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British Airways Visa Signature Card — Full Review [2024]

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Alex Miller
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Alex Miller

Founder & CEO

284 Published Articles

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Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business...
Edited by: Juan Ruiz
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Juan Ruiz

Compliance Editor & Content Contributor

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Juan has been involved in credit cards, loyalty, travel, and personal finance for more than 10 years. He has worked for several outlets including The Points Guy and Forbes and was previously Editor-in...
& Kellie Jez
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Kellie Jez

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Kellie’s professional experience has led her to a deep passion for compliance, data reporting, and process improvement. Kellie’s learned the ins and outs of the points and miles world and leads UP’s c...

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British Airways Visa Signature® Card

British Airways Visa Signature® Card

U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
4.25
  • 75,000 Avios

  • $95

  • Good to Excellent (670-850)

British Airways Visa Signature® Card

This card is great for British Airways frequent flyers, and traveling couples will find great value in the Travel Together Ticket.

U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
4.25
Learn More(at Chase's secure site)

The British Airways Visa Signature® Card is a stellar option for travelers who regularly travel with the airline. From all of the Avios the card helps you earn, to a 10% discount off cash tickets, and the award flight statement credits, you can get tons of value out of the card each year.

Card Snapshot

Welcome Bonus & Info

  • Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
  • Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL.
  • Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel. Plus earn 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
  • Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you’ll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.
  • Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
  • Simply tap to pay with your contactless British Airways Visa Signature Card. Just look for the contactless symbol at checkout. It's fast, easy and secure!
  • Member FDIC

Customer Service Number

1-800-432-3117

Pros

  • 3x Avios per $1 on British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL purchases
  • 2x Avios per $1 on hotel accommodations purchased directly through hotels
  • 1x Avios per $1 on all other purchases
  • 10% off British Airways flights starting in the U.S. (when booking through the designated website)
  • Travel Together Ticket after $30,000 in card spend in a calendar year
  • Up to $600 in award flight statement credits each year
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Baggage delay insurance
  • Lost luggage insurance
  • Purchase protection
  • Extended warranty protection

Cons

  • $95 annual fee
  • Does not earn transferable rewards

Great Card If

  • You frequently travel British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL internationally for work or pleasure
  • You want to save 10% on flights from the U.S. to London when using the card
  • You frequently use Oneworld airlines and wish to transfer/use Avios on flights

Don’t Get If

  • You don’t typically travel internationally
  • You won’t be a big spender throughout the year
  • You typically like to travel alone

British Airways Visa Card — Top Benefits

British Airways Visa Card Earns Avios

All your trips to and from London and around the world will be put to use when you can swipe this high-earning card.

Like many partnered cards, when you make purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you get Avios deposited directly into your British Airways Executive Club account.

What are British Airways Avios anyway, you may ask? Simply put, this is the currency for British Airways’ air miles (points).

Avios work the same and are valued just like any other credit card points. Because BA is a Oneworld partner airline, you can use British Airways Avios on all the other Oneworld partners, such as American Airlines and Qantas.

Great for Travelers and Their Partners

To make the British Airways Visa card work for you, you need to put all of your travel spending through BA, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL on your card.

Just a couple of tickets will earn you thousands of Avios. If you are a business owner using this as your business card, you shouldn’t find it hard to rack up Avios quickly.

If you have a significant other or travel partner, you’ll find the Travel Together Ticket very appealing. To get this benefit, you must spend at least $30,000 on the card per year.

The Travel Together Ticket works as an additional voucher when you redeem an award flight. Simply use the voucher alongside your award flight to earn a complimentary ticket for a companion.

Ideally, you would hit the $30,000 minimum spend every other year in order to get your companion pass, which can be redeemed to travel along in any class for just the taxes and fees on the flight. Unfortunately, those taxes and fees can be $1,500 to $2,000.

After you earn your Travel Together Ticket, it will be usable for up to 2 years. There are a few additional caveats, but they can be tolerated for a voucher worth between $10k to $20k in value (if you’re flying first class)!

First, you have to travel on British Airways and not a partner airline. Second, the flight has to originate and return to the U.S. Third, you have to travel together on the outbound and inbound flights, and those tickets must be booked at the same time.

Bottom Line: The Travel Together Ticket is very valuable but has a few caveats. Be sure to plan upfront to meet the $30,000 spend on the British Airways Visa card and choose how to use your voucher.

Other Benefits: Stopovers, International Travel, and More

British Airways is a great airline for international flights and multi-stop destinations because it allows unlimited stopovers “within reason,” unlike most other airlines.

A typical layover is only 4 hours domestically and 24 hours internationally; a stopover is an open-ended amount of time beyond that. You simply select this option when booking your flight and you can choose an additional city to visit.

As an added bonus, this card doesn’t carry any foreign transaction fees if you need to use it while overseas.

Of course, there are much more efficient cards to use overseas than just the British Airways Visa card, since you would only earn 1x Avios on anything besides the actual flight.

But if you’re going for the companion ticket via minimum spend, then by all means spend away!

British Airways credit cardholders also have the chance to get 10% off British Airways flights from the U.S. to London when booking through a specific portal and using a code. It is worth the hassle to save over $100 (which covers the annual fee).

With the flexibility in using British Airways Avios with Oneworld partners and transferring from credit card portals (Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy), you should find plenty of value in the card.

Bottom Line: Utilize the 10% discount, stopovers, and Oneworld alliance to really get value from using the British Airways Visa card and flying with British Airways.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem British Airways Avios

Your spending on the British Airways Visa card all go toward 1 thing: getting Avios to use or transfer. Whatever end goal you choose, the earning strategies are the same.

Redeeming a ticket on British Airways is where the game begins for this card. If you are going to use the Avios on a British Airways flight, know that you will be paying high fuel surcharges: $650 to $1,250 for economy and $1,250 for business class.

Because British Airways business/first class is about the same price, you may as well book that and take advantage of the excellent service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the British Airways Visa card worth it?

The British Airways Visa card is a great card with good benefits, but it caters to higher spending individuals. Its biggest benefit, the Travel Together Ticket, is earned after spending $30,000 on purchases in a year.

Overall, the card doesn’t earn that many points (Avios) compared to its competitors, but it offers a good sign-up bonus and high earnings for all BA flights purchased. You can utilize those Avios on all Oneworld partners.

Can I earn British Airways Avios with other cards?

Yes, Amex Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and Marriott Bonvoy points can all be transferred to British Airways.

What is the British Airways Executive Club?

British Airways Executive Club is the airline’s frequent flyer program. In this program, points aren’t called “miles” as in most other airlines, but instead are called “Avios.” The currency works the same as in any other loyalty program.

What is British Airways business class called? What are other terms that British Airways uses that are different?

The business class of British Airways is called “Club.”

There are 4 total classes of service on a British Airways international flight: economy, premium economy, business, and first. On BA, they are called “Traveller,” “Traveller Plus,” “Club,” and “First” respectively.

In those classes, they have additional names to delineate whether you are flying within or outside of Europe.

Economy class within Europe is called “Euro Traveller,” but internationally it’s called “World Traveller.” International premium economy is called “World Traveller Plus.”

Business within Europe is called “Club Europe,” and internationally it’s called “Club World” or “Club Suite.” A specific class between London and New York City is called “Club World London City.” First class is always designated as such.

In addition, British Airways refers to it’s award currency as “Avios” rather than “miles” or “points.”

Does the British Airways Visa card have an annual fee?

Yes. The card costs $95 each year.

What are the British Airways Visa card benefits?

The main benefits of card include 1x to 5x Avios for each dollar spent, a Travel Together Ticket after spending $30,000 in a year, and 10% off British Airways flights from the U.S. to London.

The card also comes with additional insurances such as extended warranty, purchase protection, baggage delay insurance, and lost luggage insurance.

When do points expire in British Airways Executive Club?

As long as you utilize the BA services every 36 months, your Avios will not expire. This includes earning Avios, spending money with BA, and spending Avios.

Even sharing Avios with a BA Executive Club member will keep your Avios active.

What is the foreign transaction fee for the British Airways Visa card?

The card does not have foreign transaction fees.

Why are British Airways fees so high?

British Airways has a webpage about its fees.

There are a few ways you can attempt to escape the fees (or to attempt to lower them). You can either find a different flight, use one of its airline partners (if using Avios to book an award), or use the BA “stopover” feature, which allows you to connect to a final destination in a city in the U.K.

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About Alex Miller

Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business, The New York Times, and more.

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