The British Airways American Express Premium Plus sits at the top of the UK Avios card ladder and exists for one reason above all others: the Companion Voucher. Spend £15,000 on the card within a membership year and British Airways issues a voucher that lets a second passenger fly on the same reward booking for zero additional Avios — you pay taxes and carrier charges for both, but the points cost is halved. On this paid card, unlike the free BA Amex, the voucher works in any cabin including Club World and First, and it lasts two years from issue rather than one. Used on a long-haul business class redemption for two, that voucher can be worth £500–£1,500 in saved Avios, which is why serious BA collectors treat this card as non-negotiable.
Everyday earning is strong: 1.5 Avios per £1 on general spend and 3 Avios per £1 on direct British Airways and BA Holidays purchases. That 3x rate on BA spend is the fastest organic Avios accumulation available on any UK card without category juggling. New applicants typically receive a welcome bonus of Avios for hitting a minimum spend in the first few months — check the live offer on Amex's site before applying, as the threshold and bonus size move around. Tier Points from card spending milestones also feed toward Executive Club status, a useful angle for travellers grinding toward Silver who don't fly enough to get there on flights alone.
The annual fee is £300, paid upfront each year with no first-year waiver. That is a meaningful sum before you've earned a single Avios, and it only makes sense if you are confident of clearing £15,000 of annual spend and actually using the companion voucher on a redemption that justifies it. If your spend is lower, the free BA Amex or Barclaycard Avios Plus (upgrade voucher at £10,000) are more rational choices. The card also includes Priority Pass Select membership with two complimentary lounge visits per year — useful but not enough on its own to offset the fee.
Foreign spending carries a near-3% non-sterling transaction fee, so this card should never leave the UK. Use it for all domestic spend you were doing anyway, set up a direct debit to clear the balance in full every month, and pair it with a fee-free debit or travel card for anything abroad. The representative APR exceeds 30% once the fee is factored in — carrying a balance destroys any points value within weeks. Amex acceptance in the UK is broad but not universal; keep a Visa or Mastercard in the wallet for retailers that don't take Amex.
Where this card earns its keep is the intersection of high annual spend and regular BA long-haul flying for two. A household putting £15,000+ through one card, booking a Club World reward flight with Avios, and attaching the companion voucher saves enough points to fund another long-haul redemption entirely. If that describes your travel pattern, the Premium Plus is the strongest product in the UK market. If you fly solo, rarely hit the spend threshold, or prefer Virgin Atlantic, look elsewhere.
