Great Card If
- You frequently travel with British Airways and its Avios partners, such as Aer Lingus and Iberia.
- You want to save 10% on flights from the U.S. to London when using the card.
- You want to earn the Travel Together Ticket.
Don’t Get If
- You rarely travel with British Airways.
- You don’t typically travel internationally.
British Airways Visa Card: Is It Worth It?
If you live in the U.S. but frequently travel with British Airways, then the British Airways Visa card can offer value.
Not only does the card help you earn more Avios on your flights and everyday purchases, it also offers several useful perks that can save you significant money. Namely, you can receive up to $600 in award flight statement credits annually, get 10% off British Airways flights originating in the U.S., and earn a Travel Together Ticket, depending on your annual spending.
British Airways Visa Card Top Benefits and Perks
Here are the top perks that cardholders can expect from the British Airways Visa card:
- 10% off British Airways flights: Get 10% off British Airways flights originating in the U.S. when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
- Up to $600 Reward Flight statement credits: Receive statement credits of $100 for economy and premium economy bookings or $200 for business and first class bookings. You can do this up to 3 times per year, for up to a total of $600, when you book a British Airways award ticket and pay the taxes and fees using your card.
- Travel Together Ticket: Earn a Travel Together Ticket every calendar year you spend $30,000 on your card. With it, you can redeem Avios for a flight on British Airways for yourself and bring a companion along with you for just the taxes and fees. Or you can use it for a 50% discount on the Avios price you pay when booking a solo award ticket. Each Travel Together Ticket is valid for 2 years from the date of issue.
- No foreign transaction fees: Use your card when you travel internationally to continue earning Avios without added fees.
- Baggage delay insurance: Get reimbursed for up to $100 a day for up to 3 days for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing when your baggage is delayed for more than 6 hours.
- Extended warranty protection: This extends the manufacturer’s U.S. warranty by an additional year for eligible warranties of 3 years or less for up to 4 years from the date of purchase.
- Lost luggage reimbursement: This provides reimbursement up to $3,000 per covered traveler for the cost to repair or replace checked or carry-on baggage that is lost, damaged, or stolen during a covered trip.
- Purchase protection: This covers your eligible new purchases for 120 days from the date of purchase against damage or theft for up to $500 per item.
Best Ways To Earn and Redeem British Airways Avios
A British Airways Avios card can help you earn more Avios on your flights and daily purchases with its bonus categories of 3x Avios on British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia flight purchases, 2x Avios on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel, and 1x Avios on all other purchases.
Once you are ready to redeem your Avios, you aren’t just limited to booking flights aboard British Airways to the U.K. You can also use your British Airways Avios to book award tickets on Oneworld partner airlines, such as American Airlines. And don’t forget you have the ability to transfer your Avios at a 1:1 rate between the other Avios partners like Aer Lingus, Finnair, Iberia, and Qatar Airways.
Alternative Cards to the British Airways Visa Card
If you’d prefer to earn transferable rewards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card might be a better for you.
It earns 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal, 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and some streaming services, 2x points on all other travel worldwide, and 1x points on all other purchases. Plus, you receive 10% annual bonus points based on total annual spending, and all of your rewards can be transferred to a variety of Chase transfer partners, including British Airways.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred comes with quite a few other great perks, including a $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit, complimentary access to DoorDash DashPass, great travel and purchase protections, and no foreign transaction fees.
The Capital One Venture card is another top-tier travel rewards credit card you should consider if you like earning transferable rewards.
It earns 5 miles per $1 on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, along with an uncapped 2 miles per $1 on all other purchases.
The card offers a $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, no foreign transaction fees, rental car insurance, purchase protection, and access to Capital One transfer partners, including British Airways.