Latest news with #AmericanExpress
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Dua Lipa sets pulses racing in a sheer black lace mini dress as she greets fans at the opening of her merchandise pop-up shop in London
Dua Lipa commanded attention as she arrived at her exclusive merchandise pop-up shop in London on Thursday. The pop sensation, 29, stunned in a black sheer lace mini dress that flaunted her incredible figure, paired with a black bra and hotpants. She elevated her sizzling look with sleek black boots and carried a stylish leopard print bag. Appearing in high spirits, Dua greeted fans outside the venue to mark the launch of the limited-time pop-up - a four-day immersive experience celebrating her music and upcoming summer stadium shows. Presented by American Express, the event runs from June 19-22 at Protein Studios in London. Fans can explore exclusive merchandise, interactive photo moments, and a bar serving Dua's favourite drink. The pop-up also offers a unique opportunity to experience her album Radical Optimism using cutting-edge L-ISA Immersive Sound technology. It comes after it was reported that Dua has 'lined up' two huge British pop stars to support her at her upcoming 'monumental' Wembley Stadium gigs. The singer said to have approached Charli XCX and Raye to open her shows on June 20 and 21, ahead of their upcoming Glastonbury performances. A source told The Sun: 'These two Wembley shows are monumental for Dua and she wants to give her fans an extra treat. 'Her team has approached Raye to open Friday's show, while Charli is in talks to perform on Saturday. 'Dua, Raye and Charli are all super supportive of each other and it would be amazing to have these three British female powerhouses playing Wembley. 'With Glastonbury the week after, this is the perfect warm-up for Raye and Charli too as they'll be playing to almost 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.' Although guests are yet to be confirmed, Dove Cameron and Alessi Rose will be supporting the singer for her Wembley shows. MailOnline has contacted Dua's representatives for comment. Dua was initially set to play just one show at the London venue on Friday 20 June 2025, as part of her Radical Optimism tour. But due to the phenomenal demand, the pop star will be staying in the English capital for a second night to put on another performance on Saturday June 21. And those who have bagged tickets to the highly-anticipated shows are in luck as the hitmaker is planning to get up close and personal with her fans when she plays at Wembley Stadium. The Illusion hitmaker is set to jump off the main stage and walk the full length of the crowd in a similar manner to her Glastonbury headline performance last year. And in her personal life, Dua revealed she would 'love' to have children with her fiancé Callum Turner after announcing their engagement. The singer publicly shared her excitement for the first time since the actor, 35, got down on one knee. The hitmaker posed for the front cover of British Vogue where she looked stunning in a pale pink bra that highlighted her jaw-dropping figure. In the interview, Dua discussed her family plans, saying she's concerned how having children will fit in with her career as a pop star. 'I'd love to have kids one day,' she said. 'But it's like the constant question of when would there ever be a good time – how it would fit in with my job and how it would work if I went on tour, and how much time out I'd have to take. 'I think it's just one of those things that's going to happen when it happens. I love kids, but I think there's so much more to raising a child than just loving children.' Confirming their engagement, Dua said: 'Yeah we're engaged. It's very exciting. 'This decision to grow old together, to see a life and just, I don't know, be best friends forever — it's a really special feeling.' Late last year, news of their romantic proposal emerged and Dua has regularly been seen with a dazzling diamond ring on her finger. Speaking of their wedding plans, Dua said she hopes to finish her tour and Callum to wrap up filming before they tie the knot. While the wedding hasn't been at the forefront of her mind amid her busy schedule touring, she did admit she has started to think about her dress. She said: 'I want to finish my tour, Callum's shooting, so we're just enjoying this period. 'I've never been someone who's really thought about a wedding, or dreamt about what kind of bride I would be. All of a sudden, I'm like: 'Oh, what would I wear?'' Dua said she's 'obsessed' with her engagement ring, before insisting 'It's nice to know the person that you're going to spend the rest of your life with knows you very well.' Dua and Callum were first linked in January 2024 and reportedly got engaged over Christmas in 2024. 'I think it's just one of those things that's going to happen when it happens. I love kids, but I think there's so much more to raising a child than just loving children.' Dua and Callum had 'many Sliding Doors moments', where they were in the same place at the same time without realising, before being introduced to one another at the River Cafe in London. A year later, she was having dinner in Los Angeles with her friend Mustafa the Poet when 'all of a sudden' Callum appeared. She thought: 'Oh, it's that really hot guy from The River Cafe.' During their conversation, the pair realised they both 'just happened to be reading' Hernan Diaz's novel Trust. Asked if she feels they were destined to be together, she replied: 'One thousand per cent.' Dua and Callum first sparked romance rumours in January 2024 when they both attended a Masters Of The Air afterparty in London.
Fast Company
13 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Carnival is overhauling its cruise rewards program: Changes, launch dates to know
Rewards programs are getting revamps all over the place. Earlier this week, JPMorgan Chase announced major changes to its Chase Sapphire Reserve rewards credit card. That announcement came shortly after competitor American Express teased an upcoming overhaul to its premium Platinum rewards card. And now, one of America's most popular cruise lines, Carnival, has announced it will radically shake up its rewards program come 2026. Here's what you need to know about Carnival Cruise Line's upcoming overhauled rewards program. Bye-bye, Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) Carnival Cruise Line's current rewards and loyalty program is called the Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) program. The program has been in existence since 2012 and is beloved by many Carnival Cruise enthusiasts. One of the reasons frequent Carnival customers love the VIFP program is its simplicity. You earn points based on how many days you cruise—that's it. There's no complicated earning structure or confusing rules. The total number of these points based on the total number of days cruised slots you into one of five groups: blue, red, gold, platinum, or diamond. The higher the group (diamond is tops), the more perks you get, including everything from free bottles of water to priority reservations at Specialty restaurants. However, Carnival has now announced that the VIFP program is being discontinued. Its last day of operation will be May 31, 2026. Hello, Carnival Rewards Carnival's VIFP program is being replaced with a new rewards and loyalty program called Carnival Rewards. The program will officially launch on June 1, 2026, and it represents a radical departure from the current VIFP program. One of the biggest changes to the new Carnival Rewards program is that points are no longer earned based on how many days you cruise with the line. Instead, points will be earned based on what you spend with Carnival Cruise Line. This spend includes the cost of tickets, drinks you buy on board, and even what you spend in the ship's casino. Points can also be earned through the use of a new Carnival Rewards Mastercard, which will be debuting. However, you won't just be collecting points to move up the group rankings anymore. The new Carnival Rewards program will use a dual-earning structure. The dollars you spend will earn you both stars and Carnival Rewards points. The stars will dictate which group you are slotted into—there are only four this time: red, gold, platinum, or diamond (blue is going away). The more prominent the group, the better perks you get, such as embarkation and debarkation priority, if you are a member of the diamond group. The Carnival Rewards points you earn can be redeemed for anything from cruise fares, transfers, onboard purchases, and more. Why is Carnival revamping its rewards program? The business answer to this question is that Carnival Cruise Line likely believes that the revamped rewards program will lead to a better bottom line. As points and group tiers are now dependent on what you spend, customers who are keen to collect Canrival Rewards points may be more willing to spend more onboard to keep earning those points. But Carnival would likely argue that the revamped program is now a little fairer than its current VIFP program. Under the VIFP, Carnival customers would receive the same amount of rewards regardless of whether they paid for the lowest or highest class of cabin on the ship. That's because the rewards were simply linked to the number of days cruised. The new program will mean that customers who book higher-priced cabins will now earn a higher number of reward points. But there is some bad news for customers under the new Carnival Rewards program, no matter how much they spend: the new status tiers they earn—red, gold, platinum, and diamond—don't last forever. Under the VIFP program, when a customer earned a status, they could only move up, not down. That means someone who earned diamond status would keep it for life. But the new status program will see customers lose their status after two years. And the points earned to achieve a status must be earned within a two-year period; otherwise, they do not count towards a status upgrade. In a FAQ about the new rewards program, Carnival says that this move is consistent with loyalty programs across the travel industry. The company says it recognizes 'that change can be difficult, but the current program based on cruise frequency makes it difficult to properly recognize our loyal guests.' Carnival stock price still well below pre-pandemic levels The owner of Carnival Cruise Lines, Carnival Corporation & plc, filed its most recent earnings report on March 21 for the first quarter of 2025. The company announced that its Q1 revenues increased by over $400 million from the same quarter a year earlier, reaching $5.8 billion. At the time, Carnival Corporation & plc's CEO, Josh Weinstein, boasted that the quarter 'was truly characterized by outperformance.' That growth is something investors are undoubtedly happy to see, especially after Carnival, like all other cruise lines, took a major hit in 2020 following the outbreak of the pandemic. In January 2020, Carnival Corporation & plc's stock (NYSE: CCL) was trading at above $50 per share. But by April, it had fallen to below $8 per share. As recently as October of 2022, CCL stock was trading below $7 per share. However, the stock's fortunes have improved as the cruise industry has slowly recovered from the pandemic's impact, receding from people's memories. As of yesterday's close, CCL stock is trading at above $23 per share. However, that is still down more than 5% since the beginning of the year. We won't know whether Carnival's new rewards program will have a material impact on the company's business, and thus its stock price, until it launches next year.
Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Major American Express update impacting British Airways customers
It was announced yesterday that only British Airways Premium Plus American Express cardholders — not those using the free British Airways American Express card — can now earn up to 2,500 tier points per year when using their card for everyday spending A major update on British Airways' tier points scheme has been announced. Following the airline's recent overhaul of its loyalty scheme, British Airways and American Express customers have been eager to find out how many tier points they can now earn with the British Airways Premium Plus Amex card. It was announced yesterday that only British Airways Premium Plus American Express cardholders — not those using the free British Airways American Express card — can now earn up to 2,500 tier points per year when using their card for everyday spending. The number of tier points you earn annually determines your membership level: blue, bronze, silver, or gold. Everyone starts at bronze, and can progress through the tiers based on how much they spend. Higher-tier statuses unlock perks such as complimentary seat selection, priority check-in, additional baggage allowance, and access to British Airways' airport lounges. Here's how many Tier Points are required for each level: Bronze – 3,500 Tier Points Silver – 7,500 Tier Points Gold – 20,000 Tier Points To reach silver, you could spend £5,000 on British Airways flights and holiday packages — each pound spent earns one tier point. The rest of the required points could be earned through spending on the British Airways Premium Plus Amex card, if you have one. Here's how the new tier point earning system works for cardholders: 750 tier P=points are awarded when you spend £15,000 after enrolling in the offer. An additional 750 tier points are awarded after spending a further £5,000 (total: £20,000). A final 1,000 tier points are awarded after spending another £5,000 (total: £25,000). This brings the maximum total to 2,500 tier points earned via everyday spending. If this sounds confusing, there's more: the tier points system is separate from Avios points. Tier points determine your membership level and associated airport perks. Avios points, on the other hand, are used to claim rewards such as free flights. Travellers flying with British Airways or its Oneworld partners earn Avios to use toward future flights. Amex cardholders have long earned Avios on their spending. However, prior to the changes in April, cardholders could not earn tier points through everyday spending. Here's how Avios earning works: The free British Airways American Express card earns 1 Avios per £1 spent. The Premium Plus card earns 1.5 Avios per £1 spent, but has a £300 annual fee. It's important to note that the 2,500 tier point offer is not available to holders of the fee-free British Airways Amex Card. If you do have the British Airways Premium Plus American Express card, make sure to enroll in the Tier Point scheme through the American Express app or website to begin collecting points.
The Independent
15 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
British Airways reveals how you can use your Amex to earn points in new loyalty scheme
British Airways has revealed how passengers can now use their American Express credit card to earn points within its new loyalty scheme. In December, British Airways announced a huge shake-up to its loyalty programme, shifting its reward system from one based on distance flown to one based on the amount spent. Since its launch in April, passengers have been able to earn the new 'tier points' on flights with BA and Oneworld partners, BA Holidays and additional baggage payments, to name a few. The airline has now announced that passengers can also earn tier points with their British Airways American Express (Amex) Premium Plus credit cards. Passengers who hold this card and enrol on the offer before 25 January 2026, will be able to earn tier points when spending with their Amex until 1 February 2026. The new tier points unlock bonus Avios points, as well as different member statuses that will provide passengers with lounge access, additional baggage allowances and exclusive seats in the front rows of the plane. To unlock 750 tier points, £15,000 must be spent on the card. Another 750 tier points will be earned when spending a further £5,000, then an additional 1,000 tier points when spending a further £5,000. The total amount of tier points that can be earned through this offer is 2,500 after spending a total of £25,000. The relevant amount of tier points will be awarded once each spend threshold is met. After this offer expires in February, British Airways said there will be another opportunity to earn tier points using the credit card starting in April, although it has not announced any further details. Those who are enrolling for a BA AMEX Premium Plus card will also be able to collect a 50,000 Avios Welcome Bonus when applying through its website and spending £6,000 in the first three months. The BA Executive Club was renamed The British Airways Club on 1 April 2025, with the announcement drawing criticism from those who say they will not be able to spend the amount needed to reach higher statuses. The old system would allow passengers to earn tier points according to the number of miles flown; under the reimagined British Airways Club, passengers will now earn points based on the amount they spend. The new British Airways Club allows all those who join to achieve an entry-level Blue status, which allows for free wifi onboard and the ability to earn Avios. Higher status will then be achieved based on how much the passenger is spending: Bronze (3,500 tier points): seat selection from a week ahead of travel, preferential check-in and priority boarding Silver (7,500 tier points): Club lounge access, free choice of seats at the time of booking and additional baggage allowance with a weight limit of 32kg per checked bag Gold (20,000 tier points): access to First lounges; exclusive access to seats 1A and 1K when travelling in First, dedicated phone line Tier points are different from Avios, which is a frequent flyer currency used by British Airways and other airlines to earn flights, upgrades, seats and baggage perks. Passengers will be able to use their tier points to exchange them for Avios points, starting at 5,500 tier points, which can be transferred into 2,500 Avios.
Times
a day ago
- Business
- Times
BA has finally revealed the Amex spend for reward scheme tier points
British Airways has finally revealed details of how frequent flyers can earn extra status points via their American Express credit card spend, six months after the airline announced it was changing its loyalty scheme. Flyers who hold the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card, which comes with a £300 annual fee, can earn up to 2,500 'tier' points — which confer perks such as lounge access and priority boarding — when they spend £25,000 on the card between today and next February. In addition, all cardholders will be given 500 extra tier points this month. If cardholders spend the full amount in the next seven months it will give them a 3,000-tier point bounce meaning that they could almost reach BA bronze status without flying a single mile. However, spend isn't backdated to when the Club relaunched in April — cardholders will need to start from scratch today, June 18. At the end of last year the flag carrier announced it was switching its loyalty scheme, now called the Club. In a move that irritated frequent flyers, BA said that tier points, or status points, would instead be awarded on spend with the carrier, rather than distance flown, which it argued brings it into line with most other airline loyalty schemes. Tier points, or status points, would be given at a rate of one point per £1 of net spend with the airline; as a result BA adjusted the thresholds required to achieve bronze, silver and gold status (3,500, 7,500 and 20,000 tier points respectively), which many argued made them much harder to reach. Broadly, it means that for frequent flyers to achieve silver status — which offers lounge access, a beloved perk for many — members need to buy the equivalent of either an uber-luxury BA Holiday to the Caribbean for one or, for example, more than eight return flights to Cape Town. Flyers must spend each year to retain their status, the collection for which runs from April to end-March. The new Club came into effect from April 1; some frequent flyers even held a mock funeral for the old scheme. At the end of December, BA also announced various other ways to earn tier points, including spending on extras like seat selection and baggage, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) credits, and holiday packages including hotels and car hire. In a nod to its longstanding partnership with Amex, BA said it would announce details of how many tier points would be earned via Amex spend 'closer to the launch date' — which was not, as most assumed, the launch of the Club in April. More than ten weeks after the official relaunch of the Club, it has finally revealed the details. • British Airways frequent flyer scheme changes: everything you need to know Premium cardholders can earn up to 750 tier points when they spend £15,000 on their card between today and next February; an additional 750 when they hit £20,000 spend; and an extra 1,000 tier points when they reach £25,000 — totalling 2,500 status points. An extra 500 tier points — which BA says is a 'thank you for their loyalty' — means they can get 3,000 additional tier points in all. With bronze set at 3,500 tier points, flyers need to spend only an extra £500 on BA products — which crucially doesn't include taxes and fees on flights — to reach the lowest status tier, which offers perks such as priority boarding and special customer service phone lines until the collection year renews in April. The 3,000 Amex tier points also go more than a third of the way to reaching silver. • Travellers are obsessed with status — and airlines are going into battle for their loyalty Reaction to the Amex spend offer from frequent flyers has been muted, with many concerned about the impact on companion vouchers — a BA perk for Amex cardholders that is a two-for-one flight deal. The companion vouchers expire a year after the moment a cardholder triggers them by spending £15,000 on their credit card, which means many frequent flyers delay using their card until they want to use the voucher. Companion vouchers for Premium Plus Card holders have a two-year expiry. Rob Burgess, founder of the frequent-flyer website Head For Points, says the BA Amex offer caters to a 'niche market', appealing only to travellers who can get bronze by 'topping it up with the card'; although Gilbert Ott from the loyalty website God Save The Points calls it a 'meaningful new addition' for 'anyone not obsessed with gold'. • How to hack the new BA club rules — lounges and priority boarding included Cardholders have to sign up for the offer to be eligible. Note that this is a temporary offer running until next February — although it's expected that BA and Amex will roll out a similar deal from next April, which marks the start of the next point collection year. The airline has promised there will be 'further opportunity to earn tier points using the card starting in April 2026', but wouldn't provide further details. How do you make the most of airline loyalty schemes? Let us know in the comments
