Last Call: British Airways American Express Enhanced Bonuses End 24 February

If you've been sitting on the fence about applying for a British Airways American Express card, you've got just days left to grab some boosted welcome bonuses, with both the free card and the Premium Plus card currently offering enhanced sign-up offers, but only until 24 February 2026.

Here's what you need to know before these offers disappear.

Just a quick heads-up: Points Well Made is here to dish out the juicy details on miles and points, but we're not your financial advisers. Any decisions you make regarding products featured on this site are your own responsibility, and you should always consider whether a product suits your personal circumstances. While we chat about all manner of lender goodies, we're not a lender ourselves. Remember, you know you best.

The British Airways Premium Plus American Express: 50,000 Avios Welcome Bonus

The British Airways Premium Plus Card has bumped its welcome bonus from the usual 30,000 Avios to a much more generous 50,000 Avios. That's an extra 20,000 Avios just for applying during this promotional window.

The offer

• Welcome bonus: 50,000 Avios after spending £6,000 in your first three months

• Annual fee: £300

• Representative APR: 137.8% variable

What you'll get

• 1.5 Avios per £1 on all spending

• 3 Avios per £1 when booking directly with British Airways

• A Companion Voucher after spending £15,000 per membership year (usable in any cabin, including First)

• Amex Offers, Travel insurance, Global Assist, etc

To put 50,000 Avios into perspective, that's almost enough for an off-peak return to New York in economy (55,000 Avios). Or you could book two one-way Club Europe trips to somewhere like Dubrovnik (22,000 Avios each way off-peak). Not a bad starting point.

For full details click here.

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The Free Card: 10,000 Avios Welcome Bonus

British Airways has also doubled the welcome bonus on its free card from 5,000 to 10,000 Avios. While it's not as headline-grabbing as the Premium Plus offer, it's still a solid deal for a card with no annual fee.

The offer breakdown

• Welcome bonus: 10,000 Avios after spending £2,000 in your first three months

• Annual fee: £0

• Representative APR: 29.4% variable

What you'll get

• 1 Avios per £1 on all spending

• A Companion Voucher after spending £15,000 per membership year (economy only)

• No annual fee whatsoever

This card won't get you to Los Angeles in Club World on its own, but it's a straightforward entry point into Avios collecting. Simple earning structure, no complicated bonus categories, and zero cost to hold.

For full details click here.

This is how you MUST apply

Here's where things get messy. Not all application routes will get you these enhanced bonuses, and British Airways and American Express have made this unnecessarily confusing.

For the Premium Plus Card:

• Applying via the British Airways website: 50,000 Avios ✓

• Applying via the American Express website: Only 30,000 Avios ✗

• Using a referral from the Amex app: Only 33,000 Avios ✗

• Using a referral from the Avios app: 50,000 Avios ✓

For the Free Card:

• Applying via the British Airways website: 10,000 Avios ✓

• Applying via the American Express website: Only 5,000 Avios ✗

• Using a referral from the Amex app: Only 6,000 Avios ✗

• Using a referral from the Avios app: 10,000 Avios ✓

It's frustrating that there are so many routes to the same card, yet they result in completely different outcomes. Many people would reasonably assume the American Express website is the authoritative source, only to miss out on thousands of Avios.

To keep it simple: apply via the British Airways credit card page for both cards, or use our referral links for the Premium Plus, or the free card, if you'd like to help us out.

Eligibility requirements

For both cards, you must:

• Be 18+ and a UK resident with good credit history

• Not have held any personal British Airways American Express card in the last 24 months to get the bonus.

And as always, these are credit cards with high APRs. You must pay the balance off in full every month. If you don't, the interest charges will quickly wipe out the value of any Avios earned. Plus, you won't actually receive the bonus Avios if you miss payments.

Which one should you choose?

This depends entirely on your spending habits and how much value you can extract from a Companion Voucher.

Go for the Premium Plus if:

• You can comfortably hit £6,000 spend in three months

• You regularly spend £15,000+ per year on a credit card

• You want access to all-cabin Companion Vouchers

• The £300 annual fee is manageable within your budget

Go for the free card if:

• You're new to Avios and want to test the waters

• You prefer not to pay an annual fee

• You can hit £2,000 spend in three months

• You're fine with an economy-only Companion Voucher

Both cards offer access to a Companion Voucher, which lets you book a second seat for just the taxes and fees when redeeming Avios, or gives you a 50% Avios discount if travelling solo. The key difference is that the Premium Plus voucher works in all cabins, while the free card's voucher is economy only.

Our full Companion Voucher guide can be found here.

The 24-month rule

Do be aware, getting this card (or any other American Express) can stop you from getting a sign-up bonus on other American Express cards if you decide to take those out. Within the T's&C's of each card will state the requirements to get the sign up bonus, for instance if you wish to take out the Gold Card, then you cannot have held any personal American Express card within the last 24 months if you want the welcome bonus. We've just written a whole guide on this exact topic, which you can read here.

Are they worth it?

We've seen these exact offers plenty of times before (like here), but that's no bad thing. The Premium Plus bonus is 66% higher than usual. The free card bonus is doubled. Both expire on 24 February.

That said, only you know whether taking out a credit card right now makes sense for your circumstances. If you're comfortable with credit cards, pay your balance off in full every month, and can hit the minimum spend naturally without overspending, then these are solid opportunities.

If there's any doubt, or if you'd need to force spending to meet the thresholds, then no amount of Avios is worth the financial risk.

But if you've been planning to get one of these cards anyway, then this could be a good opportunity.

Sam

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