In the US, targeted credit card offers are much more common, with people often receiving offers of a much higher welcome bonus than the publicly available offer. Like most comparisons between the UK and US credit card market, this can be explained by the highly competitive nature of the US credit card market, with fierce competition between card companies to put their logo in your wallet.
In recent days however, BA have been sending out offers to customers who don’t already hold either of the BA Amex cards, with unique boosted offers if they apply before 31st July 2017.
As a reminder there are two types of BA Amex Cards:
- The free British Airways Credit Card – you can read my full review here
- The British Airways Premium Plus Card – you can read my full review here
My wife received the following email from them on Monday:
An exclusive Avios bonus, just for you.
Dear Mrs …..,
It’s now easier than ever to boost your Avios balance with a British Airways American Express® Card. Not only will you collect Avios on your everyday spending, but as a Member of the British Airways Executive Club we’re offering you an exclusive bonus of up to 30,000 Avios when you apply before 31 July 20171.
So apply via the link in this email today and your next adventure could be closer than you think.
British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card
• 1.5 Avios for virtually every £1 spent
• 3 Avios for every £1 spent with British Airways
• Exclusive 30,000 bonus Avios Welcome Offer when you spend £3,000 in the first three months (valid until 31 July 2017)
• 2-for-1 travel with a Companion Voucher when you spend £10,000 in a year
• Complimentary Supplementary Cards
Representative Example: Representative 76.0% APR variable. Based on annual fee of £195 and assumed credit limit of £1,200. Interest rate for purchases: 22.9% p.a. variable
British Airways American Express® Credit Card
• No Annual Fee
• 1 Avios for virtually every £1 spent
• Exclusive 10,000 bonus Avios Welcome Offer (available until 31 July 2017) when you spend £1,000 in the first three months
• 2-for-1 travel with a Companion Voucher when you spend £20,000 in a year
Representative 22.9% APR variable
In summary, they are offering a 30,000 Avios welcome bonus on the British Airways Premium Plus Card (BAPP) and a 10,000 Avios welcome bonus on the free British Airways Credit Card (BACC).
The standard public bonus offer at present (which is also a promotional rate) is 25,000 Avios on the BAPP card and 5,000 Avios on the BACC.
This offer is obviously an improvement purely in terms of the welcome bonus but is it the best option for you?
That depends on your current situation and which card you are applying for.
This is because in order to be receive this special bonus, you need to apply directly through the link in the email you received. That precludes using any other link, including being referred by a friend/family member who is an existing cardholder.
If you want to apply for the free BACC
There is no difference how you apply – the bonus will be the same!
This is because if you were referred by an existing cardholder such as your partner, you would receive a 6,000 Avios welcome bonus and they would receive 4,000 Avios for successfully referring you, for a total of 10,000 Avios.
If you were to apply via the email link however, assuming you received it, you would receive a 10,000 Avios welcome bonus.
If you want to apply for the BAPP card
You are better off letting your partner/family member refer you and then applying through that link.
This is because if you were referred by an existing cardholder such as your partner you would receive a 26,000 Avios welcome bonus and they would receive 9,000 Avios for successfully referring you. A total of 35,000 Avios.
If you were to apply via the email link however, assuming you received it, you would only receive a 30,000 Avios welcome bonus.
What if I didn’t receive an email offer and don’t know an existing cardholder to refer me?
If you decide you want to apply for either of these cards, you can still receive a 25,000 Avios bonus on the BAPP and a 5,000 Avios bonus on the BACC by using the below links to apply.
The application page for the BACC can be found here.
The application page for the BAPP card can be found here.
New money-saving offers appearing from Amex Offers
I have written before about a feature of all American Express cards called Amex Offers. These allow you to save offers to your card(s) that will give you money back on your statement when you shop at selected retailers.
As I explained at the time, one of the best parts about this deal is that it allows you to double up and find the best cashback/discount code via the Xexec discount portals for example, and receive both the cashback/discount and the money back on your statement – with huge savings possible.
A raft of new offers have appeared in the last few days on my various cards that I thought were worth highlighting:
- Airbnb – Get 2% back every time. Expires 25/08/2017
- Eurostar – Spend £60 or more, get £20 back. Expires 07/08/2017
- Heathrow Express – Spend £50, get £10 back. Expires 23/07/2017
- Guoman Hotels – Spend £195, get £50 back. Expires 29/09/2017
- Thistle Hotels – Spend £100, get £35 back. Expires 29/09/2017
- Red Carnation Hotels – Spend £250, get £50 back. Expires 13/09/2017
- Onefinestay – Get 10% back. Expires 30/09/2017