The three different types of loyalty credit cards I own
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18 months ago I ran this post on ‘What is your credit card ‘end game’ strategy?‘. This was fundamentally about which cards you should, long term, end up keeping in your wallet and generated a lot of discussion. I will run an updated version soon.
If you look at the full range of ‘miles and points’ credit cards, you can generally break them down into three categories:
- The card you actually use day-to-day because of its good earning rate in a programme you value (which was the focus of the ‘end game’ post above)
- The card you get purely for the sign-up bonus, and cancel soon afterwards
- The card you keep for the ancillary benefits such as hotel status but do not use for daily spending
What is best for me may not be best for you. However, I thought it might be interesting to look at what is currently lurking in my wallet (or my desk drawer).
The day-to-day spending cards I use
Until three weeks ago, this was the good old bmi Diamond Club Mastercard which has just been closed down. I was very lucky to still have this card, which had not available to new applicants for about four years. I got a whopping 2.5 Avios per £1 spent on it which made the £60 per year fee great value for money. Paying the 0.38% credit card fee to HMRC when settling tax bills was always a pleasure knowing that I was buying Avios points for 0.15p each.
I have just replaced the bmi card with the Lufthansa Miles & More cards (review). I will get one mile per £1 spent on the Visa card for the first six months and that will take me through the January tax bill. The ONLY reason I got this card is that I have a soft spot for Lufthansa First Class which is a truly excellent product – here is my review of the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. Lufthansa First reward availability is only made available to its own Miles & More members unless you book at very short notice.
My British Airways Premium Plus American Express (review) 2-4-1 voucher has been triggered for the year, so that card is back in the desk drawer. It will be coming back into the light in February when my new card year starts.
I also have, in both my own and my wife’s name, the IHG Rewards Club Black Visa card (this card is now called the Premium Mastercard, review). As well as earning two IHG points per £1, we also both receive a ‘free night’ voucher for spending £10,000 each year. We try to use these at a decent InterContinental somewhere.
For overseas spend, I currently have a Metro Bank debit card on the Head for Points bank account which has no FX fees in Europe. My wife also has a Post Office Mastercard which has no FX fees anywhere. A better choice would be the Lloyds Avios Rewards Card (review) as this has no FX fees and earns Avios.
If you don’t want to take out a separate credit card purely to use overseas, look at the free Curve and Supercard products. Curve is currently paying you £5 to take out their card as I wrote here.
PS. My wife also has a House of Fraser Mastercard. It isn’t a bad product offering 0.5% cashback in House of Fraser vouchers. It also has no fee. She uses the BA Amex or – until cancelled – the bmi Mastercard for what she considers general household spending which I settle. She charges her clothes, haircuts etc to the House of Fraser card and settles that herself. We have never had a joint bank account but only because it seemed unnecessary.
The cards I got for the sign-up bonus
I am generally NOT an aggressive credit card churner, tending to open only one or two new accounts each year. This year, the offers have been particularly poor.
Before applying for the Miles & More card with its limited time 10,000 miles bonus, the last card we got was when my wife was sent a targetted 20,000 point bonus on the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express last Winter.
I am unsure whether I should get the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard. I (article) already have a HSBC Premier current account so I qualify automatically. £195 is a big fee but 40,000 Avios / Etihad / Singapore / Cathay Pacific miles is a big bonus. My gut feeling is that I will wait until next year.
The cards I keep for ancillary benefits
For 17 years, this has been the American Express Platinum card (review) for me. I get my BA Premium Plus Amex fee-free for holding this (a benefit no longer offered to new applicants, unfortunately) which saves me £195, and I value the travel insurance, hotel statuses and other perks.
Note that I very rarely spend anything on my Platinum card, unless there is a promotion going on. 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 is pretty poor to be honest.
I will also probably keep the IHG Rewards Club Black and Lufthansa Miles & More cards even if I move my spending elsewhere. My £99 fee for the IHG card buys me a free upgrade to IHG Rewards Club Platinum status. IHG Rewards Club benefits are, to put it mildly, variable, with many hotels offering nothing at all. Many do take it seriously with the occasional decent upgrade or gift.
The Lufthansa card stops my Miles & More miles from expiring as long as I use it once a month. This is a very handy feature because Miles & More miles, for non-status members, have a ‘hard’ three year expiry from the date you earn them which cannot be extended. I would move one of my monthly recurring charges onto the card and ensure the bill was paid by Direct Debit.
So, that is the current content of our credit card drawer. How about you?
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 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: 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.
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
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