Avios tells HfP: ‘Readers WILL get their 15,000 Avios Amex bonus’

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the generous bonus of 15,000 Avios points which British Airways has awarded to anyone who has held a British Airways American Express card since it launched in 2001.

Well, not quite ‘anyone’.  As we discussed last weekend, I had a few emails from people who have held the card since 2001 and have not received the bonus. Almost all of these people have one thing in common: at some point between 2001 and today, they upgraded from the free BA Amex to the Premium Plus card.

The excellent news is Avios has now issued a statement on this issue to Head for Points:

“As part of our rewards programme, we regularly work with our partners to create special promotions to surprise and delight our customers. To celebrate the 15 year anniversary for the British Airways American Express credit card, we gave our most loyal customers a generous and discretionary 15,000 bonus Avios.

“Customers who have held a British Airways American Express credit card for the past 15 years will qualify for the reward, regardless of whether they upgraded or downgraded their credit card within the 15 year timeframe. However, due to the sheer volume of customers eligible for the promotion, it has taken longer than expected to credit all accounts. We encourage customers who have not received their award by the start of January to contact the British Airways Executive Club.”

All sorted.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous 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:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

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.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.