Changes to the Avios earning rate on the 7 (!) bmi credit card options
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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.
Want to earn more points from credit cards? – May 2022 update
If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge 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. You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher for spending £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher for spending £20,000 Read our full review
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.
The Platinum Card has doubled its sign-up bonus to 60,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert to 60,000 Avios or other airline miles, if you apply by 1st June 2022.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable card perk – the 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

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express
60,000 points (SPECIAL OFFER) and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review
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:

American Express Business Platinum
40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

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

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa
10,500 points bonus – the most generous Avios Visa for a limited company Read our full review
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.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card
1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review
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