Bits: Which? magazine writes about HfP readers, the BA Amex Premium card lives

News in brief:

Which? covers the end of Royal Mint commemorative coin purchases

In the past I have written about Royal Mint offers where you could buy commemorative coins at face value – using a miles earning credit card – and then pay them into your bank account.

I was always cautious of such deals because it was often tricky to find backs that would accept them.  Eventually the Royal Mint intervened and told banks to stop taking them.

The story was picked up in Which? magazine this month:

Is Amex still issuing the BA Amex Premium card to new customers?

If you can remember the peak days of Busted, McFly and Natasha Bedingfield, you might also remember the grey-coloured British Airways American Express Premium card. 

It offered 1.25 Avios per £1 (half way between the free and Premium Plus cards) and required £15,000 of spend (half way between etc) for a 2-4-1 companion voucher with an 18 month validity (half way between etc).

It was only half way successful and was quickly withdrawn by American Express.

However, this comment was posted at Flyertalk this week.  A Premium Plus cardholder who wanted to downgrade – presumably after triggering his voucher – was offered this card as an alternative to the free one.

I doubt this was a random agent who had decided off their own back to relaunch a card last seen when they were still at primary school, so it is possible we may see more efforts by Amex to bring it back.  I know that Amex has continued to re-issue new BA Premium Amex cards on expiry to the few people who still have one. 

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus. 

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

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

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

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

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

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

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

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending:

Barclaycard Select Cashback Credit Card

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review