ENDS SOON: Get 10,000 Avios with the free British Airways American Express card

On 1st September, British Airways and American Express revealed their new-look British Airways American Express credit cards.

They also announced a jump in the sign-up bonus for the ‘no fee’ British Airways American Express card, which increases to 10,000 Avios for applications approved by 2nd November.

In our article yesterday we looked at the new British Airways Premium Plus American Express card, which has a bonus of 40,000 Avios until 2nd November. This article looks at the ‘no fee’ British Airways American Express credit card.

The interest rate on the card is 24.5% APR variable.

You can apply for the ‘no fee’ British Airways American Express card here.

The British Airways American Express has a fresh new look

As you can see above, the card has a new look, inspired by the British Airways speedmarque.

Your card number and expiry date have moved to the back. The Premium Plus card has a similar design but in shades of grey.

Get a limited time 10,000 Avios sign-up bonus!

For the next few days, you can earn a sign-up bonus of 10,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 in the first three months.

This is the most generous bonus we have ever seen on this version of the British Airways American Express card. To be eligible for the increased bonus you must apply and be approved by 2nd November. I recommend you apply by 31st October, just in case you are not accepted immediately and Amex decides to do some more checks.

Do you qualify for the sign-up bonus?

You are only eligible for the sign-up bonus if you have NOT held a personal American Express card in the past 24 months.

You ARE eligible if you currently or have held American Express Business Platinum, Business Gold or British Airways Accelerating Business as these are not classed as ‘personal’ cards.

You ARE eligible if you are currently a supplementary cardholder on a personal American Express card held by someone else, but have not held a card in your own name in the past 24 months.

Even if you do not qualify for the bonus, you are still able to apply and enjoy the other benefits, including the 2-4-1 companion voucher.

Here is the official wording on the bonus rules:

“This new Cardmember offer is only available if you have not held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months. If you have held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months, you will be entitled to all other Card benefits, excluding the welcome offer.”

What has changed with the British Airways American Express card?

The changes to the fee-free British Airways American Express card on 1st September were not just cosmetic.

There are two key changes which you need to understand and which may impact whether you decide to get the card or choose the Premium Plus version.

The spend required to trigger the Companion Voucher is cut to £12,000

This is the good news.

Before 1st September, you had to spend £20,000 on the free British Airways American Express card to trigger a 2-4-1 voucher.

By cutting the spend required to £12,000 per card year, many more cardholders will be able to generate a voucher.

The 2-4-1 voucher on the free card is only valid in Economy

This was a huge change to the fee-free BA Amex Credit Card.

From 1st September, any new 2-4-1 voucher that you earn on the free BA Amex will only be valid on Economy flights on British Airways.

You can no longer redeem your voucher in World Traveller Plus, Club World / Club Europe or First.

For clarity, there is no change to the terms of any existing vouchers you have. These can be used in all travel classes. You can check all the new terms and conditions here.

If you would like to redeem your 2-4-1 voucher for a flight in a premium cabin, you will need to apply for the Premium Plus card instead, with a 40,000 Avios bonus – click here.

For smaller spenders, having a voucher which is only valid on Economy flights is far better than not having a voucher at all if you weren’t able to reach the previous £20,000 spending threshold.

2-4-1 voucher flights no longer need to depart from the UK

Historically, your companion voucher flight had to depart from the UK. Since this was a benefit for UK American Express cardholders, it was not a major restriction.

The rule has now gone. A flight booked with a new companion voucher issued after 1st September (there is no rule change for existing vouchers) can start outside the UK.

There are some scenarios where this may prove useful. If you wanted to reduce the taxes and charges you pay, you could book a reward flight from, say, Dublin or Amsterdam via London to somewhere. This would mean you had no Air Passenger Duty to pay, although you would need to get to Dublin or Amsterdam to start your trip.

The other card features remain unchanged

The other benefits of the free BA Amex remain as they were before 1st September:

• you earn 1 Avios for every £1 spent

• companion vouchers are valid for one year from the date of issue (the outbound flight must be taken by the expiry date)

• the card is free

• after the limited time offer of 10,000 Avios expires on 2nd November, the sign-up bonus will return to its usual level of 5,000 Avios

• invite a friend bonus Avios (after the limited time offer expires) and access to Amex Offers remain as they were

Companion vouchers issued in 2021 will continue to come with an additional six months validity – so 18 months on the free British Airways American Express Card – as part of BA’s coronavirus mitigation measures.

Conclusion

From 1st September, the fee-free British Airways American Express is the best choice for the CASUAL Avios collector.

I accept that, if you are reading Head for Points, this is unlikely to describe you. The target market for the card is unlikely to redeem in premium cabins but can hopefully spend £12,000 per year to earn a 2-4-1 voucher for an Economy trip.

For the more serious Avios collector the Premium Plus card is now more attractive than it was. Click here for our article on the changes to the British Airways Premium Plus American Express Card and the 40,000 Avios bonus available for the next few days.

You can apply for the fee-free British Airways American Express Card here.

Remember that the bonus of 10,000 Avios is only available until 2nd November. Your application must be approved by this date, so I recommend you apply by 31st October in case you are not accepted immediately and Amex needs to do additional checks.

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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:

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.

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: