Link: Apply now for the British Airways Visa Signature® Card
The British Airways Visa Signature® Card is one of Chase’s popular co-branded airline credit cards. British Airways Executive Club is a valuable frequent flyer program, so in this post, I wanted to take a closer look at this card.
Who should be applying for this card, and under what circumstances is it worth spending money on the card? This is a card that I’ve had for a few years, and it’s one that lots of other people would benefit from as well, in my opinion. Note that if you’re looking to earn Avios with a credit card issued in the United States, there are two other options — the Iberia Visa Signature® Card and Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card.
In this post:
British Airways Visa Card Basics For March 2024
There’s lots to love about the British Airways Visa Card. The card has a nice welcome bonus, it has a reasonable annual fee, it offers statement credits when you pay carrier-imposed surcharges, and it earns points that can be useful whether you’re looking to redeem for premium cabin international flights or domestic economy flights.
Let’s take a look at what you need to know about this card, and what the best alternatives are.
Welcome Bonus Of 75,000 Avios
The British Airways Visa currently offers a welcome bonus of 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
$95 Annual Fee
The British Airways Visa has a $95 annual fee. This is not waived for the first year, and there’s no additional fee to add authorized users.
Chase Card Eligibility
The welcome bonus on the British Airways Visa isn’t available to those who currently have the card, or those who have received a new cardmember bonus on the card in the past 24 months. You are eligible for this card if you’ve had the Iberia Visa Card and/or Aer Lingus Visa Card, despite the similarities between the cards.
All Chase cards are also subjected to the 5/24 rule, whereby you likely won’t be approved for a card if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months. Then it’s worth being aware of Chase’s other general policies on card approvals.
Earning Avios With The British Airways Visa Card
The British Airways Visa Card has no foreign transaction fees and offers contactless payment, but does the rewards structure warrant putting spending on the card? It might, but only thanks to additional bonuses offered by the card.
Earn Up To 3x Avios Per Dollar Spent
The British Airways Visa doesn’t have terribly exciting bonus categories. You earn:
- 3x Avios per dollar spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL
- 2x Avios per dollar spent on hotel accommodations
- 1x Avios per dollar spent on all other purchases
There are lots of great credit cards for airfare purchases and hotel purchases. This isn’t a card I would be putting much spending on unless you’re trying to earn a Travel Together Ticket, in which case it could definitely be worth it. More on that below.
British Airways Executive Club is a transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, and Chase Ultimate Rewards, so it could make sense to put spending on one of those cards if you want to earn Avios at an accelerated rate.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
British Airways’ credit card has no foreign transaction fees, so it’s potentially a great card to use for purchases abroad.
Contactless Payment
The British Airways Visa Card features contactless pay technology. This means you can pay using your card without even swiping it whenever you see the contactless pay symbol.
How To Redeem British Airways Avios
British Airways Avios are a unique points currency, given that the program has a distance-based award chart. This means that Avios are valuable for many types of award tickets where other programs wouldn’t be useful (and conversely, aren’t useful when many other programs might).
Here’s the award chart for travel on British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus:
Zone // Distance | Economy Off Peak // Peak | Premium Economy Off Peak // Peak | Business Off Peak // Peak | First Off Peak // Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Zone 1 1-650 miles* *Not available in North America | 4,000 // 4,500 | 5.750 // 6,750 | 7,750 // 9,000 | 15,500 // 18,000 |
Zone 2 651-1150 miles | 6,500 // 7,500 | 9,500 // 11,250 | 12,750 // 15,000 | 25,500 // 30,000 |
Zone 3 1151-2000 miles | 8,500 // 10,000 | 12,750 // 15,000 | 17,000 // 20,000 | 34,000 // 40,000 |
Zone 4 2001-3000 miles | 10,000 // 12,500 | 20,000 // 25,000 | 31,250 // 37,500 | 42,500 // 50,000 |
Zone 5 3001-4000 miles | 13,000 // 20,000 | 26,000 // 40,000 | 50,000 // 60,000 | 68,000 // 80,000 |
Zone 6 4001-5500 miles | 16,250 // 25,000 | 32,500 // 50,000 | 62,500 // 75,000 | 85,000 // 100,000 |
Zone 7 5501-6500 miles | 19,500 // 30,000 | 39,000 // 60,000 | 75,000 // 90,000 | 102,000 // 120,000 |
Zone 8 6501-7000 miles | 22,750 // 35,000 | 45,500 // 75,000 | 87,500 // 105,000 | 119,000 // 140,000 |
Zone 9 7001+ miles | 32,500 // 50,000 | 65,000 // 100,000 | 125,000 // 150,000 | 170,000 // 200,000 |
Then here’s British Airways’ award chart for travel on partner airlines, excluding Aer Lingus and Iberia:
Zone // Flight Distance | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Zone 1 1-650 miles* *Not available in North America | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,500 | 24,000 |
Zone 2 651-1150 miles | 9,000 | 12,500 | 16,500 | 33,000 |
Zone 3 1151-2000 miles | 11,000 | 16,500 | 22,000 | 44,000 |
Zone 4 2001-3000 miles | 13,000 | 25,750 | 38,750 | 51,500 |
Zone 5 3001-4000 miles | 20,2750 | 41,250 | 62,000 | 82,500 |
Zone 6 4001-5500 miles | 25,750 | 51,500 | 77,250 | 103,000 |
Zone 7 5501-6500 miles | 31,000 | 62,000 | 92,750 | 123,750 |
Zone 8 6501-7000 miles | 36,250 | 72,250 | 108,250 | 144,250 |
Zone 9 7001+ miles | 51,500 | 103,000 | 154,500 | 206,000 |
The basic things to be aware of include the following:
- For the British Airways award chart, peak and off-peak pricing varies based on the day you’re flying
- Pricing is per segment, so no matter what type of award you book, you’ll pay individually for each segment
- Travel on British Airways and many partner airlines is subjected to carrier-imposed surcharges, which is the frustration that many people have with the program
There are so many great ways to redeem Avios, especially for flying shorter distances, where other programs have disproportionately high award costs.
This includes short haul business class within Asia on Cathay Pacific (not that this is terribly useful at the moment), domestic travel within the lower 48 US on Alaska and American, travel between the US mainland and Hawaii on Alaska, short-haul travel within Europe on British Airways, travel within Australia on Qantas, and much more.
I find Avios to be invaluable as part of my overall miles & points strategy, as they’re useful in areas where other currencies aren’t.
The Value Of Household Accounts
Often one of the big challenges people have with points is figuring out how to pool them since you typically need enough points in a single account for a redemption. A cool feature of the British Airways Executive Club program is that you can form household accounts. This allows you to pool the Avios you earn with up to six other people registered at the same address as you.
This is especially awesome in the context of a credit card welcome bonus, since you can pool a ton of Avios in a single account if you have two people get for the card in a household, etc.
British Airways Visa Card Benefits
There are some benefits to the British Airways Visa Card that could alone justify having this card. For some people, it will be worth spending money on the card to unlock some perks, while for others just having the card and not spending money on it offers sufficient benefits. Let’s look at what those benefits are, and how they work.
10% Discount On British Airways Flights
One of the best benefits of the British Airways Signature Visa is that it offers a 10% discount on British Airways flights starting in the United States. To take advantage of this, just book through ba.com/chase10, and use your card to pay while using promotion code CHASEBA10.
If you fly British Airways with any frequency, this could cover the annual fee over and over. See this post for everything you need to know about the British Airways Visa flight discount.
Reward Flight Statement Credit
One frustration many people have with British Airways Executive Club is the high carrier-imposed surcharges that apply to many award tickets. Having the British Airways Visa can take some of the pain out of that.
If you have this card and redeem Avios for a reward flight, you can receive up to $600 in statement credits annually. You can earn up to three statement credits, as follows:
- Earn a $100 statement credit for an economy or premium economy booking
- Earn a $200 statement credit for a business class or first class booking
There are some basic terms to be aware of:
- You have to pay for the taxes, fees, and carrier-imposed surcharges with the British Airways Visa in order to get the statement credits
- The booking must be for a transatlantic itinerary originating in the United States with the transatlantic portion of the ticket on British Airways (though it’s fine if a connecting flight is on a partner airline)
- One-way or roundtrip travel seems to be eligible
- The reservation must be made out of the primary cardmember’s Executive Club account, though it’s fine if someone else is traveling
- The statement credit will post within 45 days of the eligible reservation being made, and will be reversed if the ticket is canceled
British Airways Travel Together Ticket
One of the potentially great perks of the British Airways Visa is that you can earn a Travel Together Ticket when you spend $30,000 on the card in a calendar year.
This companion ticket will be deposited in your Executive Club account four to six weeks after you’ve completed the required spending.
With this certificate, you can book a British Airways award ticket at the full cost of Avios and carrier-imposed surcharges, and then for the second person, you just have to pay the surcharges.
While British Airways has hefty surcharges for travel on its own flights, this can still represent a great deal for first & business class travel, given how much those tickets would otherwise cost.
This isn’t for everyone, though it has the potential to represent a good value, and I know it’s a feature that many value.
See this post for everything you need to know about the British Airways Visa companion voucher.
Is The British Airways Visa Card Worth It?
The British Airways Visa Card has an excellent welcome bonus, and that could be a legitimate motivator for picking up this card. However, personally this isn’t a card I would use for everyday spending, since you can earn British Airways Avios at a better rate with other American Express or Chase cards.
That said, I absolutely think this card is worth holding onto if you fly British Airways with any frequency:
- The value of saving 10% on British Airways flights will add up quickly
- The up to $600 in credits for carrier-imposed surcharges can cover the annual fee on this card over and over, if you redeem Avios for travel on British Airways that originates in the United States with any frequency
- If you redeem Avios on British Airways, the Travel Together Ticket could be well worth it
What About The Aer Lingus Card & Iberia Card?
There are three Avios currencies, all belonging to International Airlines Group (IAG) airlines — there’s British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia. There are also two other US-based credit cards that directly earn Avios. Specifically, we’re talking about the Iberia Visa Card (review) and Aer Lingus Visa Card (review).
Which of these cards should you select? They have a lot in common:
- They have the same annual fees
- They all offer the same welcome bonuses
- They all have the same bonus categories
- If you meet certain conditions, you can transfer Avios between all programs at a 1:1 ratio
The differences mainly come in the form of the perks associated with just holding onto the cards, and also the perks associated with spending $30,000 on the cards in a calendar year:
- The British Airways Card offers 10% off British Airways flights and up to $600 in reward flight statement credits; you can get an award companion ticket for any class if you spend $30,000
- The Aer Lingus Card offers priority boarding for Aer Lingus flights; you can get an economy companion voucher on a paid ticket if you spend $30,000
- The Iberia Card offers 10% off Iberia flights; you can get a $1,000 companion flight discount voucher if you spend $30,000
The best card to select comes down to which benefits you value most. Also, remember that you’re eligible for all three of these cards, should you be interested, so you don’t necessarily have to choose between them.
See here for a full comparison of cards earning Avios.
Best Alternatives For Earning Avios
If you want to earn British Airways Avios, I’d recommend getting a card that earns either Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, or Chase Ultimate Rewards points:
- These points currencies can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to British Airways Executive Club
- Some of these cards offer bonus categories that can earn you points at an accelerated rate
- Sometimes we even see transfer bonuses to British Airways, though we haven’t seen as many of those in recent months
With that in mind, which cards should you consider? Here are some of my favorites:
- The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) offers 3x points on dining and travel
- The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) offers 3x points on dining, online groceries, and select streaming services, and 2x points on travel
- The Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review) offers 1.5x points per dollar spent on everyday purchases
- The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) offers 3x points on the first $150,000 spent per cardmember year on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
- The American Express® Green Card (review) offers 3x points on dining, travel, and transit
- The American Express® Gold Card (review) offers 4x points at restaurants, 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 of spending per calendar year), and 3x points on airfare
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (review) offers 2x points on the first $50,000 spent per calendar year (and then 1x points)
The information and associated card details on this page for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom Line
The British Airways Visa is one of the best co-branded airline credit cards out there, in my opinion. The card offers a solid welcome bonus, and it can be worth spending money on the card to earn a companion ticket.
Beyond that, the card can be worth having for the discounts offered on both paid tickets (up to 10% off) or award tickets (up to $200 in statement credits), which can cover the annual fee over and over.
However, when it comes to earning British Airways Avios long term, personally I’d much rather earn Amex, Capital One, and Chase points, and transfer them to British Airways. Not only does this allow you to earn points at a much faster rate, but it also gives you a lot more flexibility.
If you want to learn more about the British Airways Visa Signature Card or apply, follow this link.
I wonder if the 10% off Iberia flights with the Iberia card works on Level flights booked via Iberia.com?
I used to use companion vouchers to get 2F tix even with the crazy fuel surcharge. But with pandemic and VAT is no longer refundable in UK, it’s not worth it anymore. These days I prefer to fly emirates to mxp or Singapore to Frankfurt. Avios is only good for getting JAL F or Qantas F now that australia is opening up (and if I can actually find 2F tix).
Good card - when I lived in Tampa where BA fly from.
Since I moved to CLT - pretty much worthless. The 10% discount and companion vouchers are unusable since flights have to be on BA metal only.
I got good value when there was a 30% transfer bonus from Chase sapphire. I was able to then book 4 people London to Athens in business for 73k Avios and $200.
It’s only worth it for the discounts, if it offsets then taxes and fees the UK slaps in the tickets. it’s almost impossible to find flights on avios. For that reason it may be a great card but there are way better cards out there.
Try using those Avios…..
I have had two companion certificates expire. Some programs are better I believe based on your home airport, never much availability to LHR from ORD in my experience. I've had better luck with Aer Lingus to Dublin and Iberia to madrid (although just sent months trying to cancel 2 business class tickets as they didn't answer their 1-800 # for weeks, finally got though at midnight CST)
An awesome article would be best option to...
I have had two companion certificates expire. Some programs are better I believe based on your home airport, never much availability to LHR from ORD in my experience. I've had better luck with Aer Lingus to Dublin and Iberia to madrid (although just sent months trying to cancel 2 business class tickets as they didn't answer their 1-800 # for weeks, finally got though at midnight CST)
An awesome article would be best option to cross the Atlantic or ? from specific popular airports.
Great luck with flying blue to anywhere in Europe connecting through CDG or Amsterdam
Absolutely worth it for anyone who buys BA tickets. I just saved $710 on my ticket purchases for this fall, plus an additional $200 from AARP.
The companion pass is not worth much in my opinion due to the massive fees BA charges, plus not easy to get award seats to use it.
I had an RBC BA Visa card for many years and derived excellent value from it and BA's program. Then BA went to hell.
Award availability was thin and virtually impossible to get flights in business. trying to get two tickets on the same flight was even more impossible.
Surcharges were about $1000 (CAD) per person for the trips i was taking.
And to add insult to injury, if you wanted to...
I had an RBC BA Visa card for many years and derived excellent value from it and BA's program. Then BA went to hell.
Award availability was thin and virtually impossible to get flights in business. trying to get two tickets on the same flight was even more impossible.
Surcharges were about $1000 (CAD) per person for the trips i was taking.
And to add insult to injury, if you wanted to choose a seat in business class, you could add another $400 for that privilege. $800 for two.
thus, two round-trip tickets from YVR to Europe ended up costing close to $3000. Granted, i used the companion benefit so the Avios component was low.
Club World is a very mediocre product and First is a joke. 14 pax in the tiny cabin in the nose of a 747? It used to be said that BA F was the best Business Class product in the sky but that's not even true anymore.
Sometimes it was impossible to find a seat in the Club Lounge in terminal 5 because it was so crowded. And the food offering was disgusting. And T5 is always a zoo.
10 years ago we used Avios to fly Cathey in F to HKG and that was a great experience but flying BA became too much of a pain. Alex and Willy destroyed "The World's Favourite Airline" and i haven't flown them in many many years.