British Airways & American Express Turn 25: Here's What's in It for You

Twenty-five years is a long time in the loyalty game. British Airways and American Express have just announced the start of their 25th anniversary celebrations — and to kick things off, there's a 25% bonus Avios offer for existing cardmembers. If you hold one of the British Airways American Express cards, it's worth logging in and grabbing this one sharpish — it's capped at 200,000 cardmembers per card.

Here's everything you need to know about the offer, who qualifies, and — perhaps the bigger news buried at the bottom of the press release — what's coming in April 2026 for Premium Plus cardmembers.

Both the British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card and the standard British Airways American Express® Credit Card are included, but with different spend thresholds and bonus amounts. The offers are only available to existing cardmembers who save the offer to their account — you'll need to actively enrol, it won't be automatically applied.

Spend £4,000 by 8 April 2026 after enrolling in the offer, and you'll collect an additional 1,500 bonus Avios. That's a 25% bonus on top of the base earn rate of 1.5 Avios per £1 (so 375 Avios × 4 = 1,500 — the maths checks out).

One thing worth flagging: the 25% bonus is only calculated on the base earn rate of 1.5 Avios per £1, not on the enhanced 3 Avios per £1 you get when spending with British Airways or British Airways Holidays. So if you're planning a big BA booking, don't expect the bonus to apply to that portion at the higher rate.

The Premium Plus card has an annual fee of £300 and a representative APR of 135.7% variable. Terms apply.

Spend £2,000 by 8 April 2026 and you'll receive 500 bonus Avios — a 25% bonus on the standard 1 Avios per £1 earn rate. This card has no annual fee, making the offer a genuinely straightforward win if £2,000 in regular spending is achievable in the time available.

Representative APR: 29.1% variable. Terms apply.

You'll need to save the offer to your Card Account through the American Express website or app. Once saved, you just need to spend the qualifying amount before 8 April 2026. The bonus Avios should appear on your statement within 30 days of an eligible transaction, though it can occasionally take a little longer.

Worth noting: the offer is capped at the first 200,000 cardmembers to enrol on each card. Given the popularity of these cards, I wouldn't leave it too long.

In isolation, 1,500 Avios or 500 Avios isn't going to change your life — but this is really a "if you're going to spend the money anyway" situation. If £4,000 in the next six weeks or so is within your normal spend, there's no reason not to enrol. Free Avios are free Avios.

To put it in context, 1,500 Avios could contribute nicely towards a short-haul redemption. For reference, a one-way off-peak European flight from London starts from 9,250 Avios — so this bonus isn't enormous, but it's a welcome top-up. You can use our Avios flight cost tool to see how far your Avios will take you.

The bigger story, though, is what comes next throughout the year. American Express and BA have promised more anniversary offers and exclusive prizes — including millions of bonus Avios to be awarded. So this may just be the start of something more interesting.

Buried in the press release is something I think deserves its own spotlight. From April 2026, British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Cardmembers will have another opportunity to earn tier points on their everyday spend. The details are thin on the ground for now — BA and Amex say more will be confirmed — but this is potentially significant for anyone trying to reach or maintain BA Silver or Gold status.

We've covered the existing link between Amex spend and tier points before, and any expansion of that earning will be welcome. I'll be keeping a close eye on what exactly is announced and will cover it fully when the details drop.

If you're working towards a tier points target, our BA Tier Point Calculator is handy for keeping track.

The 25% bonus offer is for existing cardmembers, but if you don't yet hold one of these cards, the welcome bonuses are still available:

New British Airways American Express® Premium Plus cardmembers can collect 30,000 bonus Avios when spending £6,000 in their first three months. This is available if you haven't held a personal British Airways American Express card in the previous 24 months.

New British Airways American Express® Credit Card applicants can collect 5,000 bonus Avios when spending £2,000 in their first three months. Note that eligibility here is broader — you can't have held any personal American Express card in the previous 24 months.

You can check your eligibility and apply for these cards via our American Express referral link. We also have a dedicated Amex welcome bonus eligibility tool which can help you work out which cards you can currently receive a welcome bonus on.

Twenty-five years is a genuine milestone. The BA Amex cards are, to many UK Avios collectors, the foundation of the whole operation — they're often the first card people get, and the Companion Voucher alone makes the Premium Plus worth it for many frequent flyers.

The 25% bonus itself is modest — I'll be honest, 1,500 Avios for £4,000 of spend is a nice gesture rather than a game-changer. But the promise of more offers throughout 2026, including millions of bonus Avios to be awarded in prizes, is intriguing. And the tier points on everyday spend announcement for April 2026 could end up being the most meaningful development of the lot.

For now: if you're an existing cardmember, save the offer to your account and spend normally. There's nothing to lose.

I'll be covering any further anniversary offers as they're announced throughout the year — follow us on Instagram to stay in the loop, or check our full guide to the best Avios-earning credit cards in the UK if you're wondering how the BA Amex cards stack up against the alternatives.

Jack