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EDITOR’S NOTE: The British Airways Visa Signature® card, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Aer Lingus, and Iberia cards, mentioned in this article are expired and are no longer available
British Airways Visa Signature® card snapshot
The British Airways Visa Signature® card issued by Chase offers Cardmembers British Airways frequent flyer miles, called Avios, for each eligible dollar spent with the card.
The offers on this card seem to change quite often, so be sure to check the Chase website for the most current information. The card currently offers eligible new Cardmembers an opportunity to earn 50,000 Bonus Avios after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, earn an additional 50,000 Bonus Avios after you spend $20,000 total on purchases within your first year of account opening. You earn 3 Avios for every $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia, 2 Avios for every $1 spent on hotel accommodations when booked directly with the hotel, and 1 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases made with your British Airways Visa Signature® card. Use your Bonus Avios towards rewards flights. Keep in mind that all reward flights are subject to taxes, fees, and carrier charges.
Plus, when you make $30,000 in purchases every calendar year on your British Airways Visa Signature® card, you earn a Travel Together Ticket which is good for two years. Redeem your Avios for one reward seat for yourself and use your Travel Together Ticket to bring a companion in the same cabin, even first class (taxes, fees and carrier charges apply).
The British Airways Visa Signature® card charges a $95 annual fee.
Terms and conditions apply.
British Airways Visa Signature® card highlights
| Annual fee: | $95 |
|---|---|
| Foreign transaction fee: | $0 |
| Rewards: | Qualifying new Cardmembers earn up to 100,000 Avios - you earn 50,000 Bonus Avios after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus earn an additional 50,000 Bonus Avios after spending $20,000 total on purchases within your first year of account opening with your British Airways Visa Signature® card. You earn 3 Avios for every $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia, 2 Avios for every $1 spent on hotel accommodations when booked directly with the hotel, and 1 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases. Terms apply. |
| Additional Information: | Terms apply |
British Airways Visa Signature® card basics
You will be enrolled automatically, if you are approved for the British Airways Visa Signature® card, to be a member of the British Airways Executive Club programme. Avios accumulated through the British Airways Visa Signature® card will be transferred to your Executive Club account as long as you maintain a U.S. Executive Club address.
The British Airways Visa Signature® card is ideal for travelers who pay for a lot of international travel on British Airways, because you earn 3 Avios per dollar spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia.
Even if you want to earn British Airways Avios, if you don’t actually spend money on British Airways you may be better off with a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card which earns points that can be redeemed through Chase Travel℠. As a side note, Chase Travel℠ points can be transferred to your British Airways Executive Club account.
You might also consider the British Airways Visa Signature® card if you plan to spend $30,000 on the card during the calendar year and take advantage of the card’s Travel Together Ticket benefit. The Travel Together Ticket, subject to availability, gives you a second seat for a companion on the same flight and in the same cabin when you book a reward flight on a British Airways mainline flight originating in and returning to the United States. The benefit can only be used for flights on British Airways mainline service, which have a BA prefixed flight number – travel on franchise, codeshare or alliance airlines is not permitted with this offer. You’ll owe the taxes, fees and carrier charges due on both award tickets, which can be substantial on British Airways. The Travel Together Ticket will be in the form of a voucher and the voucher is valid for a companion ticket in conjunction with Cardmember’s reward flight on British Airways taken within 2 years from the date of issue.
British Airways Visa Signature® card reward partners
British Airways is a member of the oneworld® global airline alliance, and Avios can be used to book award flights on any of their eligible oneworld® member airlines – partners like American Airlines in the United States, and on transatlantic carriers like Iberia. Membership in oneworld® global airline alliance can change at any time, so be sure to check which airlines are members before you book your flight. Terms apply.
British Airways Visa Signature® credit card pros
British Airways Visa Signature® credit card prosThe most compelling reason to sign up for the British Airways Visa Signature® card is its current offer for eligible new Cardmembers.
And, for U.S. customers living in a hub city for one of British Airways’ oneworld® partner airlines the Avios can pay for a lot of award travel. Redeem Avios on British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, and all of the other oneworld® carriers. Reminder the list of partner airlines can change at any time, so be sure to check before you book your flight. Terms apply.
British Airways Visa Signature® credit card cons
If you live in a U.S. city that’s not served by American Airlines or another partner airline, or that’s only served with connections through their hubs, you’ll get less value from British Airways Avios than you would from those airlines’ own traditional loyalty programs.
The $95 annual membership fee on the British Airways Visa Signature® card is also a mark against it.
Should you get this card?
Reasons to consider getting an British Airways Visa Signature® card.
First, if you fly with any British Airways Visa Signature® card airline partners – that can add to savings if you can transfer your points, miles, Avios – between the airline partners.
Second, if you’re able to spend $30,000 on the British Airways Visa Signature® card within a single calendar year, you’ll earn a Travel Together Ticket – good for two years (although you’ll still owe British Airways’ a carrier-imposed surcharges, as well as taxes, and fees).
And finally, if you spend on British Airways purchases, you might consider getting this card to charge those purchases to, since the card earns 3 Avios per dollar spent on purchases with British Airways.
If none of those conditions applies to you, you’re unlikely to get enough value from the card to justify paying a $95 annual fee.
Terms and conditions apply.
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