Getting to Know the British Airways Visa Signature®
With the British Airways Visa Signature® Card from Chase, you’ll be in for a smooth flight no matter your destination. Chase tailors this card for frequent travelers who want to maximize their earnings. The card allows you to step up your travel game while earning excellent rewards as you fly towards travel savings.
How It Works
Cardholders can expect the following from the British Airways Visa Signature®:
How to Earn Rewards:
Fly with British Airways: The fastest way to earn miles with the British Airways Visa Signature® Card is by flying British Airways. Cardholders who spend with British Airways will earn 3 Avios for every $1 spent with the airline. As with other credit cards from Avios carriers, the offer of triple points also extends to both Iberia and Aer Lingus – a great feature.
Hotel Stays: Cardholders also earn double points when using their card to book hotel stays, as well as additional Avios points when booking stays with select British Airways and Avios hotel aprtners, including Best Western, Melia, Agoda, and more.
Trip.com: Cardholders will earn 2 Avios for every euro spent when they book a hotel through trip.com, which is a travel agency that books rooms with more than 1.2 million hotels in over 200 countries.
Make Everyday Purchases: Every other dollar spent on purchases earns a single Avios point.
Rewards Expiration: Avios expire after 36 months of inactivity on the account.
How to Redeem Miles:
Travel: Once you’ve earned rewards towards that dream trip you’ve been planning, you’re ready to redeem them. Avios earned with the British Airways Visa Signature® Card can be redeemed to book or upgrade travel on British Airways and more than 13 airline partners; the sky is the limit! Rewards can be used to save on flights, towards seat upgrades, and more.
Hotels: Avios can be used towards hotel stays at your destination, and to upgrade existing reservations, too.
Cars and Experiences: Avios can be used to rent a car or book a cruise or vacation package in addition to the travel benefits detailed above. Not only that, but Avis offers special rates on the cars in its fleet for Iberia Visa Signature® Card cardholders. You’ll enjoy discounts, a free additional driver, and you’ll even earn Avios with each car hire that can be redeemed for more travel later.
Buy, Gift or Transfer: Cardholders can swap Avios for flights; they also have the option to gift Avios or transfer their Avios to whoever they’d like, even if they are not a cardholder. Gifted or transferred Avios can be swapped for flights, too.
Transfer Points: If the options above aren’t enough, you have even more flexibility – transfer points to use with a participating loyalty program and redeem your rewards your way.
Today’s Bonus Offer
The British Airways Visa Signature® Card comes with an extremely generous introductory bonus offer. Cardholders have the potential to earn 100,000 bonus Avios points during the first year their account is open. When you spend up to $30,000 on everyday purchases in that first year, you’ll earn at a special introductory bonus rate of 4 Avios per $1 spent, on purchases up to $30,000 during that calendar year. Once you reach the $30,000 limit, you’ll still earn unlimited rewards, but it will revert to the regular rate of 3 Avios per $1 spent with British Airways, and 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases. Note that this offer is only available to you if you do not already have this card and have not received a new card member bonus for this card in the past 24 months.
The Plane Facts
Can you expect a smooth flight from the British Airways Visa Signature® Card, or will there be turbulence?
Annual Fee: The British Airways Visa Signature® Card features an annual fee of $95, which actually quite reasonable given the introductory bonus offer, as well as the points-earning potential of the card.
Airline and Airport Perks:
British Airlines Flight Discounts: Cardholders will enjoy a 10% discount on British Airways flights when purchasing using the website in their welcome materials after account approval.
British Airways Executive Club: You’ll automatically be enrolled in the most basic tier of the British Airways Executive Club program, if you’re not already a member when you are approved for the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.
Airport Lounge Access: British Airways Visa Signature® cardholders will gain access to over 30 dedicated British Airways lounges and more than 100 additional partner lounges across the world, thanks to their British Airways Executive Club membership. Lounge access varies by lounge type and may be subject to capacity limits.
Cabin Upgrades: Cardholders can use Avios earned with their British Airways Visa Signature® Card to upgrade their cabin class. When an Economy class ticket is purchased, you can use the Avios you have accrued to upgrade to business class. This is subject to availability.
Travel Together Ticket: British Airways Visa Signature® Card cardholders can earn a Travel Together Ticket each calendar year that they make $30,000 in purchases with their new credit card. The Travel Together ticket gives you a second seat on the same flight and in the same cabin that you are flying in, when you book a reward flight on a British Airways mainline flight that originates in and returns to the United States. This Travel Together Ticket is valid for two years when you redeem Avios for a flight on British Airways. Additional fees do apply, but all you’ll pay is taxes, fees, and extra charges (like baggage fees).
Cardholder Protections:
Zero Fraud Liability Protection: Complete protection. Visa cardholders never have to worry about unauthorized use of their card thanks to Visa’s Zero Liability. This means they’ll pay $0 for any transactions that are reported as unauthorized or fraudulent.
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Rent without fear of damage. Renting a car makes traveling much easier. And when using the card to pay for the entire rental and declining extra coverage, cardholders are covered for damage or theft. Some exclusions and restrictions may apply.
Roadside Dispatch®: Visa cardholders will benefit from Roadside Dispatch®, which is a pay-per-use roadside program offering help with breakdowns, flat tires, or any other incidents.
Extended Warranties: Using the card for purchases can add up to two extra years added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. This only applies to eligible purchases with U.S. manufacturer warranties.
Additional Benefits:
Visa Concierge Service: Cardholders also have 24/7 access to Visa’s Concierge service. This provides assistance with travel, entertainment, dining, and other activities and reservations.
Contactless payments
No foreign transaction fees
The Perks That Make the British Airways Visa Signature® Worthwhile:
What are some of the pros that set this card ahead of the rest?
An Excellent Introductory Bonus Offer: Earn up to 100,000 Avios after meeting spending requirements within the first year.
Earn Rewards with Partner Airlines: Avios are transferable for any of British Airways’ network of partners. British Airways currently features five partner airlines with Avios. That number climbs to 13 when you consider Iberia’s membership in the Oneworld airline alliance.
Additional Redemption Options: Cardholders can redeem the Aviowith hundreds of retail, hotel, and car service partners. When it comes to redeeming the points you’ve accumulated with your card, the sky is the limit.
Potential Turbulence with the British Airways Visa Signature®:
What are some cons that take the wind from under this card’s wings?
Annual Fee: The annual fee of $95 is higher than some other offers on the market. It’s not sky-high, however, side-by-side with cards like the Delta Reserve®. If you’re in the market for a card that has no annual fees, you may want to look elsewhere. Remember, however, that the rewards you can earn with this great travel card will easily offset a nominal annual fee.
Spending Requirements for Sign-Up Bonus: You need to spend big to earn big. One of the biggest issues with Avios cards is the high spending required to achieve initial bonuses. $3,000 in spending within the first three months to get 50,000 Avios isn’t excessive. That said, $20,000 in spending for the next 50,000 Avios is something very few are likely to reach.
Blackout Dates: Blackout dates may apply when you redeem Avios towards flights with British Airways and its partner carriers, so you’ll need to plan accordingly when using points to purchase air travel.
Thoughts Before Takeoff
This is your Captain speaking. The British Airways Visa Signature card is an excellent airline rewards card from Chase Bank. The $95 annual fee may seem excessive for those who prefer a no annual fee airline card. For those willing to shell out the &95, however, there’s plenty to love about this card. 100,000 Avios is the star attraction, but it is the steady earning that’s certain to keep cardholders happy. Add the usual r Visa Signature perks and this is a card that is certainly ready for takeoff.