Both British Airways American Express cards earn Avios and a companion voucher — but one costs £300 and one is free. Here is exactly what the fee buys you, and which card fits how you fly.
These two cards look similar on paper and both need £15,000 of spend for a voucher. The real split is simple: the free card is an economy voucher machine, and the Premium Plus is a premium-cabin voucher machine. Everything else follows from that.
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| Feature | Free BA Amex | Premium Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | No fee | £300 |
| Earn rate | 1 Avios / £1 | 1.5 Avios / £1 (1.25 from 7 Oct 2026) |
| Companion voucher spend | £15,000 / year | £15,000 / year |
| Voucher cabins | Economy only | Any cabin (incl. Club World & First) |
| Voucher validity | 12 months | 24 months |
| Extra Club World reward availability | No | Yes |
| Foreign transaction fee | 2.99% | 2.99% |
| Lounge access | No | No |
Always confirm the current terms on American Express’s own site before applying — fees and rates change. This is general information, not financial advice.
Both cards earn a 2-4-1 companion voucher at the same £15,000 spend. The difference is where you can use it. The free card’s voucher is locked to economy; the Premium Plus voucher opens up premium economy, Club World and First — the cabins where a 2-4-1 saves the most Avios by far — and lasts twice as long.
The Premium Plus voucher also unlocks extra Club World reward-seat availability that other members cannot see — a quiet but real advantage when premium seats are scarce.
The Premium Plus earns faster — 1.5 Avios per £1 today, dropping to 1.25 from 7 October 2026 — versus 1 Avios per £1 on the free card. On £15,000 of spend that is a difference of a few thousand Avios a year: nice, but nowhere near as significant as which cabin your voucher can be used in. Choose the card on the voucher, not the earn rate.
Our pick depends on the cabin you fly — here is how they line up.
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The AviosArcana Editorial Team
We decode the British Airways loyalty programme in plain English, cross-checking every figure against published card terms. We are not a lender and this is general information, not financial advice.