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Duty Free & Airport discounts with Club Avolta

At the Airport, Money, Points & Miles /

You may not have heard of them but Avolta is the world’s largest travel retail and food & beverage operator. Their brand that many of us will be familiar with is World Duty Free who are in most UK airports but the company actually operates 5,100+ outlets across 1,000+ locations in 70 countries.

Club Avolta (formerly known as Red by DuFry) is their loyalty scheme and offers some interesting discounts, especially if you are spending money on Duty Free or are dining at an airport.

You earn 5 points per €1 (or currency equivalent). Your membership year starts when you join the scheme and if you reach a higher tier you remain at that level for the remainder of that membership year plus the following 12 months before dropping down.

Duty Free & Airport discounts with Club Avolta Read More »

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Save on travel with Smart Rewards on your MBNA credit card

Money /

First of all, I am a big American Express fan, the customer service is generally excellent and the points earning has enabled my family and I to travel all over the world and experience flying in cabins that we would otherwise be unable to afford.

However, Amex acceptance is by no means universal in the UK plus overseas spend attracts a 2.99% charge, so for the past 10 years I have had an MBNA Visa card which has no foreign exchange fees.

MBNA runs a scheme called Smart Rewards which offers a variety of cashback offers from a huge range of retailers. Simply activate the offer in the app or on the website, spend money with the retailer within the validity dates and you will receive statement credit based on the value of your spend.

Save on travel with Smart Rewards on your MBNA credit card Read More »

How to get 20% off all virtually all TransPennine Express trains

Trains /

TransPennine Express operates a comprehensive network of train services across Northern England and Scotland. It operates a mixture of inter city transport, regional trains and also commuter service – all using similar equipment. Generally speaking, TransPennine Express trains are not ideal for long journeys as they are generally smaller, commuter trains and are slower than offered by the likes of LNER & Avanti West Coast. However, they do offer a good service to smaller towns and are invaluable if you are crossing the Pennines between the North West and Yorkshire.

How to get 20% off all virtually all TransPennine Express trains Read More »

Your guide to LNER Perks

Trains /

LNER is the main operator on the East Coast Mainline, covering travel from London Kings Cross and Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness (plus many stations in between).

Additional discounts are often hard to find on UK railways as everyone generally sells at the same price but If you are a frequent (or even infrequent) traveller on LNER, it is probably worth taking a look at their loyalty programme – LNER Perks – which allows you to make savings on your travel.

Your guide to LNER Perks Read More »

Stylish airport lounge with buffet and seating, featuring sleek interior design and contemporary furniture.

Airport lounge access, your options

At the Airport /

Virtually all airports have some sort of lounge offering, providing a more spacious area to relax with complimentary food and drink in a quiet space within the airport. Of course standards do vary, depending on the airport, who you are flying with and if you are paying for entry.

There are basically two types of airport lounge. Dedicated Airline lounges are typically branded in the name of the airline and are for the use of the premium class passengers and frequent flyers of that airline (or those of the associated airline alliance). Some large airports may also have dedicated first class lounges offering higher levels of service.

Pay lounges are operated by a 3rd party. These are used by business/first class customers and frequent flyers in airports where the airline does not operate their own lounge. In addition, it is possible for other travellers to use these lounges via membership schemes or simply paying for access. Brands in this area include Aspire, Plaza Premium and Escape lounges.

Airport lounge access, your options Read More »

Aerial shot of a vast parking lot filled with parked vehicles and a large building.

Comparing the cost of UK Airport Parking

At the Airport /

Airport parking in the UK is notoriously expensive. In many locations, the airport itself is the only car park operator and this lack of competition, combined with recent price inflation seemingly not seen in many other areas of the UK economy (and that is saying something) means a serious extra cost to your holiday.

Pre-booking is essential of course, just turn up at the airport without having arranged things in advance and you are looking at a serious bill, even for a couple of nights away. However, even if you plan ahead, the difference in cost between airports can be significant.

Comparing the cost of UK Airport Parking Read More »

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