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Urgent – Register for the British Airways AMEX Tier Point Offer
The new British Airways Premium Plus AMEX Tier Point offer has just appeared, and it turns out you need to register for it!
You must enrol by 25th January 2027, and the spend must be billed to your card by 1st February 2027.
You can earn up to 2,500 Tier Points on card spend once enrolled, including:
- 750 Tier Points – Spend £15,000
- 750 Tier Points – Spend an additional £5,000 (total £20,000)
- 1,000 Tier Points – Spend a further £5,000 (total £25,000)
As a reminder, you’ll need 3,500 tier points for Bronze, 7,500 for Silver, and 20,000 for Gold, so the AMEX bonus can be very helpful.
Whether you’re aiming for BA status this year or not, make sure you register for the offer. 2,500 Tier Points can get you more than 70% of the way to Bronze status just from spend.
It’s also worth noting that there doesn’t seem to be a confirmation email, so keep an eye on it to make sure you’re definitely enrolled. Once enrolled, the offer should disappear; if, for some reason, it doesn’t, it should show as already enrolled when you try to re-enrol.
Whilst I had the enrol button in the American Express app, Katrina didn’t. Instead, she got an email inviting her to enrol, but when she clicked the button, it said she already had, which is odd, so keep an eye on that.
ITA Joins Star Alliance and the Miles & More Loyalty Programme
Today, ITA Airways becomes the 26th member of Star Alliance after a long integration process, moving from SkyTeam. This is the first time in 11 years that an airline has joined the Star Alliance, following the Lufthansa Group’s purchase of a 41% stake in the airline.
ITA is now also a fully fledged member of the Miles & More loyalty programme alongside SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, Air Dolomiti, and partners Croatia Airlines and LOT.
You’ll now be able to connect easily from Rome Fiumicino Airport (already served by 17 Star Alliance airlines) and Milan Linate onto the Star Alliance network of more than 1,150 destinations.
You can check bags through across Star Alliance itineraries, earn and redeem miles across programmes, and use lounges right across the network. That includes ITA’s lounges in Rome, Milan and Catania, which are now open to eligible Star Alliance Gold members. You’ll also get the usual Star Alliance benefits depending on your status.
The integration also brings Alghero, Genoa, and Lampedusa onto the Star Alliance map.
ITA’s previous Volare loyalty programme has now closed. If you still have a balance, you have until 30th June to convert it into a voucher, with 50,000 points = €100 credit. The voucher must be used by 30th June 2026, with travel completed within 12 months of purchase.
Celebrating the milestone, Star Alliance Chief Executive Officer Theo Panagiotoulias said:
“On behalf of our members, I am delighted to welcome ITA Airways as the 26th member of Star Alliance. This is the result of a focused and collaborative integration effort. With ITA Airways on board, we not only expand our network to and from Italy, but also elevate the connected experience of our customers when travelling across multiple airlines, through access to the world’s largest network of airport lounges, more comprehensive loyalty benefits, and other benefits like baggage tracking – all designed to enhance the journey at every step.”
Virgin Atlantic Will No Longer Fly to Riyadh
Virgin Atlantic has confirmed a variety of route changes, the most notable of which is that it will no longer fly to Riyadh as of 7th April 2026. The route lasted just over 12 months.
The reasoning given for the changes is responding to evolving customer demand following a network review.
In a statement, Virgin also said:
“Following the escalation in the Middle East, we have continued to make dynamic assessments of our flying programme. Based on the latest intelligence and regulatory guidance, and to ensure we can operate a stable and reliable schedule, we have taken the difficult decision to cancel our services between London Heathrow and Riyadh from 7th April 2026.”
Initially, Virgin was likely looking to tap into Riyadh’s status as a global business hub, driven by the growth in Saudi trade and the Saudi 2030 vision, but other airlines had the same idea. BA and Saudia were already flying regular services, while Riyadh Air had also announced daily flights. Then came the Middle East conflict and disruption.
If you have a flight booked, you will either be rebooked onto another airline or receive a refund. Virgin has a codeshare partnership with Saudia, and both airlines are part of SkyTeam. This means you can still earn and redeem Virgin Points on this route. Saudia flies from Heathrow to Riyadh and Jeddah, and from Manchester to Jeddah.
Other Virgin Summer Schedule Changes
Virgin has also announced more changes to weekly schedules, including:
- Bengaluru – Increasing from 7 to 13 weekly from 1st June
- Mumbai – A 30% capacity increase with the VS358/359 operating on an A350 aircraft until 15th May.
- Las Vegas – Increasing from 7 – 10 per week from 31st August for the summer season – we covered this here
- San Francisco – one daily service will move from a Boeing 787-9 to the Airbus A350.
- Toronto – switching from the Boeing 787-9 to the Airbus A350.
- Delhi – More use of the A350 while remaining at two flights per day.
- Montego Bay – 4 per week to 1 daily from 1st June to 24th October, adding an extra 15,480 seats. Upper Class Reward flight pricing is currently averaging 125,000 Points + £620 or 76,000 Points + £470 for Premium.
