In this post:
VERY LIMITED WINDOW: United Amex Offer – Save Up to 43%
A lucrative United Airlines offer has just appeared on selected Amex cards, giving £300 back as a statement credit when you spend £700 or more by 23rd October.
It’s a very short window, but worth a look, especially with potential savings of up to 43%. Many routes are now bookable right up until late September.
You must pay in GBP, book a flight leaving from a UK airport and book direct via the United site. The transaction must be charged to your Amex account by 23rd October, not just booked by then.
You’ll also need to save the offer to your card before purchasing, and it’s limited to the first 30,000 cardmembers. I’m sure the offer will be extremely popular.
Though some routes are seasonal, United currently flies from:
- Heathrow: Newark, Chicago, Washington Dulles, San Francisco, Houston, Los Angeles and Denver
- Glasgow: Newark
- Edinburgh: Chicago and Washington Dulles
You’re not limited to just United flights either. As part of the Star Alliance, you can book flights with partner airlines such as SWISS and Lufthansa through the United website, as long as you meet all the booking conditions. The main issue is that the booking system often routes through the US even when a partner airline has a more direct route. The extra connections could easily outweigh the cashback benefit. Phone bookings are excluded.
The offer excludes gift cards and vouchers, package holidays, cruises, purchases of United miles, and clothing or lifestyle products from the United Shop.
You’ll get the best percentage saving on a cheaper fare, particularly an Economy ticket costing just over £700. However, £300 off a Business or First ticket is still a very welcome discount. The cashback isn’t as high as the previous £350 offered on the same spend, but it’s still a great offer well-worth considering.
Search for United Flights here >>>
Some London Hotels Are Adding 5% Service Charges to Bills – But They’re Not Obligatory
We are all familiar with service charges on restaurant bills, but some London hotels are now applying the same principle to room rates.
A growing number of luxury London hotels are adding a 5% discretionary service charge to stays. This could come as an unwelcome surprise if you haven’t budgeted for it, but you can ask for the charge to be removed or refunded.
Some of the hotels that include service charges like this include a number of luxury hotels, including a substantial number of Hyatt properties.
- Hyatt: Andaz Liverpool Street, Hyatt Regency (The Churchill, Blackfriars, Albert Embankment and Olympia), Hyatt Place London City East, Park Hyatt River Thames, Great Scotland Yard and The Standard.
- Marriott: The London EDITION and Sheraton Grand London Park Lane.
- IHG: Kimpton Fitzroy London and InterContinental London Park Lane.
- Others: Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, The Savoy, Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge, The Landmark, Rosewood London, The BoTree, The Newman and The Ritz
The charge may not always appear separately on your final bill and could be included in the accommodation total.
I find this frustrating, particularly when hotels could simply include staff costs in their room rates.
If the charge is discretionary, you can ask for it to be removed at check-out. If you notice it afterwards, contact the hotel to request a refund. It’s much easier to deal with before you leave, so check your bill wherever you stay, especially in London, though a select few hotels outside of London and abroad also have similar charges.
Have You Been Targeted With a Eurostar Points Bonus? Up to 3x Points
Eurostar has targeted select Club Eurostar members with a points bonus, and there’s not much time left to take advantage of it. However, you’ll need to receive an email with the offer to qualify.
Book your Eurostar journey by 27th October for travel by 13th December 2026 to receive double points in Eurostar Standard and triple points in Eurostar Plus or Premier.
Eurostar points are based on spend, with a standard earning rate of 1.2 Club Eurostar points per £1. This offer increases that to 2.4 points per £1 in Standard or 3.6 points per £1 in Plus and Premier, before any tier bonus of up to 75%, depending on your Club Eurostar status.
A £600 return to Amsterdam in Eurostar Premier would earn 2,160 points with this offer, compared with the usual 720, before tier bonuses
To check if you’ve been targeted, search your emails from [email protected]
The offer also includes certain connecting journeys involving TGV Lyria, TGV INOUI and domestic SNCB services.
From 29th October 2026, Club Eurostar is increasing the points needed for reward tickets to and from London by 10%. That’s yet another reason to redeem any points you already have before the increase, even if you haven’t been targeted with this bonus offer. You can book reward travel for a later date at the current rates, subject to availability.
| Fare | One Way Points Cost Now | One Way Points Cost From 29th October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (Value) | 1,000 | 1,100 |
| Standard (Anytime) | 1,500 | 1,650 |
| Plus (Value) | 2,000 | 2,200 |
| Plus (Anytime) | 2,500 | 2,750 |
| Premier (Anytime) | 3,000 | 3,300 |
Keep in mind that the extra points won’t count towards your Club Eurostar status, and train and hotel packages are excluded.
