Card review · earns Avios
British Airways American Express
The British Airways American Express is where most UK Avios journeys begin, and for good reason: it carries no annual fee, so it costs nothing to hold while it quietly earns Avios on your everyday spending. It won't be the most powerful card in anyone's wallet, but as a first card — or as a no-cost complement to a better one — it does an honest job.
Who this card suits
This is the card for the newcomer who wants to start earning Avios without committing any money, and for the occasional British Airways flyer who'd like a slow, cost-free drip of points. Because there's no annual fee, there's no pressure to 'justify' it — you can hold it indefinitely and let it accumulate. It also introduces you to the Companion Voucher, British Airways' two-for-one reward mechanism, at a spending threshold that rewards steady use.
How it earns
The card earns Avios directly on your spending, with a welcome bonus for new cardholders who meet an initial spend requirement. The earn rate and bonus figures are shown in the box above and should always be checked against American Express's current terms, as they change. The key point is that the earning is straightforward: spend, earn Avios, repeat — no categories to track, no games to play.
The Companion Voucher
The headline feature is the Companion Voucher: hit a defined annual spend and you earn a voucher that lets a second person fly on the same Avios reward booking, effectively halving the Avios cost of travelling as a pair. For couples and families who reliably reach the threshold, this is where the real value sits — often worth far more than the raw Avios earned.
What to weigh before applying
The no-fee version earns more slowly and asks a higher spend for its Companion Voucher than its paid sibling. If you spend enough to comfortably clear the paid card's threshold, that card may earn its keep several times over. But if you're starting out, or unsure, beginning here costs you nothing and teaches you the ropes. As with any credit card, only apply if you'll clear the balance in full each month — carried interest destroys any reward many times over.