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Qatar Airways raises prices of redemptions
Qatar Airways has raised the cash element of Avios redemptions over the weekend. Initially there were substantial increases but these have now been corrected thankfully as it was an error.
Qatar say that surcharges on some rewards fees have decreased by up to 15%, some have remained unchanged, and some have increased. I’d put money on the fact that most of them have risen! However, the cash elements are still cheaper than BA flights in many cases even with the rise. With this change they have moved away from fixed fees to distance based fees, so longer flights will be most affected.
As an example London to Phuket or Bangkok return now costs around £600 in fees per person. Previously they were around £480. However, this is an example where flying direct with BA is cheaper at £575 in fees.
2000 Virgin Point bonus for £30 spend.
A study of 2,000 adults from the rail ticketing app Virgin Trains Ticketing reveals Brits are missing out on ‘free money’ from loyalty rewards or discount cards due to them thinking it’s too time consuming (23%), too complicated (21%) or they simply can’t be bothered (21%).
16.3m GB train travellers do not own a railcard with more than two thirds of Brits not thinking they can save much with one. However, the average railcard holder saves £140 a year, meaning Brits are missing out on millions of pounds of savings.
You don’t have to travel with someone else, be a student or pensioner to get a card. You also don’t have to fill in a paper form and give it to the station any more. The process is available through ticketing apps and takes seconds as long as you have a photo handy. I live in the Southeast and have a Network rail card. I can save a third on eligible train travel, including the Heathrow Express and even Railair coaches. I paid £30, so it only took three days to go to London to get my money back.
You can now purchase a railcard directly on the Virgin Trains Ticketing website or app – and get 2000 Bonus Points equivalent to £10 off your next train ticket for a limited time.
If you were to buy 2000 Virgin Points it would cost you £45, so it actually makes sense to buy a Railcard instead as digital railcards are £30.
Virgin Trains Ticketing has zero booking fees, split ticket options and the opportunity to use Virgin Points to unlock discounts on train fares as well as earn them. You can earn 3 Virgin Points for every £1 you spend. Don’t confuse the app with Virgin Trains, you can use Virgin Trains Ticketing to book a train ticket on any train, with any operator, to anywhere in Great Britain.
Click here for more information on Virgin Trains Ticketing and to purchase a railcard.
Koh Samui airport development plans
Bangkok Airways actually owns the airport and is due to spend THB2.3 billion (£52 million) to expand Koh Samui as well as Trat airports.
The money will be spent at Koh Samui Airport to increase the number of gates from seven to 11, install 10 new check-in counters and more than double the shopping and restaurant area.
The work start in 2025 and end in 2027.
