Amex unveils a £195 fee on the BA Premium Plus card – plus increased sign-up bonuses

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• Chris Cannon says:

  15 Apr15 April 05:11

  You say sweetened the pill with improved sign up bonus but I disagree. This is for new sign ups so it’s a pill they don’t have to take whereas existing card holders (loyalists) get stuck with the increase only. I’d have liked a communication from Amex with a renewal bonus or some other way of keeping us happy

• Howard says:

  15 Apr15 April 05:21

  Do we know if existing cardholders have to pay £195 renewal fee?

  • Ash says:

    15 Apr15 April 08:32

    I’m assuming so but I’d like to know the official stance on this as well since we have two Premium cards.

    • Kev says:

      15 Apr15 April 17:51

      When they raised the fee for PRG I kept paying the old fee however, this is only 1 years worth so could change next year for me to the increased fee.

• JamesWag says:

  15 Apr15 April 06:28

  Well I was pretty much planning on ditching this card as I travel solo mostly now 🙁 so find the 2-4-1 less appealing.
  This just helps make my mind up.

  Still a bargain if you hit the spend & manage to get J or F somewhere rather long haul so I don’t think they’ll lose many customers over this, just ones who were thinking of moving on anyway.

  Got the Amex Plat a month ago so will put spend there instead. In fact off this morning to Marseille for a few nights, taking advantage of Le Club Accor Platinum status while we still can. First time in T3 First Galleries too. Nice eggs Benedict 🙂

  • TrufflePiglet says:

    15 Apr15 April 10:27

    Wouldn’t it be better to keep the BAPP since it gives you 1.5 Avios per £ spend as opposed to 1 Avios per £1 for the Platinum Amex?

    • Mike says:

      15 Apr15 April 11:35

      Not necessarily… If the 2-4-1 isn’t valuable then you would need to get £195 worth of additional Avios from BAPP spend than from the Plat to be worth keeping. That’s quite a lot of £ you’d need to put through the card!

• Volker says:

  15 Apr15 April 07:13

  The owners of our local supermarket are very happy with the cap on card fees which will increase their profits – as expected, prices of their products have not gone down. Do you think the cap on card fees will be removed if Britain leaves the EU?

• Richard says:

  15 Apr15 April 07:27

  I am sure this is right, but you can’t hold both free and premium cards at the same time right? I am thinking of ditching my free card to get the premium, but i think i have to wait 6 months to ensure i get the bonus!? The free card sign up bonus looks fantastic, but i think the real value is still in the premium.,

  • James says:

    15 Apr15 April 10:02

    I echo your entire comment. I got the free card a few months ago and sort of regret it after chatting to another guy (in the A380 bar!) who made me realise the premium card is the only one of the two worthwhile.
    I read a comment yesterday, someone said they churn every couple of months and never seem to be hit by the 6 month rule

    • jackandjill says:

      15 Apr15 April 12:47

      yeap that’s me…see comments below

• John Tickner says:

  15 Apr15 April 07:34

  The timing of the bonus works for me (for once!)
  Is it OK to time a new application to 6months and 1 day from when the previous account was cancelled ?

  • Ryan says:

    15 Apr15 April 07:39

    I think so. I recently sent Amex an onlone message asking when I could first apply for a platinum Amex following cancelling my gold and still getting the bonus. Customer services were happy to inform me of the earliest date I could apply.

    • Genghis says:

      15 Apr15 April 07:47

      Me too. Amex plat application going in today (t + 6 months and a day)

      • Gavin says:

        15 Apr15 April 11:38

        Whenever I’ve cancelled Amex proactively tell me the date. Straight into my outlook calendar.

• mr bridge says:

  15 Apr15 April 07:53

  OK

  log into to your ba amex card
  click on the card benefits tab
  click the second tab down ‘AVIOS’
  Once this slides to the left, ant the bottom of the text click on ‘show terms and conditions’
  then you will see:
  Examples shown are based on redeeming Avios through the British Airways Executive Club programme for return flights departing from and returning to London.
  With the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card you will earn 1.25 Avios for virtually every £1 you spend and 2.5 Avios for virtually every full £1 you spend direct with British Airways on BA flights and holidays.

  • Rob says:

    15 Apr15 April 08:12

    I have the Amex news release, nothing else changes.

    • Steve says:

      15 Apr15 April 11:57

      Nothing else changes………yet

      Mine also says:-
      Examples shown are based on redeeming Avios through the British Airways Executive Club programme for return flights departing from and returning to London.

      With the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card you will earn 1.25 Avios for virtually every £1 you spend and 2.5 Avios for virtually every full £1 you spend direct with British Airways on BA flights and holidays.

  • Genghis says:

    15 Apr15 April 08:45

    Agreed. The headline still says 1.5 (3 for BA) but the Ts and Cs say 1.25 (2.5 for BA). If so, this card is definitely a churner considering at the moment I can still get 2 on the legacy BMI card

    • Ed says:

      15 Apr15 April 09:53

      The t&c’s on the application page I’ve just looked at refer to 1.5 avios per £? Which t&c’s are you looking at?

      • Genghis says:

        15 Apr15 April 10:15

        I followed Mr Bridge’s instructions. Log into your Amex account and go to BAPP account, click on the ‘card benefits’ tab and the second row down called ‘AVIOS’.

        The title says “1.5 Avios for virtually every full £1 you spend, and 3 Avios for virtually every £1 you spend direct with British Airways or BA Holidays.”

        However, if you click into the ‘AVIOS’ selection and click on “Show Terms and Conditions”, it says “Examples shown are based on redeeming Avios through the British Airways Executive Club programme for return flights departing from and returning to London. With the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card you will earn 1.25 Avios for virtually every £1 you spend and 2.5 Avios for virtually every full £1 you spend direct with British Airways on BA flights and holiday”

        Perhaps more changes are due…

        • Rum says:

          15 Apr15 April 10:57

          I was able to find this too. It does look worrying, but as it’s nowhere else, maybe it’s just a typo?
          Either way, I’m definitely holding on to my BAPP and not downgrading, “just in case”…

• Chris says:

  15 Apr15 April 08:04

  Hi, I have 2 club seats return booked via avios London to Vegas return, I’ve just received the voucher. Can I call BA and apply that voucher to my upcoming booking?

  • Rob says:

    15 Apr15 April 08:13

    Unfortunately not

    • mr bridge says:

      15 Apr15 April 08:51

      i thought the call centre could do this, by applying the cancel/change fee??

  • Genghis says:

    15 Apr15 April 08:15

    If there’s still availability you might be able to book again using 241 then cancel current booking (for a fee).

  • harry says:

    15 Apr15 April 08:17

    They’ll probably guide you through it. I think officially you book 1 avios seat for yourself then ring the call centre to add the companion 241 seat. So they might cancel your 2nd seat – you might pay cancellation fee? if they’re picky – then re-book the same seat using 241.

    Others can tell you how helpful the call centre staff are in your circs. All I can say is that if you put on the pleasant charm & hit the right call girl, you can get a lot gratis, I’ve had free name changes and reduced price cancellation fees in the past just by asking nicely

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