellow passengers too, not just crew.

It's worth noting this isn't particularly unusual - Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic have had similar rules for some time. The context here is a broader crackdown on secret recordings being used on social media. Photos of your meal, seat, or the view out the window are still completely fine.

The key detail: an aircraft isn't legally considered a public place, so technically you've never had the right to photograph crew without asking. BA formalising it just removes any grey area. Honestly, asking permission first has always been the polite approach anyway.

There's a new Amex cashback offer worth adding to your card: £75 back when you spend £300 at IHG hotels, and crucially the spend is cumulative - so you don't need to hit £300 in a single transaction. The offer runs until 27th July 2026.

What makes this one stand out from most Amex hotel offers is that it includes the US and Canada - not just European properties. Participating brands include InterContinental, Hotel Indigo, Kimpton, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Regent, Staybridge Suites, Voco and Garner.

One catch worth flagging: the cashback is for checkout spend only, meaning pre-paid bookings are technically excluded. That said, it's always worth loading the offer and trying - anecdotally it sometimes triggers on pre-paid stays too.

At £75 back on a £300 stay, that's effectively 25% cashback - a very solid return on a hotel bill you'd likely be spending anyway. Check your Amex account now as this is a targeted offer and not everyone will see it. If you hold multiple Amex cards, check them all. For more stories on Amex offers and promotions, see our American Express UK coverage.

Virgin Flying Club members can claim up to £300 off Virgin Atlantic Holidays using code FLYINGCLUB. The tiered discount kicks in at £75 off a £200 booking, scaling up to £300 off on spend of £10,000+. You need to book by Tuesday 26th May, with travel available from 5th May 2026 through to 31st December 2027.

There's also a low-deposit option running alongside this: you can secure your holiday with just a £75 deposit on departures from 24th July 2026 onwards. And separately, qualifying 2026 bookings over £4,000 can earn 300 bonus Tier Points. These can all be stacked, which is a solid combination if you're booking a big trip. For all our Virgin Atlantic stories and deals, see our

For all our Virgin Atlantic stories and deals, see our Virgin Points coverage hub.

The answer is 🟡 9,000 Avios - a return Economy reward flight from London to Madrid with Iberia typically costs around 9,000 Avios (plus taxes). At 1p per Avios, that's roughly £90 of value for what can be a £150-200 cash fare. With the current 20% discount tier applying to London routes in Economy, you'd be looking at around 7,200 Avios - making the maths even more compelling. Use our Avios Value Calculator to work out if your specific redemption stacks up before you commit.

Have you ever booked an Avios flight through Iberia instead of BA - and did it work out better value? I'm always curious whether people are making use of the interoperability between the two programmes. Hit reply and let me know - I read every response!

That's it for today's issue - but don't forget: the Iberia 30% Avios discount requires you to book by this Saturday 10th May. If Milan, Rome, Oslo or Athens are on your radar this summer, this is the moment to pull the trigger. Once Saturday passes, those Avios prices go straight back up.

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

1. Platinum Card: 75,000 points after spending £10,000 in 6 months (£450/yr)

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

3. Gold Card: 20,000 points after spending £2,000 in 3 months (£195/yr (waived first year))

4. Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card: 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you sign up and spend £3,000 within the first... (£95/yr)

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

Hotels:

Status Matches:

• Flying Blue Status Match - Air France / KLM (SkyTeam)

• Flying Blue UK (BA Status Holders) - Air France / KLM (SkyTeam)

• Flying Blue (Iberia) - Air France / KLM (SkyTeam)

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.

Hotel programs:

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

See all deals at AwardTravelFinder.com →