Ever since Lloyds Bank relaunched its Avios cards as the Avios Rewards and Premier Avios Rewards cards last year, there has never been a sign-up bonus.
This may account for the fairly muted reaction that the cards have amongst the Head for Points community.
The Lloyds Avios cards also have to compete with the British Airways American Express cards. As the 2-4-1 voucher given by the BA Amex cards is the most generous perk of ANY British loyalty credit card Lloyds was always going to struggle.
In summary:
The Lloyds Avios Rewards card has a £24 annual fee and earns 1.25 Avios per £1 on the Amex and a laughable 0.25 Avios per £1 on the MasterCard. The APR is 22.7% variable including the £24 fee based on a £1,200 credit limit.
The Lloyds Premier Avios Rewards card has a £150 annual fee and earns 1.5 Avios per £1 on the Amex and a laughable 0.3 Avios per £1 on the MasterCard. The APR is 50.8% variable including the £150 fee based on a £1,200 credit limit.
However, these cards have some very positive features which are often overlooked:
These cards charge NO foreign exchange fees. And, amazingly, you still earn Avios points on your foreign spend. Anything you buy abroad on your Lloyds Avios Rewards card is 2.99% cheaper than buying it on your BA Amex or 99% of other UK credit and debit cards. Even the handful of other cards with no FX fees (Post Office, Halifax Clarity) do not give any rewards, albeit both of those cards are free.
The upgrade vouchers earned on these cards are a decent deal for a solo traveller. The BA Amex 2-4-1 voucher may be great value but it is also pretty useless if you prefer to travel by yourself. The Lloyds upgrade voucher lets you upgrade one return Avios redemption flight by one class (excluding Club World to First). I explained here how it works.
There has never been a sign-up bonus for these cards. However, Lloyds has introduced a refer-a-friend scheme.
If you are referred by another cardholder, you will receive 4,500 Avios points. The person who refers you will also receive 4,500 Avios, up to a maximum of 20 referrals.
If you would like a referral, please email me at raffles [at] headforpoints.co.uk and I will arrange it.
Note that ‘Customers who hold or have previously held a Lloyds Bank Avios Rewards Credit Card Account will not be eligible for the 4500 Bonus Avios offer.’
Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points and do not consider interest rates, service levels or any impact on your credit history.
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What this article doesn’t mention is the difficulty you will experience in trying to manage your account, particularly if you don’t have a Lloyd’s current account. I held the previous incarnation of this card and had so many issues with on-line access, and when I picked up the phone to try and sort things the service was a joke.
They probably haven’t offered a sign-up bonus after the disaster of previous cards. You had to spend £500 per month for 3 months to trigger the bonus, but no one could tell you when each month started and ended and whether or not you had spent the money. All in all, a bit of an omni-shambles in my opinion.