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Aer Lingus Doubles Tier Credits on the Lowest Earning Fares
Aer Lingus has increased the number of Tier Credits earned on its best value Saver and Smart fares. European Saver fares now earn 15 Tier Credits each way instead of 7.5, while Smart fares on transatlantic flights now earn 50 Tier Credits each way rather than 25. These changes have been introduced since the start of April 2026 on eligible flights.
If you travel only on the lowest earning Saver and Smart fares, you can now earn status twice as fast! AerClub requires 301 Tier Credits for Silver, 601 for Platinum and 1,051 for Concierge:
For example, you could now earn:
- Silver with 3 return transatlantic Smart trips plus 1 European Saver flight
- Platinum with 6 return transatlantic Smart trips plus 1 European Saver flight
- Concierge with 10 return transatlantic Smart trips plus 4 European Saver flights
You don’t need to fly exclusively with Aer Lingus to benefit either. You also earn Tier Credits when flying with British Airways and American Airlines if you opt to credit your flight to Aer Lingus.
This is particularly good news if you book cheaper fares, even if only occasionally on short routes, as well as your usual Business fares. A couple of low-cost European weekends away could now be enough to move to the next tier or renew your status. Many airlines have recently gone in the opposite direction, reducing or removing tier credit equivalents earned on their lowest fares altogether. Not to mention all the other recent changes to airline loyalty programmes that make it harder to earn status.
Aer Lingus may not be part of an airline alliance (though you still have benefits with AA and BA). However, it’s still well-worth a look as your main (or secondary) airline loyalty programme, especially if your travel is mainly around the US, UK and Ireland.
Virgin Red Partners with M&S
Virgin Red has become the first official partner (and first ever external partner) of the newly revamped Marks and Spencer Sparks loyalty programme, which is based on customer demand for pounds rather than points.
The partnership will work both ways:
Earn With Sparks Via Virgin
If you link your Virgin Red and Sparks accounts, you can now earn cash into your Sparks wallet when you buy selected Virgin products. You will have two Virgin offers available in your wallet at any one time, and at least one will be travel-related. The offers will be personalised and will change every three months.
Examples include:
- Up to £130 into your Sparks wallet when you book a Virgin Atlantic Holidays package
- £80 into your Sparks wallet when you switch to Virgin Media
- £8 into your Sparks wallet for every £100 spent with Virgin Voyages
- £4 into your Sparks wallet for every £20 spent on Virgin Experience Days
- £100 into your Sparks wallet when you take out a 12-month Virgin Active membership
- £10 into your Sparks wallet for every £100 spent at Virgin Hotels
- £1 into your Sparks wallet for every £20 spent through Virgin Trains Ticketing
Just the offers alone now make a Sparks card a must-have, regardless of how often you shop at M&S. You can get money directly into your Sparks wallet for things you would have purchased anyway!
Earn Virgin Points Shopping at M&S
It’s always good to have more ways to earn Virgin Points. The Tesco partnership is already particularly useful, and now you can earn up to 4 Virgin Points per £1 spent online at M&S when you shop through Virgin Red. Say you spend £400 online with M&S at the 4 points per £1 rate, that’s 1,600 Virgin Points.
If you’ve linked your account to the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, your points can be viewed as a single combined balance, and you can redeem them for flights, cabin upgrades, and more.
Spend Virgin Points at M&S
Virgin Red members can now use Virgin Points on M&S treats, from Percy Pigs through to pizzas, tea, biscuits and smoothies. You can do this by selecting an offer on the Virgin Red site. While this isn’t the best use of points, it’s a good option to have, especially if you have some points you wouldn’t otherwise use. Though Virgin Points never expire, so there’s no rush!
Make sure you remember to link your M&S and Virgin Red accounts! You can do this via Sparks.
Malaysia Airlines Adds Extra Last-Minute London Flights for April
Malaysia Airlines has announced two one-off return flights between Kuala Lumpur and Heathrow this month to supplement its usual twice-daily service.
The extra flights will operate on 18th and 22nd April as follows:
| Date | Flight | Route | Departure | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18th April | MH7006 | KUL-LHR | 00:15 | 07:00 |
| 18th April | MH7005 | LHR-KUL | 13:10 | 09:25 (+1) |
| 22nd April | MH7006 | KUL-LHR | 00:40 | 07:25 |
| 22nd April | MH7005 | LHR-KUL | 09:30 | 05:45 (+1) |
The extra services will help address the high demand for flights. It’s rare to see extra services scheduled for Heathrow unless demand is exceptionally high.
An Airbus A350-900 will operate flights, so you can expect the same long-haul product as usual.
The services will also improve access to Malaysia Airlines’ long-haul network, with connections to over 60 destinations from Sydney to Bali. Malaysia Airlines also offers a free ‘side trip’ where you can book a stopover in one of 8 destinations in Malaysia, including a domestic flight to the destination, for just taxes.
If you were struggling to find seats very last-minute, these flights are well-worth a look. The price is lower than the usual flights, and there’s plenty of availability.
