Look out for convincing BA-branded investment scam emails – linked to data breach?

If you receive a fairly convincing (to the untrained eye) email from British Airways offering you the chance to invest in a special debt instrument paying 3.3% and focused on sustainable investments, ignore it. It is a scam.

The first people to contact me about this were caught up in the British Airways data breach of a couple of years ago, and I assumed that the scammers were using that email list.

I have since heard from someone who has a non-BAEC relative who received it, however, so this may be a red herring or there may be multiple stolen databases being used.

It is very important that you do NOT respond to this email in any way. Whilst the website it leads you to is professionally done, I also recommend not visiting it in case it attempts to install something on your computer.

There are enough clues that this is a scam IF you know what you are looking for. This is partly down to the wording used, partly due to official disclaimers which should be there and partly down to the way the emails were sent. However, it is 100 times more convincing than your usual scam email.

What the scammers got right was setting the return at 3.3% which is not high enough to shout ‘scam’ but high enough to encourage people to hand over their telephone number to find out more.

If you click through, which I don’t recommend, you are taken to a fairly convincing BA-branded website. (The top image above is taken from it.) The font is typical of British Airways and the site uses wording from the BA sustainability website, including official BA photos and a video.

Suffice it to say, if you receive one of these emails then you should bin it. You may also want to double-check that any less financially knowledgeable friends or relatives who may have been caught in the data breach (assuming that this is at least one of the sources of the email list used) are aware.

I promise you …. if you submit your telephone number via the online form on the website, you will be plagued by scam investment calls for the rest of your days.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (July 2025)

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

Get 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 Card

30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express Credit Card

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 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 Credit Card

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

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 on the FREE standard card and 1 Avios per £1 on the Pro card. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card

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.

The American Express Business Platinum Card

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

The American Express Business Gold Card

20,000 points sign-up bonus 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.