Last edit by: EsherFlyer
Current sign-up, referral, spend promotions and retention offers
New member sign ups
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card:
Collect 25,000 bonus Avios when you spend £3,000 within the first three months of card membership.
British Airways American Express Credit Card:
Collect 9,000 bonus Avios when you spend £1,000 within the first three months of card membership.
Referrals
If you are already a BA American Express card holder (either BA card) and introduce a friend to the BA American Express card, you'll receive a 4,000 Avios bonus once your friend's application is approved.
If you are already a BA American Express card holder (either BA card) and introduce a friend to the Premium Plus card, you'll receive a 9,000 Avios bonus once your friend's application is approved.
If your friend achieves the spend required for the welcome offer on either card they'll receive an additional 1,000 Avios. I.e. 26,000 or 10,000 total bonus Avios for the Premium Plus and Credit Card respectively.
Promotions
Retention offers
Voucher eligible spend
Pretty much everything counts towards the £10,000 (or £20,000) required to earn a 2-4-1 Companion Voucher, including the following which might be unexpected:
A few things that don't:
The online total to the right of the card summary is pretty up to date, and far more useful for tracking spend than what the statements show.
Insurance
Both standard and Premium Plus cards include insurance benefits for goods and services purchased on the card. Full details here and here respectively. Summary of Premium Plus benefit are shown here, with standard card offering same cover unless alternate figure is shown in parentheses:
New member sign ups
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card:
Collect 25,000 bonus Avios when you spend £3,000 within the first three months of card membership.
British Airways American Express Credit Card:
Collect 9,000 bonus Avios when you spend £1,000 within the first three months of card membership.
Referrals
If you are already a BA American Express card holder (either BA card) and introduce a friend to the BA American Express card, you'll receive a 4,000 Avios bonus once your friend's application is approved.
If you are already a BA American Express card holder (either BA card) and introduce a friend to the Premium Plus card, you'll receive a 9,000 Avios bonus once your friend's application is approved.
If your friend achieves the spend required for the welcome offer on either card they'll receive an additional 1,000 Avios. I.e. 26,000 or 10,000 total bonus Avios for the Premium Plus and Credit Card respectively.
Small print:
You must refer your friend via the referral link provided above to be eligible for this offer.
You may recommend as many friends or family members as you wish but you can only receive a maximum of 45,000 Avios per calendar year for those approved for a Card.
You will receive 4,000 bonus Avios if your friend applies and is approved for the British Airways American Express Credit Card. Your friend will receive 4,000 bonus Avios after they have been approved and spent a minimum of £1,000 on goods and services purchased and charged to their Account within three months of Account opening.
You will receive 9,000 bonus Avios if your friend applies and is approved for the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card. Your friend will receive 19,000 bonus Avios after they have been approved and spent a minimum of £3,000 on goods and services purchased and charged to their Account within three months of Account opening.
When completing the referral form, you must
(i) select the Card you hold from the list at Step 1 and
(ii) select a card to recommend from those listed at Step 2. If you do not follow this process, you and your friend will not be eligible for the bonus.
If your friend has already applied for any of the British Airways American Express Credit Cards without using this referral, you and your friend will not be eligible for the bonus Avios.
All introductory offers are subject to change, can be withdrawn at any time and are not available if your friend currently holds or has held any other British Airways American Express Credit Cards in the past six months.
You must refer your friend via the referral link provided above to be eligible for this offer.
You may recommend as many friends or family members as you wish but you can only receive a maximum of 45,000 Avios per calendar year for those approved for a Card.
You will receive 4,000 bonus Avios if your friend applies and is approved for the British Airways American Express Credit Card. Your friend will receive 4,000 bonus Avios after they have been approved and spent a minimum of £1,000 on goods and services purchased and charged to their Account within three months of Account opening.
You will receive 9,000 bonus Avios if your friend applies and is approved for the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card. Your friend will receive 19,000 bonus Avios after they have been approved and spent a minimum of £3,000 on goods and services purchased and charged to their Account within three months of Account opening.
When completing the referral form, you must
(i) select the Card you hold from the list at Step 1 and
(ii) select a card to recommend from those listed at Step 2. If you do not follow this process, you and your friend will not be eligible for the bonus.
If your friend has already applied for any of the British Airways American Express Credit Cards without using this referral, you and your friend will not be eligible for the bonus Avios.
All introductory offers are subject to change, can be withdrawn at any time and are not available if your friend currently holds or has held any other British Airways American Express Credit Cards in the past six months.
Promotions
Retention offers
Voucher eligible spend
Pretty much everything counts towards the £10,000 (or £20,000) required to earn a 2-4-1 Companion Voucher, including the following which might be unexpected:
- Foreign transaction fees
A few things that don't:
- Annual membership fee
- Interest payments
- Transactions under £1 (although you can earn the single Avios )
The online total to the right of the card summary is pretty up to date, and far more useful for tracking spend than what the statements show.
Insurance
Both standard and Premium Plus cards include insurance benefits for goods and services purchased on the card. Full details here and here respectively. Summary of Premium Plus benefit are shown here, with standard card offering same cover unless alternate figure is shown in parentheses:
- Purchase protection: £2,500
- Refund protection: £300 (£200) per item
- Flight delay / cancellation / overbooking / missed: £200 (£0)
- Baggage delay (6+ hours): £750 (£0)
- Baggage delay (48+ hours): £1,000 (£0), additional to 6 hours benefit
- Accident: £250,000 (£75,000)
- Hijack (24+ hours): £1,500
- Hijack (72+ hours): £3,000, additional to the 24h benefit
BA American Express credit card
#1966
Join Date: Jun 2003
Programs: BA, IHG, 5C
Posts: 4,413
I am thinking about the ba Amex card. As Amex withdrew from the Lloyds Duo card I was hoping to take advantage of the bonus Avios but, if I remember correctly - if had any Amex card during the previous 12 months I don't get that.
So disappointing as it wasn't me who chose to have Amex withdrawn.
So disappointing as it wasn't me who chose to have Amex withdrawn.
In fact ALL Amex cards count against the Gold/Platinum bonus but only BA cards count against the BA card bonuses. So if you want to, you can get yourself a Gold or Platinum card with a bonus, and then a BA Premium Plus card with a second bonus, in that order specifically.
#1967
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver (for now)
Posts: 1,000
I have a BA Premium Plus card and spend substantially above the £10,000 threshold for the 2-for-1 voucher. I am wondering if I should switch some spending to another card to maximize avios and other travel benefits. The Amex Platinum card has some good benefits if a reasonably high annual fee. I wondered if other FlyerTalk members mix their on BA Amex and other cards - any recommendations? Also any Amex Platinum card holders here - again any comments?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
You do need to put some business their way and have either £75k income or £50k savings. Worth some admin if only to get the sign up bonus.
#1968
Join Date: Jul 2016
Programs: BA Bronze SPG
Posts: 273
I know it's been done before but since Amex tightened up all its rules recently ie 24 months between cards before getting another sign-up bonus etc I am not sure whether this still stands
I've been a BA Blue Amex since I joined. My husband had the BAPP now cancelled after we hit our 241. Currently he is a supplementary cardholder on my account. We've hit £9k spend and year end is in Jan 2020. Will I be able to transfer that spend over to a BAPP to trigger another 241. I am aware I wont get a sign-up bonus so I could downgrade back to the free card shortly afterwards?
I've been a BA Blue Amex since I joined. My husband had the BAPP now cancelled after we hit our 241. Currently he is a supplementary cardholder on my account. We've hit £9k spend and year end is in Jan 2020. Will I be able to transfer that spend over to a BAPP to trigger another 241. I am aware I wont get a sign-up bonus so I could downgrade back to the free card shortly afterwards?
#1969
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver (for now)
Posts: 1,000
I know it's been done before but since Amex tightened up all its rules recently ie 24 months between cards before getting another sign-up bonus etc I am not sure whether this still stands
I've been a BA Blue Amex since I joined. My husband had the BAPP now cancelled after we hit our 241. Currently he is a supplementary cardholder on my account. We've hit £9k spend and year end is in Jan 2020. Will I be able to transfer that spend over to a BAPP to trigger another 241. I am aware I wont get a sign-up bonus so I could downgrade back to the free card shortly afterwards?
I've been a BA Blue Amex since I joined. My husband had the BAPP now cancelled after we hit our 241. Currently he is a supplementary cardholder on my account. We've hit £9k spend and year end is in Jan 2020. Will I be able to transfer that spend over to a BAPP to trigger another 241. I am aware I wont get a sign-up bonus so I could downgrade back to the free card shortly afterwards?
#1971
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: London
Programs: Gold at BA, Hilton and Radisson.
Posts: 592
Question about the offer on the card for 1,000 Avios with a £100.00 spend with BA.
Has anybody triggered this with a phone spend? Terms say online only but they’re sometimes wrong 😂
Has anybody triggered this with a phone spend? Terms say online only but they’re sometimes wrong 😂
#1972
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC, Eurostar
Posts: 3,293
Well my spend has gone through but I haven't seen the email saying I'd triggered it. Amex usually send one, so I'm not sure... And it was on the website for me.
#1974
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: London, UK
Posts: 174
Usually its 7-10 days. Once or twice I have had approved applications stuck in the process somewhere. A quick chat with customer services usually moves it along.
#1975
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: UK (currently)
Programs: BA Gold (and many other greater and lesser distinctions)
Posts: 7,208
Q about Green / Gold cards. I downgraded from Gold to Green 6-9 mths ago, as I was mainly using my secondary card on Mrs FF99's (free) Gold card, and wanted to reduce the fee on my (essentially inactive) card .
Now Mrs FF99 has to pay for her Gold card, is there anything to stop me cancelling her Gold Card or downgrading her from Gold to Green, and upgrading myself to Gold ? Will I then get the free year again on my new Gold card ? If Mrs FF99 refers me for Gold will she get referral bonus even though I have a Green card already (I appreciate no sign up bonuses now available) ? All far too complicated but I do resent paying the annual fees .....
Now Mrs FF99 has to pay for her Gold card, is there anything to stop me cancelling her Gold Card or downgrading her from Gold to Green, and upgrading myself to Gold ? Will I then get the free year again on my new Gold card ? If Mrs FF99 refers me for Gold will she get referral bonus even though I have a Green card already (I appreciate no sign up bonuses now available) ? All far too complicated but I do resent paying the annual fees .....
#1976
Join Date: Jun 2003
Programs: BA, IHG, 5C
Posts: 4,413
Q about Green / Gold cards. I downgraded from Gold to Green 6-9 mths ago, as I was mainly using my secondary card on Mrs FF99's (free) Gold card, and wanted to reduce the fee on my (essentially inactive) card .
Now Mrs FF99 has to pay for her Gold card, is there anything to stop me cancelling her Gold Card or downgrading her from Gold to Green, and upgrading myself to Gold ? Will I then get the free year again on my new Gold card ? If Mrs FF99 refers me for Gold will she get referral bonus even though I have a Green card already (I appreciate no sign up bonuses now available) ? All far too complicated but I do resent paying the annual fees .....
Now Mrs FF99 has to pay for her Gold card, is there anything to stop me cancelling her Gold Card or downgrading her from Gold to Green, and upgrading myself to Gold ? Will I then get the free year again on my new Gold card ? If Mrs FF99 refers me for Gold will she get referral bonus even though I have a Green card already (I appreciate no sign up bonuses now available) ? All far too complicated but I do resent paying the annual fees .....
So yes if you apply for it, it should be treated as a new card - you should get the free year and your wife should get the referral.
Personally, if you can I would close your green, wait a month, and then get the Gold via referral. You shouldn’t get the sign up bonus, but there must be a chance. If that meant I had to pay a month of the wife’s card (£12) I still might.
#1977
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: UK (currently)
Programs: BA Gold (and many other greater and lesser distinctions)
Posts: 7,208
The Gold card is now a credit card, so it’s not so closely related to your old Gold charge card, or the Green.
So yes if you apply for it, it should be treated as a new card - you should get the free year and your wife should get the referral.
Personally, if you can I would close your green, wait a month, and then get the Gold via referral. You shouldn’t get the sign up bonus, but there must be a chance. If that meant I had to pay a month of the wife’s card (£12) I still might.
#1978
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: United Kingdom
Programs: BAEC Blue, Flying Blue Silver, Hilton Gold, Marriot Gold
Posts: 817
Thanks and I see the logic of your suggestion. My only issue is that I have kept rolling my card forward year by year so as to avoid having to commit my Amex points to a particular scheme (I already have more than enough Avios for a lifetime !). If there were any way to do that whilst at the same time cancelling the Green card, I would love to learn how.
#1979
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 10,709
Thanks and I see the logic of your suggestion. My only issue is that I have kept rolling my card forward year by year so as to avoid having to commit my Amex points to a particular scheme (I already have more than enough Avios for a lifetime !). If there were any way to do that whilst at the same time cancelling the Green card, I would love to learn how.
#1980
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,347