Two huge offers on both of the British Airways American Express cards, up to 60,000 Avios!

If you've been sitting on the fence about applying for either the British Airways Premium Plus American Express, or the free British Airways American Express, today's news should give you a little "boost" to want to. The welcome bonuses, for both the free card and the Premium Plus card, have been enhanced, and are currently running until 6th October 2026.

Here's what you need to know before these offers skip away from you.

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: 60,000 Avios welcome bonus

Representative 135.7% APR variable. Based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200, a purchase rate of 29.1% p.a. variable and an annual fee of £300. Credit limit and interest rate depend on your credit assessment and may differ from those shown. 18+, UK residents, subject to status. Terms apply.

The British Airways Premium Plus Card has bumped its welcome bonus from the usual 30,000 Avios to a doubly generous 60,000 Avios. That's an extra 30,000 Avios just for applying during this promotional window.

The offer

• Welcome bonus: 60,000 Avios after spending £6,000 in your first three months

• Annual fee: £300

• To receive the bonus, you cannot have held a BA Amex in the past 24 months (use our tool here to see if you can get the bonus)

What you'll get

• 1.5 Avios per £1 on all spending before 7th October, 1.25 Avios per £1 thereafter.

• 3 Avios per £1 when booking directly with British Airways before 7th October, 1.25 Avios per £1 thereafter.

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

• Amex Offers, Travel insurance, Global Assist, etc

• Tier points (more below)

To put 60,000 Avios into perspective, that's 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). You can use our Avios Calculator to see where you could go. Of course, there are some taxes and fees to pay too on these fares.

On the tier points:

If you hold the Premium Plus card, you can boost your tier points balance with this tiered spending offer:

• Spend £15,000, receive 750 tier points

• Spend £20,000, receive 1,500 tier points

• Spend £25,000, receive 2,500 tier points

To qualify, you'll need to enrol in app by 25 January 2027, with qualifying spend completed by 1 February 2027. This offer is subject to standard terms and eligibility criteria.

Do note that from 1 April 2027, the standard earning rate will change to 1 British Airways tier point per £10 spent, capped at 3,000 tier points per British Airways Club collection year.

Whilst the bonus if you apply for this card is the same if you use a referral link, people who refer you will still get Avios for referring you. If you wish to help us out and use our referral link, please do send me an email.

The British Airways American Express Free Card: 10,000 Avios welcome bonus, or 15,000 Avios through a referral bonus

Representative 29.1% APR variable. Based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200 and a purchase rate of 29.1% p.a. variable, with no annual fee. Credit limit and interest rate depend on your credit assessment and may differ from those shown. 18+, UK residents, subject to status. Terms apply.

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. But if you apply via a referral link, you'll receive triple the regular bonus with 15,000 Avios (more below).

The offer

• Welcome bonus: 10,000 Avios after spending £2,000 in your first three months, or 15,000 Avios after spending £2,000 in your first three months if you sign up using a referral link.

• Annual fee: £0

• To receive the bonus, you cannot have held any personal Amex in the past 24 months (use our tool here to see if you can get the bonus)

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.

If you wish to help us out and use our referral link, send me an email, we'll be happy to help.

The Companion Voucher

This is the reason most people pay the £300.

Spend £15,000 in a membership year and you get one. It lets you book two seats on a reward flight for the Avios of one. That off-peak New York return we mentioned earlier drops from 110,000 Avios for two of you to 55,000. Taxes and fees still apply per person, and you still need the Avios for the first seat.

Flying on your own? Take 50% off the Avios price instead.

The Premium Plus voucher works in any cabin, including First. The free card's is economy only, and you need the same £15,000 spend to earn it, which is a lot of spending for a smaller prize.

Our full Companion Voucher guide can be found here.

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.

• An income above £35,000 for the British Airways Premium Plus American Express

• An income above £15,000 for the British Airways American Express

And as always, these are credit cards with high APRs. If you don't pay off your statement balance in full every month, 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.

The Premium Plus card might suit you 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 an all-cabin Companion Voucher

• The £300 annual fee is manageable within your budget

The Free card might suit you 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

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&Cs of each card, they 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 similar offers to these plenty of times before (like here), but not boosted to quite these levels for a very long time. The Premium Plus bonus is double the usual sign up bonus, and the free card bonus is triple if you apply through a referral link. But don't forget, you have to apply for both of these offers by 6 October.

We've included them throughout, but if you want to read more about what's changing soon to these cards, you can read all about those here.

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 the opportunity you've been waiting for.

Helena

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