In this post:
Another British Airways-Flying Blue Status Match
Flying Blue is back with another status match for BA status holders. This one will end on 30th April 2026.
The match is just the same as the one that ran at the start of the year. It’s just a second chance if you wish you’d gone for it but missed the opportunity. By now, you’ll know whether you’ll retain your BA status or drop a tier. Even if you’ve managed to keep your BA tier, it’s a great opportunity to hold Oneworld and SkyTeam status and see which works best for you.
You can read our full guide to the match here to decide whether it will work for you.
You can match your status as follows:
| BA Status | Flying Blue Status | SkyTeam Status | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Silver | SkyTeam Elite | £79 |
| Silver | Gold | SkyTeam Elite Plus | £149 |
| Gold | Platinum | SkyTeam Elite Plus | £249 |
Matching to Flying Blue Gold will give you access to SkyTeam lounges (over 750 worldwide), including the Air France lounge at LHR T4, which opens soon. As a Platinum member, you’ll have the ability to book La Première redemptions.
As expected, we’ve seen quite a few status match offers this year. To move over to SkyTeam, you now have the option of:
- Virgin Atlantic: The enhanced match has ended, but the usual match is ongoing and requires a booking, depending on the status level you’re matching to: Silver = Economy, and Gold = Premium or Upper.
- SAS: Announced at the end of last week. This one is cheaper than the Flying Blue match, plus you’ll get some SAS-specific benefits, and your status will be valid for up to 23 months. Read more here.
- Vietnam Airlines: One of the most wide-reaching options. Matches available from a huge range of airlines and lots of hotel loyalty programmes.
- Kenya Airways: Also matches to certain credit cards and hotel status tiers.
All but the Virgin matches are available via statusmatch.com. Undecided? Make sure you read our 2026 status match guide.
The United Airlines Debit Card is Here
United has officially launched its new UK debit card in partnership with Currensea and Mastercard. The card costs £175 per year, which is higher than we expected. This means the value of the card relies massively on how often you fly with United and whether you collect MileagePlus miles or are with a Star Alliance airline.
You’ll earn 2 MileagePlus miles per £3 spent in the UK and Europe or 4 MileagePlus miles per £3 spent with United or outside Europe.
There’s an FX fee of 0.99% (disappointing), and ATM withdrawals are charged at 0.99% up to £250 per month and 2.5% above.
Benefits include:
- Up to 2,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) annually, receiving 1 PQP for every £15 spent directly with United Airlines or on card purchases outside the UK.
- 500 PQPs on renewal, plus 2,500 bonus miles if you have spent £3,000 in foreign currency in the previous 12 months
- At least 10% off redemptions on United-operated flights (at least 15% for Premier status holders) from 2nd April.
- Earn miles faster by rounding up purchases, earning 1 extra mile for each 2p rounded up.
- Access to exclusive Saver Award fares from 2nd April
- Five 1GB eSIMs per year
There’s also a rather complicated sign-up bonus of up to 15,000 miles:
- 2,000 miles after your first purchase
- Up to 10,000 more if you book and complete a United-operated flight within six months (3,000 in Economy, 7,000 in Premium Plus or 10,000 in Polaris).
- 3,000 miles after spending £3,000 in foreign currency in your first year.
If you regularly fly United, the card certainly makes sense, but it’s more like a paid membership to a better version of the MileagePlus loyalty programme. Good for some, but certainly niche in the UK.
For most of us who won’t be purchasing this card, it just means that from 2nd April, you’ll earn fewer miles on United-operated flights, and 0 miles in Basic Economy.
United’s mileage earning will look like this:
| Status | Current (miles per $1) | Without card (miles per $1) | With card (miles per $1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Premier Silver | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| Premier Gold | 8 | 6 | 9 |
| Premier Platinum | 9 | 7 | 10 |
| Premier 1K | 11 | 9 | 12 |
To sign up for the card, go to the sign-up page and download the app.
New Aer Lingus Avios Only Flight On Sale From 19th March
Aer Lingus has confirmed an Avios-only flight to and from Malta in August. This is ideal if you’re a family or larger group looking for a redemption in the summer holidays.
Avios-only flights mean every seat on the flight is available to purchase with Avios. They also include 20kg checked luggage, 10kg carry-on, and a small personal item as standard. As usual, you can also opt to pay with Avios + cash. Unfortunately, only Economy will be available to book.
The flight dates and times are as follows:
| Route | Flight | Date | Departure | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin to Malta | EI464 | 1st August 2026 | 14:20 | 19:10 |
| Malta to Dublin | EI465 | 8th August 2026 | 20:00 | 23:00 |
The flights will go on sale tomorrow, with prices starting at 20,000 Avios return plus taxes, fees, and carrier charges, which average £38.60. Seats are available to book as usual. For comparison, BA prices a return peak flight to Malta in Economy at 33,500 Avios + £2.
This flight is exclusively for AerClub members, so you’ll need to create an account and transfer the required Avios.
Finding reward seats in August can be difficult. Aer Lingus ran a similar Avios-Only flight to Tenerife last year, and it sold out in three hours. If you want to book, you need to be ready when booking opens.
Adam Daniels, CEO, IAG Loyalty, said:
“With summer holidays fast approaching, we’re pleased to be giving loyal AerClub members even more ways to redeem their Avios, during what is one of the biggest travel periods of the year. As with previous Avios-Only flights for Aer Lingus, we expect these will prove incredibly popular with families, friends, and couples, looking to save some money while heading on their next adventure.”
