Is the BA Amex worth it? An honest credit card review

Affiliate disclosure: this post contains an American Express referral link. If you use it, you earn 6,000 bonus Avios (vs 5,000 without a referral) after spending £2,000 in 3 months. I also receive Avios. It doesn't change your card terms, APR, or fees.

I held the British Airways American Express Classic Credit Card from early 2021 to late 2023 — roughly two and a half years. I've since moved to Yonder as my primary rewards card. That trajectory — enthusiastic sign-up, steady use, eventual switch — tells you most of what you need to know about the BA Amex: it's a genuinely good card with one persistent flaw that eventually pushed me elsewhere.

The question I want to answer: is the BA Amex worth it? The short version is yes, for most people, as a secondary card. The long version is below.

Three things I'd tell you up front

1. The BA Amex Classic is the best free rewards card in the UK. No annual fee, 1 Avios per £1 spent, 6,000 bonus Avios via referral, and Amex Offers that deliver genuine cashback throughout the year. For a card that costs you nothing to hold, the value is exceptional.
2. Amex acceptance is the real problem. This is the single reason I eventually switched to Yonder. Too many UK shops, restaurants, and small businesses don't take American Express. I was carrying two cards everywhere — the Amex for places that accepted it, and a Mastercard for everywhere else. That friction wore me down over two years.
3. The referral bonus is meaningfully better than applying direct. Through a referral link you get 6,000 bonus Avios after spending £2,000 in 3 months. Applying without a referral gives you 5,000. That extra 1,000 Avios costs you nothing and is worth roughly a £10-15 value difference.

What is the BA Amex Classic?

The British Airways American Express Classic Credit Card is a fee-free rewards credit card that earns Avios points on every purchase.

Key details:

• No annual fee — ever
• 1 Avios per £1 spent on all purchases
• 1.5 Avios per £1 on British Airways purchases
• 6,000 bonus Avios after spending £2,000 in first 3 months (via referral)
• Amex Offers — targeted cashback deals at selected retailers
• Section 75 consumer protection on purchases over £100
• Companion Voucher available on the premium BA Amex (£250/year fee) — not the Classic

Avios points are credited to your British Airways Executive Club account and can be redeemed for flights, cabin upgrades, hotel stays, and car hire across BA and partner airlines.

The Avios earning in practice

I used the BA Amex as my primary card for two and a half years. Here's what the earning looked like in reality.

Monthly spending and Avios earned:

These are approximate — Avios redemption values vary by route, date, and availability. The point is that even moderate spending generates enough Avios for one or two free flights per year. Add the 6,000 sign-up bonus and your first year is significantly boosted.

My personal total: over two and a half years, I earned roughly 35,000 Avios through the card (including the sign-up bonus). That funded two European return flights and a domestic one-way. All from a card with no annual fee. Hard to argue with that.

The acceptance problem

This is the section where I'm most honest, because it's the reason I eventually left.

Amex is not accepted everywhere in the UK. The situation has improved — Aldi, Lidl, and many previously resistant retailers now take it — but significant gaps remain:

• Many independent restaurants don't accept Amex
• Small shops and market stalls — rarely
• Tradespeople and service providers — almost never
• Some online-only businesses — varies
• Abroad — patchy in Europe and much of Asia; good in the US and Australia

What this means in practice: I carried the Amex and a Mastercard (Monzo debit) everywhere. In any shop or restaurant, I'd try the Amex first and pull out the Mastercard when it was declined or I saw the "no Amex" sign. Over two years, this happened multiple times per week.

The maths still worked — I was earning enough Avios to justify the minor inconvenience. But the friction of carrying and switching between two cards, and the small embarrassment of having a card declined, eventually outweighed the reward for me. I moved to Yonder (Mastercard, accepted everywhere) in late 2023 and haven't carried the Amex since.

Your mileage will vary. If you shop mostly at supermarkets, large retailers, and online — all of which generally accept Amex — the acceptance issue is manageable. If you eat out a lot at independent restaurants or use many small businesses, it's a persistent annoyance.

Amex Offers: the hidden value

This feature doesn't get enough attention in most reviews, and it was one of the things I genuinely missed after switching away.

Amex Offers are targeted cashback deals that appear in your Amex app. You add them to your card with a tap, and the cashback is applied automatically when you shop at that retailer.

Examples from my time holding the card:

• Spend £30 at Boots, get £5 back
• Spend £50 at Waitrose, get £10 back
• Spend £100 at Dell, get £25 back
• Spend £20 at Deliveroo, get £5 back

Over two and a half years, I estimate Amex Offers saved me £150-200 on top of the Avios earning. These deals rotate, they're personalised, and some are genuinely excellent. It's free money on spending you'd do anyway.

The referral bonus

The standard sign-up bonus for the BA Amex Classic is 5,000 Avios after spending £2,000 in 3 months. Through a referral link, you get 6,000 Avios — an extra 1,000 for free.

The £2,000 spend requirement: this works out to roughly £667/month over three months. For most households, that's achievable by putting everyday spending (groceries, fuel, subscriptions, bills) on the card. You don't need to manufacture spend — just route your normal purchases through the Amex for three months.

Important: pay the balance in full every month. The Amex APR is high (around 29.8% variable), and any interest charged would wipe out the value of the Avios you've earned. Treat this as a charge card, not a borrowing tool.

Get your BA Amex referral code here -->

BA Amex vs Yonder

This is the comparison I've lived through, having held both cards.

Choose the BA Amex if: you fly occasionally, want free Avios at no cost, and don't mind carrying a backup card for places that don't take Amex.

Choose Yonder if: you want a single card that works everywhere, travel abroad frequently (no foreign fees), and value dining experiences over flights.

For the full comparison, see our Yonder vs Amex referral guide.

Who the BA Amex is best for

Best for:

• Occasional flyers who want to earn free flights at no ongoing cost
• People who shop mostly at large retailers and online (where Amex acceptance is strong)
• Anyone comfortable carrying a backup Visa or Mastercard
• Household bill-payers who can route significant monthly spending through one card
• People who enjoy Amex Offers cashback on top of the Avios

Less ideal for:

• People who want a single card for everything (Amex acceptance gaps are real)
• Frequent travellers abroad (the 3.18% foreign transaction fee is expensive)
• Heavy users of independent restaurants and small businesses
• Anyone who would carry a balance (the APR will destroy any rewards value)

The bottom line

The BA Amex Classic is worth it for most people as a zero-cost rewards card. No annual fee, 1 Avios per £1 spent, 6,000 bonus Avios through a referral, and Amex Offers that add genuine cashback on top. Over two and a half years, my card earned me three free flights and roughly £150-200 in Amex Offers cashback — all for no fee.

The acceptance issue is real, and it's the reason I eventually moved on. If you're prepared to carry a backup card and use the Amex wherever it's accepted, the reward outweighs the inconvenience. If the idea of juggling two cards frustrates you, Yonder on Mastercard is the alternative worth considering — but it costs £15/month, so the maths need to work for your spending level.

For someone who flies even once a year and wants to start accumulating Avios at no cost, the BA Amex Classic with the referral bonus is one of the best financial products in the UK. It costs you nothing. The worst case is that you earn some free flights.

Get your BA Amex referral code here -->

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