Who is this card best for?
The Amex BA Premium Plus card is built for one type of person: a loyal British Airways flyer who books reward flights in premium cabins and wants the single most valuable airline perk available to UK consumers — the 2-4-1 Companion Voucher.
If you regularly fly BA in Club World or First, and you can comfortably put £15,000 a year through the card, the maths are overwhelming: a single business-class Companion Voucher redemption can deliver £2,000+ of value against a £300 annual fee. For economy-only flyers, the free BA Amex card is almost certainly the better choice.
This card is ideal if you:
- Fly BA in Club World, World Traveller Plus, or First at least once a year
- Can spend £15,000 per year on the card to unlock the Companion Voucher
- Value status — the card earns BA tier points from everyday spending
- Want access to extra Club World reward seats that only Premium Plus cardholders can book
Welcome bonus: what you actually get
Until 6 October 2026, new cardholders receive a limited-time welcome bonus of 60,000 Avios after spending £6,000 within the first three months. At our benchmark valuation of 1.3p per Avios, that is £780 of flights — more than double the annual fee before you even unlock the voucher.
To qualify, you must not have held any personal British Airways American Express card in the previous 24 months. If you currently hold the free BA Amex, you would need to cancel it and wait two years before applying.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Bonus Avios | 60,000 |
| Spend requirement | £6,000 in 3 months |
| Estimated value (at 1.3p/Avios) | ≈ £780 |
| Offer ends | 6 October 2026 |
Ongoing earn rate (with worked examples)
Until 6 October 2026, the card earns 1.5 Avios per £1 on general spending and 3 Avios per £1 on purchases made directly with British Airways or BA Holidays.
⚠ Earn rate changing 7 October 2026
From 7 October 2026, the earn rate drops to a flat 1.25 Avios per £1 on all spending. The bonus rate for BA direct purchases is being removed entirely.
To put that in perspective, here is what £10,000 of annual card spend earns under each rate:
| Scenario | Avios earned | ≈ value (1.3p) |
|---|---|---|
| £10k general (current 1.5 rate) | 15,000 | £195 |
| £10k general (new 1.25 rate) | 12,500 | £163 |
| £5k general + £5k BA direct (current) | 22,500 | £293 |
| Free BA Amex (£10k at 1 Avios/£1) | 10,000 | £130 |
Even after the October cut, the Premium Plus card earns 25% more Avios than the free card — but the gap has narrowed, so the Companion Voucher is now the primary reason to pay the fee.
The £300 annual fee: is it worth it?
Let us be direct: the fee is worth it if — and only if — you use the Companion Voucher in a premium cabin. The Avios earn rate alone does not justify £300; the extra 2,500 Avios per £10,000 of spend (vs. the free card) are worth about £33. The voucher does the heavy lifting.
Use our Companion Voucher Calculator to see the exact £ value of your next redemption. As a rough guide:
| Redemption | Avios saved | ≈ value (1.3p) | vs. £300 fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| LHR–JFK Club World (2-4-1) | 50,000 | £650 | 2.2× |
| LHR–SYD First (2-4-1) | 68,500 | £891 | 3.0× |
| LHR–NYC Economy (2-4-1) | 13,000 | £169 | 0.6× |
| LHR–CDG Euro Traveller (2-4-1) | 4,750 | £62 | 0.2× |
The pattern is clear: the higher the cabin, the more the voucher is worth. Short-haul economy redemptions rarely justify the £300 fee on their own.
The Companion Voucher: the card’s killer feature
This is the reason most people hold the card. Spend £15,000 in a card membership year and you earn a 2-4-1 Companion Voucher — one of the most valuable airline perks available in the UK.
It lets you book a reward flight for two people at the Avios price of one. Alternatively, solo travellers can use it for a 50% Avios discount on their own ticket. Either way, you still pay taxes, fees, and surcharges for both passengers — and the cash portion must be paid on an Amex.
Premium Plus voucher specifics:
- Valid for 24 months (the free card voucher lasts only 12 months)
- Usable in any cabin — Economy, Premium Economy, Club World, or First
- Unlocks extra Club World reward seats not available to free-card holders
- Works on BA, Iberia, and Aer Lingus flights
- Until 31 March 2027, also gives a 25% Avios rebate on BA Holidays packages
- Cancel more than 24 hours before departure → voucher returned (original expiry, not reset)
For a complete walkthrough, see our Companion Voucher guide and Companion Voucher calculator.
Tier points from card spending
This is a genuinely unique benefit — no other UK credit card earns BA tier points. For the 2026/27 collection year, the card offers up to 2,500 tier points based on spending thresholds:
| Annual spend | Tier points earned |
|---|---|
| £15,000 | 750 |
| £20,000 | 1,500 |
| £25,000 | 2,500 |
Changing from April 2027
From 1 April 2027, the system becomes automatic: 1 tier point per £10 of qualifying spend, credited monthly, up to a new cap of 3,000 tier points per collection year. No more opt-in, no more thresholds.
To put this in context: BA Silver requires 7,500 tier points and Gold requires 20,000. Even at £30,000 of card spend (3,000 TPs from April 2027), you will not reach Silver from card spending alone — but combining card TPs with flight TPs can make the difference. Use our tier points calculator to model the numbers.
Travel insurance and other perks
The card bundles several insurance products (underwritten by Chubb), though they are not as comprehensive as standalone travel insurance:
- Travel inconvenience insurance — covers flight delays, overbooking, missed connections, and baggage delays when the ticket is paid for with the card
- Travel accident insurance — up to £250,000 on public transport booked with the card
- Purchase protection — repair or replacement of stolen/damaged items (up to £2,500, £50 excess)
- Refund protection — reimbursement for items a UK retailer refuses to take back (up to £300)
- Global Assist® — 24/7 emergency assistance (medical and legal referrals) when travelling outside the UK
Notably, the card does not include airport lounge access. If you want lounge access from an Amex, you would need the Platinum Card (£695/yr).
What we like and what we don’t
What we like
- Companion Voucher is the single most valuable airline perk in the UK
- Premium Plus voucher works in any cabin — including First
- Extra Club World reward-seat availability for voucher bookings
- Tier points from spending (unique among UK credit cards)
- 60,000-Avios welcome bonus more than covers the first year’s fee
- Voucher valid 24 months — double the free card’s 12 months
What we don’t
- Earn rate dropping from 1.5 to 1.25 Avios/£1 in October 2026
- 2.99% foreign-exchange fee — poor for spending abroad
- No airport lounge access (Amex Platinum needed for that)
- Need £15,000 annual spend to earn the voucher — not trivial
- £300 fee is hard to justify if you only fly economy
- Cannot hold alongside another personal BA Amex card
If this card isn’t right for you
Not every BA flyer needs the Premium Plus. Here are the main alternatives:
Free BA Amex
£0
1 Avios/£1, Companion Voucher (Economy only, 12-month validity)
Best for: Economy-only flyers who want a voucher without the fee
Barclaycard Avios Plus
£240/yr
1.5 Avios/£1, cabin upgrade voucher, no FX fees
Best for: Frequent international spenders — better earn rate after Oct 2026
Amex Platinum
£695/yr
1 Avios/£1 (via MR transfer), lounge access, hotel status, Uber credits
Best for: Status chasers who want lounge access + hotel elite perks