Why the British Airways Premium Plus Amex is the best card for long-term spending
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With the sign-up bonus on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus (BAPP) card increased to 25,000 Avios until February, I thought it was worth taking another look at why I rate this card for long term spending. I have a BAPP and my wife has her own too.
This is especially important given the recent fee hike to £195 per year which may have made you reconsider the value you get from the card.
British Airways American Express Premium Plus card
The representative APR is 139.9% variable, including the annual fee. The representative APR on purchases is 31.0% variable.
British Airways American Express card
The representative APR is 31.0% variable.
A lot of the credit card posts on Head for Points are focussed on sign-up bonuses. Get a card, spend the minimum required to trigger the bonus, cancel the card, move on.
That works fine for some people. However, if you are a high to medium spender then the few thousand pounds of card spend required each year to hit your sign-up bonus targets will not be a stretch. You need to consider where to put the rest of your annual spend.
Many credit card issuers offer incentives for spending £10,000+ per year on their cards. The value of these perks is often underestimated – they are often worth far more than the points for your normal spend and can be more valuable than the sign-up bonus, especially as you can earn them year after year.
Here are the key cards which offer annual benefits for spending a large sum:
- British Airways American Express Premium Plus – 2-4-1 voucher on Avios redemptions for spending £10,000
- British Airways American Express – 2-4-1 voucher on Avios redemptions for spending £20,000
- American Express Preferred Rewards Gold – 10,000 Membership Rewards points for spending £15,000
- Lloyds Avios Rewards American Express & Visa – upgrade voucher for spending £7,000
- Virgin Atlantic Black American Express & Visa – upgrade vouchers at £5,000 and £10,000
- IHG Rewards Club Premium MasterCard – free night voucher for spending £10,000
- Hilton HHonors Platinum Visa – Hilton HHonors Gold status for spending £10,000
- Starwood Preferred Guest American Express – free night voucher for spending £25,000
By a substantial margin, the most valuable of these is the 2-4-1 voucher offered on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus.
A potential 10% return on your spending
When you spend £10,000 on the BAPP card, you get a voucher which gives you two Avios redemptions (on BA planes, ex-UK only) for the miles of one. You still need to pay the full taxes and charges on both tickets, however.
On an average redemption (two Club World tickets to San Francisco on a peak day, say), this saves you 150,000 Avios points. On a First Class flight or a longer Club World trip, the saving could easily exceed 200,000 Avios.
I have a very conservative valuation of Avios points of 0.75p. Most readers value them more highly. However, even at 0.75p, the 2-4-1 voucher is ‘worth’ £1,100 if it saves you 150,000 Avios points on a trip.
£1,100 of value for spending £10,000 on the card is an excellent return. Even when you factor in the £195 annual fee, you are still getting a £900 net return on your £10,000 of spending.
Why I prefer the Premium Plus card to the free British Airways American Express
As I wrote in this article, I am NOT a fan of the free British Airways American Express card if you plan to earn the 2-4-1 voucher.
This is the despite the fact that you would save £195 in annual fee by taking out the free BA card instead of the Premium Plus.
Why is this?
The 2-4-1 voucher on the BAPP card lasts for two years, whilst the voucher on the free card only lasts for one year. This is very important since, on busy routes, you may need to book 11 months ahead to guarantee the seats you want.
You earn an extra 0.5 Avios per £1 spent, which outweighs some of the £195 fee
You only need to spend £10,000 and not £20,000 to trigger the voucher. Even if you can easily do £20,000 of American Express spending per year, it would make more sense to get a 2nd Premium Plus card for your partner and put £10,000 through that as well – so you generate 2 x 241 vouchers each year, each valid for two years – rather than put £20,000 through the free card.
My full review of the British Airways American Express Premium Plus can be found here.
The official Amex website and application form is here.
Want to earn more points from credit cards? – October 2024 update
If you are looking to apply for a new credit 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 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
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.
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
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend 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:
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.
American Express Business Platinum
Up to 80,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
Get up to 40,000 points as a sign-up offer and FREE for a year Read our full review
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
10,000 points bonus – plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review
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
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 when you spend at least £2,000 per month.
Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit Card
Get 1% cashback when you spend at least £2,000 per month* Read our full review
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