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New Avios Bonuses, Award Booking Tips, and Exciting Travel Rewards!

Hello, Adventurous Travellers, and Happy Sunday!

I hope you've had some time to relax this weekend. This week, we've got exciting updates that can help you collect more Avios, make the most of your Avios redemptions and decide whether a paid hotel loyalty card with Accor is right for you!

Let's get started:

• Get Free Avios When You Join Avios for Thoughts: Learn how to earn 600 Avios by sharing your opinions.

• Booking Cathay Pacific via Finnair: The best way to book Cathay Pacific award flights using Finnair Plus and how you can save points on your next long-haul flight.

• Is the Accor ALL PLUS Voyageur Card Right for You? Find out if the Accor ALL PLUS Voyageur card is a wise investment + info about the Qatar - ALL partnership. 

• How to Use the Smart Redemptions Chrome Extension: Explore our new Chrome extension, which helps you determine how many Avios points you need for flights with British Airways and their Oneworld partners on Google Flights.

Get 600 Free Avios When You Join Avios for Thoughts

You can now get 600 Avios by signing up to share your opinions with Avios for Thoughts - a free online survey community that allows you to earn Avios for completing surveys.

How to Get the Points:

1. Sign Up: Register for an Avios for Thoughts account. Make sure your name matches the name on your British Airways Executive Club account.

2. Complete the Welcome Tutorial: Earn 100 Avios for completing the introductory tutorial.

3. Complete Your First Survey: You can earn an additional 500 Avios for completing your first survey within two months of signing up.

After the initial 600 Avios, you will continue to receive occasional surveys via email. You can earn 20-350 Avios per survey.

Is It Worth It?

For just a few minutes of your time, earning 600 Avios is a great deal. Whether you continue participating in surveys for additional points or cancel your membership after the initial bonus is entirely up to you. This can be an easy and low-effort way to boost your Avios balance.

Unfortunately, this offer is unavailable to previous members of 'Reward for Thoughts' whose accounts have been migrated to 'Avios for Thoughts'.

You can sign up with Avios for Thoughts here

The Amazing Avios Redemption Rates When Booking Cathay Pacific via Finnair

In 2024, the best way to book Cathay Pacific award flights is through Finnair's loyalty program, Finnair Plus.

Finnair recently joined the Avios points system, which means you can transfer any number of points from your British Airways account to your Finnair Plus account.

One of the great things about booking business-class redemptions with Finnair is the ability to book flights to North America and Asia on Cathay Pacific.

You can also book Cathay Pacific flights through its own award programme, Asia Miles, but you'll usually get a better redemption value via Finnair.

EXAMPLE:

A business class flight from New York to Hong Kong costs 75,000 points + taxes if booked through Finnair.

Booking the same flight with Cathay Pacific Asia Miles would cost 110,000 points + taxes. 

If you don't mind a long flight in the economy, you can make the trip for as little as 35,000 Avios when booking via Finnair.

When booking through British Airways, the same flight would cost 154,500 points + taxes.

How to Book

However, these flights can be tricky to find, and the best way to get them is to be flexible with dates.

Via Finnair, you can book direct flights with Cathay Pacific without the need to call. To do so, click the airline name and "Book award flights."

How to Book:

1. Transfer Points: Transfer your Avios points from British Airways to Finnair Plus.

2. Search for Flights: Use the Finnair Plus booking tool to search for Cathay Pacific award flights.

3. Book Your Flight: Once you find the desired flight, book it using your Finnair Plus points.

Transferring your Avios points from British Airways to Finnair allows you to book the same flight for significantly fewer points.

With Finnair's current award flight redemption rates, booking Cathay Pacific award flights through the Finnair Plus loyalty program is a no-brainer if you have the opportunity.

Is the Accor All Plus Voyager Card Right for You?

Accor has two subscription-based cards: the ALL PLUS Ibis card and the ALL PLUS Voyageur card. Today, I'll cover the ALL PLUS Voyageur card.

The ALL PLUS Voyageur card is designed for frequent Accor travellers. If you didn't know, Accor is a group of hotels that includes IBIS, Novotel, Adagio, Raffles, and more. You can earn points with Accor every time you stay at an Accor hotel.

The ALL PLUS Voyageur card is a subscription card that provides various benefits for an annual fee of €199. The card is valid across 21 Accor brands and offers the following perks including:

• 20% off at 12 luxury and premium brands and 15% off at 10 midscale and economy brands.

• Discounts on up to 2 rooms.

• Guaranteed room availability up to two days before arrival (cannot be combined with the discount).

• 20 free status nights credited upon enrollment or renewal, providing immediate access to Silver status in the ALL loyalty program, which includes benefits like a welcome drink and late check-out.

On average, the card cost is offset after seven nights of use. It's a great way to start climbing the membership tiers and getting better stay benefits. 

Accor currently has 5584 hotels in 110 countries, including plenty in the UK, so you won't find it hard to find an Accor hotel during your travels.

The Qatar Airways - Accor Partnership

Did you know you can earn Avios AND Reward points when flying with Qatar Airways or staying at Accor hotels?

You can collect 1 Avios for every Euro spent at Accor and 2 Reward points for every 2 USD spent with Qatar Airways. Convert points between programs starting at 2,000 Avios and enjoy membership upgrades.

You will also upgrade your membership level with ALL after your first eligible international hotel stay with Accor or flight with Qatar Airways.

How to Link Your Qatar Airways and ALL Accounts:

1. Log into your ALL - Accor Live Limitless account or join for free.

2. Log into your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account or join for free.

3. Link your accounts to start earning Avios and Reward points.

The Verdict

The ALL PLUS Voyageur card can offer substantial savings and valuable perks for frequent Accor guests. It also provides a straightforward path to achieving Gold status in the ALL–Accor Live Limitless loyalty program, which includes benefits such as room upgrades, early check-in, and late check-out.

If you’ve linked your account with Qatar Airways, you can get silver Privilege club status with Gold Accor status, which gives even more benefits. The card will help you get there faster. 

The ALL PLUS Voyageur card could be a smart investment if you stay regularly at Accor hotels.

For more details and to apply, visit the Accor website.

How to Use The Smart Redemptions Chrome Extension

We've created a Smart Redemptions Google Chrome extension that simplifies finding out how many Avios points you need to book flights with British Airways and their oneworld partners on Google Flights.

The extension gathers airports, dates, and flight class information from Google Flights and calculates the points needed. 

You will then get an estimate of the Avios points and taxes/fees required. The tool will help you decide whether to book a flight with Avios.

Watch our YouTube video to find out exactly how to use the tool:

It's currently completely free to search for British Airways and partner flights. More airlines & award availability will be added soon.

The tool has some great reviews so far! Check out this one - "SO MUCH easier than the BA tool, and it tells you the taxes right away. I'm so impressed, it really couldn't be better, and it's free!!! Totally awesome tool".

Get the Smart Redemptions Chrome Extension

Final Words

Hopefully, you'll be able to take advantage of some of these tips by maximising your Avios and getting the most out of the Accor loyalty programme.

Safe travels, and always aim for the upgrade!

Bye for now!

Jack @ Smart With Points

📌 Gibraltar

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