British Airways Visa Signature® Card Review 2024

If you often travel to Europe or take trips under 1,150 miles one way within the United States (think Detroit to Denver), the British Airways Visa Signature card is worth consideration. Designed for the consumer who enjoys traveling and has the ability to spend higher amounts on the card to fully maximize the card’s value, the welcome bonus and ability to earn a Travel Together Ticket alone may be enough to sway you to apply.

Avios are the miles used by the British Airways Executive Club frequent flyer program as well as the Aer Lingus, Iberia, Vueling and Qatar Airways frequent flyer programs, and they can be transferred between these programs. Avios can provide incredible value if leveraged correctly. The British Airways Visa Signature card currently offers a welcome bonus big enough to rattle your teacup: 85,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

The card is issued by Chase, meaning it is subject to the 5/24 rule. Chase will generally decline applications to this card if the applicant has gotten 5 new credit cards from any bank within the last 24 months. If you think you may fall into this category, utilize one of many credit monitoring services or credit report websites such as AnnualCreditReport.com to see your credit card open dates. This will help you determine if you’re eligible to apply.

• $95 annual fee
• Welcome bonus: 85,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
• Bonus Avios when spending in certain categories
• Potential each year to spend enough to earn a Travel Together Ticket
• $0 foreign transaction fee

Earning Rewards

Chase has a sizable welcome bonus on this card: 85,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

This card also offers bonus Avios for spending within certain categories. This includes:

• Earn 3 Avios per dollar on purchases with Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL, 2 Avios per dollar on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel and 1 Avios per dollar on all other purchases

Redeeming Rewards

British Airways utilizes a distance-based award chart. In short, the longer the flight, the more Avios needed. This rule applies both on British Airways/Iberia flights and Oneworld partner flights. Oneworld partners include American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Japan Airlines and more. This means if any of these airlines have partner award space available, then it can be booked using British Airways Avios.

To book flights, head over to the British Airways website and select ‘Book a flight with Avios’. From here, enter in your desired dates, departure and arrival airports, class of service, and number of passengers to search award availability. If you do not have enough Avios to book an award flight, there is an Avios and cash option.

Using Avios for flights to Europe might seem like the most straightforward option, but it isn’t always the most cost-effective. While an economy flight from Denver (DEN) to London (LHR) can be found for just 32,500 Avios round trip, taxes and fees can exceed $600. This card’s Reward Flight Statement Credit benefit described below can help bring that cost down but only slightly. Short-haul flights of 1,150 miles or fewer within the U.S. or within Europe tend to be a sweet spot for this program. For example, flights from Seattle (SEA) to San Diego (SAN) start at 9,000 Avios each way plus $5.60 in surcharges, and flights from Madrid (MAD) to Marseille (MRS) start at 4,500 Avios each way and around $25 in surcharges.

Note that there is also a dynamic component to pricing determined by off-peak and peak travel. Off-peak and peak pricing can vary based on time of year, location, and even specific day of the week, so checking the British Airways website will be critical in determining exact pricing.

Rewards Potential

The card’s reward structure is best built for those who frequently travel with British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, along with those who book many hotel nights. To determine the rewards potential of the British Airways card, we will focus on these travel categories and how the typical American household might spend in these areas.

Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to establish both a baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage earning households brings in $116,000 annually and can put $36,177 on credit cards each year.

Based on Forbes Advisor’s estimate, a household spends $2,443 on flights per year. Assuming you’re able to fly exclusively with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Qatar and Iberia, this would earn 7,329 points. Another $2,015 is spent on hotels annually, yielding 4,030 points. The remaining $31,719 left in general spending would earn you another 31,719 points.

Cardholders who follow this spending pattern could expect to earn 43,078 Avios per year in rewards, in addition to the first-year welcome offer. Because every family’s spending patterns may differ, we suggest that you examine your budget and compare rewards for any card that you are considering.

• Travel Together Ticket: Earn a Travel Together Ticket every calendar year you spend $30,000 on the card. Valid for two years after issuance, this ticket provides an additional seat on the same flight and cabin when booking a reward flight on British Airways originating and returning to the United States (including business class). Alternatively, the Travel Together Ticket can be used to get 50% off the Avios price of one award flight if you’re traveling solo. The companion ticket is subject to taxes and fees.
• Reward flight statement credit: When you use your British Airways Visa Signature® Card to pay for the taxes, fees and charges on a BA transatlantic reward flight, you’ll get a statement credit of up to $100 for economy and premium economy or $200 for business and first class reimbursing you for those charges, up to three times per year and up to $600.
• Use Avios to pay for fees: Use Avios to pay for taxes and fees on reward ticket bookings when using your British Airways Visa Signature® Card (minimum $5 must be charged to your card).
• Exclusive discount on British Airways flights: Get 10% off British Airways flights originating in the U.S. when using an exclusive link.

As a Visa Signature card, you’ll also get the following perks when you use your British Airways Visa Signature® Card:

• Extended warranty protection: Get up to one additional year on eligible manufacturer’s warranties of three years or less.
• Purchase protection: Coverage for damage or theft of purchases made on your card for 120 days from the date of purchase, up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Lost luggage reimbursement: Get up to $3,000 in reimbursement for luggage that is lost or damaged by the carrier.
• Baggage delay insurance: Reimburses up to $100 per day for three days for essentials like clothes and toiletries when your luggage is delayed by more than six hours.
• Auto rental collision damage waiver: Receive reimbursement for covered theft and damage to eligible rental cars when you decline the rental agency’s damage waiver and pay for the reservation with your British Airways Visa Signature® Card. This coverage is secondary when traveling within your country of residence and pays out after any primary insurance. If you’re traveling outside of your country of residence or don’t have insurance, this coverage is primary.

Interest Rates

• APR on purchases: 21.49%-28.49% Variable

Fees

• Annual fee: $95
• Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: $0

British Airways Visa Signature® Card vs. Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®*

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* is a comparable option due to the relationship held between British Airways and American Airlines. The points earned in either program may be used to book available award tickets on airlines that are a part of the Oneworld airline alliance.

The AAdvantage Platinum Select comes with a solid welcome bonus: 50,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. The annual fee is $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99 and the card comes with a free first checked bag for you and up to four companions while traveling domestically on American Airlines. Cardholders will earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, restaurants and gas stations and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases. This card does not charge a foreign transaction fee, making it a good choice for international use.

British Airways Visa Signature® Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card*

One of the weaknesses of airline or hotel-branded credit cards is having the points, or Avios in this case, locked into just one travel program. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card* however earns rewards that can be used to book travel on any airline or with any hotel you like.

Here’s what Sapphire Preferred cardholders can do with Ultimate Rewards® points that they cannot do with Avios:

• Redeem as a statement credit on your account, so 10,000 points equals a $100 statement credit.
• Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel booked through Chase Travel℠, so 10,000 points equals $125 towards travel.
• 1:1 point transfer with many airlines and hotel partners including United, Southwest, British Airways, Hyatt, Marriott and more.

It has a similar annual fee ($95), but cardholders will earn 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.

British Airways Visa Signature® Card vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Another card to consider is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. Cardholders will earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar spent on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25 and an unlimited 2 miles per dollar spent on other purchases. New cardholders are also eligible for a welcome offer: 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. The annual fee is $95 (rates & fees). As with the other cards mentioned, there is no foreign transaction fee.

Venture miles act as a way to cover eligible travel charges which include flights and hotel purchases. You can also transfer miles to multiple travel loyalty programs which include British Airways, Aeromexico and Air Canada. There is also a credit of up to $100 available to cover your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee.

The British Airways Visa Signature Card is a niche card, but it can be an incredibly valuable card for the right person. It offers bonus Avios when spending in specific travel-related categories and partner airlines open up a large network of award redemption options. With no foreign transaction fees, the card is a good fit when traveling internationally.

Overall, if you’re able to meet the high welcome bonus requirements and fly frequently on Avios partner airlines, this card is worth considering.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points or miles
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

Read more: How Forbes Advisor Rates Credit Cards