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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThere is no single best card for earning Avios. UK applicants choosing between British Airways American Express and Barclaycard products should weigh the earning rate against the annual or monthly fee, voucher threshold and whether they can use reward seats. US applicants need a separate comparison: the Chase British Airways Visa Signature earns by spending category and has different eligibility and offer terms. The right choice is the card whose benefits match your realistic flights, not the card with the largest headline bonus.
The best Avios card depends on where you live and how you spend
Avios cards are country-specific products. UK cards use pounds, have UK eligibility rules and offer British Airways-related vouchers. The Chase product discussed here is a US credit card, uses dollars and requires a US address on the applicant’s British Airways Club account. Do not assume that a card, welcome offer or fee listed for one country is available in another.
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- Best no-monthly-fee UK option: Barclaycard Avios earns 1 Avios per eligible £1 and offers a voucher-or-7,000-Avios choice after £20,000 of spending in 12 months.
- Best UK rate when the fee and threshold fit: Barclaycard Avios Plus earns 1.5 Avios per eligible £1 for a £20 monthly fee and reaches its voucher-or-7,000-Avios choice at £10,000 in 12 months.
- Best for a BA companion benefit: British Airways American Express Premium Plus earns 1.25 Avios per eligible £1, charges £300 annually and awards a Companion Voucher after £15,000 in a cardmembership year.
- Best simple UK starter card: the basic British Airways American Express card earns 1 Avios per £1 with no annual fee shown on the listing, subject to its exclusions and approval requirements.
- Best US category earner: Chase British Airways Visa Signature pays 3 Avios per dollar on eligible flights bought directly from British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and LEVEL; 2 per dollar on hotel accommodation bought directly from a hotel; and 1 per dollar elsewhere.
Reward flights remain subject to seat availability, and taxes, fees and carrier charges can apply. Compare the card with the trips you are actually likely to book rather than assigning Avios a universal cash value.
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| Card | Earn rate | Fee | Voucher benefit and threshold | Welcome offer listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Airways American Express | 1 Avios per eligible £1 | No annual fee shown on the Avios listing | No voucher detail stated on the listing | Offer terms vary; check the issuer before applying |
| British Airways American Express Premium Plus | 1.25 Avios per eligible £1 | £300 annual fee | Companion Voucher after £15,000 in each cardmembership year | 60,000 Avios after £6,000 in three months was advertised only for applications by 6 October 2026; that deadline had passed by 13 October 2026 |
| Barclaycard Avios | 1 Avios per eligible £1 | No monthly fee | At £20,000 in 12 months, choose a BA cabin-upgrade voucher for an Avios Reward Flight or 7,000 bonus Avios | 5,000 Avios after £1,000 in the first three months, subject to eligibility and terms |
| Barclaycard Avios Plus | 1.5 Avios per eligible £1 | £20 monthly fee | At £10,000 in 12 months, choose a BA cabin-upgrade voucher or 7,000 bonus Avios | 25,000 Avios after £3,000 in the first three months, subject to terms |
These are issuer product terms, not independent market averages. Rates, fees and offers can change, so open the linked product page immediately before an application.
#1 Best Overall
British Airways American Express cards
Basic British Airways American Express
The basic card earns 1 Avios for each eligible £1 spent. The Avios listing shows no annual fee and says applicants need a UK home address and a UK bank or building-society account, in addition to meeting approval criteria. Earning is not unlimited across every transaction: balance transfers, cash withdrawals, foreign exchange transactions, interest and fees are among the excluded categories listed by the issuer.
This card suits someone who wants a straightforward way to collect Avios without a stated annual fee and who can put enough ordinary, eligible spending through American Express. Before applying, check that the merchants you use accept American Express; the product page does not establish universal acceptance. Also check the current bonus, because the listing’s offer terms can change independently of the base earn rate.
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
Premium Plus currently earns 1.25 Avios per eligible £1 and carries a £300 annual fee. American Express says the rate changed from 1.5 to 1.25 Avios per pound on 7 October 2026. The card awards a Companion Voucher after £15,000 of spending in each cardmembership year.
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Premium Plus is not automatically better than a no-fee card. At £15,000 of annual eligible spend, its 1.25 rate produces 18,750 Avios before any welcome or promotional bonus; a 1-Avios-per-pound card would produce 15,000 on the same spend. The extra 3,750 Avios alone does not establish a £300 value. The fee decision should be based on the Companion Voucher and any other benefits you can actually use, with redemption costs included.
An enhanced welcome offer of 60,000 Avios after £6,000 in three months appeared on the Avios page, but applications had to be made by 6 October 2026. Because the research date was 13 October 2026, that promotion was no longer available. Treat any replacement offer as a new, time-limited term and verify it on the live issuer page.
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Barclaycard Avios cards
Barclaycard Avios: no monthly fee
The no-monthly-fee Barclaycard Avios card earns 1 Avios per eligible £1. A new-customer offer listed by Barclaycard provides 5,000 Avios after £1,000 of spending in the first three months, subject to eligibility and the full offer terms.
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Spend £20,000 within 12 months and Barclaycard gives a choice between a British Airways cabin-upgrade voucher for an Avios Reward Flight or 7,000 bonus Avios. This is a choice, not both benefits. A voucher can be valuable only when you can find an eligible reward booking and meet its restrictions; the bonus Avios are more flexible but still depend on reward-seat availability when you redeem.
Avios transfer to the linked British Airways Club account monthly. Barclaycard says qualifying purchases abroad can earn Avios provided you remain within your credit limit. That statement does not make the card a universal travel card: check exchange-rate and foreign-transaction terms separately, and avoid spending beyond what you can repay.
Barclaycard Avios Plus: higher rate for a monthly fee
Avios Plus earns 1.5 Avios per eligible £1 and charges £20 per month. Its listed welcome offer is 25,000 Avios after £3,000 in the first three months, subject to the issuer’s terms. The voucher threshold is lower than the no-fee version: £10,000 in 12 months earns a choice between a British Airways cabin-upgrade voucher and 7,000 bonus Avios.
The arithmetic makes the trade-off clear. Compared with a 1-Avios-per-pound card, Avios Plus adds 0.5 Avios per eligible pound. At £10,000 of annual eligible spend that is 5,000 extra Avios, while twelve months of the stated fee totals £240. There is no fixed Avios value that proves those extra points cover the fee, so the decision rests mainly on whether you can use the voucher, the welcome offer and the higher earn rate enough to justify £240 a year.
Avios Plus also advertises lounge access at a discounted £24 per pass. That is a discounted paid visit, not free included lounge entry. The representative APR is variable and customer-specific. Carrying a balance to earn points can cost more in interest than the rewards are worth; use the card only with a repayment plan that avoids that outcome.
The US Chase British Airways Visa Signature
Chase’s US card is a separate product from the UK cards. Chase lists 3 Avios per eligible dollar on flight purchases made directly with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and LEVEL, 2 Avios per dollar on hotel accommodation purchased directly with a hotel and 1 Avios per dollar on other purchases.
The Chase overview lists an offer of 75,000 Avios after $5,000 in purchases during the first three months, subject to eligibility and exclusions. Offer availability and the exact application-channel terms can change, so read the current offer before submitting an application. The British Airways offer terms require the applicant’s US address to be on the British Airways Club account. Avios transfer automatically after billing cycles under the stated terms.
This card is most compelling for a US-based traveller who regularly buys eligible flights directly from the named airlines or pays hotels directly and can meet the spending requirement without paying interest. Someone whose spending is mostly ordinary purchases receives 1 Avios per dollar, so the headline 3x rate should not be treated as an all-purpose earn rate.
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How voucher benefits really affect the choice
There are two different UK voucher designs. Premium Plus provides a Companion Voucher after £15,000 in a cardmembership year. Barclaycard’s cards provide a choice: after £20,000 on Barclaycard Avios or £10,000 on Avios Plus, select either a British Airways cabin-upgrade voucher for an Avios Reward Flight or 7,000 bonus Avios.
Before paying a fee for a voucher, check four practical points:
- Can you reach the threshold with normal spending? Do not manufacture spending or carry debt just to cross £10,000, £15,000 or £20,000.
- Will you book the eligible airlines and cabin? Premium Plus terms include British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus flights; Barclaycard describes a British Airways cabin-upgrade voucher for an Avios Reward Flight.
- Are reward seats available? Both issuer terms make availability a condition. A voucher has no guaranteed date or route.
- Can you pay the cash charges? Taxes, fees and carrier charges apply to reward bookings, including Companion Voucher bookings.
If you cannot answer yes to those questions, a lower-fee card with transferable Avios may be more practical even if its earn rate is lower.
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Welcome bonuses: treat the deadline and spend requirement as part of the deal
A welcome bonus is earned only after the specified spending and timing conditions are met. The UK Barclaycard offers listed here require £1,000 or £3,000 in the first three months. The Chase offer requires $5,000 in the first three months. Missing the deadline or failing an eligibility condition can leave you with only the ordinary earn rate.
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The 60,000-Avios Premium Plus promotion illustrates why old screenshots and comparison tables are unsafe: the stated application deadline was 6 October 2026, while the product information was checked on 13 October 2026. Always confirm the live bonus, qualifying transactions, annual or monthly fee and eligibility rules on the issuer page on the day you apply.
A decision process that avoids headline-rate mistakes
- Confirm your country and account eligibility. UK cards require the relevant UK residency and banking conditions; the Chase card is for the US market and ties the address requirement to the British Airways Club account.
- List your eligible annual spending. Separate ordinary purchases from excluded transactions such as cash withdrawals, balance transfers, interest and fees on the Amex listing. For Chase, identify direct airline and direct hotel purchases because those categories earn more.
- Calculate the recurring cost. Premium Plus lists £300 annually. Avios Plus costs £20 each month, or £240 over twelve months. Barclaycard Avios has no monthly fee, and the basic BA Amex listing shows no annual fee.
- Test the voucher threshold. Use only spending you would make anyway. Compare £10,000, £15,000 and £20,000 thresholds with your actual card budget.
- Check redemption plans. Look at likely routes, cabins and dates, then account for taxes, fees, carrier charges and the possibility that reward seats are unavailable.
- Apply only when the current offer is verified. Record the offer deadline and minimum spend shown on the application page; offers are volatile.
- Set up full-balance repayment. Rewards are not a reason to borrow. Variable APR and interest can overwhelm the value of Avios.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
Confusing earning rate with welcome bonus
A one-time bonus can be much larger than ordinary earning, but it does not change the card’s ongoing rate. Compare the recurring earn rate and fee after the introductory period.
Assuming every transaction earns
The BA Amex listing excludes balance transfers, cash withdrawals, foreign exchange, interest and fees. Other issuers define eligible purchases differently. Read the transaction exclusions before directing a large payment to a card.
Ignoring acceptance
A high rate is useful only where the card is accepted. Keep a backup payment method and estimate the share of your normal merchants that accept the network.
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A voucher is conditional on reward availability, eligible flights and the taxes and charges due. Model it against a booking you can realistically make rather than assigning it a universal price.
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Carrying a balance for points
Avios Plus has a variable, customer-specific representative APR, and every rewards card can become expensive when interest accrues. Pay according to the card’s terms and never increase borrowing merely to meet a bonus threshold.
Which card should you choose?
Choose basic British Airways American Express if…
You live in the UK, want a no-fee option as listed, spend mainly on eligible purchases and can use an American Express card at your regular merchants. Confirm the current offer and exclusions before applying.
Choose Premium Plus if…
You can put £15,000 of eligible annual spending through the card, expect to use the Companion Voucher on a qualifying reward booking and can justify a £300 annual fee after accounting for taxes, fees and availability.
Choose Barclaycard Avios if…
You prefer no monthly fee, want 1 Avios per eligible £1 and can either reach £20,000 in 12 months for the voucher-or-7,000-Avios choice or simply earn on everyday spending. Monthly transfer to the linked British Airways Club account is part of the product design.
Choose Barclaycard Avios Plus if…
You can reach £10,000 in 12 months, value the higher 1.5-Avios rate and are comfortable paying £20 every month. The £24 lounge price is discounted access, not a free lounge benefit.
Choose Chase British Airways Visa Signature if…
You are eligible in the US and your spending includes direct purchases from the named airlines or direct hotel bookings. The 75,000-Avios offer requires $5,000 in three months under the listed terms, so apply only if that spend is realistic without interest.
Sources and current-term checks
Product terms and rates can change. Review the official pages for the British Airways American Express cards, Premium Plus, Barclaycard Avios comparison, Barclaycard Avios Plus, Chase Avios overview and Chase Visa Signature offer terms immediately before applying. The broader Avios collection guide explains other ways to collect points.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
