British Airways Credit Card

American Express credit card review: British Airways

THE British Airways credit card from American Express is a boon for anyone with travel lust.

The credit card lets you earn a very generous 1 BA Mile for just about every pound you spend.

New cardholders will also be rewarded with 1,000 bonus BA miles when they spend £500 in the first 3 months.

At that rate, heavy spenders could easily bag themselves one or more free flights a year.

Remember, BA Miles don't have to be used only on British Airways flights. You can also use them on any of BA's partner airlines, including Aer Lingus, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Qantas, American Airlines, Japan Airlines and more.

On top of this, the British Airways credit card boasts a carry-on case full of American Express card holder benefits; purchase and refund protection, fraud guarantees and a range of travel services.

Interest Rates and Fees
		Notes..
Typical APR	19.9% APR (variable)	- 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	None	-
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 BA Mile for each £1 spent	BA Miles remain valid as long as you continue to earn or redeem them. Expiry of BA Miles will only occur if you do not earn or redeem any BA Miles for 36 consecutive months (3 years) - after which all BA Miles accrued to that point will expire.
Reward #2	1,000 Bonus BA Miles	Get 1,000 bonus BA Miles when you spend £500 within your first 3 months.
Reward #3	BA Companion Ticket	If you have spent over £20,000 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. The companion ticket is valid for 12 months after issue.

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 £75,000 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
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 card 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 on 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	Classic	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 APR on the British Airways credit card from American Express is nothing more than average, but then this card is not suited for large debts.

It is, however, suitable for disciplined spenders and keen travellers.

Got itchy feet?

This British Airways credit card has a tremendous flyer-miles deal (1 BA mile for every pound spent) as well as an excellent range of services that are superb for frequent travellers.

These travel related extra's include travel accident insurance up to £75,000 as well as Global Assist which offers emergency medical and legal assistance while you are abroad.

Experienced travellers will know how much havoc a stolen credit card abroad can cause to your bank balance, but users of this British Airways credit card can feel safe in the knowledge that they are entirely protected and will not be held responsible for any unauthorised transactions made on the card.

With a 24-hour stolen or lost card response line that is especially useful if you do find your credit card has grown legs and disappeared.

To be a truly perfect travel credit card though we'd like to see no foreign transaction fees, and while lower than average, there is still a small fee when using the card abroad.

No more worries with dodgy retailers

This British Airways credit card is also useful for making purchases, with its raft of consumer-friendly protection bonuses, such as:

• Purchase protection which insures anything you buy against theft or damage for the first three months - fabulous for large items you may be thinking of buying.
• Refund protection which will pay as much as £200 for every item that you return to a supplier but can't get a refund back on.

Being a reward credit card, be sure to use it as such, and spend as much as you can to bag those flyer miles!

Fear not the fraudster!

If you will be using the card online, you can rest assured that you're safe from any sneaky internet fraudsters as you are not held responsible for any unauthorised charges to the card.

Final word

So, if you're a keen traveller and you're happy to pay off your credit card balance in full each month, we think this is a superb card that's jam packed with excellent features.

Ensure you use it correctly (forget about balance transfers or cash withdrawals) and you could find yourself becoming very familiar with the smell of aeroplanes.

Apply Online for British Airways credit card »