British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card *

Bottom Line

This card offers reward points – and lots of them! With it, you gain access to the On Business Points reward scheme and the Avios rewards scheme. The card allows you to earn points at an accelerated rate: 1.5 On Business Points for every eligible £1 spent and 1.5 Avios for every eligible £1 spent. On top of that, American Express is offering a welcome award of 2,200 On Business Points if you are approved and spend £3,000 in the first three months of card membership.

Then there are all the benefits that come with having an American Express card, such as travel insurance, refund and purchase protection, and 99 complimentary supplementary cards to help boost your business points total further. One thing to note though, is that these benefits don’t come for free. The card carries an annual fee of £210.

Credit Rating Requirement: Good/Excellent

What I like about the British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card

This card offers two reward currencies, a welcome reward and the ability to share points. What’s not to like?

• Welcome offer – American Express often adds a little something to sweeten the deal in the form of a welcome award. With the British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card you can earn 2,200 On Business Points if you are approved and spend £3,000 in the first three months of card membership – a great way to get your points total off the ground.
• On Business Points – On Business is British Airways’ complimentary loyalty programme for businesses. This card allows you to earn 1.5 On Business Points for every £1 of eligible spend, and there is no cap on how many points you can earn. The points are obviously good news, but how you can use them is also extremely useful. The On Business scheme looks to provide flexibility for business travel. You can use your On Business Points to book a flight up to one day before you travel without incurring any penalty charges. Similarly, you can change, cancel or upgrade your flight booking outside 24 hours before the departure of your first flight with no extra charges or cancellation fees.
• Avios – Avios continues to be a popular reward scheme, and this card offers you the chance to earn 1.5 Avios for every £1 of eligible spend. Once again, there is the bonus of no cap on how many points you can earn. Your Avios can be redeemed against flights, flight upgrades or even just used as part payment for a flight.
• Supplementary cards – With this card you can request up to 99 complimentary supplementary cards for employees. Where American Express has sometimes fallen down before is that they only allowed a couple of the complimentary cards to earn the same level of rewards and benefits. However, with this card, all supplementary card spend will contribute to the On Business Points and Avios balances. All On Business Points are stored in one central company account, meaning that they can be used to book flights for any individual who is linked to your business.
• Travel benefits – You would expect a card like this to come with some other travel benefits and it doesn’t disappoint. With this card, you get the added benefits of travel accident protection and travel inconvenience insurance.
• Protection – Being part of the American Express family definitely has its perks. Refund and purchase protection is one of them. With this card, items up to a value of £300 will be replaced or refunded by American Express if the retailer refuses to do so. Additionally, if something you have bought with your card is stolen or damaged within 90 days, American Express will replace, repair or refund up to £2,500 per eligible item, giving you peace of mind when spending money using your card.
• Worth knowing – You can earn an extra 3,000 On Business Points annually when you spend £20,000 or more by your card membership anniversary.

What could be improved

This card has lots on offer, but it also has a couple of drawbacks.

• Fee – There is no getting around it, this card comes with a comparatively high annual fee of £210. However, for what you get in terms of rewards, extra benefits and support, it may be a fee worth paying.
• Credit product – This card is different from others in the American Express business card portfolio in that it is a credit card, not a charge card. With a charge card you are required to pay your balance in full each month, whereas with this card you will receive up to 56 days interest free (when you pay your balance in full). If anything is left on the card it will be charged at the purchase rate, which is slightly higher than the market average.

How does this American Express offer stack up?

In terms of rewards on offer, specifically travel-related rewards, it would be hard to find a card that could compete. Having two reward currencies makes this card stand out from the crowd before you even start to take into account the welcome offer and the ability to use On Business Points for anyone linked to your business.

In terms of business credit cards, the fee is at the top end of the market, as is the card’s interest rate. But considering the package you receive, especially if your company does a lot of business travel, this may well be worth it.

The British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card credit score

American Express requires you and the business to have no history of bad debt. You must be aged 18 or over and be a UK resident.

To access the On Business benefits, your company must not be a travel agency, ticket brokerage firm or consolidator. Additionally, your company must not have an existing corporate incentive agreement with British Airways, Iberia or American Airlines.

How to apply

You can apply through the American Express website. The application will reportedly take less than 10 minutes, and you will receive a response in 60 seconds.

You will need to provide personal information, including your income and employment details. Your UK bank or building society account number and sort code may sometimes be necessary, so it’s a good idea to have these details to hand.

To have a good chance of being accepted for this card, you’ll need a good credit score. If you know your credit score is top notch, then you can feel comfortable applying directly. If you’re not so sure, it may be worth using the eligibility checker that American Express provides on its site.

Is the British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card right for you?

If you are a business that does a lot of air travel and you’re looking to make that work to your advantage, then this card could be ideal. It’s key selling point is that it offers access to not one, but two reward schemes, both of which have points that can be redeemed against flights, upgrades and other travel benefits.

The annual fee is on the high side, and this is a credit product not a charge card, but the benefits that come with this card potentially offsets concerns around the cost. A generous welcome award, accelerated point yields, travel insurance and refund and purchase protection all add up. It’s also important to remember that your business could take advantage of the 99 complimentary supplementary cards available to boost your reward balances even further.

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