Get a FREE upgrade to top-tier Platinum status in the World Duty Free / Red By Dufry scheme

Back in November 2023, the World Duty Free shops at Heathrow launched a new partnership with Avios.

You will now earn 1 Avios for every £1 you spend in World Duty Free and other shops at Heathrow run by the same parent company.

This is totally separate from the Heathrow Rewards loyalty scheme – which also earns Avios – and it appears that you can double up by earning in both programmes.

You can now get FREE top tier status in the World Duty Free / Red By Dufry loyalty programme. This DOUBLES your cash discount on every purchase – and you still earn Avios on top. The form to complete is here.

Even better, you will receive 250 bonus Avios with your first transaction if you are a new member and link your Red By Dufry account to your Avios account.

What is Red By Dufry?

You might not know the name Dufry, but it is the dominant global duty free retailer.  As well as owning World Duty Free in the UK, it also owns – in various corners of the world – Dufry, Nuance, Hellenic Duty Free, Colombian Emerald, Duty Free Uruguay, Hudson and Duty Free Shop Argentina.

Dufry has its own app-based loyalty programme called Red By Dufry.  The key benefit of downloading this app is that you get a 5% discount on purchases (doubled to 10% with this status match) at selected Dufry stores.  There is also a link with DragonPass (the airport lounge access card) which is very interesting.

How do I get my Red By Dufry status match?

You can claim a match whether you are a new or existing member of Red By Dufry. Simply click here and fill in the form.

Got airline status?

If you have elite status with virtually any airline then you will qualify for an immediate uplift to Platinum status in Red By Dufry.

With most airlines, even the lowest level of elite status is accepted. Bronze with British Airways or Silver with Virgin Atlantic is good enough.

Got hotel status?

If you don’t have airline status, you can still qualify with intermediate or top tier status in most major hotel loyalty programmes.

The minimum status required to apply is Gold with Accor, Gold with HIlton, Explorist with Hyatt, Gold with IHG, Gold with Marriott and VIP with Radisson.

How long will my Platinum status last?

12 months

What are the benefits of top-tier Platinum status?

It’s very simple – your discount at World Duty Free and other Dufry-run outlets is doubled from 5% to 10%.

Which airports let me use the Red By Dufry app to save 10%?

Before we move on to the Avios angle – which only operates at Heathrow – let’s look at the broader UK-wide benefits of joining Red By Dufry.

Here are the UK airports when you can save at the World Duty Free or Dufry store:

• Aberdeen
• Belfast City
• Birmingham
• Bournemouth
• Bristol
• Cardiff
• East Midlands
• Edinburgh
• Exeter
• Glasgow
• Glasgow Prestwick
• Humberside
• Leeds Bradford
• Liverpool John Lennon
• London Gatwick
• London Heathrow
• London Luton
• London Southend
• London Stansted
• Manchester
• Newcastle
• Norwich
• Southampton
• Teesside

…. plus Eurostar at London St Pancras, Cairnryan Port, Dover Port, Hull Port, Liverpool Port and Eurotunnel at Folkestone.

If you buy at World Duty Free or Dufry on a regular basis, you could make decent savings by signing up for Red By Dufry.

What do I save?

At Heathrow, the discount for Silver level members – which is what you get when you sign up without doing the status match – is 5%.  Tobacco purchases are excluded, as are airport arrivals stores.

The discount is doubled to 10% if you complete the Platinum status match.

You receive the discount by scanning the QR code in the app at the till.

This makes it a no-brainer to sign up if you ever make purchases at World Duty Free stores in UK airports or from other Dufry businesses abroad.

At Heathrow, you will continue to receive Heathrow Rewards points on top of your Red discount.

How do I earn Avios at Heathrow?

Red By Dufry has recently launched a new partnership with Avios at Heathrow.

You will earn 1 Avios per £1 spent at participating retailers. You will receive a bonus of 250 Avios with your first transaction.

You add your British Airways Executive Club number to your Red By Dufry account via the ‘Account’ tab in the app. Go to ‘Manage Partners’. Avios will be sent over automatically after each transaction.

Here are the participating outlets at Heathrow:

Terminal 2

• World Duty Free (various stores)

Terminal 3

• World Duty Free (various stores)
• World of Whiskies
• MAC
• Jo Malone
• Sunglasses Boutique

Terminal 4

• World Duty Free (various stores)
• Glorious Britain
• Jo Malone

Terminal 5

• World Duty Free (various stores)
• Collections
• Glorious Britain
• Sunglasses Hut
• Haute Perfumerie

You can also earn Avios at various airports in Spain – there is a list in the Red By Dufry app.

How do I get airport lounge access?

Here’s an added benefit of joining up to Red By Dufry to earn Avios.

Dufry has a partnership with airport lounge card DragonPass which is a competitor to Priority Pass.

As a Silver member of Red By Dufry – which is what you get just for signing up – you can pay for access to any DragonPass lounge for $28.  Virtually every lounge in Priority Pass is in DragonPass.

Conclusion

If you ever shop at World Duty Free at Heathrow, you should sign up to Red By Dufry and start earning Avios on your purchases.

Even if you don’t fly from Heathrow, it is worth joining Red By Dufry if you travel through any of the other airports where it operates to benefit from the cash saving. Take part in this status match and your discount will be 10%.

The special status match website, whether or not you are an existing Red By Dufry member, can be found here.