MBNA is closing the UK American Airlines credit cards
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MBNA wrote to holders of its American Airlines credit cards yesterday to tell them that they are closing on the 28th July.
It is likely that holders will be transitioned to an own-brand MBNA card which you should cancel ASAP.
There is no word yet as to what is happening with the Etihad, Emirates, United and Lufthansa cards.
I am slightly surprised to see the AA card close because the most recent version does not have an American Express element. It was a decent Visa card with a £70 annual fee and should have been sustainable in the new interchange fee environment, despite giving 1.25 miles per £1 spent. It would not have been impact by the withdrawal of the Amex issuance licence from MBNA.
If you are looking for an alternative for earning AA miles, I will do an overview tomorrow or Saturday. The obvious choice is the Starwood Amex which earns 1 Starwood points (= 1 AA mile) per £1, rising to 1.25 miles per £1 if you convert in chunks of 20,000 points.
If you want to move away from AA, the highest earning Visa or Mastercard currently available is from Virgin Atlantic – 0.75 miles per £1 on the new free Reward card (5,000 miles bonus, click here) and 1.5 miles per £1 on the paid Reward+ card (15,000 miles bonus).
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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2025 update
If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.
In 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review
Earning miles and points from small business cards
If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
