British Airways Premium Plus Credit Card

American Express credit card review: British Airways Premium Plus

IF you collect BA Miles, or fancy some large reductions on your future flights with BA, then there really is no better card than the British Airways Premium Plus credit card from American Express.

If new cardholders spend at least £3,000 within the first 3 months of account opening they'll qualify for 18,000 bonus BA Miles - which is a huge amount. To put that into perspective, 6000 BA Miles is enough for a free flight.

After that, its still miles-aplenty with 1.5 BA Miles for every pound you spend, and double BA Miles whenever you fly with British Airways.

With its high APR and rather dear annual fee, this card is not suitable for letting your debt languish unpaid, or for low annual spending.

But use it right and you could be sipping pina colada's in paradise, or cosmopolitans in New York.

The British Airways Premium Plus credit card boasts a decent credit limit and a carry-on case full of American Express card holder benefits; purchase and refund protection, fraud guarantees and a clutch of travel services.

Interest Rates and Fees
		Notes..
Typical APR	46% APR (variable)	The APR includes the annual fee, which inflates the APR to be higher than the actual interest rate charged on purchases. The typical APR is the rate most people are offered.
Balance Transfers	n/a
Balance Transfer Fee	None
Cash Withdrawal Rate	27.9% p.a. (variable)	You can only make cash withdrawals equal to 20% of your available credit limit, and you can only draw up to £400 cash in any 7 day period.
Cash Withdrawal Fee	3% (£3 minimum)
Annual Fee	£150	-
Foreign Transaction Fee	2.99%	This fee will be charged if you make a purchase or cash withdrawal in a foreign currency.

Rewards
		Notes..
Reward #1	1.5 BA Miles for each £1 spent	BA Miles remain valid as long as you continue to earn or redeem them.
Reward #2	18,000 Bonus BA Miles	Get 18,000 bonus BA Miles when you spend £3,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
Reward #3	Double BA Miles with BA	Spend with British Airways or British Airways Holidays and earn double BA miles.
Reward #4	BA Companion Ticket	If you have spent over £10,000 on your card within 12 months and you redeem your BA miles for a British Airways flight, you will also receive a free companion ticket.

Cardholder Services & Extras
Online Account Management		You can log in to the American Express web site and manage your American Express Platinum Cashback credit card account online. - Optional Paperless Statements - SMS & E-mail Alerts: Register for "Card Alerts" and choose to recieve updates by SMS text message to your mobile phone or e-mail relating to your American Express Platinum Cashback credit card account. Notification information includes: - Account balance - Confirmation of payments - Advance notification of nearing your credit limit - Advance notification of due payments - Notification of missed payments.
Fraud Guarantee		You will not be held responsible for any unauthorised charges.
Fraud Monitoring		Secure System American Express will monitor your account for any suspicious transactions and notify you as soon as possible to check if it's fraudulent or not.
Identity Protection
Purchase Protection Insurance		Up to £2,500 per claim Purchases made with this card will be protection against theft or accidental damage for 90 days after the purchase date. - Up to £20,000 in any 365 day period. - £50 excess applies. - Please note exclusions and limitations apply.
Purchase Delivery Insurance		Mail order items are not excluded from the 'Purchase Protection Insurance' policy.
Purchase In-Transit Insurance		As part of the 'Purchase Protection Insurance' policy.
Refund Protection Insurance		Up to £200 per item, up to £750 per year Purchases of brand new items, costing between £25 and £200, will be covered in the event that you return an unused eligible item to the retailer, within 90 days of purchase and the retailer will not refund you. - Items must be paid for entirely with the American Express Platinum Cashback credit card. - Please note exclusions apply.
Comprehensive Travel Insurance
Travel Accident Insurance		Up to £250,000 Travel accident insurance covers you against serious injury and death when you buy your travel tickets with this card. It is not an adequate substitute for a comprehensive travel insurance policy.
Travel Inconvenience Insurance		Delayed & cancelled flights, denied boarding, luggage delay & loss Level of cover: - Up to £200 for delayed & cancelled flights - Up to a further £400 for delays of more than 6 hours or past 10pm - Up to £200 for denied boarding - Up to £200 for a missed connection - Up to £750 for luggage delay (exc. homeward flights) - Up to an additional £1000 for luggage loss (exc. homeward flights) Exclusions and limitations apply, including: - No more than 5 claims in any one 365 day period - No more than 3 luggage claims in any one 365 day period
Assistance Abroad		Global Assist Emergency medical and legal help when travelling abroad.
Emergency Card Replacement		If your card is ever lost, damaged or stolen, American Express will get an emergency replacement card to you almost anywhere in the world. Emergency cash advances are also available.
Airport Lounge Access		This service is available on higher tiers of the British Airways Executive Club - it won't automatically be available as soon as you join. You'll be able to move up through the membership tiers by earning Tier Points which are awarded for flying on BA and partner airlines.
Priority Check-In		This service is available on higher tiers of the British Airways Executive Club - it won't automatically be available as soon as you join. You'll be able to move up through the membership tiers by earning Tier Points which are awarded for flying on BA and partner airlines.
Other Extras	» 24 hour customer service. » Chip & PIN.
Optional Extras	These are extras that you can choose, but you will have to pay for them. » Repayment protection.

Payments & Payment Details
		Notes..
Credit Limit	£700 minimum	Maximum credit limit is subject to status.
Interest Free Period	Up to 56 days	For purchases if you pay your balance in full and on time. There is no interest free period for balance transfers or cash advances.
Minimum Monthly Payment	2.5% (£5 minimum)	The minimum monthly payment is the smallest amount you must pay each month (unless your credit card balance is zero).
Allocation of Payments	Interest » Insurance Premiums » Fees & Charges » Promotional Purchases & Balance Transfers » Purchases » Cash Advances	You have to clear outstanding statement transactions in this order. This means you have to repay all interest, fees and charges *before* you can repay any promotional purchases or balance transfers, and then you must clear these *before* you can repay any standard purchases, which must be cleared before you can repay any cash withdrawals.
Default Charges	£12	This is how much you will be charged for late payments, returned payments and if you go over your credit limit.
Copy of Statement Fee	£2	This is the fee you will be charged for duplicate statements.

Card Details
		Notes..
Online Application	Yes: Instant Decision	Get a decision in 60 seconds when you apply online. Remember: always ensure you meet the application requirements before applying, as getting rejected can affect your credit score.
Card Type	Platinum	You will need to satisfy the approval criteria (see online application) and have a good credit rating to qualify for this card.
Payment Company	American Express	The company who provides the payment technology and infrastructure to allow you to use this credit card. Retailers and ATM machines displaying the 'American Express' logo will accept this credit card.
Card Issuer	American Express	The bank who issues this credit card.
Card Advertiser	American Express British Airways	The company who advertises and promotes this credit card.

Review Continued...

The British Airways Premium Plus credit card from American Express paves an easy route to cheaper flights.

You will earn 1.5 BA Miles for every pound you spend, and double BA Miles (3 BA Miles) for every £1 spent on flying with British Airways (not forgetting the whopping 18,000 BA Miles bonus you'll get if you spend £3,000 or more within the first 3 months).

Enjoy getting away?

The fantastic BA Miles deal (which could also see you getting 3 BA Miles per £1 whenever you buy any BA flight tickets with the card) means that you could be earning massive discounts on future flights.

You'll need to be a big spender to earn enough BA Miles to offset the annual fee, but happy shoppers will soon see the benefits of using this card as much as possible.

In addition to the bonus BA Miles you will earn, the card is a treasure chest of travel related extra's.

You'll get travel accident insurance up to £250,000 as well as emergency medical and legal assistance in case things go wrong while you're away.

If your card gets stolen while you are away, you needn't worry as the fraud guarantee on the card ensures you are never responsible for any unauthorised transactions, including internet transactions.

There is a fee for using this card abroad, but the percentage is slightly lower than other similar cards.

Spend, spend, spend

If you're wanting to earn your BA Miles you will need to spend as much as possible on this card.

Each time you spend, you can relax in the knowledge that anything purchased with the card is covered.

You'll get:

• Purchase protection that insures anything you buy on the card against theft or damage for the first three months.
• Refund protection that will pay out up to £250 per item if a retailer refuses you a refund.

Remember to always pay your balance off in full and on time each month, or the high APR will cost more than any rewards you may get back.

Final word

If you're keen on travelling and you consider yourself diligent enough to pay the balance off in full, then there are few travel reward cards that can beat the British Airways Premium Plus credit card.

Apply Online for British Airways Premium Plus credit card »