British Airways Amex Accelerating Business Card launches with £250 fee
British Airways and American Express have launched the Accelerating Business Card, a new credit card for sole traders and small businesses offering Avios rewards, a £200 annual travel credit, and a 30,000 Avios welcome bonus.
British Airways has launched the American Express Accelerating Business Card with a £250 annual fee. The new product is the only British Airways-branded credit card for small businesses, offering structured Avios earnings and a £200 annual credit for Avios Hotels or Avios Car Hire.
You earn 1.25 Avios for every £1 of qualifying spend. This matches the earning rate of the British Airways American Express Premium Plus personal card but is lower than the 1.5 Avios per £1 offered by the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard. Cardholders can also earn substantial spend bonuses based on their calendar-year expenditure.
| Spend Threshold | Bonus Avios Earned |
|---|---|
| £20,000 | 10,000 Avios |
| £40,000 | 10,000 Avios |
| £60,000 | 10,000 Avios |
These bonuses are capped at 30,000 Avios per calendar year. A cardholder spending exactly £20,000 would receive 25,000 base Avios plus the 10,000 bonus, totalling 35,000 Avios. This works out to an effective rate of 1.75 Avios per £1 spent.
Welcome bonus and eligibility
New applicants can earn a 30,000 Avios welcome bonus after spending £5,000 within the first three months. To qualify for this sign-up bonus, you cannot have held any American Express Business cards in the previous 12 months. Holding a personal American Express card, including a personal British Airways American Express card, does not disqualify you.
If you apply now, you get the £200 annual travel credit twice in quick succession. You receive £200 to spend by 31 December 2026 and another £200 credit on 1 January 2027.
Who can apply and usage rules
The card is open to sole traders and other small businesses. You do not need to be a Limited Company to apply. There is a minimum personal income requirement of £20,000. Applicants must be aged 18 or over with a permanent UK home address.
The business must have a current UK bank account. According to the card's website, "a sole trader does not need a specific business account." It also states that "you and your business have no County Court Judgements for non-payment of debt."
The £200 annual Avios travel credit can be split between hotel and car-hire purchases. A booking made by 31 December 2026 can cover travel occurring in 2027. However, Avios Hotels bookings made with this credit do not earn hotel loyalty points or status benefits.
Additional terms and limitations
Unused Avios credit expires at the end of each calendar year and does not roll over. The credit for 2026 expires on 31 December 2026.
The card carries a high representative APR of 104.9% variable, which includes the annual fee. The representative APR on purchases is 26.6% variable.
Applicants who spend £5,000 in the first three months receive 30,000 Avios as a welcome bonus.
