Bonus Avios Part 1 – Amex Currency Exchange and Moneycorp
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British Airways Executive Club has launched a raft of bonus Avios deals as the build up to the main holiday season approaches. I will explore them over two articles today.
This is what is on offer for anyone looking for foreign currency:
American Express Currency Exchange
When you order foreign currency via the Amex Currency Exchange website you will receive 500 bonus Avios when you exchange over £400. This is in addition to the standard 1 Avios per £1.
Remember that Amex no longer has any foreign exchange booths at Heathrow so this will only work for home delivery. The only airport offering collection is Birmingham International.
If you charge your purchase to an Amex-issued Amex card (BA, SPG, Nectar, Gold, Green, Platinum etc) it will be treated as a purchase. This means that you will receive points for the credit card spend and it will count towards any Amex sign-up bonus.
(Please do NOT ring Amex to check that the above statement is correct. They will tell you I am wrong. I am not.)
Remember that Amex offers a poorer exchange rate via the Avios website above than it does at its main website here so make sure that the Avios are worth the extra cost. These are NOT free Avios.
The ‘500 bonus Avios’ promotion runs until 11th July.
Moneycorp
The Amex locations at Heathrow were taken over by Moneycorp.
They are running an identical promotion – 500 bonus Avios if you convert over £400 into foreign currency. This is in addition to the standard rate of 1 Avios per £1 exchanged. The closing date is 11th July.
There isn’t much about Moneycorp on ba.com – all they have to say is here and it does not mention this promotion.
You should NOT take advantage of this offer though.
Moneycorp only allows you to collect Avios on ‘walk up’ purchases, as Amex has retained the exclusive rights to offer Avios on pre-ordered currency.
You should never, ever buy currency at Heathrow as a walk-up purchase if you are spending your own money. The rates are so poor it beggars belief. The Travelex as you come through Terminal 5 passport control seems especially poor, with a ludicrously huge spread of around 20% IIRC. I pity anyone who effectively pays Travelex £50 for changing £500 of $ or Euro into Sterling.
The only reason to take part in this promotion is if you are getting repaid by your employer – and even then, only do it if your employer reimburses you for foreign spending at the exchange rate you paid rather than the market rate.
I wrote about the Moneycorp / Avios deal in this article last year if you want to know more.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 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:
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
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
25,000 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 £12,000 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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a 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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.
Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa
Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review
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.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
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.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive a huge 120,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Platinum by 9th April 2024. You receive 80,000 points for spending £12,000 within 90 days and a further 40,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Gold by 9th April 2024. Remember that the card is FREE for the first year. You receive 40,000 points for spending £6,000 within 90 days and a further 20,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
American Express Business Platinum
Crazy 120,000 points bonus (to 9th April) and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
Huge 60,000 points sign-up bonus (until 9th April) 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.
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