What we think of it...

THE British Airways credit card from American Express is a boon for anyone with travel lust.

The credit card lets you earn a very generous 1 BA Mile for just about every pound you spend.

New cardholders will also be rewarded with 1,000 bonus BA miles with their first purchase.

At that rate, heavy spenders could easily bag themselves one or more free flights a year.

Remember, BA Miles don't have to be used only on British Airways flights. You can also use them on any of BA's partner airlines, including Aer Lingus, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Qantas, American Airlines, Japan Airlines and more.

On top of this, the British Airways credit card boasts a carry-on case full of American Express card holder benefits; purchase and refund protection, fraud guarantees and a range of travel services.

A little more detail...

Rates and Fees

			Special Note..	Any good?
Typical APR		17.9% APR (variable) -	-
Balance Transfer Rate		17.9% p.a.	-
Balance Transfer Fee		2%	-
Cash Withdrawal Rate		25.9% 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		£0	-
Foreign Transaction Fee		2.73%	-

Rewards

			Special Note..	Any good?
Reward Type #1	-	BA Miles	Earn 1 BA Mile for every £1 you spend. BA Miles remain valid as long as you continue to earn or redeem them. Expiry of BA Miles will only occur if you do not earn or redeem any BA Miles for 36 consecutive months (3 years) - after which all BA Miles accrued to that point will expire.
Reward Type #2	-	Bonus Miles	1,000 BA Miles bonus when you first use this card.
Reward Type #3	-	Additional Miles	Get additional miles if you spend with British Airways for the distance you fly with them.
Reward Type #4	-	Free British Airways Companion Ticket	If you have spent over £20,000 on your card within 12 months and you redeem your BA Miles for a British Airways flight, you will receive a free companion ticket.

Extras

			Special Note..	Any good?
Online Account Management		Yes	-
Purchase Protection		Up to £20,000 per year	Purchases made with this card will be protected against theft or accidental damage for 90 days after the purchase date. Exclusions do apply.
Refund Protection		Up to £200 per item Up to £750 per year	Purchases 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. Exclusions do apply.
Internet Fraud Guarantee		Yes	-
Travel Accident Insurance		Up to £75,000	You must buy your ticket with the British Airways Premium credit card in order for the insurance to apply.
Travel Inconvenience Benefit		Cover for: - Denied boarding - Delayed flights - Luggage delay - Lost luggage	When you purchase your flight with the British Airways Premium credit card.
Global Assist ®		Yes	Offering you emergency medical and legal advice when travelling abroad.
Emergency Card Replacement		Yes	-
Other Extras	-	Extras of: - 24 hour customer service - free additional cards.	-

Payments

			Special Note..	Any good?
Credit Limit		£700 minimum	Credit limit may vary from person to person.
Interest Free Period		Up to 56 days	There is no interest free period on cash withdrawals, cheques or balance transfers.
Minimum Monthly Payment		2.5% (£5 minimum)	-
Allocation of Payments		Interest fees » Balance transfers » Purchases » Cash withdrawals	You have to clear outstanding interest fees and any balance transfer amounts *before* you will be able to repay balances resulting from purchases and cash withdrawals.
Default Charges		£8	-
Copy of Statement Fee		£5	-

Card Details

			Special Note..	Any good?
Online Application	-	Yes	Remember: always ensure you meet the application requirements before applying, as getting rejected can affect your credit score.
Card Type		Classic	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	-
Card Issuer		American Express	-
Card Advertiser		American Express British Airways	-

At a Glance

Typical APR	17.9% APR
Credit limit	£700 minimum
Balance transfer	17.9% p.a. (2% transfer fee)
Flyer miles	1 BA Mile for every £1 spent
Interest free period	Up to 56 days
Annual fee	£0

	This card includes:
	Online Account Management
	Purchase Protection Insurance
	Internet Fraud Guarantee
	Travel Accident Insurance
	It is best suited for:
	Keen travellers who can use the card a lot for everyday purchases, but pay it off in full each month.
	Wait! Only apply if you are...
Aged 18 or over Have a permanent UK home address Have a current UK bank or building society account Have no CCJ's for non-payment of debt If self-employed, you have been working for over 1 year Have a household income of over £15,000 - your income plus your partner's income

More about this card...

The APR on the British Airways credit card from American Express is nothing more than average, but then this card is not suited for large debts.

It is, however, suitable for disciplined spenders and keen travellers.

Got itchy feet?
This British Airways credit card has a tremendous flyer-miles deal (1 BA mile for every pound spent) as well as an excellent range of services that are superb for frequent travellers.

These travel related extra's include travel accident insurance up to £75,000 as well as Global Assist which offers emergency medical and legal assistance while you are abroad.

Experienced travellers will know how much havoc a stolen credit card abroad can cause to your bank balance, but users of this British Airways credit card can feel safe in the knowledge that they are entirely protected and will not be held responsible for any unauthorised transactions made on the card.

With a 24-hour stolen or lost card response line that is especially useful if you do find your credit card has grown legs and disappeared.

To be a truly perfect travel credit card though we'd like to see no foreign transaction fees, and while lower than average, there is still a small fee when using the card abroad.

No more worries with dodgy retailers
This British Airways credit card is also useful for making purchases, with its raft of consumer-friendly protection bonuses, such as:

• Purchase protection which insures anything you buy against theft or damage for the first three months - fabulous for large items you may be thinking of buying.
• Refund protection which will pay as much as £200 for every item that you return to a supplier but can't get a refund back on.

Being a reward credit card, be sure to use it as such, and spend as much as you can to bag those flyer miles!

Fear not the fraudster!
If you will be using the card online, you can rest assured that you're safe from any sneaky internet fraudsters as you are not held responsible for any unauthorised charges to the card.

Final word
So, if you're a keen traveller and you're happy to pay off your credit card balance in full each month, we think this is a superb card that's jam packed with excellent features.

Ensure you use it correctly (forget about balance transfers or cash withdrawals) and you could find yourself becoming very familiar with the smell of aeroplanes.