I’ve launched a new credit cards update page
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The eagle eyed will have noticed a new page at the top of the site called ‘Credit Card Offers‘.
There are a lot of good UK credit cards available which offer benefits in various airline and hotel loyalty schemes, but there is no single, regularly updated, list of cards and promotions as far as I know – not even on Flyertalk.
It is, admittedly, difficult to keep track of all of the different promotions, but I will update this page at the start of each month and discuss new details in the main site.
There are three types of loyalty credit card:
- The card you actually use day-to-day because of its good earning rate in a programme you value
- The card you get purely for the sign-up bonus, and cancel immediately afterwards
- The card you keep for the ancilliary benefits such as hotel status but do not use for daily spending
What is best for me may not be best for you. However, this is what I currently have:
The day-to-day spending card – currently the Lloyds TSB Avios card due to its crazy 12.5 Avios per £1 bonus for the first three months (offer no longer available, sadly). When my three months is over next week, I will be back to the BMI Mastercard, a card no longer available to new applicants but which offers 2 BMI miles (so 2 Avios, post 3rd July) per £1 spent. I only put the BMI card away when my new BA Amex year comes around, at which point I put my next £10,000 of spend onto that to trigger my next 2-4-1 voucher.
The card you get for the sign-up bonus – currently, the SPG Amex in my wife’s name, as I had my own SPG card last Autumn. 20,000 SPG points was too good to resist, that is worth 25,000 airline miles or some good hotel redemptions. Once I have done the £1,000 minimum spend I will cancel the card. Before this, I had the Hilton HHonors Visa, on which I spent the required £750 to get the free night certificate before cancelling.
The card you keep for ancilliary benefits – for nearly 15 years, this has been the American Express Platinum card for me. I get my BA Amex fee-free for holding this (a benefit no longer offered to new applicants) which saves £150, and I value the travel insurance, hotel statuses and other perks. However, they will raise my fee to £450 from early 2013 so I will need to reconsider whether the benefits are worth £300 (the net cost after the £150 saving on the BA Amex fee). I probably will keep it, despite the insurance benefits also being downgraded this year.
How many cards can I get?
There is no correct answer to this question. It will vary by income, your credit history and whatever scoring system the card provider uses. Whether or not you already have a card from that issuer is not a major factor – an issuer with whom you don’t have a relationship may be willing to give you a card despite your many other cards to win you over.
However, if, say, Barclaycard initially refuse to give you another of their cards when you already have one, they will usually reconsider if you call and offer to split the credit limit on your existing card across the both – they have no increased risk this way.
The one thing to avoid is too many applications in a short period of time, as this looks like desperation and will set off warning bells. There are also no firm guidelines on when you can re-apply for a card you have had previously and receive a second bonus.
Remember that you can also apply in the name of your partner (get a supplementary card in your name if you do most of the spending). Your parents may also be willing to let you apply on their behalf if you ask nicely!
Of the firm rules out there, I know that Amex has a limit of two credit and two charge cards per person at the same time, and the MBNA is very flexible about opening new cards if you move credit from an existing MBNA card. American Express has strict rules about receiving referral bonuses if you are an existing cardholder, and you should look at the small print carefully
Out of the cards featured, you can collect Avios directly from the British Airways Premium Plus Amex, BA Amex and Lloyds TSB Avios card. You can also collect Avios indirectly (by converting the reward offered into Avios) from the Hilton, Starwood Preferred Guest, American Express Platinum and American Express Preferred Rewards Gold cards. AAdvantage miles from the American Airlines card can also be redeemed for BA flights.
Want to earn more points from credit cards? – March 2024 update
If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
15,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review
Earning miles and points from small business cards
If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive a huge 120,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Platinum by 9th April 2024. You receive 80,000 points for spending £12,000 within 90 days and a further 40,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Gold by 9th April 2024. Remember that the card is FREE for the first year. You receive 40,000 points for spending £6,000 within 90 days and a further 20,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
American Express Business Platinum
Crazy 120,000 points bonus (to 9th April) and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
Huge 60,000 points sign-up bonus (until 9th April) and free for a year Read our full review
Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa
Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review
For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.
Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card
2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review