Changes to the Avios earning rate on the 7 (!) bmi credit card options

For those people lucky enough to still have the old bmi British Midland credit cards issued by MBNA, some unwelcome news dropped through the letterbox yesterday.

Not for everyone, just for some.

There are, unbelievably, SEVEN different bmi credit card packages out there.  Whilst everyone is losing the benefit of double miles for spending with British Airways, not everyone is having their miles cut.  The 10% discount on British Airways flights will also remain.

As far as I can tell, this is what is happening.  If you have a letter which contradicts anything below, please let me know and I will correct it:

Diamond Club American Express card (no annual fee)

Old rate:  2 miles per £1

New rate:  Unchanged (guess)

Diamond Club Plus American Express card (with annual fee)

Old rate:  2.5 miles per £1

New rate:  Unchanged (guess)

Diamond Club credit card (Amex & Visa combination, no annual fee)

Old rate:  2 miles per £1 on the Amex, 1 mile per £1 on the Visa

New rate:  Unchanged (fact)

Diamond Club Plus credit card (Amex & Visa combination, with annual fee)

Old rate:  2.5 miles per £1 on the Amex, 1.5 miles per £1 on the Visa

New rate:  Unchanged (guess)

Diamond Club Mastercard (with annual fee)

Old rate:  2.5 miles per £1

New rate:  Unchanged (fact)

Diamond Club Mastercard (no annual fee)

Old rate:  1.25 miles per £1

New rate:  Unchanged (guess)

Diamond Club Classic Mastercard (no annual fee)

Old rate:  2 miles per £1

New rate:  1.25 miles per £1

Should you switch?

Probably not, to be honest.

Only the Classic Mastercard is seeing a big cut in the earning rate.  The loss of double miles on BA transactions on the other cards is a very minor adjustment.

The best Mastercard or Visa option for earning Avios is currently the HSBC Premier Mastercard.  This is tricky to get, however.  It earns 1 mile per £1.  The second best option is the Tesco Mastercard which only earns 0.6 Avios per £1.  If you have the Classic Mastercard, 1.25 Avios per £1 is still a great deal.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2024 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.