Which airline credit card is best for long term spending?
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Many of the credit card articles on Head for Points are focused on sign-up bonuses. Get a card, spend the minimum required to trigger the bonus and potentially move on.
However, if you are a high to medium spender, the few thousand pounds of card spend required each year to hit your sign-up bonus targets is not a stretch. You need to consider where to put the rest of your annual spend.
This article can help you.
This article was updated on 1st December 2023, and all of the information is correct as of that date. Ignore the original publication date shown.
Here are the results
For people without Virgin Flying Club elite status:
This analysis ignores the value of any sign-up bonus – I am looking for the best long-term solution.
Because this is quite a long article, I will give the results first. The maths is below if you want to look into how we got to these numbers.
- Winner – British Airways American Express Premium Plus – 10.7% back on first £10,000
- Runner-up – the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card – 6.2% back on first £10,000
- Well behind – the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card – 4.0% back on first £20,000
- Well behind – Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard – 2.8% back on first £10,000
- Well behind – the free Barclaycard Avios Reward Mastercard – 2.8% back on first £20,000
- Bringing up the rear – the free British Airways American Express – 2.1% back on first £12,000
For people with Virgin Flying Club elite status:
If you have Silver or Gold status in Virgin Flying Club, however, the results are different because you get a better deal when using the 2-4-1 voucher:
- Winner – Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card – 12.0% back on first £10,000
- Runner-up – British Airways American Express Premium Plus – 10.7% back on first £10,000
- Well behind – the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card – 6.8% back on first £20,000
- Well behind – Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard – 2.8% back on first £10,000
- Well behind – the free Barclaycard Avios Reward Mastercard – 2.8% back on first £20,000
- Bringing up the rear – the free British Airways American Express – 2.1% back on first £12,000
How did we get to these numbers?
Our base assumption is that you want to redeem for a Business Class flight to San Francisco on a peak date.
If you don’t redeem in Business Class or tend to redeem for shorter flights (US East Coast, Middle East) then the maths will be different.
You need to make some assumptions, though, and I think this is a fair base case for a HfP reader.
The winner (if you don’t have Virgin elite status) – British Airways American Express Premium Plus card
This is not exactly a surprise. After all, you voted the British Airways Premium Plus card your ‘Best UK Travel Rewards Credit Card’ in the 2019 Head for Points Awards.
Spend £10,000 on this card and you get a voucher which gives you two Avios redemption tickets (on BA planes) for the miles of one. On a typical redemption (two Club World tickets to San Francisco on a peak day), this saves you 150,000 Avios points.
Based on my very conservative 0.8p per Avios point valuation, which is what they are worth if converted to Nectar points:
- the 2-4-1 voucher is ‘worth’ £1,200 (150,000 Avios saving x 0.8p), and
- you also earn 15,000 base Avios for spending £10,000 to trigger the voucher (worth £120 @ 0.8p), but
- you pay an annual fee of £250
The net benefit for spending £10,000 = £1,070 (£1,200 + £120 – £250) or 10.7% of spend.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 25,000 Avios when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
- Earn 1.5 Avios per £1 spent
- Earn 3 Avios per £1 spent with British Airways and BA Holidays
Other information:
- Receive a companion voucher, letting you book two flights for the Avios of one, when you spend £10,000 in a card year
- A solo traveller can use it for a 50% discount on the Avios for one ticket
- The voucher is valid in any cabin
- It can be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus
- Annual fee: £250
Representative 113.1% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £250 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.
You will receive 25,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.
To qualify for the bonus, you must not have held the British Airways Premium Plus or the free British Airways American Express cards in the previous 24 months.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s British Airways American Express account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held any other American Express card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the British Airways Premium Plus card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the companion voucher and all of the other card benefits.
When you spend £10,000 on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card, you receive a companion voucher entitling you to book two Avios redemption flights for the miles of one.
Alternatively, a solo traveller can use the voucher for a 50% reduction on the Avios required for one ticket,
This voucher is valid for two years. Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets.
This voucher is the most valuable perk available in the UK airline and hotel credit card sector in my view. It could save you 150,000 or more Avios when used for a long-haul redemption in a premium cabin.
The voucher with the Premium Plus card is far more powerful than the voucher given with the free British Airways American Express card. You only need to spend £10,000, instead of £20,000, in a card year to receive it. More importantly, the Premium Plus voucher is valid for two years and is valid in ALL cabins. The voucher on the free British Airways American Express card is only valid for one year and can only be used for Economy flights.
You receive your voucher within a few days of reaching the spending target. You need to fly the outbound leg of your 2-4-1 flight before the expiry date of the voucher.
The voucher can be used for flights on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus.
You need a minimum personal income of £35,000 to apply for the card.
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
The value of the annual voucher you earn from the Virgin Atlantic credit cards is very hard to value because:
- there are multiple ways of redeeming your annual voucher – for a 2-4-1, to upgrade a cash ticket or to upgrade a Virgin Points ticket
- members with no elite status in Virgin Flying Club get a poorer deal if they go for a 2-4-1
Spend £10,000 on this card and you can choose from:
- A 2-4-1 voucher, valid for two years, for a Virgin Flying Club redemption in any class
- A Virgin Clubhouse lounge pass (requires a same-day Virgin Atlantic, Delta, KLM or Air France flight)
- A return upgrade – on either a cash or points ticket – from Premium to Upper Class, or from Economy Delight / Classic to Premium (requires reward availability in the higher class)
There is a little bit of small print:
- If you are a Red (no status) member, you need to pay 50% of the points for your 2nd ticket if you redeem your 2-4-1 voucher in Upper Class. This means that, for Upper Class redemptions for Red members, it is effectively a ‘2 for 1.5’ voucher.
- If you are a Gold member, you would receive two Clubhouse lounge passes instead of one if you chose that option
For obvious value reasons I am not looking at the Clubhouse lounge pass vouchers.
There are three ways you can redeem the vouchers. Let’s take a look at typical examples, using the same San Francisco redemption that I used for the British Airways American Express Premium Plus example:
Let’s assume you use the 2-4-1 voucher to fly to San Francisco in Upper Class on a peak day (ideal for couples):
Based on a conservative valuation of 0.8p per Virgin Point, to match our Avios valuation:
- the 2-4-1 voucher is ‘worth’ £1,240 (155,000 Virgin Points saving x 0.8p) and
- you also earn 15,000 base Virgin Points for spending £10,000 to trigger the voucher (worth £120 @ 0.8p)
The net benefit for a Silver or Gold member spending £10,000 = £1,200 (£1,240 + £120 – £160) or 12.0% of spend.
However, a base Red member of Virgin Flying Club has to pay half of the points required for the second flight if it is in Upper Class. This means:
- the 2-4-1 voucher is ‘worth’ £612 (half of the value of a true 2-4-1, since a Red member has to pay half of the points needed if you redeem in Upper Class)
- you still earn £120 of base Virgin Points
The net benefit for a Red member spending £10,000 = £732 (£612 + £120 – £160) or 5.7% of spend.
Let’s assume you use the 2-4-1 voucher to upgrade to San Francisco in Upper Class on a peak day (ideal for solo travellers):
A return Upper Class flight to San Francisco is 155,000 Virgin Points. A return Premium ticket is 75,000 Virgin Points. The voucher saves you 80,000 Virgin Points.
Based on a conservative valuation of 0.8p per Virgin Point, to match our Avios valuation:
- the upgrade voucher is ‘worth’ £640 (80,000 Virgin Points saving x 0.8p) and
- you also earn 15,000 base Virgin Points for spending £10,000 to trigger the voucher (worth £120 @ 0.8p)
The net benefit for spending £10,000 = £600 (£640 + £120 – £160) or 6.0% of spend.
Let’s assume you use the 2-4-1 voucher to upgrade a CASH ticket to San Francisco in Upper Class on a peak day (ideal for solo travellers):
A unique feature of the Virgin Atlantic credit card annual voucher is that you can use it to upgrade a CASH ticket.
For example:
- you buy a Premium Economy flight to San Francisco for £800 in a sale
- you use the credit card voucher to upgrade it to Upper Class (there must be Virgin Points reward availability in Upper Class to do this) – let’s assume that this would cost £1,500 in a sale
The credit card voucher has saved you:
- £700 for the value of the upgrade to Upper Class, plus
- £120 of base points for spending £10,000 as per the calculation above
The net benefit for spending £10,000 = £660 (£700 + £120 – £160) or 6.6% of spend.
Which option is best?
As you can see from the maths above, if you have Silver or Gold status in Virgin Flying Club, the 2-4-1 redemption route is by far the most valuable.
However, if you are a base level Red member and only get ‘2 for 1.5’ on Upper Class redemptions using the voucher, the three options:
- a ‘2-4-1.5’ redemption in Upper Class
- upgrading a Premium ticket booked on points to Upper Class
- upgrading a Premium cash ticket booked on points to Upper Class
…. will all give you the same return of around 6.2%.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 15,000 Virgin Points after your first transaction
- Earn 1.5 Virgin Points per £1 spent
- Earn 3 points per £1 spent with Virgin Atlantic
Other information:
- Get a ‘2 for 1’ voucher, valid on cash or points tickets, when you spend £10,000 in a year
- Alternatively, claim an upgrade voucher or Clubhouse lounge passes
- Annual fee: £160
Representative 69.7% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £160 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 26.9% APR variable.
You receive a bonus of 15,000 Virgin Points after your first purchase, however small.
There are no restrictions on earning the bonus if you are accepted. However, you cannot apply for a card if you currently have, or in the previous six months have had, a Virgin Atlantic credit card. You are free to apply if you have any other Virgin Money credit card.
When you spend £10,000 per year on the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard, you can choose a benefit. This is what you can pick from:
A 2-4-1 voucher, valid for two years, for a Virgin Atlantic cash flight or Virgin Flying Club redemption, in Upper Class, Premium or Economy
A return upgrade – on either a cash or points ticket – from Premium to Upper Class, or from Economy Delight/Classic to Premium. You can either upgrade 1 x return flight if travelling alone or 2 x one-way legs of two return flights if travelling with someone else.
For elite members, Virgin Clubhouse lounge passes (require a same-day Virgin Atlantic or Delta Air Lines flight) – one pass if you are Silver, two passes if you are Gold
Here’s the small print:
If you are a Red (no status) member, you need to pay 50% of the points for your 2nd ticket if you redeem your 2-4-1 voucher in Upper Class. This means that, for Upper Class redemptions for Red members, it is effectively a ‘2 for 1.5’ voucher. For Economy or Premium redemptions, it is a genuine ‘2 for 1’.
Taxes and charges need to be paid on the ‘free’ ticket as part of your 2-4-1 booking
Vouchers are valid for two years and you must fly the outbound leg of your trip before the expiry date
Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard
Spend £20,000 on this card and you get the same options that you get from the Reward+ card:
- A 2-4-1 voucher, valid for two years, for a Virgin Flying Club redemption in any class
- A Virgin Clubhouse lounge pass (requires a same-day Virgin Atlantic, Delta, KLM or Air France flight)
- A return upgrade – on either a cash or points ticket – from Premium to Upper Class, or from Economy Delight/Classic to Premium (requires reward availability in the higher class)
There is the same small print too:
- If you are a Red (no status) member, you need to pay 50% of the points for your 2nd ticket if you redeem your 2-4-1 voucher in Upper Class. This means that, for Upper Class redemptions for Red members, it is effectively a ‘2 for 1.5’ voucher.
- If you are a Gold member, you would receive two Clubhouse lounge passes instead on one if you chose that option
There is an important point here. Unlike British Airways, the Virgin Atlantic credit card vouchers are identical across both cards. The only difference is the spending required to trigger them.
Let’s take a look at typical examples, using the same San Francisco example:
Let’s assume you use the 2-4-1 voucher to fly to San Francisco in Upper Class on a peak day (ideal for couples):
Based on a conservative valuation of 0.8p per Virgin Point, to match our Avios valuation:
- the 2-4-1 voucher is ‘worth’ £1,240 (155,000 Virgin Points saving x 0.8p), and
- you also earn 15,000 base Virgin Points for spending £20,000 to trigger the voucher (worth £120 @ 0.8p)
The net benefit for a Silver or Gold member spending £20,000 = £1,360 (£1,240 + £120) or 6.8% of spend.
However, a base Red member of Virgin Flying Club has to pay half of the points required for the second flight if it is in Upper Class. This means:
- the 2-4-1 voucher is ‘worth’ £612 (half of the value of a true 2-4-1, since a Red member has to pay half of the points needed if you redeem in Upper Class)
- you still earn £120 of base Virgin Points
The net benefit for a Red member spending £20,000 = £732 (£612 + £120) or 3.7% of spend.
Let’s assume you use the 2-4-1 voucher to upgrade to San Francisco in Upper Class on a peak day (ideal for solo travellers):
A return Upper Class flight to San Francisco is 155,000 Virgin Points. A return Premium ticket is 75,000 Virgin Points. The voucher saves you 80,000 Virgin Points.
Based on a conservative valuation of 0.8p per Virgin Point, to match our Avios valuation:
- the upgrade voucher is ‘worth’ £640 (80,000 Virgin Points saving x 0.8p), and
- you also earn 15,000 base Virgin Points for spending £20,000 to trigger the voucher (worth £120 @ 0.8p)
The net benefit for spending £20,000 = £760 (£640 + £120) or 3.8% of spend.
Let’s assume you use the 2-4-1 voucher to upgrade a CASH ticket to San Francisco in Upper Class on a peak day (ideal for solo travellers):
A unique feature of the Virgin Atlantic credit card annual spend voucher is that you can use it to upgrade a CASH ticket as well.
For example:
- you buy a Premium Economy flight to San Francisco for £800 in a sale
- you use the credit card voucher to upgrade it to Upper Class (there must be Virgin Points reward availability in Upper Class to do this) – let’s assume that this would cost £1,500 in a sale
The credit card voucher has saved you:
- £700 for the value of the upgrade to Upper Class
- £120 of base points for spending £20,000 as per the calculation above
The net benefit for spending £20,000 = £820 (£700 + £120) or 4.1% of spend.
Which option is best?
As you can see from the maths above, if you have Silver or Gold status in Virgin Flying Club, the 2-4-1 redemption route is by far the most valuable.
However, if you are a base level Red member and only get ‘2 for 1.5’ on Upper Class redemptions using the voucher, your three options:
- a ‘2-4-1.5’ redemption in Upper Class
- upgrading a Premium ticket booked on points to Upper Class
- upgrading a Premium cash ticket booked on points to Upper Class
…. will all give you the same return of around 4.0%.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- The card has no sign-up bonus
- Earn 0.75 Virgin Points per £1 spent
- Earn 1.5 points per £1 spent with Virgin Atlantic
- Highest return per £1 of any free UK Visa or Mastercard
Other information:
- Get a ‘2 for 1’ voucher, valid on cash or points tickets, when you spend £20,000 in a year
- Alternatively, claim an upgrade voucher or Clubhouse lounge passes
- Annual fee: Free
Representative 26.9% APR variable
There is no sign-up bonus on the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard.
You may want to consider applying for the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard instead. This comes with a £160 annual fee but has a sign-up bonus of 15,000 Virgin Points. You also receive a higher earning rate of 1.5 miles per £1 spent.
When you spend £20,000 per year on the Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard, you can choose a benefit. This is what you can pick from:
A 2-4-1 voucher, valid for two years, for a Virgin Atlantic cash flight or Virgin Flying Club redemption, in Upper Class, Premium or Economy
A return upgrade – on either a cash or points ticket – from Premium to Upper Class, or from Economy Delight/Classic to Premium. You can either upgrade 1 x return flight if travelling alone or 2 x one-way legs of two return flights if travelling with someone else.
For elite members, Virgin Clubhouse lounge passes (require a same-day Virgin Atlantic or Delta Air Lines flight) – one pass if you are Silver, two passes if you are Gold
Here’s the small print:
If you are a Red (no status) member, you need to pay 50% of the points for your 2nd ticket if you redeem your 2-4-1 voucher in Upper Class. This means that, for Upper Class redemptions for Red members, it is effectively a ‘2 for 1.5’ voucher. For Economy or Premium redemptions, it is a genuine ‘2 for 1’.
Taxes and charges need to be paid on the ‘free’ ticket as part of your 2-4-1 booking
Vouchers are valid for two years and you must fly the outbound leg of your trip before the expiry date
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Spend £10,000 on this card and you receive an Avios upgrade voucher.
This allows you to either:
- book a return Avios flight for one person, paying the Avios required for the next cheapest cabin (so World Traveller Plus if booking Club World, or World Traveller if booking World Traveller Plus)
- book two x one-way flights for two people, on the same terms as above
How much is the voucher worth?
A return Club World business class flight to San Francisco on a peak day requires 150,000 Avios. A return World Traveller Plus ticket is 100,000 Avios. The upgrade voucher saves you 50,000 Avios.
Based on a conservative valuation of 0.8p per Avios:
- the upgrade voucher is ‘worth’ £400 (50,000 Avios saving x 0.8p), and
- you also earn 15,000 base Avios for spending £10,000 to trigger the voucher (worth £120 @ 0.8p)
The net benefit for spending £10,000, given the £240 annual fee = £280 (£400 + £120 – £240) or 2.8% of spend.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 25,000 Avios when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
- Earn 1.5 Avios per £1 spent
Other information:
- Receive an Avios upgrade voucher when you spend £10,000 in a card year
- Upgrade a return BA flight for one person or two one-way flights for a couple
- Annual fee: £240, charged at £20 per month
Representative 80.1% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £20 monthly fee. Interest rate on purchases 29.9% APR variable.
You will receive 25,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard credit card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.
To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous six months, have held any other Barclaycard credit card.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s Barclaycard account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous six months, you have had a British Airways American Express credit card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the upgrade voucher and the other card benefits.
When you spend £10,000 on the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard, you receive a voucher entitling you to:
- book a return Avios flight for one person, paying the Avios of the next lowest cabin (ie book Club World but only pay the World Traveller Plus Avios requirement)
- book a one-way Avios flight, or one leg of a return flight, for two people, paying the Avios of the next lowest cabin
The voucher is valid for two years. Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets, based on the cabin you fly.
The voucher cannot be used to fly in First Class.
The voucher can be used for anyone, as long as the booking is made from the Avios account of the cardholder.
You receive your voucher within five days of reaching the spending target.
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Spend £20,000 on this card and you receive an Avios upgrade voucher.
This allows you to either:
- book a return Avios flight for one person, paying the Avios required for the next cheapest cabin (so World Traveller Plus if booking Club World, or World Traveller if booking World Traveller Plus)
- book two x one-way flights for two people, on the same terms as above
How much is the voucher worth?
A return Club World business class flight to San Francisco on a peak day requires 150,000 Avios. A return World Traveller Plus ticket is 100,000 Avios. The upgrade voucher saves you 50,000 Avios.
Based on a conservative valuation of 0.8p per Avios:
- the upgrade voucher is ‘worth’ £400 (50,000 Avios saving x 0.8p), and
- you also earn 20,000 base Avios for spending £20,000 to trigger the voucher (worth £160 @ 0.8p)
The net benefit for spending £20,000 = £560 (£400 + £160) or 2.8% of spend.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 5,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 within 90 days
- Earn 1 Avios per £1 spent
Other information:
- Receive an Avios upgrade voucher when you spend £20,000 in a card year
- Upgrade a return BA flight for one person or two one-way flights for a couple
- Annual fee: Free
Representative 29.9% APR variable
You will receive 5,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard credit card if you spend £1,000 within 90 days of signing up.
To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous six months, have held any other Barclaycard credit card.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s Barclaycard account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous six months, you have had a British Airways American Express credit card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the Barclaycard Avios Mastercard even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the upgrade voucher and the other card benefits.
When you spend £20,000 on the Barclaycard Avios Mastercard, you receive a voucher entitling you to:
- book a return Avios flight for one person, paying the Avios of the next lowest cabin (ie book Club World but only pay the World Traveller Plus Avios requirement)
- book a one-way Avios flight, or one leg of a return flight, for two people, paying the Avios of the next lowest cabin
The voucher is valid for two years. Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets, based on the cabin you fly.
The voucher can be used for anyone, as long as the booking is made from the Avios account of the cardholder.
The voucher cannot be used to fly in First Class.
You receive your voucher within five days of reaching the spending target.
Bringing up the rear – British Airways American Express card
This card used to be our runner-up. The September 2021 changes, however, stripped it of its value.
The standard, free, British Airways Amex gives you a 2-4-1 voucher when you spend £12,000, and a lower 1 mile per £1 on your spending.
The snag is that the companion voucher is only valid in Economy. There is, in most cases, zero value in redeeming Avios for long-haul Economy flights. The taxes and charges destroy the value.
I am assuming that the very best use of the 2-4-1 voucher will be for an Economy flight in Europe using Reward Flight Saver. The maximum possible saving here is 21,500 Avios based on a long European flight to, say, Athens on a peak date.
Based on my very conservative 0.8p per Avios point valuation, which is what they are worth if converted to Nectar points:
- the 2-4-1 voucher is ‘worth’ a maximum of £172 (21,500 Avios saving x 0.8p), and
- you also earn 12,000 base Avios for spending £12,000 to trigger the voucher (worth £96 @ 0.8p)
The net benefit for spending £12,000 = £268 (£172 + £96) or 2.2% of spend.
Any serious Avios collector should switch to the British Airways Premium Plus Amex so you can redeem in Premium Economy, Business or First. This is where the real value sits.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 5,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 within 90 days
- Earn 1 Avios per £1 spent
Other information:
- Receive a companion voucher, letting you book two flights for the Avios of one, when you spend £12,000 in a card year
- The companion voucher is only valid on Economy flights
- It can be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus
- Annual fee: Free
Representative 31.0% APR variable
You will receive 5,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the free British Airways American Express card if you spend £1,000 within 90 days of signing up.
To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s British Airways American Express account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the British Airways American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the companion voucher and the other card benefits.
When you spend £12,000 on the British Airways American Express card, you receive a companion voucher entitling you to book two Avios redemption flights for the miles of one. This voucher is valid for one year. (Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets.)
The voucher on the free British Airways American Express card can only be used on Economy flights.
The voucher can be used for Avios bookings on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus.
You receive your voucher within a few days of reaching the spending target. You need to fly the outbound leg of your 2-4-1 flight before the expiry date of the voucher.
If you want more flexibility, the voucher issued with the British Airways Premium Plus American Express card is valid for two years, only requires £10,000 of annual card spend and is valid in ALL cabins including Business and First. The Premium Plus card also has a higher earning rate of 1.5 Avios per £1 on general spend and 3 Avios per £1 on spend with British Airways and BA Holidays.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
Why are we only focused on airline cards?
In the past, this analysis has also included hotel credit cards.
With the closure of the IHG Rewards Premium Mastercard, however, there are no hotel credit cards which give a meaningful return for long-term spending.
We do not include the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card, because a Category 1-4 free night (worth £100) for spending £25,000 is frankly negligible.
We also exclude the 10,000 bonus points you receive for spending £15,000 per year on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold, because the value does not even cover the £140 annual fee.
I am happy to hear arguments for and against my views here. Many of these rewards are subjectively valued, dependant on your travel patterns.
Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2023 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
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.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive 30,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 30,000 Avios) with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold. You receive 25,000 points if you spend £3,000 in three months and a further 5,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive a huge 100,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 100,000 Avios) with The Platinum Card. You receive 75,000 points if you spend £10,000 in six months and a further 25,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points (TO 9th JANUARY), FREE for a year & four airport ….. Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
Crazy 100,000 points (TO 9th JANUARY) and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
15,000 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:
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
American Express Business Platinum
40,000 points bonus 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
Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa
Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers 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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