Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

‘Credit Card Offers’ updated for January 2013

Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission.  See here for all partner links.

UPDATE – APRIL 2024:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly directory of the top UK travel credit card offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Credit Cards’ menu above.  Thank you.

Keep up to date with the latest UK credit card bonuses by signing up for our free daily or weekly newsletters.

I have updated the ‘Credit Card Offers’ page for January. It was not a difficult job, for once, because there have been no major changes since the December list came out! 

The only amendment was removing the Miles & More 10,000 mile bonus which ended on 10th December.

To be honest, I expect this situation to be temporary with a few offers launched later this month.

Given the lack of new deals, let me repeat my advice on the best cards currently available if you are thinking of a New Year ‘churn’:

1. Starwood Preferred Guest American Express

The 20,000 point bonus (usually 10,000) gets you 25,000 airline miles in over 30 programmes, including Avios. There is a £75 fee  and you get a pro-rata fee refund when you cancel. This offer runs until 1st February, so if you are interested then I would apply sooner rather than later.

SPG Amex

2. British Airways American Express cards

Again, there is an excellent offer at the moment which I believe will end soon. 9,000 Avios for the free card and 25,000 Avios for the paid card is about as good as it gets. And the 2-4-1 voucher for use on Avios redemptions that comes with this card is the most valuable perk in the UK loyalty card sector, as I discuss here. If you have been thinking about the BA Amex, now is as good a time as any to jump in.  Apply here (free) and here (paid).

3. American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

This is currently an outstanding deal, which is showing no signs of going away. No fee for the first year and 20,000 Membership Rewards points if you are referred (see here for what 20,000 MR points can get you – 20,000 Avios points for a start!) The bonus if you are not referred is lower, at 20,000 points.  Apply here.

4. Hilton HHonors Platinum Visa

Finally, if you’re looking for a Visa or Mastercard, this card remains a great deal purely for the sign-up deal. You get a free night in any Hilton Group property for spending £750. That could be worth £250 if spent wisely at a Conrad or Waldorf-Astoria branded property.

Full details, including links to the application forms, are on the ‘Credit Card Offers’ page.

You will note that I haven’t included Amex Platinum in this list. I want to cover this again in a separate post in a few days.


Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 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 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 card

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:

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

40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 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 Business Credit Card

1% cashback uncapped* on all your business spending (T&C apply) Read our full review

Comments (25)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Arther says:

    Ruffles, just to add that the plat credit card was given with 3,000 MR on spending £500 over three months and it carries 1 MR per £ hereafter. i value these free points as £22.50 and other benefits on the gold card including two free lounge visits, travel inconvenience ins and triple MR on overseas spend means £125 is probably worth it.

  • Richr says:

    For those who have received confirmations can you advise how long after ordering it was received? I’m guessing that this alone does not mean the order will actually be fulfilled?
    Thanks,
    Rich

    • Raffles says:

      Mine came at 7.45 last night, so about 3-4 hours after I ordered. They are still showing as ‘in progress’ online.

  • Rich Spencer says:

    Hi Raffles, one other question I have, which I’ve looked in the Amex T’s and C’s for but cannot see any detail, is whether I can refer my wife for an Amex Gold card or if this is excluded as she is immediate family?
    Thanks in advance,

    • louie-m says:

      Yes, you can, whether or not she is already a supplementary cardholder on your own account.

    • Raffles says:

      You can refer your wife, not a problem!

  • Roger says:

    Arther said:
    ‘AMEX also offered me plat card credit card( not charge card) where i can collect MR free. this is not currently offered on their website.’ and
    ‘… the plat credit card was given with 3,000 MR on spending £500 over three months and it carries 1 MR per £ hereafter’

    I had not come across a free MR-earning credit card before. Was this a special offer just for Arther or could it be something more widely available?

    • Raffles says:

      I get a feeling that this card will be opened up to the public after a soft launch.

      It would be a good result, as it means you could get one and then cancel your Gold or Plat without panicking about redeeming all your MR points immediately.

  • Arther says:

    Roger:
    Was this a special offer just for Arther or could it be something more widely available?

    AMEX told me this MR generating plat card is linked to my PRG and MR earned on the plat are accrued in the total recorded within my PRG. I suspect if I can cancel the PRG, the plat will stop generating MR and will simply become a normal credit card. But free 3000 on spending £500 was very valuable!

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here.