With the British Airways Visa Signature® Card, you’ll pay an annual fee of $95, and you can earn a welcome bonus of 85,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Beyond the welcome offer, you can earn 3 Avios per dollar on purchases with Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL, 2 Avios per dollar on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel and 1 Avios per dollar on all other purchases.
The ability to earn Avios on more than one airline is a strength of the British Airways card, and it provides bonus earnings on hotels, rather than Qatar Airways’ Visa Signature card earning double Avios at restaurants. Obviously, Qatar Airways’ Visa Signature card offers higher earnings on Qatar Airways flights, and it offers the ability to earn bonus Qpoints. In contrast, the British Airways card offers up to $600 in reward flight statement credits each year, up to 10% off British Airways flights departing the U.S. and the ability to earn a Travel Together ticket each year after $30,000 in purchases on your card.
Additionally, you can transfer your Avios from your British Airways account to your Qatar Airways account, freely and instantly, if you want to redeem with Qatar. Unfortunately, neither card promises extra baggage allowance or priority boarding.
The Iberia Visa Signature® Card also earns Avios, has a $95 annual fee and is issued by Chase—just like the British Airways Visa Signature® Card. With the Iberia card, you’ll earn 3 Avios per dollar on purchases with Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL, 2 Avios per dollar on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel and 1 Avios per dollar on all other purchases. Cardholders get up to 10% off on flights and can earn a $1,000 discount voucher each year after making $30,000 of purchases on the card. The Iberia Visa also has a welcome bonus of 85,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
With this card, you can earn Avios with multiple airlines, but you won’t earn bonus Avios on Qatar Airways purchases—or earn at the higher rate provided by Qatar’s Visa Signature credit card. However, you’ll enjoy flight discounts that may feel more practical than earning Qpoints if elite status isn’t your goal. Neither card offers priority boarding or complimentary checked bags as built-in benefits.
Stepping away from airline credit cards, it’s also possible to earn Avios indirectly with a card offering transferable rewards like the Citi Premier® Card. The Citi Premier has a $95 annual fee and doesn’t provide benefits with any particular airline. Instead, its two main strengths are the earning rates and the ability to use your points with numerous airline and hotel programs. You’ll earn 3 ThankYou points per dollar at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels, 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases and a total of 10 points per dollar on hotels, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024. The card also offers $100 off a hotel stay of $500 or more (once per year, excluding taxes and fees) booked through Citi’s points website.
These earning rates may be more attractive if they match your spending habits, though you should understand that you won’t be able to spend your way toward airline vouchers or elite status here. Earning extra points will be an acceptable trade-off for some people, and the welcome bonus is attractive as well. Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Points can be transferred to airlines like Qatar Airways, Air France and JetBlue plus hotel programs like Wyndham, Choice and Accor.
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