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American Express credit card review: British Airways Premium Plus

Stop Press! The British Airways Premium Plus credit card is currently offering 18,000 BA Miles when you spend £3,000 within the first 3 months.

THE British Airways premium plus credit card offers a fantastic travel rewards program with a greater flyer miles earning potential.

With the British Airways premium plus credit card you'll earn 1.5 BA miles for each £1 spent in purchases.

As a Premium Plus cardholder you'll also earn double miles when you fly with British Airways and you'll be rewarded with 18,000 bonus BA miles when you spend £3,000 or more within the first 3 months.

18,000 BA miles is a seriously substantial amount of BA miles. To put that into perspective, the previous offer of 6,000 bonus BA Miles was enough for your first free flight!

The BA miles you earn with this credit card can be redeemed for flights on British Airways and their partner airlines, including American Airlines, Aer Lingus, Cathay Pacific, Lan, Qantus, SN Brussels Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Japan Airlines. You'll also be rewarded with a free companion ticket if you've spent £10,000 on purchases within 12 months when you redeemed your BA miles for a flight.

Executive Club Membership

When you take out a British Airways premium plus credit card you'll also become a British Airways Executive Club member, which offers access to priority check-in services, airport lounges and exclusive reward flights.

American Express cardholder services

The British Airways premium plus credit card also comes with all the exclusive member services American Express offers. Helping to keep you, your money and your purchases safe you'll be protected by free services including purchase protection, refund protection, an internet fraud guarantee and a range of travel services and insurances.

Interest Rates and Fees
		Notes..
Typical APR	46% APR (variable)	The APR includes the annual fee, which inflates the APR to be higher than the actual interest rate charged on purchases. The typical APR is the rate most people are offered.
Balance Transfers	n/a
Balance Transfer Fee	None
Cash Withdrawal Rate	27.9% p.a. (variable)	You can only make cash withdrawals equal to 20% of your available credit limit, and you can only draw up to £400 cash in any 7 day period.
Cash Withdrawal Fee	3% (£3 minimum)
Annual Fee	£150	-
Foreign Transaction Fee	2.99%	This fee will be charged if you make a purchase or cash withdrawal in a foreign currency.

Rewards
		Notes..
Reward #1	1.5 BA Miles for each £1 spent	BA Miles remain valid as long as you continue to earn or redeem them.
Reward #2	18,000 Bonus BA Miles	Get 18,000 bonus BA Miles when you spend £3,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
Reward #3	Double BA Miles with BA	Spend with British Airways or British Airways Holidays and earn double BA miles.
Reward #4	BA Companion Ticket	If you have spent over £10,000 on your card within 12 months and you redeem your BA miles for a British Airways flight, you will also receive a free companion ticket.

Cardholder Services & Extras
Online Account Management		You can log in to the American Express web site and manage your American Express Platinum Cashback credit card account online. - Optional Paperless Statements - SMS & E-mail Alerts: Register for "Card Alerts" and choose to recieve updates by SMS text message to your mobile phone or e-mail relating to your American Express Platinum Cashback credit card account. Notification information includes: - Account balance - Confirmation of payments - Advance notification of nearing your credit limit - Advance notification of due payments - Notification of missed payments.
Fraud Guarantee		You will not be held responsible for any unauthorised charges.
Fraud Monitoring		Secure System American Express will monitor your account for any suspicious transactions and notify you as soon as possible to check if it's fraudulent or not.
Identity Protection
Purchase Protection Insurance		Up to £2,500 per claim Purchases made with this card will be protection against theft or accidental damage for 90 days after the purchase date. - Up to £20,000 in any 365 day period. - £50 excess applies. - Please note exclusions and limitations apply.
Purchase Delivery Insurance		Mail order items are not excluded from the 'Purchase Protection Insurance' policy.
Purchase In-Transit Insurance		As part of the 'Purchase Protection Insurance' policy.
Refund Protection Insurance		Up to £200 per item, up to £750 per year Purchases of brand new items, costing between £25 and £200, will be covered in the event that you return an unused eligible item to the retailer, within 90 days of purchase and the retailer will not refund you. - Items must be paid for entirely with the American Express Platinum Cashback credit card. - Please note exclusions apply.
Comprehensive Travel Insurance
Travel Accident Insurance		Up to £250,000 Travel accident insurance covers you against serious injury and death when you buy your travel tickets with this card. It is not an adequate substitute for a comprehensive travel insurance policy.
Travel Inconvenience Insurance		Delayed & cancelled flights, denied boarding, luggage delay & loss Level of cover: - Up to £200 for delayed & cancelled flights - Up to a further £400 for delays of more than 6 hours or past 10pm - Up to £200 for denied boarding - Up to £200 for a missed connection - Up to £750 for luggage delay (exc. homeward flights) - Up to an additional £1000 for luggage loss (exc. homeward flights) Exclusions and limitations apply, including: - No more than 5 claims in any one 365 day period - No more than 3 luggage claims in any one 365 day period
Assistance Abroad		Global Assist Emergency medical and legal help when travelling abroad.
Emergency Card Replacement		If your card is ever lost, damaged or stolen, American Express will get an emergency replacement card to you almost anywhere in the world. Emergency cash advances are also available.
Airport Lounge Access		This service is available on higher tiers of the British Airways Executive Club - it won't automatically be available as soon as you join. You'll be able to move up through the membership tiers by earning Tier Points which are awarded for flying on BA and partner airlines.
Priority Check-In		This service is available on higher tiers of the British Airways Executive Club - it won't automatically be available as soon as you join. You'll be able to move up through the membership tiers by earning Tier Points which are awarded for flying on BA and partner airlines.
Other Extras	» 24 hour customer service. » Chip & PIN.
Optional Extras	These are extras that you can choose, but you will have to pay for them. » Repayment protection.

Payments & Payment Details
		Notes..
Credit Limit	£700 minimum	Maximum credit limit is subject to status.
Interest Free Period	Up to 56 days	For purchases if you pay your balance in full and on time. There is no interest free period for balance transfers or cash advances.
Minimum Monthly Payment	2.5% (£5 minimum)	The minimum monthly payment is the smallest amount you must pay each month (unless your credit card balance is zero).
Allocation of Payments	Interest » Insurance Premiums » Fees & Charges » Promotional Purchases & Balance Transfers » Purchases » Cash Advances	You have to clear outstanding statement transactions in this order. This means you have to repay all interest, fees and charges *before* you can repay any promotional purchases or balance transfers, and then you must clear these *before* you can repay any standard purchases, which must be cleared before you can repay any cash withdrawals.
Default Charges	£12	This is how much you will be charged for late payments, returned payments and if you go over your credit limit.
Copy of Statement Fee	£2	This is the fee you will be charged for duplicate statements.

Card Details
		Notes..
Online Application	Yes: Instant Decision	Get a decision in 60 seconds when you apply online. Remember: always ensure you meet the application requirements before applying, as getting rejected can affect your credit score.
Card Type	Platinum	You will need to satisfy the approval criteria (see online application) and have a good credit rating to qualify for this card.
Payment Company	American Express	The company who provides the payment technology and infrastructure to allow you to use this credit card. Retailers and ATM machines displaying the 'American Express' logo will accept this credit card.
Card Issuer	American Express	The bank who issues this credit card. American Express Services Europe Limited Portland House Stag Place London SW1E 5BZ
Card Advertiser	American Express British Airways	The company who advertises and promotes this credit card.

Review Continued...

The British Airways premium plus credit card offers the chance to earn free flights with British Airways and partner airlines, and as the 'premium plus' credit card, you'll be on your way to a free flight quicker with extended earnings per pound.

As an American Express credit card, the British Airways premium plus credit card comes with a range of exclusive member services to help keep you, your money and your purchases safe. Making this a credit card to carry proudly at front place in your wallet.

Earning British Airways air miles

With the British Airways premium plus credit card you will earn 1.5 BA miles for virtually every £1. You will also be able to earn double BA miles when you fly with British Airways.

If you apply before the 19th July 2010 and spend at least £3,000 within the first 3 months of account opening you'll be issued with 18,000 bonus BA Miles, which is a substantial number of miles considering the previous offer of 6,000 miles was enough for your first free flight!

Using British Airways air miles

The BA air miles you earn with the British Airways premium plus credit card can be redeemed for free flights on British Airways and their partner airlines too, you can even choose to pay part cash and part BA miles.

British Airways partner airlines include American Airlines, Aer Lingus, Cathay Pacific, Lan, Qantus, SN Brussels Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Japan Airlines.

When you redeem your BA miles for a flight, if you have spent £10,000 within 12 months on purchases with the British Airways premium plus credit card, you'll also receive a free companion ticket for the same flight.

American Express travel services and insurances

The British Airways premium plus credit card can be the perfect travelling companion, not just for allowing you to earn free flights, but also because of all the free services and insurances this card brings.

When travelling, if the worst happens, you can rest assured in the knowledge that American Express will be on hand to help you out. The British Airways premium plus credit card offers all it's cardholder free insurances including travel inconvenience insurance - to help in the case of lost or delayed luggage, flight delays and denied boardings, just as long as you pay for your flight with the British Airways premium plus credit card. You'll also get up to £250,000 travel accident insurance when you pay for your trip with this card.

The British Airways premium plus credit card also offers Global Assist, which offers emergency medical and legal help whilst abroad. There is also an emergency card replacement service if you ever lose your British Airways premium plus credit card.

Keeping your purchases and your money safe

Using the British Airways premium plus credit card for purchases couldn't be safer with up to £20,000 purchase protection against stolen or damaged purchases within 90 days. You will also be able to benefit from refund protection, which will refund any unused eligible items if the retailer refuses a refund.

You can shop online without worry of fraud, as the British Airways premium plus credit card offers an internet fraud guarantee, that promises to not hold you liable if your card number is used fraudulently without your knowledge or consent.

Applying for the British Airways premium plus credit card

You can apply online for the British Airways premium plus credit card, the application form is quick and easy to fill out and it's securely encrypted too, so only American Express can read your information.

To be considered for a British Airways premium plus credit card you will need to be aged 18 or over, UK resident, hold a current bank or building society account and have a household income of at least £30,000. Your household income is your income plus your partner's income. You will also be required to have no County Court Judgements for non-payment of debt, and if you are self-employed that you have been trading for over 1 year.

To apply online, you can click the link below or use the 'apply now' button at the top of this page, both will take you to the American Express web site where you can apply securely online for the British Airways premium plus credit card.

Apply Online for British Airways Premium Plus credit card »