Bonus Avios Part 1 – Amex Currency Exchange and Moneycorp

British Airways Executive Club has launched a raft of bonus Avios deals as the build up to the main holiday season approaches.  I will explore them over two articles today.

This is what is on offer for anyone looking for foreign currency:

American Express Currency Exchange

When you order foreign currency via the Amex Currency Exchange website  you will receive 500 bonus Avios when you exchange over £400.  This is in addition to the standard 1 Avios per £1.

Remember that Amex no longer has any foreign exchange booths at Heathrow so this will only work for home delivery.  The only airport offering collection is Birmingham International.

If you charge your purchase to an Amex-issued Amex card (BA, SPG, Nectar, Gold, Green, Platinum etc) it will be treated as a purchase.  This means that you will receive points for the credit card spend and it will count towards any Amex sign-up bonus.

(Please do NOT ring Amex to check that the above statement is correct.  They will tell you I am wrong.  I am not.)

Remember that Amex offers a poorer exchange rate via the Avios website above than it does at its main website here so make sure that the Avios are worth the extra cost.  These are NOT free Avios.

The ‘500 bonus Avios’ promotion runs until 11th July.

Moneycorp

The Amex locations at Heathrow were taken over by Moneycorp.

They are running an identical promotion – 500 bonus Avios if you convert over £400 into foreign currency.  This is in addition to the standard rate of 1 Avios per £1 exchanged.  The closing date is 11th July.

There isn’t much about Moneycorp on ba.com – all they have to say is here and it does not mention this promotion.

You should NOT take advantage of this offer though.

Moneycorp only allows you to collect Avios on ‘walk up’ purchases, as Amex has retained the exclusive rights to offer Avios on pre-ordered currency.

You should never, ever buy currency at Heathrow as a walk-up purchase if you are spending your own money.  The rates are so poor it beggars belief.  The Travelex as you come through Terminal 5 passport control seems especially poor, with a ludicrously huge spread of around 20% IIRC.  I pity anyone who effectively pays Travelex £50 for changing £500 of $ or Euro into Sterling.

The only reason to take part in this promotion is if you are getting repaid by your employer – and even then, only do it if your employer reimburses you for foreign spending at the exchange rate you paid rather than the market rate.

I wrote about the Moneycorp / Avios deal in this article last year if you want to know more.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)