HELLLLLP!!! Best Air miles or Avios card

DpchMd

chattychappy wrote: »

BMI is, of course, being dissolved into BA. I burnt most of my Diamond Club miles a few weeks ago.

You can transfer them to BA Exec Club.

DpchMd

Penelopa.Pitstop wrote: »

BMI Amex gives 1.5 for every £ spent. It's better than VISA. Anyway, you get them both when you apply.

Amex Gold Rewards, very good for miles, first year free. Yo can get 20K miles when you spend £2000 in first three months. Double miles for supermarket, fuel, travel spend. Also Gold Amex was awarding me triple miles for travel, some error in their system.

BMI Amex - 20K miles if you spend £500 in first free months and points are awared with first statement after spending total of £500.

So I guess it would be good to apply for BMI Amex to get 20K miles and then for Gold Rewards if you are able to spend £2000 in 3 months.

You have to spend £250 on the BMI card, not £500.

http://www.flybmi.com/bmi/en-gb/loyalty-programmes/bmi-credit-card-account/bmi-credit-card-account.aspx

Danp_2

Guys, thanks so much for this, this is the kind of knowledge you don't get on comparison sites!

chattychappy

DpchMd wrote: »

You can transfer them to BA Exec Club.

Yep correct. In my case I considered I could do more with them via the Star Alliance miles+cash offer (which has now finished).

I'll transfer the rest in due course. Just wish to alert the OP that Diamond Club is on its last legs.

DpchMd

chattychappy wrote: »

Yep correct. In my case I considered I could do more with them via the Star Alliance miles+cash offer (which has now finished).

I'll transfer the rest in due course. Just wish to alert the OP that Diamond Club is on its last legs.

The best thing about the BMI card is you can still get 20k bonus miles for spending 250 quid. You can then convert them to BA Exec Avios at a 1:1 ratio.

Diamond club will definitely be phased out eventually, and the BMI cards will no doubt be scrapped, but it's definitely worth taking advantage of them while they're still there.

chattychappy

Yep, good point.

Indeed I took the 20K bonus a few years back. Combined with some Singapore Airlines flying, I got some great rewards. I'll miss Diamond Club.

Danp_2

If it helps, I'll be spending about £2.5k/ month on the card?

DpchMd

Danp wrote: »

If it helps, I'll be spending about £2.5k/ month on the card?

In my opinion the most valuable reward of all is the 2-4-1 companion voucher provided by the BA Amex cards.

This will entitle you to a second free ticket for a companion if you book a reward flight.

The free BA Amex requires a spend of 20kpa, the paid-for BA Amex (plus) requires 10kpa.

You qualify for either of these so review the benefits of each card and make your choice.

pingles

I've been looking into this myself, and ended up looking at the BA Premium Plus Amex and the Virgin Atlantic Black from MBNA:

The Amex BA Premium Plus would net you:

£2500/mo * 12 = £30,000/yr = 45,000 Avios/year. (assuming you're not spending money with BA, if you were you'd earn more). You can also add 18,000 bonus miles for the first year so a total of ~63000 avios.

In addition, given you're spending more than £10,000 a year you'd also earn a companion voucher. I'm not sure but I think you have to redeem this on flights purchased with avios (you'd still pay taxes).

Alternatively, with the Virgin Atlantic Black Credit Card you'd earn 60,000 flying club miles and with spend over £7500 you earn a companion voucher (again, assumes you're using the Amex card). Unlike the BA card it looks like you can pay for the flight (so you don't have to use points) but it lists applicable ticket fares and restrictions so it may be tougher to use. Again you'd be paying taxes.

silvercar

In addition, given you're spending more than £10,000 a year you'd also earn a companion voucher. I'm not sure but I think you have to redeem this on flights purchased with avios (you'd still pay taxes).

Correct. Redeem the companion voucher only on flights paid for with avios and you pay the taxes on both seats.

Companion vouchers are valid for 12 months on the free card and 24 months on the paid-for card.