The Chase British Airways Visa Signature Card sign-up bonus recently increased to a total of 100,000 British Airways Avios Points. But you’ll have to spend $20,000 on purchases within the 1st year of opening your account to earn the full bonus!
You may have big purchases coming up in the next year that could help you meet the $20,000 spending requirement!
What’s the Deal?
Link: Chase British Airways Card – 100,000 British Airways Avios Points
Link: My Review of the Chase British Airways 100,000 Point Offer
You can get Big Travel with the 100,000 British Airways Avios points you’ll earn with the Chase British Airways card, but you’ll have to put lot of spending on your card within 1 year to earn the full bonus:
- $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account (earn 50,000 British Airways Avios points)
- $10,000 (total) on purchases in the first 12 months of opening your account (earn an additional 25,000 British Airways Avios points)
- $20,000 (total) on purchases in the first 12 months of opening your account (earn another 25,000 British Airways Avios points)
Along with the sign-up bonus, you’ll also get:
- 3 British Airways Avios points per $1 you spend on British Airways purchases
- 1 British Airways Avios point per $1 you spend on everything else
- Earn a Travel Together Ticket (your companion flies with you on a British Airways award flight for just the cost of taxes and fees) when you spend $30,000 on the card in a calendar year
- No foreign transaction fees
20 Easy Ways to Meet the $20,000 Spending Requirement
You have a year to meet the minimum spending requirement and earn 100,000 British Airways Avios points on the Chase British Airways card.
So some folks may be able to avoid running around buying PIN-enabled gift cards and then using them to load AMEX Prepaid cards.
Here are some big expenses you may have coming up this year that will make it easy for you to to put $20,000 in spending on the Chase British Airways card.
But keep in mind, if you put all of your everyday spending towards earning this bonus, you could miss out on earning sign-up bonuses on other great cards! So do what makes the most sense for you!
1. Moving Expenses
Have plans to sell your home and move some place new?
You’ll have a lot of expenses like packing supplies, a moving company, U-Haul, and cleaning services.
2. Engagement Ring
Proposing to the special someone in your life can be very expensive. But if you charge the engagement ring to your card, you’ll also get points to use towards the honeymoon!
3. Wedding
If you’re walking down the aisle in the coming year or you’re footing the bill for a close family member, this could cover the full $20,000 minimum spending requirement in 1 fell swoop!
And you’ll earn more points for the honeymoon or your own post-wedding getaway!
4. Gifts – Holiday Shopping
Shopping over the holidays can add-up really quickly. Especially if you have kids!
5. Dental Work
Braces, Invisalign, or a root canal, they’re all pricey. And it can be an easy way to put a good chunk of spending towards earning the 100,000 British Airways points bonus!
6. Big Party
Are you planning a party to celebrate a milestone or special event this year?
Food, drinks, decorations, and entertainment can put a big dent in the minimum spending requirements for the Chase British Airways card.
7. Car Purchase
Some dealerships will allow you to use your credit card to pay for your new car. Check with them to see what options they have available.
8. Appliances
Thinking about upgrading your refrigerator and stove? You can pay with your credit card and if you order online from places like Sears and Home Depot, you could earn bonus points through a shopping portal.
9. Furniture
Whether you’re moving into a new house and need new furniture to fit the new layout or just looking for a change, putting this big purchase on your card will go a long way towards meeting the minimum spending.
10. Car Repairs
If your car breaks down unexpectedly and you need a major repair like a new transmission, most shops will let you put it on your card.
Or if you have routine maintenance approaching, like a timing belt or new tires, consider putting the expense on your card!
11. Clothing
Buying clothes for the school year or started a new job and need a new wardrobe to go along with it? Use your credit card to pay and if you buy online remember to go through a shopping portal to earn more points!
12. Vacation
Even if you use miles and points for your trip, you’ll likely have expenses like airline fees, souvenirs, entertainment, ground-transportation, and more. And there are no foreign transaction fees on the Chase British Airways card, so you can feel free to use it overseas.
13. Home Repairs
Whether it’s a new addition on your home or a broken pipe, many contractors accept credit cards.
Or maybe you know you’ll need a new air conditioner, pool, or furnace in the coming year. Plan ahead to put it on your card (or buy home improvement gift cards for later!).
14. Surgery
Do you have an upcoming surgery? The hospital will typically allow you to pay the bill with your card.
15. Reimbursable Expenses
I used to travel a lot for work in my previous life as an accountant and I charged all the costs to my card. I’d earn the sign-up bonuses and points without ever really paying a dime because the company would reimburse me later.
So if an expense comes up at your work, ask if you can put it on your card and get reimbursed by the company.
16. Business Expenses
Small business owners spend big money on things like insurance, inventory, and advertising. You can use your Chase British Airways card to pay then use the points to sneak away for a vacation.
It’s ok to put business expenses on a personal card, so long as you track it for tax purposes.
17. Groceries
While this isn’t a single big purchase, it adds up over the course of the year. You could buy supermarket or discount club gift cards to earn the 100,000 British Airways Avios points now and use the gift cards to pay for your groceries throughout the year.
18, 19, 20. Taxes, Tuition, Mortgage
Most of us have to pay major bills like taxes, tuition, and mortgage (or rent) but they often don’t accept credit cards as payment. You can buy PIN-enabled gift cards with your Chase British Airways card and load them onto an AMEX Prepaid card to pay these bills.
Or use services like Plastiq and Radpad. Keep in mind, these services charge a fee and there’s a ~$4 to ~$7 activation fee for each gift card, but the convenience may be worth it for some folks!
Don’t Have Any Big Expenses This Year?
There are still ways you can rack up a lot of spending!
For example, some folks buy electronics and other items on sale and then resell them. Even if you only break even, you’ll still earn the points! However, this does take time and there’s some risk involved, so this may not be a good strategy for everyone.
You could also buy gift cards to stores and restaurants and trade them with friends and family for cash.
See my 40+ ways to meet minimum spending requirements for more ideas!
Bottom Line
The Chase British Airways 100,000 point sign-up bonus is back! This deal doesn’t come around very often, and the points you’ll earn can get you Big Travel.
You’ll have to spend $20,000 within the 1st year of opening your account to earn the full bonus. That’s A LOT of money! But this deal isn’t for everyone because if you’re putting all your spending on the Chase British Airways card, you’ll miss out on earning the sign-up bonus on other great cards.
However, if you have big expenses in the coming year for things like moving, home repairs, or a wedding you can easily put that amount of spending on your card.
Hi,
Do you know how long this offer ran for last time? I want to wait another couple of weeks to apply for various reasons, and I was just curious. Thanks!
I have miles which i can transfer to BA. I try to find award travel from the Northern Virginia area (IAD, BWI, DCA) to Miami area (FLL or MIA) on British Airways web site and can never find any.
+1 @Wes
Not a very helpful post. Basically the advice is to run all organic spend through the card to get the bonus. I realize that the manufactured spend well has pretty much run dry, but c’mon, man!!!
If you are going to go for the companion pass at $30,000 spend, make sure you do it in the same CALENDAR year. This is different than the 100,000 mile offer which is in 12 months.
You need to determine when you start your spending to get the most for your spending.