British Airways Visa Signature® Card | Review

Tweet

Do you fly British Airways?  (They have over 300 destinations BTW.)

If you do then you should take a look at the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.

The British Airways Visa Signature® Card is what many consider an airline miles credit card.  It’s a card that is issued on behalf of the airline where you can typically earn that airline’s miles faster when you buy flights with the card and you can earn additional miles on general purchases.  These miles can then be redeemed for free flights with the airline.

You can also see lots of other great perks in an airline miles card that help make owning the airline’s credit card well worth it.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the British Airways Visa Signature® Card’s benefits:

 

• You will get 50,000 bonus Avios after your first purchase
• 25,000 bonus Avios after you make $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening
• Plus an additional 25,000 bonus Avios after you make an additional $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening
• That’s enough Avios for one roundtrip business class reward ticket
• New: Smart Chip Technology allows you to use your card for chip based purchases in Europe & beyond, while still giving you the ability to use your card as you do today at home
• Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad
• Earn 2.5 Avios for every $1 spent on British Airways purchases
• Earn 1.25 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
• Every year you spend $30,000 on your British Airways Visa card, you’ll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.

Let’s break down the benefits of the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.

Avios Points

First, understand what an Avios Point is.  This is British Airways’ branding for their rewards points.  Some carriers call them miles while others call them rewards.  Some carriers like British Airways have their own name.

These are what you are earning when you use your card and what can be redeemed for flights and such (more on redeeming points later on).

Bonus Miles

You have the opportunity to earn up to 100,ooo bonus Avios Points.

You get 50,000 Avios after you make your first purchase with your new card.  Then you can earn an additional 25,000 Avios if you make $10,00 in purchases on your card within the first year of having your card.  Get another 25,000 Avios if you spend an additional $10,000 in your first year.

That can earn you a roundtrip business class reward ticket.  (Additional taxes and surcharges may apply. )

Earning Additional Miles

You will earn 2.5 Avios for every $1 you spend on British Airways purchases.  All other purchases net you 1.25 Avios for every dollar spent.

Smart Chip Technology

The smart chip embedded in the card allows you to make chip-based purchases in Europe and beyond.  In other countries chip-based purchases are more widely used.

Of course you have the full ability to use your card at home as well.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

When you travel overseas, your won’t have to pay any foreign transaction fees for using your British Airways Visa Signature® Card.  This can be a nice savings if you use your credit card for most of your overseas purchases (a nice alternative to carrying cash and exchanging currency).  The card is accepted at millions of locations world-wide.

Foreign transaction fees are fees that card issuers tack onto your purchases for using your card overseas.  Most cards average between 2-3% in fees.  You can see that having a card without foreign transaction fees can save you some money, especially if you use your card a lot oversees.

Travel Together Ticket

Here’s a cool benefit – If you spend $30,000 on your card in one calendar year you will receive a Travel Together Ticket where a companion can travel with you anywhere with you for a round-trip flight in the same seating class as your ticket.  This can be used when you redeem your rewards for a flight.  This is a voucher that is good for two years (you can only use one voucher per year).

There are no restrictions on the type of ticket you can redeem your Travel Together Ticket for.

A Note About Free Flights

Flights that are redeemed, either with Avios or a Travel Together Ticket, will be subject to fuel surcharges, taxes, and fees.  Right now that’s about $650 per person for economy and $1,100 for business for a flight between NY and London.

The ticket price is still free so you are getting what could be a significant savings still.

Annual Fee

The annual fee for this card is $95.

In Summary

If you fly British Airways with any regularity, then consider this card.

You start off with a lot of miles for your first purchase with the opportunity to earn many more miles.  The card carries an annual fee of $95.  For most cards this would be a hefty price but considering the benefits, the fee can more than be covered.

Of course this card is only useful to you if you fly British Airways.  Also, if you aren’t disciplined with your debt you may find yourself paying more in credit card interest than you are getting in miles benefits.  Know your spending habits before you apply.

Visit the British Airways Visa Signature Card page to sign up and for more information.

*Always make sure you understand the terms of a credit card before you sign up.  Terms for this card may change after this publishing.

British Airways Visa Signature® Card | Review, 5.0 out of 5 based on 5 ratings

Tweet