Avios Points Boosting guide discussion
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Companion Vouchers with Avios are a really good thing, they are usually attached to a card for which you have to pay a annual fee. Last time I did this I just cancelledmy AmExand got a different amex 6m later to get the "welcome bonus" but this time when I went to cancel my BA AmEx card to avoid the £195 fee I was told I'd lose my companion voucher.
Has anyoe else had this issue and are there any fixes?0 -
You can just downgrade to the free version of the card and keep the companion voucher0
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Companion Vouchers with Avios are a really good thing, they are usually attached to a card for which you have to pay a annual fee. Last time I did this I just cancelledmy AmExand got a different amex 6m later to get the "welcome bonus" but this time when I went to cancel my BA AmEx card to avoid the £195 fee I was told I'd lose my companion voucher.
Has anyoe else had this issue and are there any fixes?
This comes up regularly over on https://www.headforpoints.com
Amex staff will tell you that you will lose the voucher, but there are no known instances of this ever happening.
But you must pay the redemption fees with an Amex card w when you redeem the voucher, so downgrading to the free BA Amex, as sheepworrier suggests, is the sensible option. This also allows you to upgrade again to the paid card as you approach £10k spend in your next year. Spend made on the free card counts towards the £10k target when you upgrade again.
Given also that the BA Amex card is going to be withdrawn at some stage, it makes sense to keep it. One Avios per £ spent on a free card is a good return. Amex is likely to stop issuing new BA cards some time before closing those already in use.0 -
This comes up regularly over on https://www.headforpoints.com
Amex staff will tell you that you will lose the voucher, but there are no known instances of this ever happening.
But you must pay the redemption fees with an Amex card w when you redeem the voucher, so downgrading to the free BA Amex, as sheepworrier suggests, is the sensible option. This also allows you to upgrade again to the paid card as you approach £10k spend in your next year. Spend made on the free card counts towards the £10k target when you upgrade again.
Given also that the BA Amex card is going to be withdrawn at some stage, it makes sense to keep it. One Avios per £ spent on a free card is a good return. Amex is likely to stop issuing new BA cards some time before closing those already in use.
Where did you hear they are closing the BA card ? It’s been great for my 2-4-1 over the years.Legal team on standby0 -
Nick_C is spot on about it being ok to cancel your card, so long as you pay with an Amex when you come to redeem your Avios. I've previously used my wife's card on which I'm a second user.
The only hint I've ever seen about the eventual withdrawal of the BA card was some conjecture on HeadForPoints.com, as Amex are only able to charge the 0.3% interchange rate for their branded cards, such as BA, SPG and Nectar, whereas with Amex's own cards they get a higher rate (which is also why some retailers and HMRC don't take Amex). Of course with the dreaded Brexit that might change.0 -
Where did you hear they are closing the BA card ? It’s been great for my 2-4-1 over the years.
Its only speculation. Summarised here.
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cardsloans/article-5385687/American-Express-British-Airways-Avios-cards-risk.html
But unless you plan to get rid of all your Amex cards for two years to get more sign up bonuses, then I don't think it's wise to get rid of the free BA Amex. If it does get phased out, it may be closed to new applicants without notice while existing cardholders get a transition period.
Look at Lloyd's. They started closing their Amex accounts a year ago, but honoured the upgrade voucher earning opportunity (I had until Jan 2020 to earn my final Lloyd's voucher).
I would also hope that if Amex stop offering the BA cards, they may come up with a new incentive for existing card holders which will not be available for new customers. Again, comparing this to the way Lloyd's dealt with the Amex contract ending, I now have a Mastercard which earns me 0.5 Avios for every pound spent. This card is not offered to new customers.0 -
Please note this is a scam. When you try to complete your first survey for the 600 Avios points offer it less you get right to the end and then crashes meaning you don't get the points (but I'm betting they get your data!). MSE should investigate and/or remove this 'tip' from the article.0
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