Compare the best Avios business credit cards

Not a lot of business credit cards out there let you earn Avios, but we've taken a look at the options for you. To help your business take off, well, literally.

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Tom Stelzer
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American Express Gold Business Card

American Express® Business Gold Card

  • 20,000 bonus Membership Rewards® points if you spend £3,000 in the first 3 months
  • Earn 1 Membership Rewards point for every £1 spent, plus earn an extra 10,000 points when you spend £20,000 every quarter
  • Over £600 off at essential business retailers
  • No annual fee in the first year*
*Terms apply. Annual fee £175 (£0 first year)
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Compare Avios business credit cards

Table: sorted by representative APR, promoted deals first
Data updated daily
Data updated daily
Name Product Max. intro bonus Default earn-rate Annual/monthly fees Representative APR Link Incentive Representative example
American Express Platinum Business Card
Finder Award
American Express Platinum Business Card
40,000 points
1 point per £1 spent
£595 p.a.
N/A (this product is a charge card).
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New Cardmember offer: Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® points when you spend £6,000 in first 3 months of Cardmembership. Earn 1 Membership Rewards® point for every £1 spent thereafter.
American Express Gold Business Card
Finder Award
American Express Gold Business Card
20,000 points
1 point per £1 spent
Year 1 - £0, Year 2 onwards - £175
N/A (this product is a charge card).
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New Cardmember offer: Earn 20,000 Membership Rewards® points when you spend £3,000 in first 3 months of Cardmembership. Earn 1 Membership Rewards® point for every £1 spent thereafter. Earn 10,000 extra Membership Rewards® points when you spend £20,000 per quarter.
Amazon Business Prime American Express Card
Amazon Business Prime American Express Card
£100 Welcome giftcard
1 point per £2 spent
Year 1 - £0, Year 2 onwards - £50 per annum
32.6% APR (variable)
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Earn 2% Amazon Rewards on the first £120,000 in purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter at Amazon.co.uk, Amazon Business UK and Whole Foods Market UK, or 90 day extended payment terms on such purchases. Earn 0.5% Amazon Rewards on all other purchases.
Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 21.9% (variable) p.a. with a fee of Year 1 - £0, Year 2 onwards - £50 per annum, your representative rate is 32.6% APR (variable).
Amazon Business American Express Card
Amazon Business American Express Card
£100 Welcome giftcard
1 point per £2 spent
£50 per annum (first year waived – limited offer)
32.6% APR (variable)
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Earn 1.5% Amazon Rewards on the first £120,000 in purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter at Amazon.co.uk, Amazon Business UK and Whole Foods Market UK, or 60 day extended payment terms on such purchases. Earn 0.5% Amazon Rewards on all other purchases.
Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 21.9% (variable) p.a. with a fee of Year 1 - £0, Year 2 onwards - £50 per annum, your representative rate is 32.6% APR (variable).
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card
Finder Award
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card
60,000 points
1.5 points per £1 spent
£250 per annum
96.7% APR (variable)
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Limited time offer: Earn 60,000 bonus Avios when you spend £5,000 in your first three months. Earn 1.5 Avios for every eligible £1 spent on card and 2 On Business Points for every £1 spent with BA on eligible flights. 10,000 bonus Avios for every £20,000 spent (max £60,000 pa) per calendar year.
Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 22.2% (variable) p.a. with a fee of £250 per annum, your representative rate is 96.7% APR (variable).
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Approval for any credit card will depend on your status. The representative APRs shown represent the interest rate offered to most successful applicants. Depending on your personal circumstances the APR you're offered may be higher, or you may not be offered credit at all. Fees and rates are subject to change without notice. It's always wise to check the terms of any deal before you borrow.

What is Avios and how can my business benefit from it?

Avios is a frequent flyer programme. You can earn points in a number of different ways, from booking flights with partner airlines to shopping at partner retailers (there are more than 150, from Apple to Domino’s to M&S), to using a credit card that earns Avios points.

Similarly, points can then be redeemed for a number of rewards, from free flights and hotel stays to wine gifts.

You’re probably the best person to judge if and how your business can benefit from Avios, but here are a few thoughts which may point you in the right direction:

  • Consider how much you normally budget for expenses. If your team is small and the figure is low, it’s probably not worth the hassle.
  • Think of how often you’re on the road. Or rather, on the plane. Most ways of earning and redeeming points have to do with travelling, preferably with one of Avios’ partner airlines.
  • If you aren’t running a business of frequent travellers. It may still be worth it, but you’ll have to get creative and it will largely depend on whether you spend at Avios’ retail partners. If you do, why not earn Avios points on your shopping and see if you can turn them into a nice free meal for the team?

Credit card jargon explained

  • APR. The annual percentage rate (APR) is designed to be a benchmark for consumers, providing an annual summary of the cost of your card. As well as the interest, the APR also takes into account any compulsory charges – like an account fee (if there is one). However, crucially, providers only have to award the advertised APR to 51% of those who take out the credit card – the other 49% could be offered a different (higher) rate, at the provider’s discretion. That’s why it’s often referred to as the representative APR.
  • Earn rate. This is the rate at which you’ll receive air miles on your card transactions. For example, a credit card may have an earn rate of 1 air miles per £1 spent.
  • Introductory offer. This is generally an amount of bonus reward points that you can earn when you first take out the card.

How can my business join Avios?

Bad news first: it can’t. Avios is a “personal” frequent flyer scheme: your Avios account only belongs to you, and you’ll be the only person able to use your membership card. So yeah, if different people in your business fly often, they’ll have to open different Avios accounts.

However, that doesn’t stop anyone from earning Avios points during their business trips or from redeeming them for business flights. It just means that points earned by different people can’t be accumulated into a single account.

In order to join Avios, you need to join one of its partner airlines’ clubs. You can choose among British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, AerClub and @MyAirItalyClub. They’re all free, so it all comes down to which airlines you use the most. Once you’ve joined, you’ll be given a card and a membership number that you can use or quote every time you want to collect or redeem Avios points.

How do business credit cards that offer Avios points work?

We can hear you thinking: if you can’t join Avios as a business, why on earth should I get a business credit card that earns Avios points? Well, that’s exactly the point. These business credit cards let you earn Avios points on all your business spending, no matter what you’re paying for or that you’re actually the person in whose name flights and hotels are being booked.

With those cards, you earn points on the card’s scheme every time you use your business credit card. Those points can then be converted into Avios points and added to your personal Avios account, even though they have been collected on business spending (potentially by different people if you let your colleagues use your card or give them additional cards).

How to compare business credit cards that offer Avios points

Unlike with personal credit cards, the selection of credit cards earning Avios points isn’t exactly huge: basically, you can choose between Capital On Tap and American Express business cards. To make the right decision, you should consider:

  1. Earn rate. How many points will you get for every £1 you spend? And how many Avios points will the card scheme’s points be worth? For example, you can get an Amex business card that earns you 1 Membership Rewards point for every £1 you spend, and 1 Membership Rewards point = 1 Avios point.
  2. Annual fee. How much do you need to spend on the card to make it worth it?
  3. Sign-up bonus. It’s a factor to consider, although it doesn’t outweigh the value of a good card in the long term.
  4. Foreign transaction fees. If you travel a lot for business purposes, do you go overseas? If you do, you may want to look for a card that doesn’t charge extra fees when used abroad. Capital On Tap beats Amex on this.
  5. Flexibility. If you grow tired of Avios or realise it doesn’t fit your business, what else can you do with the points?
  6. Extra perks. Some cards complement the rewards with other nice features, such as lounge access or travel insurance.

Ultimately, it’s all about figuring out how much business spending you need to do on the card, and whether it’ll get you enough rewards to make up for the annual fee.

It’s also worth noting that these cards are all about the rewards but leave much to wish for when it comes to using them for borrowing. The Amex business cards are all charge cards, so you must pay the bill in full every month, while Capital On Tap’s credit cards have quite a high representative APR, so carrying a balance on them will turn out quite expensive.

Credit card cost comparison

Credit card limit: £10,000

  • Outstanding balance: £5,000
  • Interest rate: 23%
  • Monthly repayment: £250
  • Total interest: £1,199

Credit card limit: £10,000

  • Outstanding balance: £5,000
  • Interest rate: 34%
  • Monthly repayment: £250
  • Total interest: £1,979

Pros and cons of Avios business cards

Pros

  • You can redeem your points for a variety of rewards, from flights to wine.
  • These cards allow you to earn Avios points on all your business spending.
  • Double your points when you both pay with your business credit card and quote your Avios membership number.
  • Team up to earn Avios together with your colleagues thanks to additional cards.

Cons

  • These cards normally come for a fairly pricey annual fee.
  • You should really pay off your business card bill in full every month: borrowing with these cards can be quite expensive.

Alternatives to Avios business cards

Unfortunately, there aren’t any other frequent flyer business credit cards available on the market at the moment, so if you have a different airline in mind, you’re out of luck. However, the Amex cards are still worth a thought because Membership Rewards points can also be redeemed for miles and points with a number of other airlines, including Delta and Virgin Atlantic.

Alternatively, you could consider a cashback business credit card: less fancy a reward, but you get more choice in terms of financial features.

Finally, if you’re looking for a business frequent flyer programme, have a look at British Airways’ On Business scheme. It lets you earn points as a business and redeem them for reward flights, while also earning Avios on your personal account.

Check which cards you’re eligible for

Frequently asked questions

We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you.

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