British Airways Visa Signature bank card evaluation: Full particulars

The British Airways Visa Signature® Card (see charges and charges) may not be your best choice for utilizing one in every of your invaluable 5/24 slots with Chase. Nonetheless, its low annual charge, sturdy incomes potential and credit to cowl gasoline surcharges make it a compelling possibility for a lot of British Airways loyalists. Card Ranking*: ⭐⭐⭐

*Card Ranking is predicated on the opinion of TPG’s editors and isn’t influenced by the cardboard issuer.

Some profitable bank card choices from international airways are sometimes ignored, and the British Airways Visa Signature Card — the one cobranded bank card that British Airways presents within the U.S. — is amongst them.

It encompasses a $95 annual charge and we advocate candidates have a credit score rating of 670 or greater to extend their probabilities of approval.

It does not include widespread airline advantages reminiscent of a free checked bag or precedence boarding. However, it is one of many extra invaluable airline playing cards available on the market due to its large welcome bonus and money-saving perks.

Let’s study whether or not the cardboard deserves a spot in your pockets.

The British Airways Visa is presently providing 85,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases throughout the first three months of account opening.

In keeping with TPG’s April 2025 valuations, Avios are price 1.4 cents apiece, so incomes 85,000 Avios is price a wholesome $1,190. The present supply is barely greater than earlier presents and is price profiting from should you’ve had this card in your radar.

One vital notice: Like different Chase-issued client playing cards, the British Airways Visa falls underneath Chase’s 5/24 rule. If you happen to’ve opened greater than 5 bank cards previously 24 months (from all banks, not simply Chase), your utility will possible be rejected.

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Associated: Playing cards presently providing welcome bonuses of 100,000 factors or extra

Though the British Airways Visa lacks most of the common cobranded airline card perks, reminiscent of a free checked bag and precedence boarding, those it does supply can nonetheless save British Airways flyers a big quantity on money and award tickets.

• Reward flight assertion credit score: Obtain a press release credit score 3 times a 12 months of $100 for Financial system (World Traveller) and Premium Financial system (World Traveller Plus) seats — or $200 for Enterprise (Membership World) and first-class seats (as much as $600 per calendar 12 months) — if you e book a reward flight to London touring on British Airways and pay taxes, charges and costs along with your British Airways Visa Signature Card. This may help you fight British Airways’ notoriously excessive gasoline surcharges.
• Journey Collectively Ticket: Spend $30,000 on the cardboard every calendar 12 months and earn a Journey Collectively Ticket, which lets you add a companion to a Reward Flight for no extra value or save 50% on the Avios required if touring solo. That is on any round-trip British Airways, Iberia or Aer Lingus redemption in any class.
• 10% flight low cost: Ebook by means of the web site offered in your welcome supplies and get 10% off eligible British Airways flights.
• Visa Signature perks: As a result of it is a Visa Signature card, you will get perks like misplaced/delayed baggage safety, buy safety, secondary automobile rental insurance coverage and entry to the Visa Signature Luxurious Lodge Assortment.
• No international transaction charges: You will not be charged additional charges if you use your card overseas.

Once more, these are totally different advantages than you will discover on many cobranded airline playing cards, however they will present important worth to those that usually e book award flights utilizing Avios.

Associated: British Airways Membership: Information to Avios, elite standing and switch companions

The British Airways Visa outdoes most different cobranded airline playing cards on the earnings facet. With the British Airways card, you will earn:

• 3 Avios per greenback spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Degree
• 2 Avios per greenback spent on resort bookings made instantly with the resort
• 1 Avios per greenback spent on all different purchases

Whereas these aren’t spectacular incomes charges, the bonus classes and the worth cardholders can get from the cardboard’s extra advantages make this card possibility for a lot of British Airways frequent flyers.

Associated: The most effective methods to earn British Airways Avios

The obvious technique to redeem the Avios you earn with the British Airways Visa is to e book award tickets with British Airways. Because of British Airways’ distance-based award chart, one of many largest candy spots in this system is for short-haul awards.

This system costs a mere 6.500 miles for award flights which might be 651 miles to 1,151 miles lengthy throughout off-peak season and 12,750 miles for enterprise class throughout off-peak season. To place that in perspective, a flight from London to Rome suits into that band.

Nonetheless, British Airways imposes hefty taxes and surcharges on a few of its personal worldwide award tickets.

Due to this fact, the greatest makes use of for Avios are generally for companion awards. You can redeem your factors on greater than a dozen Oneworld alliance airways, reminiscent of American Airways, Alaska Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways.

Associated: The way to maximize the British Airways distance-based award chart

You possibly can switch Avios on the British Airways Visa to different Avios-earning airways like Aer Lingus, Finnair, Iberia and Qatar Airways. This lets you journey to many Oneworld locations and e book them with these Avios.

Because the mileage foreign money of British Airways and these 4 companions, you possibly can switch Avios between the 5 airways.

Iberia tends to cost considerably decrease taxes and surcharges than British Airways. Moreover, Iberia costs primarily based on whole miles flown as an alternative of per section, making it the winner for some connecting itineraries.

I’ve gotten good worth from my Avios by utilizing them to e book by means of Iberia to fly from O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD) and San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) to Madrid in enterprise class for underneath 34,000 Avios every time.

Associated: The way to e book Iberia flights to Spain (and past) utilizing Avios

• In case you are not over the 5/24 rule: The Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card (see charges and charges) additionally comes with a $95 annual charge and earns 5 factors per greenback spent on journey when booked by means of the Chase Journey℠ portal and a pair of factors per greenback spent on all different journey. It additionally earns bonus factors on eating and choose streaming companies. For extra info, learn our full evaluation of the Chase Sapphire Most popular.
• In case you are over the 5/24 rule. The American Specific® Gold Card has a better annual charge of $325 (see charges and charges) but in addition presents greater incomes charges and comes with many invaluable perks that offset the annual charge, together with a wide range of assertion credit (enrollment required). The Membership Rewards factors earned by this card may be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to British Airways. For extra info, learn our full evaluation of the Amex Gold.
• If you wish to earn Avios with a special card: The Iberia Visa Signature® Card has the identical incomes construction because the British Airways Visa. Nonetheless, it has extra Iberia-specific perks, like a 10% low cost when reserving choose Iberia flights.

The data for the Iberia Visa Signature Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

For extra choices, try our full checklist of the greatest airline bank cards.

Associated: 5 the explanation why you need to care about British Airways Avios

The British Airways Visa is effectively price it if you wish to earn invaluable Avios. Its advantages, like the ten% flight low cost and the as much as $600 annual reward flight assertion credit score, can simply assist you recoup the annual charge value. Nonetheless, you will possible want a special card should you’re over Chase 5/24 or do not journey on airways that use Avios.

Diversifying your portfolio of loyalty currencies is vital on the earth of journey rewards, and the British Airways Visa represents a incredible technique to do exactly that. With a invaluable welcome supply, a low annual charge and the chance to get a few of your taxes and charges credited again, this card is a good alternative for British Airways loyalists.

Apply right here: British Airways Visa Signature Card

For charges and charges of the Amex Gold card, click on right here.