Amex Virgin Atlantic v Amex British Airways

If you spend a fair whack on your credit card every month and have a penchant for travel, then a card which rewards you with air miles could be a good option. American Express currently offer a couple of good choices, where every pound spent earns points which are redeemable against flights in either Virgin Atlantic or British Airways aircraft.

The question is: what are the differences?  Here are some  findings for your consideration (all facts at the time of writing – comparison made between Virgin Atlantic American Express Card from MBNA and British Airways American Express Credit Card):

• Both cards offer 1 mile per £ spent.
• Both cards – no annual fee.
• Both cards offering 3000 bonus miles on sign up (BA offer expires on Nov 8th 2010).
• British Airways Amex offers companion ticket if annual spend exceeds £20,000.
• Current APRs – BA is higher at 19.9% variable, while VA comes in at 17.9% variable.
• Number of miles needed for lowest class return trip to Miami: both 50,000.
• Number of miles needed for lowest class return trip to Cape Town: both 50,000.
• Number of destinations: 31 (VA); 442 (BA – approx).

As you can see, the one clear advantage of the BA card is the number of extra routes covered, including both long haul and closer destinations. However, what a lot of people fail to investigate is the actual availability of reward flights. This, surely is a key consideration? A fair degree of flexibility may be required when trying to book round trip reward flights, especially at peak times. The advice is always to book as early as possible, or look for last minute availability.

It’s also worth noting that American Express also offer a British Airways Premium Plus Card and a Virgin Atlantic Black Card. These deliver1.5 miles and 2 miles for every pound spent respectively. Annual fees do apply though (£150 BA or £115 VA). For those who have a high spend on their credit cards and plan to travel a lot, these could be a good options though.

Ta ta for now P.P.

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