BA American express premium plus - pre-overpayment
 

I realise it's only sort of BA related, but it is all about getting lots of Avios...

Anyway, I wish to make a large purchase - let's say it's £12k - and am hoping to put it on a credit card (for protection and benefits) so I need to find the best option available and was therefore considering the BA Amex Premium Plus card.

I have no idea what credit limit I'll be offered (yet to apply), but for the sake of argument let's say it's £5k.

I have enough money in my bank account to fund the purchase, so was wondering if it was possible with that card to pay £7k or more in advance on to the card (so card has a positive credit balance of £7k), and then make my purchase (using the £7k and my credit limit of £5k)?

From a BA point of view, would that then get me 25k (sign up bonus) + 18k (1.5 Avios per £1 spend) + a companion voucher?

Isn’t the OP trying to get the 241 voucher plus maximising his Avios collection on this single purchase?

In terms of protection yes, but I want to maximise my Avios (hence posting here!) and would prefer to put everything on one card even it it means pre-loading it (is there a term for what I'm trying to do, as searching for credit card in credit isn't every going to be very useful...?)

When I first got my card I had a limit of £4k. I wanted to pay my tuition fees though and these were above the limit at £9k.

Precisely - that's what I'm hoping for.

So you're effectively looking to preload the card, so there's enough available credit for your purchase. I admit my instinct was that would work, but this thread here (despite the title) from 2014 suggests they look a bit dimly on preloading, I don't know if anything has changed.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...-new-card.html

Now, as madfish has said, Amex generally seem to offer 5 figure credit limits, so you may well find you don't need to preload in this fashion, and a card comes with >12k limit.

Agreed. I've had no problems securing five-figure credit limits in the past (not that I've ever had use for them!).

AMEX is usually the best issuer as far as over-limit purchases go as long as you notify them before hand.
I know an IT guy who had to purchase a 45,000USD in server power supplies on a Sunday (due to some off circumstances) and they were able to assist with making it work, despite being ~20k over limit.

That said they may be willing to make accommodation for card-holders with more history .

Quite possibly - we are a recent convert to the BAPP Amex, and with retrospect my statement was probably a bit too general. They could well have been known for lower limits in the past.

Perhaps I should phrase it more guardedly, and say the OP could maybe get a card with enough limit to not need preloading (obviously it's always going to vary with individual circumstances)

Worth checking you can make the purchase on a card. I was a bit disappointed when told by the payment desk at a car dealer that the salesman had been wrong to tell me I could use a card for the full (similar) cost, and that the amount they would take (£5k?) would be subject to a percentage fee, and couldn't be AmEx:(.

For a purchase of £12k I would expect the retailer to be flexible about accepting multiple payments by card, in this case meaning that the OP could pay up to their credit limit, then pay off the card and repeat (unless it's something like buying an F ticket online).

However, not sure if Amex would let the second payment go through especially if it's a new account. But the same applies to preloading the card.

I would suggest informing Amex of the plan before actually enacting it unless the OP has a long history with Amex of spending these amounts, but if this were the case then Amex should give a generous credit limit in the first place.

My impression is that it is a card that gives a big limit from the start? Do you have other Amex cards, Amex seem to set more store by your history with them than anything else.

I have actually done exactly that and can confirm it works.

I've transferred the amount via bank transfer onto the account details that amex provides in the FAQ/Help section. You'll then basically be in "plus" and can pay something worth the "plus" and your normal credit limit (So you transfer 7k, you have a 5k limit, you can spend 12k)

It worked roughly a year ago, I wouldn't know why not anymore :)