British Airways has revealed how passengers can now use a American Express partner credit card to earn points within its new loyalty scheme.
On 30 December, the airline announced a huge shake-up to its loyalty scheme, replacing it with one based that awarded ‘tier points’ based only on the amount spent, excluding taxes and fees.
It said passengers would also be able to earn tier points with the British Airways American Express Premium Plus credit card – which comes with an annual fee of £300 – although it has only just revealed how this will work.
Customers who hold this card and enrol in the offer before 25 January 2026 will be able to earn tier points through spending until 1 February 2026.
To unlock 750 tier points, £15,000 must be spent on the card. Another 750 tier points will be earned when spending a further £5,000, then an additional 1,000 tier points when spending a further £5,000.
The maximum tier points that can be earned through this offer is 2,500, after spending £25,000.
After this offer expires in February, British Airways said there will be another opportunity to earn tier points using the credit card starting in April 2026, although it has not announced any further details.
British Airways Executive club was replaced by the British Airways Club on 1 April 2025, drawing criticism from many customers who say they will no longer be able to achieve the benefits of higher statuses.
The old system awarded tier points based on a mix of the distance flown and price of a ticket and offered loyalty benefits for the most frequent flyers. The new scheme reflects only the amount spent.
British Airways Club members can use free messaging onboard where available, but the airline charges for full wifi access – even in long-haul business class.
Higher status benefits can be achieved based on how much the passenger is spending within every 12-month period:
To earn a Gold card, a customer must spend £20,000 every 12 months on tickets (excluding fees and taxes) or seating and baggage in order to earn 20,000 tier points.
But if the customer has the £300 British Airways American Express Premium Plus credit card, they can now receive 2,500 tier points towards the total by spending £25,000 on the card at any retailer.
At the time of publication, anyone signing up for a BA Premium Plus American Express card will also be able to collect a 50,000 Avios welcome bonus when applying through the website and spending £6,000 in the first three months.
Tier points are different from Avios, which is a frequent flyer currency used by British Airways and other airlines to earn flights, upgrades, seats and baggage perks.
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