British Airways Visa

Despite the hefty sign-up bonus, the British Airways Visa Signature® Card falls short of expectations when serving as an airline credit card. This is due, in part, to the fact that the related loyalty program imposes significant surcharges on certain award tickets. As a result, the value of the program's awards is sometimes reduced by a significant margin. Even while the card gives statement credits to assist in offsetting those notoriously high surcharges, those credits are not sufficient to pay the whole amount of the fees. Because of these reasons, using a card is more difficult and less enticing than using cards offered by other airlines.

Pros

• Bonus for new cardholders is available here.
• Additional benefits for those who travel.
• Gains from having a companion.

Cons

• Charged every year.
• Requires good/excellent credit.
• There is just so much leeway available with rewards.
• Increased costs imposed by airlines.

Basics

The rewards points used by British Airways are called Avios, a kind of money shared with numerous other airlines.

• Card type: Airline.
• Annual fee: $95

Sign-Up Bonus:

Gain up to one hundred thousand Avios. You will get 75,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases made during 3 months of creating your account, and you will receive 25,000 Avios once you have spent $20,000 on purchases within 12 months of starting your account.

Rewards:

• When you shop with British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, or as well as LEVEL, you'll earn three Avios for every dollar you spend.
• When hotel rooms are bought directly with the hotel, the customer receives two Avios for every dollar paid.
• 1 Avios will be awarded for every 1 dollar spent on other purchases.
• There are no costs associated with foreign transactions.

Travel Together Ticket:

If you use your card to make transactions totaling $30,000 during a single calendar year, you will earn a Travel Together Ticket, which you will have the opportunity to redeem once two years have passed. When you book a reward flight on British Airways departing from the United States and returning to the United States, you are eligible for the Travel Together Ticket, which pays for the fare of one other person on the same flight and cabin (including first class), but not the taxes, fees, or carrier charges.

Benefits

Potentially huge sign-up bonus

The substantial sign-up bonus with British Airways Visa Signature® Card is, without a doubt, the card's most notable perk. Cardholders who meet specific spending requirements are eligible for an even more lucrative deal. Chase says it like this in his own words: "Gain up to one hundred thousand Avios. You will get 75,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases made during first 3 months of creating your account, and you will receive 25,000 Avios once you have spent $20,000 on purchases made during 12 months of starting your account."

Travel Together Ticket

If you spend more than $30,000 on your card during a calendar year using your card, you will be eligible to receive one Travel Together Ticket. When exchanged for an otherwise expensive ticket, like a first-class international trip, a Travel Together Ticket may be redeemed for thousands of dollars worth of value, making it one of the most valuable tickets available. However, you will still be required to pay taxes and other fees, and the ticket must be redeemed within two years of its original purchase date.

Drawbacks

Domestic flight options are limited

On this card, you have many redemption possibilities to choose from while traveling abroad: As a participant in the Oneworld airline alliance, British Airways allows its customers to exchange their points for travel on any other Oneworld airline as a select group of other partner airlines. But for flights inside the United States, you may only choose American Airlines and Alaska Airlines as your carrier. And to redeem for Alaska Airlines, you will need to call in your reservation rather than make it online. Looking for other opportunities available inside the United States? There is a possibility that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the superior option.

Rewards can expire

The Avios will expire if you do not collect, spend, share, or buy any Avios for 36 consecutive months. This can come as an unpleasant shock at a later time, particularly for individuals who just want to collect the sign-up bonus and get out of there as quickly as possible.