Bits: India Avios blackout update, Melia and Jumeirah launch Amex cashback deals
News in brief:
Where will British Airways fly from Stansted, Edinburgh and Glasgow this summer?
Our article yesterday on BA flights into Europe this summer from Stansted, Edinburgh and Glasgow was a bit mangled in places – apologies.
The key omission was a Glasgow to San Sebastian flight. There are actually two per week in June, not one. The other typos should have been obvious! The version on the site is now correct (we hope).
Short-notice Avios availability to India is partly back
Earlier in the week we ran a story about disappearing Avios availability to India, with no seats available within 45 days of travel.
There has now been some movement, but it isn’t entirely logical. As of last night:
- Delhi – outbound availability is back but inbound availability is restricted to Economy
- Bangalore – no major change, Avios seats unavailable within 45 days of travel except for a handful of Premium Economy dates outbound
- Mumbai – availability is back in all cabins
Get £75 cashback at Melia Hotels & Resorts
Via a new American Express promotion, Melia Hotels & Resorts is offering £75 cashback on a £300+ transaction by 31st July. Cumulative spend is OK.
As usual, you need to check the ‘Offers’ tab of each American Express card you hold to see if it is showing, and then click ‘Save to Card’.
The list of participating hotels (PDF) is surprisingly small – given the size of the chain – but includes properties in Austria, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain (lots in Spain, unsurprisingly), the UK and Vietnam.
Only two of the UK hotels are included. These are ME London on the Strand, image above, and the art deco Melia White House by Regents Park. Kensington is not on the list.
A small number of hotels may also appear on the current ‘£100 back on £600’ offer with Leading Hotels of the World, which would allow you to douple dip.
If you have The Platinum Card from American Express you get free Gold status in MeliaRewards.
One of the benefits of Gold status is a number of ‘20% off’ vouchers for cash bookings which are deposited in your MeliaRewards account each year. These discounts would stack with the cashback.
…. and a Jumeirah cashback deal too
The Dubai-owned Jumeirah chain of luxury hotels has launched its first dedicated American Express cashback deal.
It is not a total newcomer, however, because the two London hotels have appeared as part of the ‘Amex Stays’ promotion in the past.
The offer is worth £100 back on a £400 spend and is valid at the two London hotels (Carlton Tower and The Lowndes), Mallorca (which I reviewed here, image above) and Capri, where Jumeirah now runs Capri Palace.
The offer runs until 30th June.
If you are thinking of booking a Jumeirah hotel, our hotel booking partner Emyr Thomas is an appointed Jumeirah ‘Passport to Luxury’ agent.
All bookings via Emyr will come with:
- $100 food & beverage or spa credit per stay
- complimentary daily breakfast for two
- room upgrade on arrival (subject to availability)
- early check-in and late check-out (subject to availability)
In my experience, Emyr can also occasionally access lower rates than the Jumeirah website shows.
There is no minimum stay needed to get these benefits at the four hotels above.
Unlike some ‘preferred partner’ hotel schemes, Emyr can add these benefits to most rates and packages shown on the Jumeirah website, not just ‘Best Flexible’.
You can contact Emyr via this page of Head for Points.
If you want to learn more about the Jumeirah One loyalty scheme, we published a detailed overview here.