Here are the new British Airways American Express card designs – what do you think?

Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. A list of partners is here.

As it is now midnight, we are allowed to give you a first glimpse of the new-look British Airways American Express cards.

There will be two full-length articles later on Wednesday to look at the cards in detail, and share details of some exciting new limited time sign-up bonuses.

If you want to see if the new sign-up offer is live already, the application page for the British Airways Premium Plus card is here and the free card is here.

Here is the new Premium Plus card:

British Airways BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

As you can see, Amex has chosen to stick with a horizontal format. This makes us very happy because it is far easier to fit a horizontal image into our articles!

The image is a play on the British Airways logo, as you can see if you look at the top right of the card and how it swirls.

You’ll note that the card number and expiry date have disappeared. These now appear on the back of your card. I’m not sure why the other information has remained on the front, especially the ‘Member Since’ date.

Here is the new free British Airways American Express card (click to enlarge):

British Airways BA Amex American Express card

At first glance it looks more attractive than the Premium Plus version, but we haven’t seen one ‘in the flesh’ yet to give a proper view.

I assume that American Express will not be wasting money and plastic reissuing all outstanding cards, so you may have to wait a couple of years to get your hands on the new design.

Alternatively you could report your current card as lost, but this will lead to a new card number being issued and a lot of administration changing over automated payments etc …..

Pop back from 5am and we will have full details of the new cards, the new card benefits and the limited time sign-up bonuses on offer.

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 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.)

Category

British Airways American Express

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Thomas Shelby says:

1 Sep1 September 00:03

She’s beautiful Rob…
- Andrew says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 00:11
  
  Very smart. And the member since date is on the front of the metal Platinum card too, so I guess that’s just the new Amex style.
  - Youllnever says:
    
    1 Sep1 September 00:31
    
    What do you mean new? The date has always been on the front, even on the old design.
    - QFFlyer says:
      
      1 Sep1 September 01:09
      
      He quite obviously means the fact that it’s on the front in the new design, while the number and name are on the back.
- BJ says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 05:07
  
  Huh, it’s a he!
- Jeff Greene says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 06:40
  
  She? 🧐
Justin says:

1 Sep1 September 00:14

It may be worth noting that if a replacement card is requested due to “damage”… the replacement card will have the same number.
- Justin says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 00:15
  
  Also any “damaged” card can continue to be used until the replacement is received.
- Justin says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 00:33
  
  I can now confirm, that since requesting a replacement card, my AmEx app has now been updated to reflect the newest BAPP Card.Design. However, ApplePay still shows the old design.
  - Youllnever says:
    
    1 Sep1 September 00:39
    
    Now that you mention it, the blue BA card is called “British Airways Classic” in the app as well which is new.
  - Duncan Stevenson-Price says:
    
    1 Sep1 September 08:49
    
    I have not requested a replacement card, and the card design in my app has been updated.
    - CarpalTravel says:
      
      1 Sep1 September 08:51
      
      +1
- Olivia says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 09:47
  
  Literally received a replacement card a week ago with old design… I must of been one of the last “old” cards. I may have to “damage” my card this week now however…. it’s beautiful!
- Timbo says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 11:10
  
  I just ordered a replacement in the app. You do have the option to choose ‘Other’ which also retains the same card number and allows you to continue using the current one until it arrives.
  I remember they had a specific option for this when they changed the Platinum card to metal!
Andrew says:

1 Sep1 September 00:16

40k sign up on BAPP is pretty good for anyone eligible.
- BJ says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 05:11
  
  My mum’s eligible … thanks mum 🙂
Chris says:

1 Sep1 September 00:21

If you report your current card as “lost” then they block all payments associated to the old card. However If you report it as “damaged” many services are able to carry on charging the old card details. (Also worth noting even expired cards can still be charged by sites that are registered as “ Continuous Payment Authorities”)
Sam says:

1 Sep1 September 00:29

This design is in line with the rest of the co-brand cards in AMEX US.
Youllnever says:

1 Sep1 September 00:37

I believe this is a new card comparison page as well: https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/credit-cards/compare/british-airways-avios-credit-cards/

Interesting that they specifically mention Shop Small as a benefit.
David says:

1 Sep1 September 00:49

Completely underwhelming IMO.
Save East Coast Rewards says:

1 Sep1 September 01:04

The bendy card I have doesn’t have any numbers on it at all so if you need the card number you have to open the app (and authenticate). It means nobody who sees your card can take a quick picture of (or write down) your card details. Having the card number on the back goes part of the way there.

For me I tend not to carry my Amex around with me much as I don’t use it in Italy, when I book hotels in the UK (usually Hilton) the card number is in my profile and the occasions they’ve wanted to see a card I’ve managed to use Apple Pay so it would be better for me if there was a way to get the card number (or a virtual card number) in the app for online payments

A lot of companies are spending a lot on card designs when more secure mobile payments (Apple and Google Pay) should mean physical card payments are less necessary and even if you choose to use a physical card you rarely have to hand it to anyone so a nice design is a waste. I want to be cardless as well as cashless!
- John says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 06:10
  
  I prefer to be deviceless
  - Save East Coast Rewards says:
    
    1 Sep1 September 06:50
    
    Why? When you use Apple Pay or Google Pay it does not send the real card number to the retailer so it’s safer. You can never know how secure a retailer keeps your number.
    
    When a physical card is needed hiding the real card behind bendy means if your card details are compromised you can just lock bendy and request a new card rather than disrupting the main account
    - The Savage Squirrel says:
      
      1 Sep1 September 13:20
      
      Why? Because my card never runs out of battery when I forget to charge it.
  - Mike says:
    
    1 Sep1 September 07:43
    
    Ditto I just have Nokia phone for voice and some text calls