Happy Sunday - this was a week that rewarded people paying close attention, with a devaluation deadline creeping up, a surprise BA route opening, and Amex making quiet changes to one of the UK's most popular premium cards.
| 🔥 The One Thing To Act On This Week |
Club Eurostar is devaluing award bookings and upgrades on 28 October - that's 24 days away. If you have points sitting unused, anything you book before that date locks in current pricing. After the 28th, the same redemptions will cost significantly more. This one has a hard deadline and no workaround once it passes.
| 🏆 The Story of the Week |
Amex Platinum's Lounge Access Just Changed - Here's What You Actually Have Left
The Lufthansa lounge benefit on Amex Platinum quietly disappeared on 1st October - and if you hadn't seen our coverage mid-week, there's a good chance you found out the hard way at the airport. It's a real loss for anyone transiting through Frankfurt or Munich on the way to long-haul, and it's the kind of benefit cut that rarely gets reversed.
The broader picture is more nuanced though. Amex Platinum still gives you Priority Pass (covering a family of four if you add supplementary cardholders), access to Centurion Lounges including the new Amsterdam location, and Delta Sky Clubs when flying Delta. The card remains one of the widest-reaching lounge passes available to UK cardholders - but the Lufthansa loss does punch a hole in the product for anyone who regularly connects through German hubs.
We also covered a separate development buried in the same week: Hilton appears to be plotting a new elite tier above Diamond, internally referred to as 'Black Diamond'. No launch date yet, but if you're chasing Diamond status this year on the assumption it's the ceiling, it's worth knowing the ceiling may be about to move. Both stories are in the same piece - worth a read before you make any card or status decisions.
| 🤓 UK Points Trivia |
A quick one tied to this week's lounge story - vote below and see how you stack up against other readers:
Amex Platinum gets UK cardholders into Eurostar Business Lounges regardless of ticket class. How many of them are there?
| 📌 Also Worth Your Time |
40% Amex–Hilton Transfer Bonus: Deadline 24 November
Until 24 November, your Membership Rewards points transfer to Hilton Honors at 2.8 points per MR instead of the usual 2. That's a meaningful uplift if you have a specific Hilton redemption in mind - but whether it's actually worth burning your MR points on Hilton (rather than Avios or Virgin Points) depends entirely on what you're trying to book.
BA Opens Avios Seats on New Tanzania Routes
British Airways has opened Avios redemptions on its new Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar routes launching May 2027 - and seats were showing availability when we checked. If an East Africa trip has been on your list, this is the first chance to lock in award space at known prices rather than waiting and hoping.
American Airlines Launches UK AAdvantage Debit Cards
Two Currensea-powered debit cards are now available in the UK, earning uncapped AAdvantage Loyalty Points - the currency that drives oneworld status. The Turbo mode earns 2 miles per £1 spent abroad, which makes it genuinely competitive for frequent travellers who can't or won't get an Amex. Worth knowing about if oneworld Sapphire or Emerald is on your radar.
Have a good week - and get those Eurostar bookings in.
- Jack
| 💳 Card Spotlight: Capital on Tap Business |
The card I have two of - here's why
1 Avios per £1 on all business spend, uncapped
No annual fee on the free tier, no FX markup on the Pro tier
Approval is fast and doesn't need limited company accounts