NEWS: American Express update – new terms for BA companion vouchers, £200 dining credit and new look cards

£200 free dining credit on American Express Platinum cards

UPDATE: American Express have confirmed that the offer does not apply to Platinum Business cardholders. A lot of readers were saying they could not see the offer. If you have a personal card and it doesn’t appear in the next day or so, contact Amex and they should be able to sort it out. 

Today American Express has launched a new Offer for food-lovers, giving Platinum Cardmembers up to £200 in statement credits when spending at restaurants, in the UK, or internationally, before 31 December 2021.

You simply need to save the newly-launched Offer to your Card via the Amex App or online at www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/ and choose from the participating selection of over 1,000 restaurants in 17 countries, which include Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Zuma and Hakkasan Mayfair in London. A full list of restaurants is available here.

Note this sadly does not apply to supplementary cardholders, just the primary cardholder. 

• Benares – Michelin star Indian
• Duck & Waffle – 24hrs and great views
• Coq d’Argent – lovely terrace with views
• Coya Mayfair – amazing Peruvian food
• Daphne’s – seasonal Italian
• Hakkasan Mayfair
• Hawksmoor Air Street
• Hélène Darroze at The Connaught – go for lunch (£65) for great value 3 Michelin star cuisine
• Launceston Place
• Nobu London – Old Park and Shoreditch
• Petrus
• Roka
• Savoy Grill

New terms for BA companion vouchers and BA Amex cards

American Express has today put into effect its changed British Airways American Express® Cards, with changes making it quicker to earn Companion Vouchers and easier to redeem, alongside improved welcome bonuses and a new look. It also means that you can no longer redeem in business and first on the free card. 

British Airways American Express Companion Vouchers enable Cardmembers to receive a second seat for a friend or family member for no extra Avios, on the same flight and in the same cabin, when booking the initial reward seat using Avios. You do still have to pay the taxes and charges for the other person. 

NOTE: Any companion vouchers earned before the change on 1 September will still have the old terms and conditions.

British Airways American Express Credit Card

From today, the amount of spending on the Card required to earn a Companion Voucher is being reduced from £20,000 to £12,000, per Card anniversary year. This will make it quicker and easier for new and existing British Airways American Express Cardmembers to earn Companion Vouchers.

For Vouchers earned from 1 September 2021, Cardmembers will be able to use their Companion Voucher to book an Avios reward flight in Euro Traveller and World Traveller (short haul and long haul economy) cabins only.

Beyond the Companion Voucher changes, for a limited time, new Cardmembers can earn a Welcome Bonus of 10,000 Avios when they spend £1,000 in the first three months. This is the most generous Welcome Bonus ever offered on the Card. But don’t forget you are only eligible for the sign-up bonus on this Card if you haven’t held any British Airways American Express Card in the past 24 months. This offer ends on 2 November 2021.

Cardmembers can also earn 6,000 Avios when referring someone for the card, with their referral receiving 12,000 Avios on approval and spending £1,000 in the first three months.

Executive Club Members who are not Cardmembers will also be contacted with a bespoke Welcome Bonus offer over the coming days. Have you had one of these emails? Let us know the details in the comments below. 

Cardmembers will continue to earn 1 Avios for every £1 spent and the Card will remain fee-free.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card

This is the card I have and will continue to pay for due to the increased earn rate and easier redemption of business class seats. 

Booking a Companion Voucher earned from 1 September, 2021, will be easier with improved redemption seat availability in Club World (long haul business class cabin), exclusively for British Airways American Express Premium Plus Cardmembers. This Card will offer the only UK Companion Voucher that will be redeemable in British Airways’ premium cabins. This should allow you to book into ‘I class’ in business class. 

For a limited time only, there’s also a large Welcome Bonus of 40,000 Avios for new cardholders when they spend £3,000 in the first three months – again it is the most generous Welcome Bonus ever offered on the Card. This offer ends on 2 November 2021. Again, you are only eligible for the sign-up bonus on this Card if you haven’t held any British Airways American Express Card in the past 24 months.

Cardmembers can also earn 12,000 Avios when referring someone, with their referral receiving 42,000 Avios on approval and spending £3,000 in the first three months. As with the British Airways American Express Credit Card, Executive Club Members who are not Cardmembers will also be contacted with a bespoke Welcome Bonus offer over the coming days.

Cardmembers will continue to collect 1.5 Avios per £1 spend and 3 Avios for £1 on purchases made through ba.com on British Airways flights and holidays.

The annual fee to British Airways Premium Plus will increase from £195 to £250. The increase will take effect from the Cardmember’s next anniversary date after 1 September.

Stacey Sterbenz, Vice President Consumer at American Express, stated: “After a challenging 18 months, people are excited about the prospect of going abroad with their friends and family again, which is why we’ve made changes to British Airways American Express Cards to better support our Cardmembers’ travel aspirations. From making Companion Vouchers easier to earn and use, to offering substantial Avios promotions and limited time offers to grow their balances faster, we’re rewarding new and existing Cardmembers in ways that will help them get away sooner.”

Tom Stevens, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience adds: “These changes to the British Airways American Express® Credit Cards are great rewards for credit card users. This is the type of benefit our customers deserve after the loyalty they’ve shown British Airways and American Express. We look forward to welcoming people on our flights over the coming months.”

 

Further changes

Cardmembers of either Card will no longer be required to use their Companion Voucher for a journey starting in the United Kingdom, giving them more freedom when booking their voucher for international travel.

As part of the sleek new design, both Cards now feature the 15-digit Card number on the back of the Card.

The British Airways American Express Credit Card representative APR for existing Cardmembers is 22.2%, and for existing British Airways American Express Premium Plus Cardmembers it is 74.7%. For new Cardmembers joining from 1 September onwards, the representative APR will be 24.5% and 101.1% across each Card, respectively.

British Airways Amex Accelerating Business Card changes

From today, small business owners have the chance to earn more Avios than before from their business spending, with the refreshed British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card.

A new tiered Avios Annual Bonus will give Cardmembers 10,000 bonus Avios for every £20,000 of spending, up to three times per calendar year. This gives businesses of different sizes the opportunity to earn a bonus every year and means Cardmembers can earn up to an additional 30,000 bonus Avios annually.

The earn rate of 1.5 Avios for every £1 spent, remains unchanged and there’s also an increased earn rate with On Business – British Airways’ loyalty programme for businesses. Cardmembers will earn 2 On Business Points for every eligible £1 spent with British Airways.

Additionally, for a limited time only, new Cardmembers can also earn a Welcome Bonus of 60,000 Avios when they spend £5,000 in the first three months. Th offer is for a minimum of 2 months but could be around for up to 5 months.

The existing On Business Annual Bonus will cease from 1 January 2022. If Cardmembers haven’t already achieved the On Business Annual Bonus in their current Cardmembership year, they will have until 31 December, 2021, to reach the £20,000 spending threshold to receive their existing bonus, regardless of their Card anniversary date. Spending between 1 September and 31 December, 2021, will also contribute towards the new Avios annual bonus.