As mentioned, I wanted to have a look at what offers and promotions are available in the UK to compete with the huge sign-up bonuses being offered to US flyers. Many have conjectured that the sale of miles to credit card companies have helped keep airlines afloat in recent times. It would not surprise me if this was the case, for the number of miles being given away can be huge in the US.
As always, in the UK, things are a little more modest. (The offers below are as of 7 October 2011, and may have expired by the time you look at them).
British Airways Executive Club
3000 points for £500 in first three months
1 BA mile for each £1 spend.
Spend £20,000 to get a free companion ticket
Premium Plus Card – Annual fee £150
18,000 points for £3,000 spend in first 3 months
1.5 MA miles for each £1 spend. (Double for BA flights and holidays)
Spend £10,000 to get a free companion ticket
Comparison of APR – Standard is 19.9%, Plus is 50.1% (incl fee)
Earning –
Spend £12,000 in first year
Standard = 15,000 BA miles. Plus = 36,000 BA miles plus Free Companion Ticket
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bmi
20,000 miles for £250 spend in 90 days
0% for 12 months on balance transfer within 90 days (3% fee) and card purchases for 3 months
1.5 Destination Club miles per £1, with 3 miles at bmi.com
bmi Plus Card – Annual Fee £85
24,000 miles for £250 spend in 90 days
4,000 status miles per annum and 2 bmi lounge passes
2.0 Destination Club miles per £1, with 4 miles at bmi.com
Comparison of APR – Standard is 16.9%, Plus is 34.5% (incl fee)
Earning –
Spend £12,000 in first year
Standard = 38,000 bmi miles. Plus = 48,000 bmi miles
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Comparison of Rewards earned
The BA basic card earn 15k miles in the first year giving 1 round trip from London to Paris in Coach. The Plus card gives 4 round trips to Paris in Coach on one roundtrip to Moscow in Coach (20k miles)
The bmi basic card earn 38k miles in the first year giving 4 round trips from London to Paris in Coach. The Plus card gives 5 round trips to Paris in Coach, or one roundtrip to the US in Coach (45k miles).
Nice work there. I’ve got my roundup coming out next week (or is it next week? I’ll check my schedules..) with pretty much the same conclusions.
Also bear in mind MBNA is messing around at the moment, and there are reports of a BMI Visa card being issued with the BMI Amex Card, but at a reduced earning rate of 1.5 miles/£2.
There is a UK Amex card for United but it offers no EQM at all, as far as I could see in the ts and cs.
You are correct, it will be in a later part of my review