Updated on May 25, 2017

British Airways 100,000 Bonus Avios Offer

The British Airways Visa card is back with it's 100,000 bonus offer! You'll get 50k bonus Avios after just $3k spend in 3 months, plus 25k bonus after spending $10k in your first year plus another 25k when you spend $20k.

I love 100k bonus offers and this card has always been a favorite. Why? Avios can be used for American Airlines and Alaska Airlines award flights in the US. But there is more to Avios – they are valuable because they go a long way to buying award flights as long as you remember three main things: 1) Avios are best for short haul flights. 2) Only fly on BA partners because flying on BA metal will often have big fees (there are exceptions of course). 3) Use Avios to avoid close in booking fees. I'll explain these further below.

The Offer

Learn more about this card by clicking the image below.

• Earn up to 100,000 bonus Avios points in your first year:
  • Earn 50,000 bonus Avios points after $3,000 spend in first 3 months
  • Plus  25,000 points after you spend a total of $10,000 in your first year
  • Plus an extra 25,000 points after $20,000 total spend in your first year…for a total of 100k points
• $95 Annual Fee (not waived)
• The British Airways card is not subject to the 5/24 rule (if you have applied for 5 or more cards in the last 24 months).
• If you have the card or received this bonus in the last 24 months you are NOT eligible… but your family members might be.

“This product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.”

Card Benefits + Features

There is one main perk for those big spenders out there which is the Travel Together Ticket. It's awarded only after $30k spend in a calendar year. As a result, most people won't end up taking advantage as this is quite a lot to spend.

• Travel Together Ticket: After you spend $30,000 in a calendar year, you get a “Travel Together Ticket”. This is basically a free companion ticket when you book an award flight except you still have to pay the taxes and fees (which are usually high on British Airway flights). You'll have 2 years to use your certificate but remember this spend is per calendar year, not your first 12 months of having the card. Not a great perk unless you are a big spender. There are better ways to earn rewards if you have that kind of annual spend.
• Earn 3x Avios on British Airway purchases, 1x Avios for all other purchases
• No foreign transaction fees

Best Uses

1. Avios are best for short haul flights. For example, NYC to Florida is only 7,500 Avios + $5.60 one way while American Airlines charges 12,500 miles. Gdansk Poland to Berlin, Germany costs only 4,500 Avios! I've used Avios for flights around Peru which are very short and can get expensive. Here's a tool created by Wandering Aramean to find out how many Avios you will need for an award.
2. Flying on BA metal will involve hefty fees. Instead, use Avios to fly only on BA partners to avoid these fees.
3. Use Avios to avoid close in booking fees. If you book within 21 days using American Airline miles, they add on a close booking fee up to $75. Book the same flight using Avios and there is no extra fee. If you are flying coast to coast in the US, using AA miles and Avios will cost the same 25k points round trip. Booking last minute on AA may cost you another $75 while booking with Avios will not.

My Household Account, Family & Friends, My Travel Companions

What is a Household Account?

British Airways allows you to create a “Household Account” so up to 6 people living at the same address can share Avios. This is a great way for several people to apply for the card. Consider if you, your spouse, and perhaps some parents or grand parents who live in the same house apply for the same card you could potentially earn up to 600,000 Avios in 1 year (6 x 100k). Of course that would require a lot of spend! This makes it much easier when you are trying to book a family trip and you no longer have to struggle with various point balances in each person's account.

My Family and Friends

The “My Family and Friends” account is similar as the Household account but now you can spend your Avios on your family and friends who may not even have any Avios. It makes it easier to book for them because you won't have to call each person to confirm all their details – it will all be saved in the system. However, this does not let you pool your points with family and friends, unfortunately.

My Travel Companions

Here you can save the booking details of up to 8 people which is similar to the Family and Friends but that is limited to 5 people. They should just combine the “Travel Companions” with the “Family and Friends” in my opinion to keep it simple.

Here's what my Household Account looks like.