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AMEX Platinum Business to Scrap 10,000 Monthly Bonus from April
The Amex Business Platinum card is set to lose one of its most lucrative earning benefits. Starting in April, the 10,000-point monthly bonus will be discontinued and replaced with travel and rental credits.
Currently, you’ll receive 10,000 bonus Membership Rewards points for each month you spend £10,000. If you reach that threshold every month, you can earn up to 120,000 additional points per year.
From 1st April 2026, the Business Platinum will introduce:
- Increased Spend-Based AMEX Travel Credit: The usual £200 yearly credit will remain, but you’ll now receive an extra £200 when you spend £60,000 and £400 when you spend £120,000.
- Enterprise Credit: £20 cashback when you spend £60+ with Enterprise each month. This could earn you up to £240 per year.
- Superscript Insurance Discount: 15% statement credit on your first Superscript transaction each calendar year.
Although these benefits are ‘replacements’, most people are unlikely to fully maximise the Enterprise and Superscript benefits.
Travel credits are far less flexible than points. They must be used via Amex Travel in a single transaction, and they do not have the same value potential as transferring points to airline programmes for premium cabin redemptions.
This is also negative if you spend less than £60,000 per year, as you won’t qualify for the first £200 bonus. You will, of course, continue to earn the standard 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent.
Though the AMEX Business Platinum offers excellent benefits, such as lounge access and hotel status, it’s worth considering whether it’s still worthwhile for you given the changes, especially if your main reason for having the card is accelerated earning potential.
Discover the AMEX Business Platinum
Emirates to Launch Refreshed Premium Economy Cabins on More Routes in 2026
Emirates has announced another round of aircraft upgrades across its network as part of the retrofit programme. Premium Economy will grow to 99 destinations by the end of 2026.
A retrofitted two-class A380 will be reconfigured into a three-class layout with 76 Business seats, 56 Premium Economy seats, and 437 Economy seats.
The aircraft will operate the Dubai-Amman route from 14th April to 31st May, then move to the Prague route from 1st June. All 15 of the two-class A380s will be retrofitted.
There will be retrofitted aircraft launching on more routes, including:
- 1st March – Zurich Retrofitted A380 – EK085/086
- 29th March – Mauritius – Retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR – EK709/710
- 29th March – Entebbe – New Airbus A350 deployment – EK729/730
- 1st April – New York JFK – Retrofitted A380 – EK201/202
- 1st May – Ho Chi Minh City – Retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR – EK392/393
- 1st May – Basra – Retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER – EK945/946
- 10th May – Milan – Retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR – EK101/102
- 1st October – Guangzhou – Three-class A380 – EK362/363
- 1st October 2026 (Premium Economy from 1st December) – Hong Kong – A380 upgrade followed by retrofitted A380 – EK382/383
- 25th October – Dublin – Retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR – EK165/166
The Dublin addition will be especially useful. All 21 weekly flights will have a Premium Economy option.
These upgrades are intended to enable Emirates to standardise its offering across more routes.
Discover more about the Emirates retrofit programme
AirAsia X Announces the Return of Gatwick to Kuala Lumpur Flights (Via Bahrain)
AirAsia X is returning to the UK with a new daily London Gatwick-Kuala Lumpur service launching on 26th June 2026.
The airline previously operated flights from the UK from 2009 to 2012. When the route ended, rising fuel and operational costs were given as the reasons.
The flights will operate via Bahrain, which will be the first hub outside Asia. The aircraft will be an Airbus A330-300.
The scheduled timings are as follows:
| Flight | Route | Departure | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| D7 973 | London Gatwick – Bahrain | 10:25 | 18:55 |
| Bahrain – Kuala Lumpur | 20:55 | 09:55 +1 | |
| D7 972 | Kuala Lumpur – Bahrain | 22:00 | 00:40 +1 |
| Bahrain – London Gatwick | 02:25 | 07:25 +1 |
Here’s how a flight would look with the stop:
AirAsia X offers a premium product, the ‘Premium Flatbed’. It also includes priority check-in and boarding, 40kg of checked baggage, 1 complimentary meal (alcohol and additional food at an additional cost), and Plaza Premium lounge access (where available).
The route is being positioned as a cheaper alternative to the Gulf carriers that dominate the market.
Flights are on sale now for travel between 26th June and 30th November 2026. Generally, fares are around £799 one-way for Business and £159-£269 in Economy, but some introductory promotional fares are available until 22nd February 2026.
AirAsia X will operate a network of 150 destinations, with nearly 2,000 weekly flights from KL, including routes to Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Australia, and Japan. Operating with an A330 fleet.
