Matt Bunnell

Matt Bunnell is the founder and editor of MaxYourTrip. A frequent traveller for both business and leisure, Matt writes about airline loyalty programmes, Avios, UK rail travel, airports and ways to save money and get more from every trip. His articles combine detailed research with first-hand travel experience.

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Over 90 different ways to earn Avios

Points & Miles / /

Avios is a common loyalty currency used by the frequent flyer programmes of British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling, Qatar Airways, Finnair and Loganair. Avios points can be spent on a range of things including hotels and car rentals but for many people, the most attractive use is for booking reward flights and flight upgrades.
As well as earning Avios by flying, each airline works with different partners around the world which means that there are many different ways of adding to your Avios balance. To optimise earning, serious collectors often join multiple airline programmes that issue Avios.

Over 90 different ways to earn Avios Read More »

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How we used Avios to score Business Class Flights to the World Cup

Flights, Points & Miles / /

My cousin and I love watching sport and over the years we have been lucky enough to visit many big events across the world together, including the Olympics, Euros and Ryder Cup. However neither of us had ever been to the big one – the FIFA World Cup – and as we both have a milestone birthday coming up this year, we decided to try and change that and attend the 2026 event.

How we used Avios to score Business Class Flights to the World Cup Read More »

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TripIt Review: I’ve Used This Travel App for Over 10 Years

Tips & Hacks / /

I have used TripIt for more than 10 years to organise both my business and leisure travel. It automatically turns flight, hotel, car hire and other booking confirmation emails, and aggregates them together in one place so you can see your travel plans in one place.

Here’s how TripIt works, what it does well and whether it’s worth using.

TripIt Review: I’ve Used This Travel App for Over 10 Years Read More »

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How to Earn Flying Blue Miles: Flights, Partners & Other Ways to Earn

Flights, Points & Miles / /

Flying Blue miles can be earned in many different ways, including flying with KLM, Air France and partner airlines, transferring American Express Membership Rewards points, staying with hotel partners and hiring cars.

For UK members, flying isn’t necessarily the only way to build a large Flying Blue balance. American Express Membership Rewards points can be transferred into Flying Blue, while a wide range of airline, hotel and travel partners provide additional earning opportunities.

How to Earn Flying Blue Miles: Flights, Partners & Other Ways to Earn Read More »

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Flying Blue Status & XP: Earning, Levels & Benefits

Flights, Points & Miles / /

Flying Blue is the frequent flyer scheme for KLM and Air France.  For some reason it does not get much coverage in many UK based blogs but for many years KLM has been well used by UK travellers living close to airports such as Exeter, Humberside and Teesside who are not served by any other network carriers.

Flying Blue has four main membership levels: Explorer, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Members earn Experience Points (XP) from eligible flights, with higher status levels providing benefits including additional miles earning, fast track security, additional baggage and lounge access.

Flying Blue Status & XP: Earning, Levels & Benefits Read More »

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Heathrow Rewards: Complete Guide to Earning & Spending Points

At the Airport, Points & Miles / /

Heathrow Rewards is the loyalty scheme of (no prizes for guessing) Heathrow Airport. Collect points for spending and then you can cash them in for vouchers to spend at the airport or transfer them to various frequent flyer schemes. What’s more is that you can double-dip by collecting Heathrow Rewards points as well as scanning cards from the likes of Boots Advantage, Costa Coffee Club and Club Avolta (World Duty Free).

Heathrow Rewards: Complete Guide to Earning & Spending Points Read More »

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How to find Cheap Flights for an Extreme Day Trip

Flights, Tips & Hacks / /

Avis Preferred is the free loyalty programme from Avis, offering regular customers discounts, faster car collection, upgrades and other benefits.

There are three membership levels – Avis Preferred, Preferred Plus and President’s Club – but you don’t necessarily need to rent frequently to get top-tier status. American Express Platinum and selected World Elite Mastercard holders can qualify for President’s Club, while Avis also offers status matches from competing car-hire programmes.

Avis is also particularly interesting for Avios collectors, with several different ways to earn Avios on rentals.

We’ve looked at how Avis Preferred works, what the different status levels offer and, importantly, whether its advertised discounts actually produce the cheapest rental price.

How to find Cheap Flights for an Extreme Day Trip Read More »

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Where to visit for an Extreme Day Trip

Flights / /

Extreme Day Trips have become extremely popular in recent years. The premise is that you take an early flight out to a European city, spend the full day there, cramming in as much as possible, and then fly home in the evening thus avoiding the cost of an overnight stay.

Extreme Day Trips are a fantastic way to visit a new place, maybe just to eat the local food, see something special at a museum or watch a sporting event.

Where to visit for an Extreme Day Trip Read More »

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Club Avolta: World Duty Free Discounts, Avios & Lounge Benefits

At the Airport, Tips & Hacks / /

If you shop at World Duty Free when travelling through UK airports, Club Avolta is a free loyalty programme that’s worth knowing about.

Avolta is the company behind World Duty Free but actually operates over 5,100 outlets across more than 1,000 locations in 70 countries.  Its Club Avolta loyalty programme (formerly known as Red by DuFry) provides members with 5–10% off shopping, good discounts at participating airport restaurants and lounges, and opportunities to earn Avios.

It’s free to join at the entry-level Silver tier, while frequent shoppers can progress to Gold and Platinum. There is also a status match which could allow airline and hotel status holders to skip straight to a higher tier.

In this guide, we’ll explain how Club Avolta works, where you can use it and how to combine its benefits to get even more value

Club Avolta: World Duty Free Discounts, Avios & Lounge Benefits Read More »

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Save on travel with Smart Rewards on your MBNA credit card

Tips & Hacks / /

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 »

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