The British Airways ‘Upgrade to First’ offer returns for business class ticket holders

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British Airways has brought back its regular ‘Upgrade to First’ offer.

Until 31st May, any Club World flight you purchase which is ticketed in semi-flexible R, D, or C class, or a fully flexible J class, will receive a free one-way upgrade to First.

This is subject to availability and requires ‘A class’ cash tickets to still be available for sale in First.

You need to take the outbound flight between now and 28 August 2019, except for Tel Aviv and Delhi where you must fly out between 1st June and 28th August. You need to complete your travel by 30th August for Heathrow routes and 14th September for Gatwick routes.

Participating destinations are:

All services to the United States, Mexico and Canada on flights operated by American Airlines or British Airways

British Airways services to Abu Dhabi, Abuja, Accra, Bahrain, Barbados, Beijing, Cape Town, Delhi, Dubai, Durban, Grenada, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Lagos, Moscow, Nairobi, Port of Spain, Riyadh, Seychelles, Shanghai, St Lucia, Tel Aviv and Tokyo

Full details are on ba.com here. Note that you can only book this over over the telephone – in the past, some corporate travel agents have also been able to book it.

To maximise your miles when paying, your best bet is the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card which earns double Avios (3 per £1) when you book direct with BA. You do not get double Avios if you book with the free British Airways American Express card.

Another option is American Express Preferred Rewards Gold which offers double points – 2 per £1 – when you book flight tickets directly with an airline.

How to earn Avios points from UK credit cards

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 BA Amex American Express card

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 BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

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: