Celebrating 25 years of the American Express and British Airways partnership
On offer is a cardmember-only Thursday to Sunday mini-break in New York, for a reduced Avios rate, and with absolutely no taxes to pay. It’s going to be a difficult one to book onto, given the sheer number of people who are eligible to book this flight, but it’s an interesting “perk” for cardmembers.
What have they announced?
2026 is the 25th anniversary of the Amex and BA partnership. It has been a game-changer in the UK, with the Amex BA cards being the de facto card for anyone who collects points. It’s by far the easiest to use, given how many destinations British Airways flies to.
To celebrate, they are reserving a flight to and from NYC for cardmembers only.
- You’ll fly out on Thusday 15th October on the 1:20pm flight
- The return flight will be on Sunday 18th October on the 7:20pm flight
The flight itself should be different to a regular BA flight. Not only will you be surrounded by fellow cardholders, they have also promised “a thoughtfully designed journey to delight at every step”.
How many Avios will you need?
- World Traveller: 25,000 Avios
- World Traveller Plus: 50,000 Avios
- Club World: 100,000 Avios
- First: 160,000 Avios
There are no taxes on this flight. That is a valuable differentiator. You can book up to four seats on this flight.
You do have to be in the same cabin on the outbound and inbound flights, so you can’t do Premium Economy out to NYC and then Business on the overnight flight back. You also have to book a return ticket: one-way tickets are not possible.
If you’re based outside of London, there will be no way to add a connecting flight during the booking process. You can book one after, but it will not be linked to the NYC flight, meaning that if you are delayed and miss the flight BA assumes no responsibility. It also may mean that your luggage is not interlined.
You will be able to use your companion voucher on this flight. However, it appears that you cannot book a flight by pooling points from across your household. The terms specifically state: “Avios balances from other members of a Household account are not eligible towards this booking.”
All cabins are available for booking, similar to as if this were an Avios Only flight. The seats are first-come, first-served, so at some point in the next month, there is going to be a date and time when bookings open.
Grab a seat in First and get a helicopter transfer
If you manage to reserve seats in First Class, you’ll get something extra special: you’ll be transferred to the West 30th St Heliport in Manhattan with Blade. It’s going to be tough getting those First seats, but if you do, this is an exciting perk.
Given that the trip is just for a few days, it also means you could fly with hand luggage only, and you are allowed one standard-size carry-on (up to 11kg).
How do you book this flight?
Right now you can only register your interest. You can do so using this link. You’ll then receive booking instructions from Amex American Express on the 14th July 2026.
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