Best Airline Credit Card

Airline credit cards reward you with air-miles, upgrades and more when you spend money with their card. If you already collect air-miles when flying, these can be bundled on top.

So if you like traveling and the idea of collecting air-miles instead of cash back, discover our top picks below.

 

The Top Airline Credit Card Is:

 

The British Airways American Express Card – 1 BA Mile for every pound spend, free companion ticket & more

The BA Amex card is our top pick because:

• You get 1 BA mile for every pound spent
• You get 3,000 bonus BA Miles when you spend £500 in your first 3 months of membership
• Spend £20,000 on your Card in a year and redeem your BA Miles on a BA flight and you’ll get a free ticket for a companion for the same flight and cabin e.g. if you go first class they do too
• There is no annual fee
• You are entitled to travel accident insurance up to £75,000

These miles can be redeemed on BA and other ‘oneworld’ airlines. You can find a full list of oneworld airlines here.

Apply now or read the detailed British Airways American Express Card Review.

As with the Virgin card below, BA also have a higher spec version of this card called the BA Premium plus Amex. This card gives bigger rewards such as:

• You get 1.5 BA miles for every pound spent
• 18,000 bonus BA Miles when you spend £3000 in the first 3 months
• Spend £10,000 on your Card in a year and redeem your BA Miles on a BA flight and you’ll get a free ticket for a companion for the same flight and cabin.

However, there is an annual fee of £150 so it’s only worthwhile if you’re a big spender and will earn enough points to take free flights (need around a £10k spend on the card per year to make it worthwhile).

 

The Virgin Atlantic White / Black Amex – 1 Mile for every pound spend, 3,000 mile bonus on your fist purchase & more

If you like flying with Virgin, you should choose between the Virgin Atlantic White or Black American Express card. Let’s detail the benefits of the White card first:

• Earn 1 Flying Club Mile for every £1 spent
• Get 3,000 bonus miles when you make your first card purchase on either card within 90 days of opening your account
• Spend over £15k on in a year to receive a complimentary companion reward ticket for a qualifying flight (just pay the taxes and charges).
• Non annual fee
• And a few more perks from their (free) Flying Club program

The Black American Express card has an annual fee of £140 but if you’re a big spender it’s worth it as the rewards are bigger:

• Earn 2 Flying Club Miles for every £1 spent
• Get 6,000 bonus miles when you make your first card purchase on either card within 90 days of opening your account
• Spend over £7.5k on in a year to receive a complimentary companion reward ticket for a qualifying flight (just pay the taxes and charges).
• And a few more perks from their (free) Flying Club program

If the regular places you shop at don’t take Amex, Virgin also give you the option to take out a Visa card – although rewards are lower with that (specific details on their site).

You can redeem your Flying Club miles against Virgin Atlantic flights, upgrades, companion fares, spa days and more.

If you’re a fan of Virgin products and services, go with this card. If not, the BA Amex card will be better suited – especially as you can redeem your miles with their oneworld partners.

Apply now for the Virgin White account or the Virgin Black account.

 

Other Cash Back Cards:

If you’d prefer to get cash back when you spend as opposed to air-miles, check out our best cash back cards post.

For other useful tips, see our post on how cash back cards work or how to get a free credit check.