British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card

9.5

Finder Score

Excellent

Check eligibility

Representative example:: Representative 137.8% APR variable. Based on £300 annual fee, assumed borrowing of £1,200. Rate of interest 30% p.a. (variable).
Earn rate (at select partners): 1.5 points per £1 spent
Earn rate (elsewhere): 3 points per £1 spent
Intro bonus: Up to 30,000 points

Our verdict

Find out how to apply, and earn Avios while you spend with this BA Amex premium credit card.

Finder Awards 2024 highly commended

Customer Satisfaction Award

You can earn Avios points with a handful of UK credit cards, but this is the most generous of the bunch, with the biggest welcome bonus (don't forget that those bonuses tend to come with a minimum-spend string attached) and the best ongoing Avios earn-rate.

Which frequent flyer card is most suitable for you will depend on your circumstances and how you plan to use the card – with each card having its own specific features – like annual fees, interest rates, Avios earn rates, introductory bonuses etc. Try to calculate how much you'll spend on your card each month, to see whether it's worth opting for this card's little sister – thereby ditching the annual fee in return for a slightly reduced earn-rate.

Crucially, if you're likely to carry a balance from month to month, you'll almost certainly pay more in interest than you'll earn in rewards with this card.

If you're a master of persuasion, don't forget that there are tasty points rewards to be had when you sign-up a friend or family member too!

Pros

Earn up to 30,000 Avios points
Earn Avios points on day-to-day spending
Access to tickets with American Express Experiences
Applicants with low credit scores may be eligible
Customers report excellent customer service when dealing with American Express

Cons

£300 annual account fee

If you're a frequent flier with BA, then depending on how you use the card you could reap a wide range of benefits – which you'll need to weigh up against the high representative APR and an annual fee.

Details

Product Overview

Issuer	American Express
Network	Amex
Representative APR	137.8% APR (variable)
Annual/monthly fees	£300 per year
Loyalty scheme	Points
Incentive	New Cardmembers collect 30,000 bonus Avios when you spend £6,000 in the first 3 months of your Cardmembership. T&Cs Apply, 18+, subject to status.
Incentive on opening	New Cardmembers collect 30,000 bonus Avios when you spend £6,000 in the first 3 months of your Cardmembership. T&Cs Apply, 18+, subject to status.
Additional Rewards Info	Spend £15,000 annually and get a travel companion voucher when redeeming Avios for a BA reward flight. T&Cs apply. Refund Protection (90 days to return, receive max £200 per item, £750 per year). Automatic enrolment to the British Airways Executive Club. Access to tickets for must-see music, theatre and film events, often before they go on sale to the general public with American Express Experiences. Global Assist - 24/7 help available when travelling outside the UK. Eligible for American Express Connect where cardmembers can choose offers from selected retailers to obtain discounts or cashback.
Purchases	30
Purchases interest-free period (days)	56
Potential costs	5.2Standard
Extras	9.4Excellent
Overall Finder Score	9.5Excellent

Fees and charges

Minimum monthly payment	Greater of: 2% of the underlying balance plus the month's interest and any applicable fees and charges; £25; or the outstanding balance.
Annual/monthly fees	£300 per year
Balance transfer fee	0%
Foreign usage charge (EU)	2.99%
Foreign usage charge (rest of world)	2.99%
Cash advance fee	3
Late payment fee	12
Replacement card fee	£0
Duplicate statement fee	£2
Exceeding limit fee	£0
Additional card fee	£0
Dormancy fee	£0

Application Requirements

Minimum Age	18
Minimum income	£35,000
Residency	UK resident and has a UK bank or building society account.
Availability	Available to new customers

Case study: Louise used Avios to get business class flights to Chile

"I chose this card because of the excellent reward benefits, mostly Avios air miles. I received a welcome bonus of 50,000 Avios miles when I spent £3,000 on the card, and I received additional Avios for referring my wife, who also got the welcome reward!

We were able to pool our Avios miles to get business class flights to Chile – those lie-flat seats were a lifesaver on a 14 hour flight and we got all the perks like lounge access, etc. We had to pay tax and fees, but the cash cost of the flights was less than we would have paid in economy, so it was a great deal.

If there’s one thing you’d tell a friend who’s thinking of getting this, what would it be?

British Airways has a shopping portal where you can earn Avios points at loads of retailers just for clicking through from the shopping portal. So I check on the portal before buying anything online – combined with using my credit card to pay (which earns 1.5 Avios per £1), I can earn over 10 Avios for each pound spent."

Louise Donohue

Manchester

How does this card compare with other Avios-earning cards on the market?

Table: sorted by representative APR, promoted deals first

8 of 8

Product	Finder Score	Max. intro bonus	Earn-rate with brand	Default earn-rate	Annual/monthly fees	Representative APR	Incentive	Representative example
Finder score 9.5Excellent British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card Finder Award	Finder score 9.5Excellent	30,000 points	1.5 points per £1 spent	3 points per £1 spent	£300 per year	137.8% APR (variable)	New Cardmembers collect 30,000 bonus Avios when you spend £6,000 in the first 3 months of your Cardmembership. T&Cs Apply, 18+, subject to status.	Representative example: Representative 137.8% APR variable. Based on £300 annual fee, assumed borrowing of £1,200. Rate of interest 30% p.a. (variable).	Check eligibility More info Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Finder score 7.7Great British Airways American Express® Credit Card Finder Award	Finder score 7.7Great	5,000 points	1 point per £1 spent	1 point per £1 spent	£0	30% APR (variable)	New Cardmembers collect 5,000 bonus Avios when you spend £2,000 in the first 3 months of your Cardmembership. T&Cs Apply, 18+, subject to status.	Representative example: Representative 30% APR variable. Based on assumed borrowing of £1,200. Rate of interest 30% p.a. (variable).	Check eligibility More info Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Finder score 9.1Excellent Virgin Money Virgin Atlantic Reward Plus Credit Card Finder Award	Finder score 9.1Excellent	18,000 points	3 points per £1 spent	1.5 points per £1 spent	£160 per year	69.7% APR (variable)	Earn 18,000 bonus points with your first card purchase made within 90 days of account opening. Earn 1.5 Flying Club miles for every £1 spend and 3 miles for every £1 spend with Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays. Spend £10K a year on your card and choose an extra benefit - an upgrade to Premium, or a Companion ticket. Points value varies dependent on reward (min 3000pts)	Representative example: Representative 69.7% APR variable. Based on £160 annual fee, assumed borrowing of £1,200. Rate of interest 26.9% p.a. (variable).	More info Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Finder score 8.4Great Virgin Money Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card Finder Award	Finder score 8.4Great	3,000 points	1.5 points per £1 spent	1 point per £1.33 spent	£0	26.9% APR (variable)	Earn 3,000 bonus points with your first card purchase made within 90 days of account opening. Earn 0.75 Flying Club miles for every £1 spend and 1.5.miles for every £1 spend with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays. Spend £20K a year on your card and choose an extra benefit - an upgrade to Premium, or a Companion ticket. Points value varies dependent on reward (min 3000pts)	Representative example: Representative 26.9% APR variable. Based on assumed borrowing of £1,200. Rate of interest 26.9% p.a. (variable).	More info Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Finder score 9.1Excellent Barclaycard Avios Plus Card	Finder score 9.1Excellent	25,000 points	1.5 points per £1 spent	1.5 points per £1 spent	£20 per month	80.1% APR (variable)	Earn 25,000 Avios when £3,000 spent on card over the first 3 months of opening. Earn 1.5 Avios for every £1 you spend. Spend £10,000 or more during the year and receive a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher to use on an Avios Reward Flight booking, or 7,000 bonus Avios. Avios value varies dependent on reward (min 1,000pts for flights)	Representative example: Representative 80.1% APR variable. Based on £20 monthly fee, assumed borrowing of £1,200. Rate of interest 29.9% p.a. (variable).	More info Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Finder score 7.6Great Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard	Finder score 7.6Great	N/A	N/A	0.5% cashback	£15 per month	55% APR (variable)	0.5% on £1 to £15000 of yearly spend. 1% after £15001 of yearly spend. Cashback paid Monthly into Card Account. Maximum spend for cashback purposes is limited to credit limit.	Representative example: Representative 55% APR variable. Based on £15 monthly fee, assumed borrowing of £1,200. Rate of interest 22.94% p.a. (variable).	More info Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Finder score 7.6Great Halifax World Elite Mastercard	Finder score 7.6Great	N/A	N/A	0.5% cashback	£15 per month	55% APR (variable)	0.5% on £1 to £15000 of yearly spend. 1% after £15001 of yearly spend. Cashback paid Monthly into Card Account. Maximum spend for cashback purposes is limited to credit limit.	Representative example: Representative 55% APR variable. Based on £15 monthly fee, assumed borrowing of £1,200. Rate of interest 22.94% p.a. (variable).	More info Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Finder score 7.7Great Barclaycard Avios Card	Finder score 7.7Great	5,000 points	1 point per £1 spent	1 point per £1 spent	£0	29.9% APR (variable)	Earn 5,000 Avios when £1,000 spent on card over the first 3 months of opening. Earn 1 Avios for every £1 you spend. Spend £20,000 or more during the year and receive a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher to use on an Avios Reward Flight booking, or 7,000 bonus Avios. Avios value varies dependent on reward (min 1,000pts for flights)	Representative example: Representative 29.9% APR variable. Based on assumed borrowing of £1,200. Rate of interest 29.9% p.a. (variable).	More info Compare product selectionCompare	loading

Showing 8 of 8 results

Finder Score for credit cards

To make comparing even easier we came up with the Finder Score. Costs, perks and suitability across 120+ cards are all weighted and scaled to produce a score out of 10. The higher the score the better the card – simple.

Read the full methodology

Repayment options

You can make manual repayments through American Express's app by logging in to your online banking or over the phone (0800 917 8020). Alternatively, you may wish to set up a direct debit.

A direct debit protects you from forgetting to make a repayment and either damaging your credit score, getting hit with a penalty fee (12) or losing any promotional rates as a result.

You can arrange a direct debit for repayments when you apply for the credit card. The table below shows the options available.

Choose from the following direct debit options for your monthly repayments:

Minimum amount
Fixed amount
Fixed percentage
Full amount

How to apply

First, you can use Finder's eligibility checker to find out if you'd be likely to get approved for the British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card. This won't impact your credit score. If it's good news, you can then proceed to American Express's online application, which takes 10–15 minutes to complete.

The big sister to the standard British Airways Amex card, the British Airways Premium Plus credit card boasts a bigger intro bonus and better earn rate. Of course, nothing comes for free, and you’ll need to stump up for a high annual fee in return for better rewards.

Ultimately, this is a premium card for high-spending frequent travellers, especially those who can make the most of the generous intro points bonus.

American Express and Finder Awards

Our Finder Awards celebrate brands that truly stand out in their field, creating innovative personal finance products and providing outstanding service to their customers. American Express is one of these brands and has won multiple awards!

Here's what it's won in the past year:

2025 Provider of the Year Award (Rewards Credit Card)
2025 Provider of the Year Award (Business Charge Card)

Frequently asked questions

What is a BA Amex companion voucher?

When you spend £15,000 on your BA Amex credit card or on your BA Amex Premium Plus credit card, within a year, you could be eligible for a companion voucher.

A companion voucher allows you to receive a second seat for a companion on the same flight and cabin as you or, if travelling solo, a 50% discount on the Avios price you pay for your flight. British Airways American Express Credit Card Companion Vouchers can be redeemed in economy cabins, while British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card Companion Vouchers can be redeemed across all cabins.

What credit limit will I get with the British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card?

If American Express is able to offer you this deal, the offer will specify a personalised credit limit based on American Express's assessment of your situation. The minimum limit offered on this card is 700 and American Express does not specify a maximum. Once you've had the card for a while and shown American Express that you're reliable, you may wish to apply for a credit limit increase.

Can I withdraw cash using the British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card?

Although it's possible, withdrawing cash from a credit card account is generally not a good idea, as "cash-like transactions" (such as withdrawing cash at an ATM, getting cashback at the till, spending at a casino or buying currency) often incur steep fees and/or higher rates of interest.

The cash advance fee on the British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card is 3. For example, if you withdraw £50, you'll incur a fee of £3.00. Withdraw £250, and you'll incur a fee of £7.50.

The interest rate on this part of your balance will be 30.4% (chargeable from the day of the transaction – the card's usual "up to 56 days interest-free" grace period won't apply).

How much does it cost to use the British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card abroad?

Non-sterling transactions are subject to a 2.990000000000000000000000000000 charge (which is very standard). For example, if you spend 200 euros (£173.36), it'll cost you around £5.18 in fees.

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. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables is provided by Defaqto. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.

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Chris Lilly is Head of publishing at finder.com. He's a specialist in personal finance, from day-to-day banking to investing to borrowing, and is passionate about helping UK consumers make informed decisions about their money. In his spare time Chris likes forcing his kids to exercise more. See full profile

British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card review