The simple way to get ‘free’ family flights for four – find out how to save loads of extra air miles
We show you how to use an American Express credit card to get virtually free flights to Europe with Avios air miles
Here we will show you how a family can take a flight for virtually nothing. We have done this for the last two summers, flying to Florence which you can read about here, and to Majorca which you can read about here.
You can use points built up from using an American Express credit card for long haul flights and hotel stays. But in this article, we talk about getting Avios flights to France, Italy, Spain and other parts of Europe.
We love to spread the word about what is possible so that everyone we know can benefit too – here is what you need to do. This article has been updated to reflect recent AMEX changes.
How to get family holiday flights for four
Step 1 – Sign up for the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card. To get extra points, do this via a link from an existing cardholder (we are happy to recommend you, just email mail@thefamilyholidayguide.co.uk for a link). Then you will get 12,000 points instead of 10,000 providing you spend £3,000 in the first three months.
Step 2 – Use the card for all your online shopping (remember to add the card to your regular accounts such as PayPal, eBay, Amazon and supermarkets ) and for your fuel, food, travel, bills etc.
You get one point for every pound you spend on the card.
Step 3 – After three months, recommend your partner for an American Express Gold card, that earns you 6,000 points for the recommendation. Your husband/wife/partner then gets 12,000 points providing they hit the £3,000 spending target in three months.
After six months you will have 30,000 points from the introductory bonus plus say 7,000 points from general spending.
Step 4 – Convert the points into air miles. You can choose from various schemes on the site, but Avios via the British Airways Executive Club (BAEC) is the most well-known. You need to join the BAEC and transfer the miles.
The conversion rate is 1:1 so you would get 37,000 Avios points.
Step 5 – Choose where you want to fly
A return to Paris or Amsterdam for four people – 36,000 Avios
A return to Majorca or Florence for four people – 60,000 Avios
With British Airways you pay a fixed charge of £35 per ticket for European Avios redemptions, although this is slightly less for children because of reduced taxes, usually around £23 on some flights.
Step 6 – Another little bonus is the American Express card also comes with two free lounge passes. If both partners have a card you could start the holiday with a nice little airport lounge visit!
The small print – This AMEX card is free for the first year, it costs £140 after the first year but you can always cancel. It is a credit card so you must pay it off in full every month otherwise the interest payments will dwarf any potential miles gain.
Disclaimer – we are not a financial services site. Remember, do not use a credit card unless you are going to pay it off in full every month.
In conclusion
Follow the steps above and for just over £100 you can get a trip to Europe in peak season saving potentially £1,000 on plane tickets.
We also like this brilliant site called Head for Points which has all the Avios and other air miles schemes in great detail.
Please let us know if you found this article helpful.