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Lufthansa upgrades premium dining
IHG New Debit card coming
IHG discontinued its popular credit card in 2023, prior to stopping new applications in 2020, while a large number of accounts were cancelled due to alleged misuse. It was surprising that nothing had replaced the card for so long, but now we finally have some potentially good news.
In today’s IHG financial results, the company announced that a new debit card product for IHG would be launched in the UK market. In the last couple of years, the promotion of loyalty debit cards has taken off in the UK, with both Hilton and Marriott launching cards in partnership with Currensea. Debit cards can be a better option than credit cards for many, as you don’t need a credit check, and there are fewer stringent rules about the promotion of these types of cards.
IHG’s previous credit card was very popular, mainly due to its free night voucher for spending £10,000 per year, as the yearly fee was only £99, and you could stay at any IHG brand hotel with the voucher. It also came with Platinum Elite status and earned a generous 2 points per £1 spent, with 4 points at IHG hotels/non-UK spending.
The details so far are very scant as the statement said “Separately, we have recently signed a new UK co-branded IHG One Rewards debit card agreement with Revolut, alongside Visa, with card products scheduled to be launched later this year.”
Given that Revolut is essentially a current account product, it will be interesting to see how it works with the IHG card and whether it offers any Revolut benefits, such as fee-free foreign currency transactions.
10% off EasyJet Plus
Regular readers will know that after BA announced the changes to its loyalty scheme, I switched to EasyJet and bought EasyJet Plus status. In part, it is because EasyJet serves the nearest airport (Murcia) to my holiday home (available to rent here). However, I am something of a convert to paying a one-off price for most of the perks I would have achieved via status with BA. It would be handy if it also included a small amount of checked luggage, but since I rarely have any, it is less of an issue for me.
So far, there has not been another half-price EasyJet Plus offer like last year, but there is now a 10% off code for Mastercard cardholders. You need to register your Mastercard on this website; it will confirm your eligibility and provide the code to use on the EasyJet website. I registered my Virgin card, which was accepted.
The promotion is available to customers purchasing annual easyJet Plus memberships up to and including 31 December 2026, so there is plenty of time.
EasyJet Plus gives you (but not anyone else on your booking)
- Fast Track security
- Exclusive check-in area (never had to queue for more than a minute)
- Speedy boarding
- A larger hand luggage bag in addition to the free underseat bag
- Free seat selection – even the front row and emergency exit
- 10% off the cafe on board – just tell them you are an EasyJet Plus customer
- Free Earlier Return Flight
- Price promise if you find the same flight cheaper
It costs £249 per adult, but you can add one extra adult on a partner card for £215. They also do a cheaper child’s card.
There is a calculator on the website where you can input the number of flights per year you would fly with EasyJet, and it will calculate how much the product could save you.
With EasyJet winding down its loyalty scheme last year amid rumours of a new one being developed and previously offering half-price EasyJet Plus offer to compete with BA, there could still be some interesting offers in the next couple of months. So, if you don’t need to purchase your membership now, it may be worth waiting a few weeks before using this offer.
You can find the official EasyJet Plus page here.
