What are the best credit card deals for December 2012?

UPDATE – DECEMBER 2024:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. Click here to apply.

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

The ‘Credit Card Offers’ page at the top of site has been updated for December.  (Click here to see it if you are an email or RSS reader.)

There has been quite a lot of promotional activity recently, and the overall quality of deals is the highest for a while.

Here are the changes that occured in November, some of which were posted about at the time:

British Airways American Express – at some point, without anyone noticing, the minimum spend on the basic card crept up from £500 to £1,000.  Still manageable, though.  The 9,000 Avios bonus is still running.  There is no fee on this card.

Starwood Preferred Guest Amex – the bonus remains doubled at 20,000 points, although this will end soon (not sure when).  This is a great deal – £75 annual fee to receive 20,000 SPG points.  These are worth 25,000 Avios or 25,000 miles in a lot of other airline programmes. (Or redeem them for a hotel stay – I got £370 of value for mine!)

Miles & More Visa and Amex – the 10,000 extra miles for getting the Lufthansa cards is still on but ends December 15th.  Given that the usual bonus is just 1500 miles, getting 11,500 is pretty good.  There is no fee on the cards either.  However, small sums of M&M miles are not much use – European redemptions have huge taxes – so don’t bother unless you already have a stash of miles you want to grow.

Flybe MasterCard – the offer has changed back from two free flights to one free flight and two lounge passes

United Airlines Amex – the improved 15,000 miles sign-up bonus ended on 30th November, and they have gone back to a bonus of zero!

The improved 25,000 Avios points bonus on the British Airways Premium Plus Amex is still running as well.

See today’s other article for news of a 40,000 point link for the Priority Club Black Visa.

My top choices for December

As I write on the ‘Credit Cards Update’ page, these are my picks of the best current deals:

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 but you get a pro-rata fee refund when you cancel.

2.  British Airways American Express cards.  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 and here.

3. American Express Preferred Rewards Gold.  This is currently an outstanding deal.  No fee for the first year and 20,000 Membership Rewards point (see here for what 20,000 MR points can get you – 20,000 Avios points for a start!)  Apply here.

4. Hilton HHonors Platinum Visa. 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.

5. American Express Platinum – if you meet the £40,000 household income requirement and have no other Amex-issued cards, including NO BA Amex then this is fantastic. 50,000 Membership Rewards points (see here for what that gets you), and you can cancel for a pro-rata refund of your £450 as soon as you’ve hit the £3,000 spend target.  Apply here.

As usual, the ‘Credit Card Offers’ page won’t change now until January, so keep an eye on the main site for news of new promotions.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 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

Get 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

Huge 80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 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: Until 9th December 2024, there are EXCLUSIVE sign-up offers for our readers on the two Capital on Tap small business Visa cards. You can earn 20,000 points on the Business Rewards card and 30,000 points on the new Pro card. Click here to apply.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up 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 Pro Visa

30,000 points (TO 9TH DECEMBER) plus good benefits Read our full review

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

20,000 points (ONLY TO 9TH DECEMBER) Read our full review

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios 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 when you spend at least £2,000 per month.

Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit Card

Get 1% cashback when you spend at least £2,000 per month* Read our full review