NEWS & OFFERS: AMEX Platinum Bonus Now 80,000 Points, Virgin Atlantic Holiday Deals & Qatar Adds Additional Flights to 11 Destinations

The AMEX Platinum Bonus is Now 80,000 Points (=80,000 Avios, Virgin Points and More)

Sign-up bonuses for American Express cards are always pretty good (especially for the more expensive cards), but this sign-up bonus is the best we have seen in a long time. 

You will receive 80,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £10,000 on the Platinum card in the first 6 months of signing up. The bonus of 50,000 is usually pretty good, but this is a huge, huge bonus! 

If you are referred by a friend, the bonus is even bigger at 100,000 points.

The offer ends on 27th May 2025, so you have plenty of time to think about it. We will be publishing a full guide on the Platinum card soon.

The Platinum card has an annual fee of £650 but comes with a wide range of benefits.

Here’s a quick overview of the key card benefits

• Lounge Access – Includes unlimited lounge access via Priority Pass, access to Centurion lounges, Eurostar lounges, selected Delta and Lufthansa Lounges and more (terms apply).
• Hotel Elite Status – Mid-tier status with four hotel chains. You’ll get instant Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite, Radisson Rewards Premium, Hilton Honors Gold and MeliáRewards Gold when you enrol.
• Up to £400 Annual Dining Credit – £100 cashback twice yearly on UK dining + an additional £100 twice yearly on international dining.
• Comprehensive Travel Insurance – Covers the main cardholder, supplementary cardholders (up to 5), their spouse/partner, and dependent children under 25 for up to 90 days.
• Car Hire Benefits – Hertz Gold Plus and Avis Platinum Presidents Club status. Comes with rental discounts, upgrades, and more.
• Fine Hotels & Resorts Perks: Enjoy upgrades, complimentary breakfast, free Wi-Fi, food and drink credit (or similar), early check-in (subject to availability), and 4 pm checkout. Over 2,600 handpicked hotels, including 75 in London, are available.

80,000 points can be transferred into a range of things, from airline miles to hotel points, statement credit, shopping vouchers and more.

You will be able to find all of this information in our upcoming Platinum Guide.

Virgin Atlantic Holidays US and Caribbean Sales + Double Tier Points

If you’re planning a trip to the Caribbean or the USA, these savings from Virgin Atlantic Holidays might interest you. These deals could save you up to £390.

USA 2025 Sale – Save up to £105

If a US trip is on the cards, this deal offers savings of up to £105 on selected city breaks (based on a family of 4)

You will save £30 per adult and £22.50 per child on package holiday bookings, which include flights + accommodation or flights + car rental.

You must book by 30th March 2025 for travel between 1st April 2025 and 31st August 2025

Destinations:

• Las Vegas (MAN)
• New York (LHR)
• Miami (LHR)
• Los Angeles (LHR)
• Seattle (LHR)
• Atlanta (LHR)

There are over 190 holidays to choose from, including 53 five-star hotels and 33 four-star hotels.

Promo Code: FORCED – View the sale page here

Save Up to £300 on Orlando Family Holidays (2026)

Save up to £300 on Virgin Atlantic Holiday bookings from London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh when you book before 23:59 on 31st March 2025 for travel between 1st April 2026 to 31st August 2026

Reductions depend on which month you travel:

April 2026 – Save £50 per person

May 2026 – Save £20 per person

June 2025 – Save £50 per person

July and August 2026 – save £75 per person

Here are two holidays from Heathrow for a family of 4 departing on 16th August 2026 with the discount applied:

Save Up to £180 on 2026 Caribbean Holidays – Book Before 2nd April 2025

Your booking must include flights and accommodation to be eligible for the Caribbean discounts. 

The sale covers all Caribbean destinations (excluding Cancun).

Travel between 1st February 2026 and 31st December 2027 for a discount of up to £180 per booking.

The savings are based on the amount spent. You can save:

• £30 per booking when spending £5,000 or more
• £80 per booking when spending £8,500 or more
• £130 per booking when spending £10,000 or more
• £180 per booking when spending £12,500 or more

Promo code: BEACHSALE

Save Up to £390  – Book Before 2nd April 2025

Save up to £180 per booking when you travel before 31st December 2026. The amount you save is based on spending (as above).

If you travel before 31 January 2026 and book before 2nd April 2025, you will save an additional £60 per adult and £45 per child.

That’s up to £300 off per couple or £390 for a family of four!

Promo code: BEACHSALE

Double Tier Points + Instant Silver Status for Virgin Holiday Bookings with Upper Class Flights

These deals may not seem big at first (you have to spend over £12,500 to get the full Caribbean discount), but they really add up – especially for families. These sales, along with the new Virgin Double Tier Points offer, mean you can save on your trip and get double tier points, making it much easier to earn Virgin Silver and Gold status. 

Here are the details of the new Virgin Holidays double Tier Points offer:

• Double Tier Points on all Virgin Atlantic flights when booked as part of a holiday.
• 200 bonus Tier Points for the lead booker when spending £4,000 or more between 13th March and 30th September 2025.
• Book a holiday with Upper class flights, and everyone on the booking will get silver status. Book a Premium or Economy Delight holiday worth £4,000+, and the lead booker gets Silver status.

The Virgin Atlantic Loyalty Programme has a threshold of 400 Tier Points for Silver Status and 1,000 Tier Points for Gold status.

Qatar Airways Adds More Flights to 11 Destinations

Qatar Airways is boosting flight frequencies across 11 key destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Qatar has recently announced plenty of flight increases, but additional flights to major destinations continue to be announced.

One of the biggest updates is an increase in Doha to London Heathrow flights from 49 to 56 per week. 

From other European airports, Amsterdam will now be served by 11 weekly flights (up from seven), Larnaca will see 10 weekly flights (up from 7), and Madrid has jumped from 14 to 17 weekly flights.

Qatar is also adding additional flights to:

• Damascus – 14 weekly flights (up from 3)

• Dar Es Salaam-Kilimanjaro – 7 weekly flights (up from 3)

• Entebbe – 11 weekly flights (up from 7)

• Maputo-Durban – 7 weekly flights (up from 5)

• Sharjah – 35 weekly flights (up from 21)

• Tokyo Narita – increased from 11 weekly flights to 14

• Tunis – increased from 10 weekly flights to 12

Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Thierry Antinori, said:

“Qatar Airways’ vast network of global destinations is complemented with robust flight frequencies for the benefit of our passengers”.

“At Qatar Airways, we take pride in offering unparalleled services, and with the peak summer season approaching, we are pleased to fulfil the ever-increasing demand for air travel with accessible and convenient flight schedules.”

This is excellent news for reward seat availability and finding a time that works for you, especially the increased Heathrow flights!