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WOULD you believe me if I told you that you could bag yourself a break for £1 just by doing your regular grocery shopping at Sainsbury’s or by filling up with petrol at BP – no strings attached?

You may roll your eyes at the term ‘loyalty scheme’, but you’re going to want to hear me out on this one, as Avios will make your Boots Advantage Card seem utterly pathetic.

And I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but what you think you know about Avios or air miles is completely wrong. You won’t need to hop on a single flight to earn points here.

In fact, I’m so confident about this scheme that if you follow my advice below for one year and don’t end up with enough points for a free flight or holiday, I’ll eat my hat (…that I bought with my points).

So, pay close attention. Here’s everything you need to know.

What actually is Avios?

It is essentially a rewards currency, some may call it an air-mile points scheme, although it’s so much more than that. 

Avios is linked to the IAG (International Airlines Group) loyalty scheme, meaning you can earn and (most importantly) spend with British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and LEVEL, as well as partner airlines Qatar Airways, Finnair, and Loganair.

It’s a very common mistake, however, to think that you can only earn Avios on direct spend with these airlines, by booking flights, for example. 

IAG Loyalty allows you to collect a generous number of points on over 2,000 brands, including major names like Deliveroo, Domino’s Pizza and Just Eat – and that’s only if you want a takeaway.

Clothing retail brands include River Island, H&M and Sports Direct, while department stores include Debenhams, John Lewis and Marks and Spencer, and wellness brands include Superdrug, Boots and Holland & Barrett.

You can earn points (Avios) on every penny you spend with these brands.

I won’t name every brand right now, but you can find the list here on the Avios website – chances are if it’s a well known name, it’ll be on there.

Do I need to spend big to earn big?

I was sceptical too, but rest assured you won’t have to pain-stakingly collect points for 10 years to reap the benefits.

A few months ago I gained 2,500 Avios simply by renewing my car insurance with Compare the Market – another brand on IAG Loyalty’s books.

I’ll explain what the number of points equates to below, but, in rough terms, that’s about a quarter of the points you’d need to pay for a one-way flight to Amsterdam.

If you’re serious about it, you can earn mega points quickly and easily (more on that below too).

What can I buy with Avios?

The most popular way to spend Avios is on “reward” flights with the IAG and Oneworld airlines. The big players will tell you that this gets you the most for your money, but you can also redeem your points against holiday packages (flights and hotel), as well as hotels, car hire and cases of wine.

There’s also the Avios shop which sells everything from perfumes and lotions to Apple products and coffee machines; plus you can convert Avios to Nectar points and spend in Sainsbury’s, Argos or Habitat; or feast at Pizza Express.

That’s why Avios is nothing like your Boots card – you’re not tied to one product or brand.

How many points will I earn?

It varies from retailer to retailer with many brands offering special deals throughout the year – keep your eyes peeled at Christmas time and in January.

But to give you some perspective, last month I earned 1,790 Avios, just through my regular, everyday shopping: I get 19 points for my train to work (booked through Uber), I earned 136 points for buying some protein powder and 14 points for some new socks from ASOS.

No, I’m not a big spender. I’m a frugal 33-year-old that’s currently living with her parents, in the process of buying her first home, meaning my key expenses are my commute to work, petrol for my car and the odd meal out with pals.

I – properly – started my Avios journey almost exactly two years ago and I now have 99,420 Avios.

Just shy of enough to fly me to the furthest-away destination possible, Sydney, Australia, and all the way back again.

But that is by following a few simple rules carved out at the end of this piece.

How many points do I need for a holiday or flight?

If you’re just looking for flights then 10,000 points can get you a one-way ticket to short haul destinations like Paris, Copenhagen or Munich, while 27,500 can get you to the far-flung cities of Chicago, Dubai and Toronto.

Sydney is of course the priciest spot, costing a minimum of 55,000 Avios each way.

The above figures are all based on travelling in an economy seat at off-peak times, although you can splash your points on premium economy flights and even business class, or use points to upgrade if you’ve already booked your flight.

Head for Points has a useful table on which destinations your points will get you to.

There is one thing you need to know, though.

You may have noticed that my opening sentence to this piece read: “bag a break for £1”. That is because you will have to pay a flat-fee, essentially a nominal charge that covers taxes, carrier charges and a fixed Avios amount.

For short-haul flights like Paris, this is just £1, but for destinations like Chicago this is £60 and this price increases if you decide to fly in an upper cabin or further afield. 

Points work differently on holidays and products, however, and you can pay partly in points and partly in cash – the split is entirely up to you. If, for example, I were to buy a fancy Dyson hairdryer worth £400, I could pay £200 in cash and the rest can be paid with 33,670 Avios.

How do I actually earn Avios points then?

This requires several minutes of faffing to set yourself up and link your cards and accounts, but once you’re done that’s everything sorted for good. 

Sign up for free to Avios here, or if you are already a member of the free British Airways Club you can sign in that way – or you can sign in via Iberia Club or Aer Club if you’d prefer. 

Those who like to shop on their phones should download the Avios app.

What comes next is the MOST important step. In general, every time you do any online shopping, you should check if you can earn points at that retailer by clicking on the ‘collect’ button on the Avios site or on the app.

Then select that retailer and the ‘shop now’ button. This will register your visit and then you can shop as normal and earn those points.

Sophie’s personal hacks

If you use Uber, link your account to your Avios account (Avios has a guide on this); if you buy your petrol at BP, link your Avios account to your BPme account; and if you shop at Sainsbury’s, link your Nectar account to your Avios account… you get the drift by now. 

If you have the ability to do so, get yourself a British Airways American Express credit card.

You don’t necessarily need one to earn Avios but simply using the Amex for the majority of your spending is the easiest way to accumulate points. Just remember to pay it off in full at the end of the month.

I have just two rules for earning big: Always(!) check if you can earn Avios before making any purchase (literally, any purchase) and only buy what you were going to in the first place – no willy-nilly spending, please.

Of course there are other airline loyalty schemes, I just don’t know enough about those yet.

Watch this space though…

A second disaster has struck the prized car collection of The Repair Shop star star Dominic Chinea, and he says this may be the final straw as he considers selling it

TV star and The Repair Shop presenter Dominic Chinea admitted “it’s getting worse and worse” as he introduced the latest update on his Land Rover restoration project.

The engineering expert has been restoring a dilapidated 1957 Series 1 Land Rover that he found buried in a hedge near his new home in Cornwall. He has described it as one of his most challenging projects to date, given that the chassis was completely rotten and the vehicle had been half-buried in undergrowth for several years.

Dominic hasn’t had the best of luck with the rebuild. Only a few weeks ago, Dominic admitted that he had hit a major snag after accidentally damaging the Land Rover’s seat base as he lifted the rear tub.

He said he was thinking of reaching out to Repair Shop co-star, upholstery expert Sonnaz Nooranvary, before the Land Rover can be considered complete.

But Dominic’s trials and tribulation with the Land Rover restoration aren’t his only problem at present, because he’s had a second mishap with his vintage VW Caddy.

The BBC star is something of a petrol-head, counting a 1957 Porsche 356a, multiple Land Rovers (Series 1 and Defender 110), a 13-window VW camper, a 1958 VW split bus, and a 1936 BSA motorbike among his extensive collection. One of the numerous vehicles undergoing restoration in Dominic’s new workshop is an early Eighties Volkswagen Caddy pickup.

Back in February, back-to back storms caused a major accident in his new workshop, causing major damage to the Mk1 Caddy.

Dominic explained: “Previously, during the last storm, part of the roof flew off of the workshop and landed on the Caddy, smashed into the bonnet. It made a hole in the bonnet, dented the wing, and I was gutted.”

He added that the reinforced concrete beams that support the structure of his workshop are becoming increasingly corroded: “The steel rebar is getting rusty and swelling up and it’s breaking the concrete and a chunk of that has fallen off the roof.

“Of course, it’s landed on the windscreen of the Caddy and broken the windscreen”

Dominic blamed himself for the accident, explaining that he’d had some work done to install a ramp into the workshop and that the vibration from the machinery may well have dislodged the loose chunk of concrete: “That is my stupid fault,” he said. “I should have put something a board over [the cars] or moved them outside or something like that.”

Dominic said that after this latest disaster he was close to giving up on the pickup: “I may well sell it because I haven’t really used it since I’ve been down here and I feel bad that the poor thing is just getting worse and worse whilst it’s here.”

He called out to fans, saying that he wasn’t really sure what the car might be worth, saying: “Make me an offer.”

Catch Dominic on The Repair Shop tonight (Wednesday, May 6) on BBC One from 8pm to 9pm.

The Repair Shop expert Steve Fletcher faced a challenging restoration on the BBC show.

Steve Fletcher, an expert on The Repair Shop since its launch in 2017, was left astounded by the item he was called upon to restore.

During the latest episode of the BBC programme (April 29), viewers watched Steve alongside Sonnaz Nooranvary examine the item that had been brought in.

Casting her eye over it on the table, Sonnaz remarked: “I’m no builder, but needless to say, this looks like it’s seen much better days.” Concurring, Steve responded: “Yeah, I’ve done up old buildings, and I don’t think any of them were as bad as this.”

Stepping into the barn was Dawn Shrives from West Sussex, who jokingly told the experts they were looking at “ruins” before revealing it was an extraordinary model watermill constructed by her late father in 1996.

She explained: “He put it all together to go in front of our family home to replicate the red brickwork of the house. Every little brick he made by hand, individually, he wanted it to be a working watermill. Obviously, the years of it sitting on the ground, outside, the weather had gotten to it.”

Dawn went on to describe how her father had planned to install an underground chamber to make the watermill turn. Tragically, he passed away in 2014, and her mother subsequently moved to a smaller property, reports the Manchester Evening News.

She noted that with her mother now living in a bungalow, there is nothing left to remind her of her beloved late husband, underlining just how precious the watermill model truly is. Dawn continued: “He’s touched, every single piece of this. He’s crafted this, and she looks out her front window and sees this deteriorating; it’s just so sad to see.”

She went on: “So to have it brought back to life for the family, for mum, would just be amazing. Just to see it put back together and whole again, I think, is almost- we can’t even think of that.” As Steve outlined his intentions to repair the model, it was evident he faced a considerable challenge.

Ultimately, after crafting bricks to substitute those Dawn’s father had originally made, Steve succeeded in restoring the dilapidated model and incorporated water to make the wheel rotate as her father had envisioned decades earlier.

When the moment arrived to reveal the completed restoration, Dawn brought her mother, Pam, along to view the model. The two women were immediately moved to tears upon seeing it unveiled, astounded by Steve’s achievement.

Pam promptly thanked Steve as Dawn exclaimed: “Look at that! Isn’t that lovely?” Pam remarked: “Gosh, that’s amazing. You’ve done all of these (roof tiles). Gosh, thank you.”

Upon noticing the water feature surrounding the house, Steve activated it for the first time, demonstrating the functioning watermill. She observed: “It’s just beyond anything that we could’ve thought would ever happen to it, thank you.”

Addressing the camera directly, Dawn said: “The watermill just sums up a legacy that will now stay in the family, be preserved, and dad would be so pleased to know that it’s working and it’s loved and it’s still loved.” Pam agreed, adding: “It’s just the best thing we could have done, isn’t it?”

The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

It’s 7:50 p.m. on a Tuesday as I enter the dimly lighted metaphysical supply store the Crooked Path. Even inside, it almost looks closed; I barely see the crystal-necklace-studded walls, the bowls of runes and bins of long, black candles around me. Half-filled glass jars (perhaps potions?) sit beyond the store’s elongated bar — the apothecary — where a silent man in black points me past Egyptian deity figurines and a large python named Drakina to … my yoga class.

The backroom that Goth Yoga LA calls home is all black paint, purple lights and sage-y smells; music growls ominously from the speaker system above. Devotees gather for the intimate, pay-what-you-can classes, held at 6:30 and 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday nights. It feels like an open mic night in the Upside Down — and yes, everyone is wearing all black. Everyone but Goth Yoga LA’s leader, Brynna Beatnix. Tonight, Beatnix is giving more Y2K occult-glam. She chats with one heavily-tattooed man stretching in the corner, and welcomes in an older woman in heavy eyeliner who tentatively peeks inside. Is she in the right place? Of course she is.

Students take part in a Goth Yoga LA class, complete with burning incense.

Goth Yoga LA’s masterminds are Beatnix and her partner, James David (who DJs each class). The couple has been active in L.A.’s goth/alternative music and event scene for years, co-creating the popular outdoor roller disco event Skate Oddity during the pandemic. This “goth club on wheels,” brought an inspiring blend of physicality, niche goth music and connection to alt-Angelenos at their most isolated.

As Skate Oddity (and athletically-forward goth events like it) became more popular, so did some pretty gnarly injuries. As a response, Beatnix began hosting communal stretching sessions before the event, complete with vibey dark ‘80s, goth and post-punk soundtrack. “It started as a gathering,” Beatnix said. “And with James and my background in nightlife and music, it gained momentum and grew.”

Soon, Beatnix got her yoga certification and a couple of her goth friends, Sal Santoro and Popi Mavros, offered the backroom of their Burbank-based occult store, the Crooked Path. And from the shadowy, crystal-studded darkness Goth Yoga LA was born.

Brynna Beatnix’s classes are defined by deep stretches and dark sounds.

DJ James David provides the music for Goth Yoga LA classes.

Beatnix and David created and practice Goth Yoga LA much like yoga itself — slowly, with intentionality. It took them years to fuse music and movement to “get the space right,” and they hope that the result helps participants’ mental health. “The music and the alternative world can already be a coping mechanism. Well, yoga is also a great coping mechanism. So let’s combine the two.”

What resulted is an intimate, therapeutic yoga class shrouded in darkness (literally), where goths, alts, punks — anyone feeling outside of the norm — can work through “heavy feelings” via moody vinyasas. “It just feels really nice to be in a room of people who are kinda literally leaning into the discomfort of being in the chaos of the world right now,” says Heather Hanford, a regular at Goth Yoga LA.

For many, it’s not just about mental health but simply a more welcoming alternative to the Lululemon-coded homogeny of L.A.’s wellness culture. “Some people feel scared of going to traditional yoga studios. One, the prices are really high. Or they don’t really feel accepted there,” Beatnix says. “I’ve even had guys be like, I’m scared to go, because people are going to look at my tattoos and think that I’m a satanist and stare at me.”

The intimate Goth Yoga LA classes are distinctive because they are mostly shrouded in darkness.

And, of course, it’s not just for goths. Class participant Hanford, who identifies as a neurodivergent non-goth, experiences Goth Yoga LA as much more regulating than a mainstream yoga class. “The lighting and mood music makes it easier to focus on the internal experience than other classes I’ve taken,” she said. “Either intentionally or not, really helps minimize sensory overload.”

As we cat-cow to the Cure, the irony that goth yoga is more approachable, more calming and far less expensive than most traditional classes isn’t lost on me. With its donation-based entry, alternative clientele and bespoke DJ experience, Goth Yoga LA is like the anti-yoga of L.A’.s yoga scene. “I didn’t particularly want to rebel against the yoga studios, I just … am,” Beatnix tells me later. “We just saw something that didn’t exist, and wanted to create it.”

I know the class is coming to an end as ambient noiserock leads us into corpse pose. I inhale, letting new smells — something minty and palo santo-y, maybe? — waft over me. Now back into our original sitting positions, I’m not expecting a namaste. No, I have been warned this class concludes … differently than most.

Class participants Ellie Albertson and Jenn Rivera recline in corpse pose.

In Sanskrit, namaste translates to mean “I bow to you,” or, ”the light in me honors the light in you.” It is meant to be an invitation: a means of being deeply and profoundly seen.

“But that’s just ignoring the dark,” Beatnix says. In her opinion, to truly be seen we must acknowledge our alternative natures, our shadow sides, the otherness of our beings. “My ending is — and it ranges class to class — but generally I say, ‘the darkness in me honors and acknowledges the darkness in each and every one of you.’ We have both light and dark. We are both.”

Reporting from Sacramento — Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have barred medical marijuana dispensaries within 600 feet of homes, saying it stepped on the powers of cities and counties that already have authority to regulate pot shops.

The governor also signed 28 measures into law, making it easier for California firms to sell wine over the Internet and allowing bars to infuse alcohol with fruits and vegetables for use in cocktails.

Brown has until Oct. 9 to act on nearly 600 bills sent to him by the Legislature this year and has already wielded his veto pen several times, complaining about the state imposing too many standards on communities and families.

On the medical marijuana issue, the governor noted that he had previously signed a measure giving cities and counties clearer authority to regulate the location and operation of dispensaries.

“Decisions of this kind are best made in cities and counties, not the State Capitol,” Brown wrote in his veto message.

The bill was SB 847, by state Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), who said he wanted to allow cities to chose their own regulations and to protect children living near such facilities from second-hand smoke.

The governor signed a bill Wednesday allowing wine merchants without stores to obtain a special state license to sell to customers over the Internet or by telephone or direct mail. Assemblyman Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) introduced AB 623 because current law provides for an alcohol wholesaler’s license but requires holders to periodically sell to other retailers, even if they only want to sell directly to customers on the Internet.

The governor also signed a measure eliminating a state prohibition against bars and restaurants providing infused alcoholic beverages, with fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices added to spirits for flavor.

Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), author of SB 32, said the restrictions were decades old and were intended to address health concerns about the infusion process. Modern methods make the practice safe, he said.

On another measure, Brown exercised his veto pen and took a swipe at its author in the process.

With budget cuts forcing many state parks to close or reduce operations, Sen. Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach) proposed that the state post details of potential park closures on a website and respond to any efforts from the private sector to help keep them open.

Brown said the idea in Harman’s bill, SB 386, was good but didn’t require a state law.

“What parks do need is sufficient funding to stay open — something I feel compelled to note the author and his colleagues refused to let the people vote on,” Brown wrote in his veto message, referring to Republican opposition to putting tax extensions on the ballot.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com