British Airways Executive Club ‘birthday bonuses’ still going strong

Clearly I did something wrong, because British Airways Executive Club forgot my birthday entirely last November.  (Although I did get some freebies from other loyalty programmes.)

However, reader James got in touch this week to confirm that the BAEC ‘birthday bonus’ programme is still going strong – at least for the lucky few who are chosen each month.

James has his birthday in May.  He received an email on March 3rd offering him a big Avios bonus if he booked a flight before 31st March to take in the month of his birthday.

The bonuses are:

• European economy return – 4,000 Avios
• European Club Europe return – 8,000 Avios
• Long-haul economy or World Traveller Plus return – 15,000 Avios
• Long-haul Club World return – 30,000 Avios

Here is another interesting one – the bonus is valid on cash, Avios and ‘Avios and money’ bookings.

This represents an excellent deal, especially for the solo traveller.  (The bonus is per booking, not per person, so it is worth more to a single traveller.)  On a short European flight, you would be getting 4,000 Avios back after spending just 9,000.

On a long-haul economy flight to the Middle East or New York, you would be getting 15,000 Avios back after spending just 40,000.

If buying a ticket for cash, the ‘sweet spot’ is the 15,000 Avios points for a long-haul economy trip.  If you could bag a cheap enough ticket, the bonus Avios – plus the Avios from the flight itself – could effectively make the flight almost free!

If you doing a redemption, the ‘sweet spot’ would be a Club World booking.  30,000 miles back on, say, an 80,000 mile flight to Dubai is a pretty good discount.

The bonus is strictly targetted, with the bonus Avios posting in arrears, presumably after BA manually works through a list of people who were invited to see where they travelled.  You only get the bonus on one flight, but if you take multiple flights during your birthday month, you get the highest bonus to which you would have been entitled.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

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:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

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.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

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