Skip to content

BA Amex referral code: 6,000 Avios on the British Airways Amex Classic

Ad Links marked Ad are my referral links.

A British Airways Amex referral link pays 6,000 Avios on the BA Amex Classic, 1,000 more than the 5,000 you get applying direct.

Ad Use referral link (opens in new tab)

Referral Plug is not a lender or a credit broker. American Express makes every lending decision.

The card is the British Airways American Express Credit Card at its Classic tier, which charges no annual fee, and the bonus lands after £2,000 of spending in the first three months. Amex's own card page (opens in new tab) offers direct applicants 5,000, so the referral is worth 1,000 Avios more. I held the BA Classic from 2021 to late 2023 before moving to Monzo Flex and then Yonder, which fits my spending better now.

Last tested on by Seb Place.

Seb used BA Amex from 2021 to 2023.

Part 1

The offer

Or copy the referral link below:

Reward

Get 6,000 Avios points when you spend £2,000

How it works

  1. Get 6,000 Avios points when you spend £2,000 in your first 3 months of card membership.
BA Amex logo

BA Amex

The British Airways American Express Classic: a fee-free credit card earning Avios on everyday spending, with Amex Offers cashback on top.

3.3 / 5

My rating for this deal

This rates the BA Amex referral itself: what you get, what you have to do to get it, and how long it takes to arrive. It isn’t a rating of BA Amex as a company.

Why this rating

Avios are worth more than their cash equivalent if you fly, but 6,000 is a small bonus for the highest spending threshold on the site, which has to be cleared inside three months or the reward is simply gone.

Part 2

Is it for you?

BA Amex referral summary

Reward
6,000 Avios points
Reward type
Avios points
Requirement
Spend £2,000 in first 3 months, with no personal Amex card held in the last 24 months
Time to receive
After spending £2,000 in 3 months

BA Amex referral pros and cons

Pros

  • 6,000 Avios sign-up bonus through referral, 1,000 more than applying direct
  • No annual fee on the BA Classic Credit Card
  • Earn 1 Avios point per £1 spent on everyday purchases
  • Avios can be used for British Airways flights, upgrades, and hotels
  • Amex Offers provide cashback at selected retailers
  • Section 75 purchase protection on spending over £100

Cons

  • Amex is not accepted everywhere in the UK: many smaller shops do not take it
  • You need to spend £2,000 in 3 months to earn the full sign-up bonus
  • Avios points are most valuable for BA flights, less so for other redemptions
  • High APR if you do not pay your balance in full each month
  • The referrer's side is capped at 90,000 Avios per card each calendar year
  • No welcome bonus if you hold, or have held in the last 24 months, any personal Amex card

What is the British Airways Amex Classic?

The BA Amex Classic is a fee-free credit card earning 1 Avios per £1 spent. Redeem Avios for BA flights, upgrades, and hotels. No annual fee, plus Amex Offers give targeted cashback at specific retailers. One of the best free travel rewards cards in the UK.

The BA Amex Classic (opens in new tab) earns on all purchases rather than on selected categories, which is what makes it a background card rather than one you have to think about. Car hire is a redemption option alongside the flights, cabin upgrades and hotel stays.

How does the BA Amex referral bonus work?

Apply through a referral link and earn 6,000 bonus Avios after spending £2,000 in 3 months. Combined with standard earning, that is about 8,000 Avios from £2,000 of spending. Avios go to your BA Executive Club.

The Avios land in your BA Executive Club account rather than sitting on the card, so they pool with anything already in there. The referrer earns bonus points on the same application.

Who is the BA Amex best for?

Best for anyone who flies BA occasionally and wants free flights over time. No annual fee means zero downside. The £2,000 spend in 3 months works out to £667/month, achievable by routing groceries and fuel through the card.

An occasional BA flyer can hold it indefinitely, earn Avios passively wherever Amex is accepted, and never be down on the deal. Clearing the welcome bonus is the only part that takes any effort at all. Acceptance is what eventually moved me off it, and what the card earned before that is the firsthand review.

Not useful for: people who don't fly or have no interest in Avios, where a cashback card delivers more.

How the BA Amex compares to other rewards cards

BA Amex Classic vs Barclaycard Avios: Barclaycard has wider Visa acceptance but a lower Avios earn rate. Chase offers up to 2% cashback for free. Yonder Premium earns more per £1 but costs £190 a year paid annually, and at £1,000/month the fee-free BA Classic still nets more. For Avios collectors, the free BA Amex Classic is hard to beat.

  • vs Barclaycard Avios: the Visa network is what you buy with the lower earn rate
  • vs Chase: simpler and also free, but it pays cashback rather than anything that converts into a flight
  • vs Yonder: an arithmetic gap, not a philosophical one. Yonder Premium (Full until September 2026) earns 5 points per £1, but at the 0.339p a point measured across our own redemptions that is 1.695p per £1, against 1 Avios per £1 at the 1p Head for Points benchmark. At £1,000/month the fee-free BA Classic nets about £120 a year against Premium's £13 on its £190 annual price. Where Yonder wins is Mastercard acceptance and no foreign transaction fee. The working is in Yonder vs Amex Gold

Part 3

How it compares

BA Amex referral at a glance

Your reward6,000 Avios points
Friend's rewardVaries by card
Reward typeAvios points
RequirementSpend £2,000 in first 3 months, with no personal Amex card held in the last 24 months
Time to receiveAfter spending £2,000 in 3 months
Referral limitUp to 90,000 Avios a year, at least 4,000 per referral

BA Amex key facts

Avios welcome bonus

6,000 points

Source: American Express

Annual fee

£0 (BA Classic Credit Card)

Source: American Express (opens in new tab)

Avios earn rate

1 Avios per £1 spent

Source: American Express (opens in new tab)

BA Amex vs Yonder referral

FeatureBA AmexYonder
Reward6,000 Avios pointsUp to 20,000 bonus points + £10 off + 2 months free (Premium credit; up to 10,000 points on Premium debit)
Reward typeAvios pointsPoints + discount
RequirementSpend £2,000 in first 3 months, with no personal Amex card held in the last 24 monthsApproved for a Yonder Free or Premium card, credit or debit
Time to receiveAfter spending £2,000 in 3 monthsTiered welcome points awarded as spend hits £200 / £500 / £1,000 in first 30 days
Referral limitUp to 90,000 Avios a year, at least 4,000 per referralUnlimited
TrustpilotN/A4.5/5
View Yonder referral →
Seb Place

Referral Plug founder · Personal finance writer and UK consumer savings specialist

I specialise in finding people the best deals to cope with the ever-increasing cost of living. I like to review companies from everyday industries like banking and energy and try to provide a fresh mix of facts and unbiased opinions.

Last updated: · Fact-checked and reviewed for accuracy

Ad Use referral link (opens in new tab)