Six top destinations

Los Angeles: £257

American Airlines from Heathrow. Must be booked by January 5. Valid for departures December 25-March 31. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Trailfinders (020-7937 5400, trailfinders.com).

Hong Kong: £378

Lufthansa from Heathrow, London City, Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh via Frankfurt. Must be booked by December 31. Valid for departures until February 28. Minimum stay seven days, maximum one month. Quest Travel (0870 4423513, questtravel.com).

New York: £259

Lufthansa from Heathrow via Frankfurt. Valid for departures December 15-31. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Bridge the World (0870 4441716, bridgethe world.com).

Sydney: £569

Korean Air from Heathrow via Seoul (stopovers permitted in Seoul in both each directions). Must be booked by January 31. Valid for departures March 1- May 31. Quest Travel (0870 4423513, questtravel.com).

Paris: £45

bmi British Midland from Heathrow. Must be booked online (£5 extra if booked by phone 0870 6070555). Valid for departures indefinitely. No minimum stay, maximum one year. bmi British Midland (flybmi.com).

Amsterdam: £69

British Airways from Birmingham. Must be booked online (£10 extra if booked by phone 0845 7733377) and at least 30 days before travel. Valid for departures indefinitely. British Airways (ba.com).

The pick of the rest

Orlando: £193

Northwest Airlines from Gatwick via Detroit. Must be booked by December 18. Valid for departures February 1- March 31. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Thomas Cook Flights Direct (0870 7520066, thomascook.com).

Faro: £79

Monarch Airlines charter from Manchester. Departs December 19 for seven nights. Avro (0870 0360116, avro.co.uk).

Buenos Aires: £470

Air France from Heathrow and nine regional airports via Paris. Valid for departures March 1-31. Minimum stay seven days, maximum one month. Journey Latin America (020-8747 3108, journeylatinamerica.co.uk).

Nice: £64.70

bmi British Midland from Heathrow. Must be booked online (£5 extra if booked by phone 0870 6070555). Valid for departures indefinitely. No minimum stay, maximum one year. BMI British Midland (flybmi.com).

And the rail alternative

Paris/Brussels: £59. Lille £49

Eurostar from Waterloo (£49/£39 from Ashford). Must be booked by tomorrow and bought at least 14 days before departure. Valid for departures until February 9. Minimum stay one Saturday night or two other nights. Also available for day trips, Saturday/ Sunday only but any day December 16-January 3. Eurostar (08705 186186, eurostar.com).

NB Fares can change rapidly. These were available in reasonable quantities at the time of writing, but they can sell out in a sudden rush.