British Airways Credit Card Review
Key Takeaways
If you’re looking for a co-branded airline card, the British Airways Visa Signature card provides more flexibility than most because it earns Avios. Avios can be transferred to six other airline programs, and British Airways is part of the oneworld Alliance, creating a wide range of partner redemption options. The 75,000-point signup bonus gives you a solid base to get started, and British Airways is a transfer partner of every major transferable currency except Citi.
Why This Card Could Be Right For You
If you’re looking to start earning British Airways Avios, the British Airways Visa Signature card can be a solid option. It comes with a 75,000-point signup bonus and several perks designed to help offset the high taxes and fees often associated with British Airways award flights.
Here’s what the card offers:
- Strong signup bonus: Earn 75,000 points after spending $5,000 in purchases, giving you a solid base of Avios to get started.
- Annual fee: The $95 annual fee is easy to justify in the first year because of the welcome offer. Beyond that, you’ll want to take advantage of the card’s credits and perks to offset the cost.
- Statement credits: Receive up to $600 per year in statement credits toward taxes, fees, and surcharges on British Airways award flights when paying with your card. While helpful, these credits often will not fully offset the high surcharges British Airways imposes on many of its own flights.
- Cardmembers also recieve a DashPash membership, quarterly DoorDash credits, 3 months of Instacart+, and monthly Instacart credits.
The card also offers the opportunity to earn a Travel Together Ticket after spending $30,000 in a calendar year. This benefit can be used for a companion traveling on the same award flight or for a 50% discount on Avios for a solo booking. While potentially valuable, we generally prefer using that level of spending toward earning additional signup bonuses on new cards instead.
When The Usual Advice Doesn't Apply
This card may not be ideal for you if:
- You primarily want to fly from the U.S. to Europe and find the taxes, fees, and surcharges too expensive directly on British Airways, even with the credit.
- You don’t want to search various airline partners for lower fees and prefer a simpler option.
What to Know About British Airways Avios
The greatest value when using Avios for rewards travel is the ability to transfer them to one of their many partners
- American Airlines is only a transfer partner of Citi, but you can use Avios to book an AA flight, even a domestic one in the US through a partner that uses Avios
- By tapping into their extensive transfer partner network, you can avoid BA’s hefty surcharges, which is the program’s biggest pain point
- Using Avios for short haul flights, anywhere in the world BA or a partner flies, offers tremendous value with its distance based award chart
- The British Airways Club partners with Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, and Wells Fargo, adding to the value of the program
How The British Airways Credit Card Fits In The British Airways Avios Ecosystem
This is the only co-branded British Airways card, but Avios are easy to top off because British Airways partners with nearly every major transferable points currency: Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One miles, Bilt Rewards, and Wells Fargo Rewards.
- Other Avios cards: The Iberia Visa Signature and Aer Lingus Visa Signature cards also earn Avios and feature similar signup bonuses, annual fees, and overall card structures.
- Avios flexibility: Avios can be transferred between British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, Finnair, and Loganair, giving you additional redemption flexibility across multiple airlines and alliances.
- Even though Citi is the only transferable points system that doesn't transfer directly to British, they do transfer directly to Qatar, which you can then transfer to British
Card Information
Differentiating Perks
Rules
Card Extras
No extras to display for this card.
Historical Card Offers
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Estimated Next Offer
British Airways Application Rules
If you've received a bonus from this card within the last 24 month, you are not eligible for another bonus.
Chase applications will be declined if 5 new cards have been added to your personal credit report in the past 24 months.
You'll be declined if you apply for a third Chase card of any kind within 30 days
Chase will decline your application you apply for a 5th Chase card (personal or BUSINESS) in 6 months
Best for Series
Below is a snapshot of where this card performs best compared to the other cards in our database: