Smart Tips for Earning and Using Points for a Comfortable Journey by Eurostar

For London residents, Paris is one of the easiest overseas travel destinations to visit (as the UK is an island nation).

You can travel by plane or bus, but the Eurostar is by far the most convenient. On this overnight trip to Paris, I was able to significantly reduce travel expenses (transportation and accommodation costs) by using the various points I had been saving up.

In this article, I would like to share the points utilisation techniques I have learned over my nearly 10 visits to Paris. I’m sure this will be very useful for anyone planning a trip to Paris. Please stay with me until the end.

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Contents

Cost Breakdown of a 1-Night Trip from London to Paris

Smart Ways to Use Your Points

Get discount with Nectar Points
Exchange Club Eurostar points for free seats
Redeem Hilton Honors points for free nights

How to earn points for each programme

Nectar Points
Club Eurostar Points
Hilton Honors Point

Wait in the lounge before boarding

Summary

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Cost Breakdown of a 1-Night Trip from London to Paris

London to Paris, 1 night trip for 2 adults

– Outbound: 17th January 6:01-9:46 Plus Class, 193 GBP (after 25 GBP discount) – Return: 18th January  19:12-20:30 Standard Class, free with points – Accommodation: Hilton Paris Opera 1 night free with points

1 night trip to Paris, transportation and accommodation costs combined 193 GBP. Moreover, we stayed in Plus Class (spacious seats, meals included) on the outbound trip.

As for food, we had breakfast on the Eurostar train on the first day, dinner in the hotel lounge, and breakfast (Gold and Diamond members receive free breakfast worth 35 euros per person) on the second day as a hotel perk, so our food expenses were only for lunch on the first and second days, which was about 75 euros (65 GBP). Even including transportation costs and museum admission fees in Paris, we were able to keep everything under 300 GBP (excluding shopping).

Smart Ways to Use Your Points

Get discount with Nectar Points

Nectar points are awarded based on the amount of shopping you do at British retailers, such as the supermarket Sainsbury’s. How do you use the points you’ve accumulated? You can use them at Sainsbury’s and Argos, but did you know that you can exchange them for Eurostar vouchers?

This time, I exchanged 5,000 Nectar points for a Eurostar voucher worth 25 pounds and booked a Plus Class ticket. Danish pastries, yogurt, and other drinks were served on board, and the seats were spacious and very comfortable. The train departed early at 6am, so I ate and dozed off, and before I knew it, we had arrived in Paris.

Nectar Points	Voucher
2,000	£10
5,000	£25
10,000	£50
20,000	£100

Exchange Club Eurostar points for free seats

This time, I exchanged the points I had accumulated from previous Eurostar journeys for the return ticket back to London.

The number of points required depends on the seat class and the level of demand, but this time I was able to exchange for 1,000 reward points per person.

Seats Class	Required Points
Standard	1,000～1,500
Plus	2,000～2,500
Premier	3,000

If you don’t have 1,000 points yet, you can get a 5 pound discount for 200 points. If you have points that are about to expire, buying tickets with cash and points is also an option.

Redeem Hilton Honors Points for Free Nights

 love the Hilton Paris Opera but it seemed like there were a lot of reservations on the night of the 17th, and I was told it would be over 400 euros per night. I usually stay here when I come to Paris, but 400 euros is a lot higher than average, so I decided to stay using points. With 80,000 points, I got one night free.

When I checked in, I was upgraded to an executive room. It had a bathtub and was very relaxing. As I am a Diamond member, I was able to enter the lounge and use it for breaks and cocktail time. I always look forward to cocktail time at the Hilton Paris Opera, as not only the drinks but also the food is very good. Please see here for my review.

How to earn points for each programme

Nectar Points

The easiest thing you can do on a daily basis to reduce the cost of Eurostar tickets is to collect Nectar Points.

– No annual fee

There is no annual fee to become a Nectar member. As long as there is activity on your account every year (if your points increase or decrease within 12 months), they will not expire.

If you are not yet a member, please apply here.

– Earn points when purchasing daily necessities

You can earn points by shopping for everyday items at Sainsbury’s. Bonus points and coupons that will multiply your points are often issued, so we recommend that you check the app frequently and save them. You will earn 1 point for every pound you spend.

– Earn points when using other affiliated stores

You can earn more points when you fill up with Esso, use Deliveroo or shop online.

– Save with credit cards

American Express has issued a card in partnership with Sainsbury’s, so I recommend this card because you can earn points several times faster. You earn 2 points for every pound you spend on the card. The annual fee is 30 pounds, but it’s free for the first year.

Club Eurostar Points

– Extensive route network and numerous destinations

Do you think you can only earn Club Eurostar points by going to Paris or Brussels?

Until recently, Eurostar only operated between London and Paris and London and Brussels, but Amsterdam was added in 2018.

In October 2023, routes that had previously operated as Thalys were rebranded as Eurostar (the Thalys brand has been discontinued). This means that you can now travel to eastern German cities such as Cologne and Dusseldorf by Eurostar, although you will need to transfer in Brussels; the number of routes for earning points has increased significantly.

If you use Eurostar often, you can become a premium member and earn more points.

There are four membership levels, from the lowest: Classic, Avantage, Carte Blanche, and Étoile, and bonus points will be added, allowing you to earn more points.

	Bonus Points	Points earned per £1
Classique	／	1.2 points
Avantage	+25％	1.5 points
Carte Blanche	+50％	1.8 points
Étoile	+75％	2.1 points

– Save with credit cards

If you have an Amex proprietary card (Green, Gold, Platinum, etc.), you can also exchange your Amex Rewards points for Club Eurostar points.

1500 Rewards points = 100 Club Eurostar points. To exchange for Standard Class you need 1000 Club Eurostar points, which is 15,000 Rewards points.

Hilton Honors Point

We are currently creating a website that explains how to earn Hilton points.

Wait in the lounge before boarding

If you become a Carte Blanche or Étoile member, you can use the lounges at all Eurostar stations. Even if you are not a premium member, you can enter the lounges if you have a premier class ticket.

We were able to use the Eurostar Premier Lounges at London St. Pancras station and Paris Gare du Nord station using the benefits of our UK-issued Amex Platinum card.

They serve breakfast until 9am, and smoothies and special cocktails made by the bartenders from 6am to noon on weekdays.

Summary

For those who are busy during the weekdays, Paris is the perfect destination for a weekend trip. You can save a lot on Eurostar tickets by booking early and choosing the day and time, but many people may only want to visit on weekends. You can significantly reduce travel expenses by exchanging points for free seats or making good use of discount tickets.

If you have only been saving up Nectar points but have never used them, please check how many points you can exchange for vouchers.

Now you can travel by Eurostar to not only Paris and Brussels, but also cities in the Netherlands and Germany, and the number of routes where you can earn Club Eurostar points has increased significantly. There is the convenience and comfort that only a train trip can offer, and the Eurostar is much more flexible than an airplane in terms of the ease of changing reservations.

Use your points wisely to plan a great deal and comfortable Eurostar trip.

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