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Hey everyone, and welcome to Smart With Points! I'm Jack, your guide to navigating the wonderful world of miles and points. Now, I know what you're thinking - Christmas was days ago, why am I hearing festive music? Well, this episode is a bit special. I wanted to take you through our year-end review newsletter, which honestly reads like a love letter to twenty twenty-five in the points and miles world. So whether you're listening to this while working off the Christmas dinner or planning your twenty twenty-six adventures, grab yourself a leftover mince pie, get comfortable, and let's dive into what made this year absolutely brilliant for travel rewards.
First things first - Merry Christmas to each and every one of you listening! Writing this on Christmas Eve, I genuinely wanted to say thank you. Whether you've been with Smart With Points since we started or you've just discovered us, your support has made twenty twenty-five an incredible year. The feedback, the questions, the stories of amazing trips you've booked with points - it all keeps me motivated to find the next great deal and share what I learn.
Now, twenty twenty-five was absolutely packed with game-changing announcements in our world. We're talking record-breaking welcome bonuses, airlines finally getting their act together with technology, and some developments that have genuinely transformed how we fly. So let's walk through the highlights, shall we?
The WiFi Revolution Takes Flight
If I had to pick one theme that defined twenty twenty-five, it would be Starlink. Seriously, what felt like science fiction just a few years ago became reality across multiple airlines this year. Qatar Airways absolutely led the charge here. They completed their entire Boeing seven seven seven fleet rollout, and get this - they even hosted the world's first in-flight live press conference using Starlink. I mean, how cool is that?
I've experienced it myself on a Qatar Airways flight, and I can confirm it genuinely changes everything. Whether you need to be productive at thirty-five thousand feet or you just want to catch up on Netflix without that awful buffering, it works beautifully. The connection is fast, it's stable, and it makes long-haul flights so much more bearable.
But Qatar wasn't alone. British Airways made waves with their Starlink WiFi announcement for twenty twenty-six. Emirates jumped on board, Virgin Atlantic committed to it, and Iberia joined the party too. They're all promising free high-speed connectivity. Those days of paying twenty pounds for internet speeds that make dial-up look fast? They're finally numbered, and good riddance!
British Airways Steps It Up
Speaking of BA, they've actually had quite a busy year making significant investments in the premium experience. The First Wing at Heathrow Terminal Five reopened after refurbishment, and it looks absolutely fantastic. As a BA Gold member myself, this is my go-to entrance when I'm flying from Terminal Five. That dedicated security lane alone makes the status worthwhile - you just breeze through while everyone else is queueing.
We also finally saw the new BA lounge in Dubai open. I say finally because we'd been waiting for that one for quite a while! And here's something really positive - tier point bonuses became permanent. If you haven't checked your tier points lately, now's a great time to log in and see where you stand. BA also announced some exciting Middle East expansion.
Now look, British Airways might have its critics - and some of that criticism is fair - but credit where it's due. They're investing in the product, they're improving the experience, and that's what we want to see.
The American Express Bonanza
Okay, this is where things got really exciting for those of us who love credit card bonuses. American Express absolutely turned up the heat in twenty twenty-five. We saw the biggest ever UK Platinum welcome bonus at one hundred thousand points. To put that in perspective, that's worth around one thousand pounds in travel value. One thousand pounds! That's a business class ticket to New York right there.
But it wasn't just the Platinum. We saw record offers on the Gold card, the Business Gold, and the Business Platinum too. If you haven't explored the Amex ecosystem yet, there's still time. Check out our guide to the best Avios-earning credit cards - we've got all the current offers detailed there. And if you're a business owner, definitely look at our business credit card recommendations. The offers right now are still excellent.
Remember, if you do decide to apply for any of these cards, you can get them by clicking the links in our shownotes. That way you'll get the best available bonus, and you'll be supporting the podcast. Win-win!
Curve Gets a Big Brother
One of the year's biggest surprises - and I mean this genuinely shocked me - was Lloyds Banking Group acquiring Curve. For those who don't know, Curve is this brilliant fintech card that lets you stack cashback on top of your credit card rewards. It's like rewards inception.
For those of us who've been using it to maximise our points earning, this was huge news. Having Lloyds, a major banking institution, backing Curve means the future looks really bright. I'm genuinely excited to see what new features emerge from this partnership. If you're not already using Curve, you can sign up through the link in our shownotes. It's honestly one of the best tools in any points collector's arsenal.
Capital on Tap Keeps Innovating
The Capital on Tap team had a productive year too. They added Qatar Airways Avios as a transfer partner, which is fantastic if you're collecting Qatar Avios for those incredible Qsuites redemptions. They launched a four percent AER savings account - not too shabby in today's interest rate environment. And they revamped their referral programme.
For UK business owners, Capital on Tap remains one of the easiest ways to earn Avios on everyday spending. I use mine for pretty much all business expenses. It's a proper business credit card, not one of those prepaid cards, and the Avios add up surprisingly quickly.
New Tools We Built For You
It wouldn't be a year in review without mentioning some of the tools we've built for the Smart With Points community. Our Award Travel Finder got Cathay Pacific support, which was a big deal. It makes it so much easier to find award availability across multiple airlines when you're planning a trip. Instead of checking British Airways, then Qatar, then Cathay separately, you can search them all at once.
We also launched Flight Seatmap, which is perfect for checking seat availability before you book. There's nothing worse than booking a flight and then finding all the good seats are taken. Flight Queue gives you live security queue times at Heathrow and Dublin, so you know whether to arrive two hours early or three. And the Avios Balance Booster Calculator helps you find the best deal when you're buying Avios during those buy miles promotions.
All of these tools are completely free to use, and you can find them on our website.
Other Brilliant Moments
There was so much more that happened this year. Oman Air joined oneworld, which is great news for Avios collectors because it opens up more redemption options in the Middle East. SeatGuru, the old seat map website, closed down - but luckily we had alternatives ready with our own Flight Seatmap tool.
Marriott Bonvoy debit cards finally launched in the UK. We saw countless status match opportunities throughout the year - Royal Jordanian, TAP Portugal, Etihad Guest. If you've been following along with our newsletters, you'll know status matching is one of my favourite ways to unlock premium benefits without the tier point grind. Why earn status the hard way when you can match it?
Looking Ahead to Twenty Twenty-Six
So what's coming in twenty twenty-six? Well, the new year is shaping up nicely. BA's Starlink rollout begins properly, which should mean free WiFi on most of their long-haul fleet by the end of the year. The new British Airways First Class product is getting closer to launch - I'm still waiting to try it, and honestly, I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas!
I suspect we'll see even more transfer bonuses and welcome offers as competition between card issuers heats up. Airlines will keep improving their premium products because they know that's where the money is. And I'll be here covering it all - the good deals, the bad news, and yes, the inevitable programme devaluations. Because they always happen, don't they?
My goal for twenty twenty-six is to help you get even more value from your points. Whether that's finding award sweet spots that other people don't know about, maximising your credit card earning strategy, or simply knowing when to book that flight and when to hold off, I want to be your go-to resource.
A Proper Thank You
Before we wrap up, I want to give a genuine, heartfelt thank you to everyone who reads our newsletters, uses our tools, and sends in questions. Your engagement truly keeps me motivated to find the next deal, build the next calculator, and share what I discover.
If you've used Smart With Points to book an award flight, save money on a hotel, or earn your first big welcome bonus this year, I'd absolutely love to hear about it. You can email us, or find us on Instagram. Seriously, those success stories make all the work worthwhile.
Have a wonderful festive period with your loved ones. Here's to more adventures, more points, and plenty of lie-flat seats in twenty twenty-six! And if you're planning your travels over the Christmas break, don't forget to check out our tools - particularly the Award Travel Finder and our flight search tools. They're all linked in the shownotes.
Thanks so much for listening to this special year-end episode of Smart With Points. If you enjoyed it, please do subscribe to the podcast. You can find us on all major platforms - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts. Or head to our website at smartwithpoints dot co dot uk where you can subscribe and get our newsletter straight to your inbox.
And now, before I let you go, a quick word about Award Travel Finder.
Looking for the best award flights? Use AwardTravelFinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and more. Try it for free with our link in the shownotes.
Merry Christmas, everyone, and happy travels!