‘Credit Card Offers’ updated for May 2014 – summary of top deals

UPDATE – APRIL 2024:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.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

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

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I have updated the ‘Credit Card Offers‘ page at the top of the screen for May.

A few new deals were launched during April – I will summarise the current special offers and their closing dates below.  Of most relevance to HfP readers, the sign-up bonuses on the British Airways American Express cards are due to drop on May 21st.

Four cards are currently unavailable:

The IHG Rewards Club / IHG Rewards Club Black cards will be relaunched at the end of June once they have been migrated to the Barclaycard platform

The Hilton card is in the same boat and will relaunch on July 1st

The Ryanair credit card has also disappeared from the website although, as it is still referenced, this may again be just a temporary halt

Here is the full list of the special deals currently available:

1.  American Airlines (ends 31st May)

The sign-up bonus on the free AA credit cards is currently 15,000 miles.  This is a substantial improvement on the usual 5,000 miles.  Full details can be found in this post.  The home page for the card is here.

2. British Airways (ends 21st May)

The sign-up bonus on this free card is increased from 3,000 Avios to 9,000 Avios until 21st May.  Full details are in my review here. The Amex home page for the card is here.

3. British Airways Premium Plus (ends 21st May)

The sign-up bonus on this card is increased from 18,000 Avios to 25,000 Avios until 21st May.  Full details are in my review here. The Amex home page for the card is here.

4. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (ends 30th June)

It is rare that you see an offer on the Virgin cards.   We went all 2013 without anything, and then Virgin launched a 25,000 mile deal.  It then immediately topped it with the best offer ever seen on these cards – 30,000 Virgin miles with the £140 ‘Black’ card and 10,000 Virgin miles with the free ‘White’ card.

Note that you CANNOT cancel the £140 paid card and receive a refund of your annual fee.  You can find full details on the Virgin credit cards bonus and links to the application forms in this article.

5.  Lufthansa Miles & More (ends 30th May)

Lufthansa is currently offering an additional 10,000 Miles & More miles when you apply for their cards.  This is a major improvement on the standard 1,500 miles!  My post on the deal is here.

6.  Tesco Clubcard (ends 8th June)

This card usually has no sign-up bonus, although you have been able to claim 1,000 bonus points by letter me refer you.  Until June 8th, Tesco is offering 1,000 points if you apply via this link.

You may still be able to claim the additional 1,000 ‘refer a friend’ points as well.  Full details are in my review of this offer here.   If you have  applied for the Tesco card during 2014, you can also retrospectively claim the 1,000 ‘refer a friend’ points – email me at rob at headforpoints.com for the referral form.)

7.  United MileagePlus (ends 30th June)

This deal just broke yesterday and I haven’t had time to write a full post yet.  Keep an eye out for it in the next couple of days.  Until June 30th, the sign-up bonus is increased from NOTHING (!) to 15,000 miles.  (Thanks to Simon)

Bonus on small business cards

Head for Points focusses primarily on personal cards. However, if you are a sole trader or run a very small business, you may also want to check out the American Express Platinum Business Card and the American Express Gold Business Card. There is currently a 20,000 points (= 20,000 Avios) bonus on the Gold Business card and a 40,000 points (40,000 Avios) bonus on the Platinum Business card.

In my experience people still receive the sign-up bonus on the small business cards even if they already have a personal Gold or Platinum card.  This is technically not what the rules say, however, and you should bear this in mind.

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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:

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.

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 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

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.