Avios tells HfP: ‘Readers WILL get their 15,000 Avios Amex bonus’

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the generous bonus of 15,000 Avios points which British Airways has awarded to anyone who has held a British Airways American Express card since it launched in 2001.

Well, not quite ‘anyone’.  As we discussed last weekend, I had a few emails from people who have held the card since 2001 and have not received the bonus. Almost all of these people have one thing in common: at some point between 2001 and today, they upgraded from the free BA Amex to the Premium Plus card.

The excellent news is Avios has now issued a statement on this issue to Head for Points:

“As part of our rewards programme, we regularly work with our partners to create special promotions to surprise and delight our customers. To celebrate the 15 year anniversary for the British Airways American Express credit card, we gave our most loyal customers a generous and discretionary 15,000 bonus Avios.

“Customers who have held a British Airways American Express credit card for the past 15 years will qualify for the reward, regardless of whether they upgraded or downgraded their credit card within the 15 year timeframe. However, due to the sheer volume of customers eligible for the promotion, it has taken longer than expected to credit all accounts. We encourage customers who have not received their award by the start of January to contact the British Airways Executive Club.”

All sorted.

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.)