The British Airways American Express Credit Card is a good rewards credit card for someone who collects Avios points and can use a Companion Voucher, but doesn’t want to pay a large annual fee.

Its 5,000 Avios welcome bonus is decent for a free card, but big spenders and frequent BA flyers may find more value in the £300/year BA Amex Premium Plus card (despite the annual fee increasing from £195 to £250 then £300), due to its larger welcome bonus, higher ongoing rewards rates and longer expiry on the Companion Voucher. See our analysis of the two cards below.

British Airways American Express Credit Card Review

The British Airways American Express card has decent rewards for smaller spenders, with a 5,000 Avios welcome bonus - quite generous for a free card - and an ongoing rewards rate of around 1% on purchases.

Points are earned on this card at a rate of 1 Avios per £1 spent. Avios can then be used to buy flights, car hire, Disneyland Paris, etc.

One of the biggest perks of the British Airways American Express card is the Companion Voucher, which is awarded for annual spend of £15,000 (this is up from £12,000 last year but down from £20,000, which was the minimum spend a few years ago). This voucher can be worth hundreds of pounds, but keep in mind that it can be hard to use - you must book early and seats are limited, making it harder to use during peak times like school holidays.

Finally, while this card is good for purchasing flights, once abroad the card should stay in your wallet if you don't want to pay FX fees: purchases made abroad will be subject to a 2.99% foreign transaction fee. For use abroad, you may want to consider a credit card designed for use abroad that doesn't charge FX fees.

Which BA Amex Card is Best?

When deciding which BA Amex card is better for you, consider your annual spending, the expiry on companion vouchers, the size of the welcome bonus and the annual fee on the Premium Plus card.

Here is what the rewards rates on spending look like for both cards (ignoring the annual fee difference for a moment):

So, once we take into account the £300 annual fee with the Premium Plus card, how do you know which one earns more rewards? Let's find the breakeven point.

We calculate that, assuming an Avios value of 1p, the breakeven point between the two cards is £60,000 of regular (not BA) annual spending. That is, spending under £60k a year would earn higher rewards with the free card, and spending over £60k a year would earn higher rewards on the paid Premium Plus card - this is the point where the higher rewards rates make up for the annual fee.

To understand why £60,000 is the mathematical breakeven point, we have to look at the "opportunity cost" of the annual fee.

Since the Free card has no fee, every point you earn is pure profit. With the Premium Plus card, you start the year at minus £300. You only "break even" with the Free card once the extra points you earn on the Premium Plus card (the 0.5 Avios per £1 difference) finally equal that £300 fee.

Bottom Line: The British Airways American Express Credit Card is a good way to earn Avios for your general spending. Big spenders and those spending thousands of pounds a year on BA flights and Holidays will likely find more short-term and long-term value with the BA Amex Premium Plus card instead. Keep in mind the £60K breakeven point on regular spending (note: the breakeven point would be lower for those who spend on BA flights and holidays) .

British Airways Amex Card Benefits & Features

Representative example: 29.1% APR representative (variable). Based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200 and a purchase rate of 29.1% p.a. (variable). Annual fee: £0.

Welcome Offer

Cardholders can earn 5,000 Avios points by spending £1,000 on their card in the first three months. How much is the welcome offer worth? It depends on how you redeem your points. Based on an Avios value of £0.01/point, we estimate that the Welcome Bonus is worth £50. Cardholders who are particularly savvy at managing their Avios might be able to get more value from the bonus.

Rewards Rate

We calculate that the ongoing rewards rate on a free British Airways American Express card is around 1%, but this depends on how you redeem your Avios. Assuming a value of £0.01 per Avios, earning 1 Avios per £1 spent on your purchases is equivalent to 1% on purchases.

What is the Value of Avios?

Avios value depends on how you redeem the points, but a good rule of thumb is 1p per point. Redeeming Avios for long-haul or upper class flights can provide even higher value.

After analyzing flight data on some popular routes out of the UK, we found the best use of Avios is redeeming them for Business flights or upgrading from Premium Economy to Business, as you can see in the following table.

To get an idea of where you can go with your Avios, the table below shows the Avios needed for some popular routes at off-peak times out of London.

These are all subject to change and variability.

Companion Voucher

Every year you charge at least £15,000 of purchases to your card, you'll earn a 2-for-1 Companion Voucher. A companion voucher is essentially a BOGO (buy-one-get-one-free) voucher on a single flight. That is, you can book a second seat on the same flight in the same class when you make a Reward booking for yourself using Avios. Depending on where you want to fly, and what class you travel in, the companion voucher is potentially worth several hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

Alternatively, for Companion Vouchers earned from 1 September 2021 onwards, you can choose to use your Companion Voucher to make a solo Reward Flight booking whereby you will be entitled to a 50% discount on the Avios fare for your journey.

The BA Amex companion voucher should be posted to your account within 10-15 days of reaching the required card spend.

When using a companion voucher, you still pay the taxes, fees, and carrier charges on your own Reward flight and on the "free" companion flight. Though these taxes and fees can add up to hundreds of pounds, you’d pay them anyway - so the voucher is still very valuable. But it doesn't mean "free" travel.

We know from experience that it can be tricky to find availability for companion voucher seats. BA recommends booking your flights as soon as possible once you receive your companion voucher. While seats are available all year round, it tends to be much easier to find seats for your desired days and destinations if you avoid school holidays and weekends. Those with school-age children may have more difficulty making use of this valuable feature.

Be aware that you can only use a companion voucher on a British Airlines mainline flight with a BA number (e.g., BA1324), not other OneWorld Alliance partners. Outbound travel must be completed before the expiry date of the voucher - the vouchers are valid for 12 months.

Vouchers earned through the paid version, the Premium Plus card, expire 24 months from the date of issue, giving you an extra year to use the voucher.

British Airways American Express Card Compared to Other Credit Cards

To better understand the value of the British Airways American Express Credit Card you should look at some other available options. We compared this card to other cash back and airline rewards cards so you can decide which is best for you.

BA Amex vs. BA Amex Premium Plus

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The £195 per year British Airways American Express Premium Plus card has the potential to create a lot of value, especially for frequent BA travellers. Earn 3X on British Airways spending and 1.5X on everyday spending, vs. the free BA Amex card. One significant benefit is that Companion Vouchers earned on the paid card are valid for two years (vs. one year on the free card). This benefit is hard to value, but it can make the difference between using and not using your companion voucher.

Quick Takeaway: If you want to earn Avios at a higher rate (especially for BA spending), you might earn higher rewards on the Premium Plus card, but if you'll only use the card for everyday spending and you spend less than £50k a year on the card then the free card is likely to be a better deal.

BA Amex card vs Platinum Cashback Everyday Credit Card by Amex

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The Platinum Cashback Everyday Credit Card by American Express is one of our favourite cashback rewards cards for those seeking an easy and flexible rewards program on a free card. Cardholders earn an ongoing rewards rate between 0.5% and 1% on all purchases (with a higher initial cashback rate of 5%). There's no annual fee and annual rewards are not capped.

Quick Takeaway: Frequent BA flyers who are savvy Avios users may well extract higher rewards from the British Airways Amex, especially by putting the Companion Voucher to good use. Individuals who would rather not actively manage a rewards program may value the simplicity of Amex's cashback rewards program, despite the lower potential rewards.

British Airways Amex vs Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

For 2026, the Barclaycard Avios Mastercard has emerged as a major competitor for Avios collectors. Like the free BA Amex, it has no annual fee and earns 1 Avios per £1. However, because it is a Mastercard, it is accepted in many shops and retailers where American Express is not. While the BA Amex offers a Companion Voucher for £15,000 of annual spend, the Barclaycard offers a Cabin Upgrade Voucher for £20,000 of spend, providing an excellent alternative for those who struggle with Amex acceptance in their local area.

Quick Takeaway: Perhaps consider if you would prefer a 2-4-1 companion voucher or a cabin upgrade; also, are you able to use Amex where you shop?