A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the “British” credit cards I was planning on applying for — the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® (review) and the British Airways Visa Signature® Card (review). This came after I had been approved for the Citi® Double Cash Card (review) just prior.

Well, it has been about two weeks since I’ve applied, so I figured I’d share an update on the results. But first a bit on why I wanted these cards.

Why I Want The Virgin Atlantic Mastercard

The Virgin Atlantic Mastercard currently has an excellent bonus of up to 80,000 Flying Club miles upon completing minimum spending.

There are several other reasons to get this card, though. This is a card that can be worth putting spending on long-term, given that it offers 1.5x miles on all purchases, and it can also help you earn status in the Flying Club program, and even earn an upgrade or companion voucher in conjunction with qualifying spending.

Virgin Atlantic has some excellent partner award redemption opportunities. For example, you can book a one-way business class ticket on Delta to Asia for just 60,000 miles without any carrier imposed surcharges, which is a great deal. The welcome bonus alone would cover that.

Redeeming Virgin Atlantic miles on Delta is a great value

Why I Want The British Airways Visa

I had the British Airways Visa Signature® Card in the past, but they recently overhauled the benefits of this card. You’re eligible for this card as long as you don’t currently have it, and also haven’t received a new cardmember bonus on the card in the past 24 months.

I know this is a card that many had in the past but don’t anymore, so you may potentially still be eligible for it.

In addition to a welcome bonus of up to 100,000 Avios upon completing minimum spending, the card offers lots of perks that make it a keeper. Among other things, the card offers:

  • A 10% discount on paid British Airways flights originating in the US
  • A Travel Together Ticket when you spend $30,000 on the card in a calendar year, allowing a companion to travel with you on an award ticket; you just have to pay the taxes, fees, and carrier-imposed surcharges for your companion on the same award reservation
  • Up to $600 per year in statement credits for taxes, fees, and carrier imposed surcharges on award tickets; get a $200 reward for a British Airways first or business class award, and a $100 reward for a premium economy or economy award

Save on British Airways redemptions with this card

Approval Experience With These Cards

For the British Airways Visa I applied and received a message thanking me for my request, and saying they’ll let me know of their decision soon. I figured my odds of approval weren’t great given that I was right at 5/24.

So I didn’t do anything, but then much to my surprise I received an email this morning welcoming me to the card and telling me about the benefits, so I guess I got approved!

I applied for the Virgin Atlantic Mastercard at the same time and got a message saying they’d let me know of their decision, though I still haven’t received that decision.

Bottom Line

I see a lot of potential in the US-issued credit cards of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. They’ve added significant benefits to these cards, which means they don’t just have great welcome bonuses, but are also worth holding onto long term for the perks.

I’m really excited to have the British Airways Visa again — I had it a few years back, and think the card is more valuable than ever before with the new benefits.

Anyone else picking up the British Airways and/or Virgin Atlantic credit cards?

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