British Airways recently announced that the 100,000 point credit card offer is back for a limited time! It has been about a year since we’ve seen this increased offer, so I am glad to see it finally return. It is a tiered offer:
- Earn 50,000 bonus points after $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 25,000 bonus points after $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening
- Earn 25,000 bonus points after you make an additional $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening
To earn the entire 100,000 bonus points you’ll need to spend a total of $20,000 within the first year of account opening. By no means impossible, but definitely a bit higher then many of the other offers out there. Or, you can always opt to earn a lower number of points by spending less. I personally got this card about a year ago and had the strategy of only ending up with 75,000 points. While I was able to spend $10,000 within the year on the card, I did not want to put another $10,000 on the card for the extra 25,000 points. For me, I was very happy with my 75,000 point bonus. Keep in mind though the card does come with a $95 annual fee that is not waived the first year.
I personally am a big fan of the British Airways Avios program. Redeeming miles works very differently then other loyalty programs where the number of points required depends on the distance between the two cities. And remember, British Airways is part of the OneWorld Alliance so you can use your British Airways Avios points on many partner airlines, including American!
While redeeming your points for a flight departing London will result in hefty taxes (this includes a flight from the US to another city in Europe that includes a layover in London), there are some amazing opportunities to redeem your points which require minimal points and taxes are low. My top redemption opportunities include:
- Using your British Airways Avios flights for American Airline domestic flights. Unfortunately their short-haul flights have been increased to 7,500 points one-way, but can still provide some great value, for example, New York to Toronto or New York to Ft. Lauderdale,
- Flying from Hartford, New York, Boston, Toronto, Washington DC, and Chicago to Dublin, Ireland. Fly on partner airline Aer Lingus during an off-peak time and it will only cost you 26,000 Avios roundtrip in coach. You can then fly to other parts of Europe from Dublin if you desire. Off peak dates in 2017 include: January 5 through April 6, April 24 through June 16, September 11 through December 15.
- Flying from Chicago, New York, Boston, or Miami to Madrid on either American Airlines or Iberia Airlines. You can transfer your British Airways points to Iberia’s “Avios” loyalty program and then redeem your points at a 1:1 rate. This will reduce the fuel charges significantly and you can redeem just 40,000 points + $124.79 in taxes. You can also do this for a flight to Barcelona although your fees might be about $20 more (direct flights to Barcelona are only from NY and Miami).
I actually have gotten the sign up bonus twice for this particular card. As long as you are not a card member and have not received a sign up bonus in 2 years, you are eligible for this card and offer. The one really really really good thing about this card is that it does NOT fall within Chase’s “5/24” rule. Meaning if you have applied for many cards in the past, you will not automatically be denied due to too many approvals in the past 24 months.
Let m know if you have any questions!
Key Links:
- British Airways Visa Signature Card: Earn up to 100,000 points over the course of 12 months. Earn 50,000 bonus points after $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening + earn 25,000 bonus points after $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening + earn 25,000 bonus points after you make an additional $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening. $95 annual fee.
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Using your British Airways Avios flights for American Airline domestic flights. Unfortunately their short-haul flights have been increased to 7,5000 points one-way
typo on 7,500
this offer is bad. I remember getting a better deal back in 2009 where you got 100 k for $3000 spent. I mean when you have to spend $20.000 go get the points then have to turn around and pay $500 in fuel surcharges , those dollars spent on a card are better on AA or UA where there is a better bang for your buck. BA just makes it self look back on these offers
Since this is a tiered bonus, does the 24-month rule apply from the last tier bonus payout? For example:
1/1/17 – 50k bonus received
3/1/17- 25k bonus received (2nd Tier)
4/1/17 – 25k bonus received (3rd Tier)
In this situation does the 24-month rule start with 1/1 or with 4/1?
@James – It is based on approval date, not when you receive the bonus. So the 24 month rule would start probably prior to 1/1/17.