NEWS & Offers: BA Suspends ‘Combine My Avios’, New AMEX Business Card Bonuses & ITA Flash Sale

British Airways Suspends ‘Combine My Avios’ Transfers With No Warning

If you’ve recently tried to transfer Avios between British Airways and partner programmes, you may have noticed that the ‘Combine My Avios’ function is currently unavailable. BA has quietly suspended the feature, which usually allows members to transfer points between British Airways and airlines such as Aer Lingus and Iberia.

The BA site was displaying an error message suggesting that members contact the service centre.

When I attempted to do this, the page did not exist and displayed a 404 error.

Unfortunately, many at the BA call centre and social media agents don’t seem to have been briefed on this, leaving many with Avios stuck in their BA account. The worst thing about this is that absolutely no warning was given!

One reader had transferred Amex Membership Rewards to BA with the intention of instantly redeeming them for a reward booking, only to find the feature unavailable.

BA has now confirmed via X that ‘Combine My Avios’ has been taken offline as a short-term measure as they “prepare to introduce our new and enhanced ‘Transfer’ feature, launching this September”. They have also suggested that the feature may return in “around a month”. Despite many people being unable to transfer Avios from BA to Iberia and Aer Lingus to book the reward seats they had planned for, no official date has been given.

In the meantime, if you were planning to use the feature, your Avios are now stuck in your account unless you transfer them out via other means.

The lack of proactive comms from BA is disappointing. Hopefully, the new transfer feature appears sooner rather than later.

Thanks to reader, Rob for bringing this to our attention.

Amex Launches Incredible Business Charge Card Bonuses – Up to 120,000 Points

If you’ve been waiting for AMEX to launch a sign-up bonus, here’s one for you. Very good sign-up bonuses have been launched for the AMEX Business Platinum and AMEX Business Gold cards until 14th October 2025. This is as good as it gets.

AMEX Business Platinum

Fee: £650 per year

There are up to 120,000 Membership Reward Points (up from 50,000) on the table here when you spend £12,000 in the first three months.

120,000 Membership Rewards points can be converted into a huge range of partners, including Avios, Virgin Points, Flying Blue miles Marriott Bonvoy points, Hilton Honours, Emirates Skywards, Eurostar and more.

Benefits:

• Up to 120,000 extra Membership Rewards points a year (10,000 per month when you spend £10,000+)
• £200 annual credit with Amex Travel
• Priority Pass membership for you and the first supplementary cardholder + access to Centurion lounges and more. Read our lounge access with cards guide for more info.
• 2x points on Amex Travel / 1x points on other purchases
• Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits, including $100 credit and late check-out
• Upgrades and credits at 1,000+ properties with The Hotel Collection
• Hotel status with Hilton, Marriott, Meliá and Radisson. Read our AMEX hotel status guide for more info.
• Access to the International Airline Programme (lower fares)
• Platinum Travel Services concierge
• Worldwide travel insurance
• Car hire discounts and upgrades 
• One Business Platinum Card plus 19 complimentary supplementary Business Gold Cards for employees
• Access to AMEX offers + £150 annual Dell credit, £200 Indeed credit and a digital  subscription to The Times
• 18,000 MR Rewards Points referral bonus 

Apply here >>>

AMEX Business Gold

Fee: £195 per year (first year free)

You will receive 60,000 points (up from 20,000) when you spend £6,000 in the first three months, with no fee in year one.

Benefits:

• Up to 10,000 bonus points per £20,000 spend per quarter (up to 40,000 a year)
• 1x points on purchases / 2x via Amex Travel
• 20 complimentary supplementary employee cards
• Access to The Hotel Collection
• £100 annual Dell credit
• Amex Offers 
• Travel Accident and Inconvenience Insurance
• 9,000 MR Points referral bonus

Apply here >>>

Qualification

The usual sign-up restrictions for these cards have been scrapped, so if you currently hold (or recently held) other Amex cards, you can still receive the bonus if you meet the spend target.

Both cards are also refundable pro rata if cancelled. You will also receive the bonus if you upgrade your card from Business Gold to Business Platinum.

Requirements include:

• A current UK Bank or Building Society account (for non–sole traders)
• Age 18 or over
• A permanent UK home address
• If self-employed, you should have been working for 12 months or more
• Minimum personal income of £20,000 for Business Gold or £35,000 for Business Platinum

If you don’t meet the requirements, have a look at the regular AMEX Platinum and AMEX Gold cards, although these are credit cards, not charge cards.

How the Cards Work

Both cards are charge cards, not credit cards, so you’ll need to clear the balance each month. Both cards have a 54-day payment period on purchases. The annual fee is tax-deductible as an expense

Although this is the same sign-up bonus that ran earlier this year, you receive the bonus points in one go. There is no requirement to hold the card for a second year to get the full amount.

Get the AMEX Business Platinum Here >>>

Get the AMEX Business Gold Here >>>

Flash Sale: 20% Off ITA Flights from the UK – Ends Thursday.

ITA Airways is offering 20% off flights from the UK booked between 26th and 28th August 2025, for travel from 15th September to 18th December 2025. The booking window is extremely short, so make sure you don’t wait on this!

The discount applies to all cabins (even Economy Light) and can be used on one-way or return trips, covering everyone on the same booking. All fares include an accessory, hand baggage, and checked luggage (except Economy Light, which excludes hold baggage).

To get the discount, you’ll need to enter the code ONBOARD.

It’s worth noting that the code only applies to the base fare and doesn’t include taxes and fees. It can’t be used on multi-city itineraries.

The sale is advertised as exclusive, but everyone I’ve spoken to has received the same code. There has also been an identical sale aimed at those in the US, using the same code over the last few days (now ended).

ITA operates from London City to both Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate, with a seasonal summer service to Rome from Gatwick, running from June to September. 

Worth It?

For example, this return Business class fare from LCY to FCO saves £38. If you have multiple people on the booking, this can really add up.

If you’re curious about flying ITA, make sure you read our reviews, including London City to Rome and Rome to Dubai. Today is a great time to book at a discounted rate.

Get the offer here >>>