BAPP Amex sign-up bonus is PERMANENTLY increased to 30,000 Avios

American Express has made two announcements today. The first, covered in a separate article, is the temporary offer of a £400 Amex Travel credit when you apply for The Platinum Card and spent £6,000 within three months.

The second change is on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus credit card.

The sign-up bonus is PERMANENTLY increased to 30,000 Avios.

Alongside this, the spend target for the sign-up offer has been doubled. You must now spend £6,000 within three months to receive the bonus.

Of course, American Express giveth and American Express taketh away ….

In April, two negative card changes were unveiled:

• The fee for the Premium Plus card increased from £250 to £300. This was effective immediately for new applications and will apply to existing cardholders on their next renewal date after 1st August 2024.

• The annual spend required to receive a 2-4-1 companion voucher will increase to £15,000 in November. This applies to all cardholders on that date – if you haven’t triggered your current voucher by 31st October, the target jumps to £15,000 on 1st November even if you were just £1 short.

In light of the fee increase, the increase in the sign-up bonus is proportionate and not unexpected.

Instead of charging a £250 annual fee and giving 25,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus, the Premium Plus Amex now charges a £300 annual fee and gives 30,000 Avios as a bonus.

To be honest, the rationale for increasing the spend required to receive the bonus – from £3,000 in three months to £6,000 in three months – is less clear. Why is the minimum income requirement set at £35,000 per year when you need to spend a chunky £6,000 in three months to earn the bonus?

There is no change to the 5,000 Avios bonus on the free British Airways American Express card. However, the spend target is doubled from £1,000 in three months to £2,000 in three months.

Who qualifies for the bonus on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card?

The standard American Express bonus rules for personal cards are:

• you must earn £20,000 to be accepted

• you won’t get a bonus if you’ve had any personal American Express card in the past 24 months

The Premium Plus card has a different rule

However, the rules are different for the British Airways Premium Plus card (but NOT the free BA card):

• you must earn £35,000 to be accepted

• you won’t get a bonus if you’ve had either of the British Airways American Express cards in the past 24 months

• you WILL get a bonus if you’ve had (or currently have) Gold, Platinum, Amex Rewards, Harrods, Nectar, Marriott or any other non-BA personal American Express card

…. as does The Platinum Card

For completeness, I should mention that there is a similar exemption for The Platinum Card, if you want to pick up the £400 Amex Travel credit which is on offer from today:

• you must earn £35,000 to be accepted

• you won’t get a bonus if you’ve had a card which earns Membership Rewards points (ie Gold, Platinum, Centurion, Amex Rewards) in the past 24 months

• you WILL get a bonus if you’ve had (or currently have) British Airways, British Airways Premium Plus, Harrods, Nectar, Marriott or any other personal American Express card

You can find out more, and apply for, the British Airways Premium Plus card here.

The representative APR is 137.8% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases is 30.0% variable.

You can find out more, and apply for, The Platinum Card here.

The representative APR is 694.9% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases is 30.0% variable.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

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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:

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.

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: