The Pros and Cons of a Tempting New American Express-BA Promo

From now until July 31, American Express Membership Rewards members can get a 50% bonus when transferring miles to British Airways.While that sure sounds tempting, before you jump, consider that the taxes on BA award redemptions are high—and they have be paid in cash.

Here are eight reasons why it pays to take advantage of the offer—and three more why it might not. Remember, if you decide to go for it and don’t have any AmEx Membership Reward points, you can buy them (up to 500,000 annually) at 2.5¢ each (plus taxes and fees).

The Pros

1. Award Inventory
   BA award redemption space usually shows good availability in both Business and First Class on routes which BA operates more than one flight, like New York-London. So even though BA does not hold award space, while you transfer the miles, chances are good that if you find award space, it will still be there when your miles come through.
2. Free First Class Upgrades
   Usually 100,000 BA miles gets you a Business Class ticket to Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom. This promo upgrades that ticket to First Class because you recieve 150,000 miles, the amount needed for First Class.
3. Free Destinations
   With the 50% bonus, a 100,000-mile transfer gets you to any European city, as well as anywhere in Russia and some Northern Africa cities, in Business Class.
4. One-way Awards
   BA’s mileage program offers one-way award tickets, which allow more flexibility, as you can use a one-way award from another program if it suits you better.
5. Top Seats
   BA offers some of the best Business and First Class seats to Europe in the oneworld alliance. It beats American’s seats by a mile.
6. Upgrading to Business Class
   BA only requires 25,000 miles r/t for an upgrade from the U.S. to Europe (zone 1) and doesn’t charge a co-pay. During the off-season, a New York-London upgradable Premium Economy ticket on BA costs about $800, whereas on BA’s partner, American, it is about $1,000 (including the $700 copay) plus the 50,000 miles. The difference in miles, 25,000, is enough to get you a second round-trip upgrade on BA.
7. Free Stopover
   BA’s mileage program allows a free stop en-route to London, so you can get two destinations for the price of one. For example, flying New York-Munich, you can get a free stop in London. The free stopover rule also applies to partner bookings, such as LAX-Taipei on Cathay, with a free stopover in Hong Kong.
8. Value of BA Miles With This Promotion
   Simple: 100,000 miles buys 150,000 miles worth of flying.

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The Cons

1. BA Award Redemption Fees
   BA has some of the highest, mainly because of the fuel surcharge, of any airline. It adds $700 to $1,100 to the ticket price, depending on route and class booked.
2. Will Not Hold Award Space Unless You Have Miles Already in Your Account
   Even though Amex Membership Rewards transfers miles pretty quickly, that award seat may not be there when the miles post.
3. Fees for American Airlines Flights
   If you use your newly acquired BA miles to book AA flights, you will incur BA’s award fees, which can be $700 to $1,100.