What are the best credit card sign-up deals for May 2018? – plus a news round-up

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It is time for our regular round up of what is coming and what is going in the world of UK airline and hotel credit card sign-up deals.

‘Stuff’ is still going on after a relatively dull period. The market is slowly coming to terms with the interchange fee caps and is moving forward. Below you can read about:

A new bonus worth 2,400 Avios on the free Tesco Clubcard Mastercard
The upcoming closure of the MBNA Virgin Atlantic cards
The return of the Marriott Rewards Mastercard and
The overnight change of Amex Gold from a charge card to a credit card

Our directory of the 16 main UK travel credit cards can be found by clicking the ‘Credit Cards’ tab at the top of the site or – for email, Flipboard, Apple News or mobile readers – by clicking here.

What is new in the last month?

Get 2,400 Avios with the FREE Tesco credit card

The newest new news is the 2,400 Avios or 2,500 Virgin Flying Club miles sign-up bonus on the FREE Tesco Clubcard Mastercard.

The bonus is actually 1,000 Tesco Clubcard points but that converts into Avios or Virgin miles at the rates above.

We rarely see a bonus on this card. You don’t even need to hit a spend target – you get the bonus as soon as you make your first transaction. The representative APR is 18.9% variable. My full article on the deal is here and you can apply here.

The Tesco Clubcard Mastercard is the most generous free Visa or Mastercard for earning Avios unless you have a £75k+ salary and qualify for HSBC Premier.

The Tesco Premium card is still offering 12,000 Avios

The Tesco Premium credit card is offering a sign-up bonus of 5,000 Tesco Clubcard points until 11th July. This means that the bonus is worth 12,500 Virgin Flying Club miles or 12,000 Avios.

There is no spend target. You simply need to make one purchase in Tesco within the first two months.

The snag is the £150 annual fee, which basically nets off the bonus. This means that whether you get the card depends on how you value the other benefits, including free travel insurance and a strong (for Avios) earning rate which works out at 0.6 Avios per £1 spent.

If you spend over £5000 per year with Tesco on this card, including petrol, you receive an end-of-year bonus of another 5,000 Clubcard points. This does make it a decent proposition but clearly not many people spend that much.

You can apply here but read my full article on the deal first. Representative APR 56.5% variable, including the fee, assuming a £1200 credit limit.

The Marriott Mastercard is coming back

Marriott has announced that the free Creation-issued Marriott Rewards Mastercard will return in August.

If the package remains unchanged, this is an OK card. You earn 1 Marriott Rewards point per £1 spent, which I value at 0.5p.

Existing cardholders, from before the card was withdrawn two years ago, get two good extra benefits. You receive 2,000 Marriott Rewards point for free, every year, as a gift. You also receive 10 nights credit towards elite status which gives you Marriott Rewards Silver automatically. It isn’t clear if these benefits will remain.

Marriott Rewards Mastercard

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold became a credit card

With absolutely no notice at all, American Express turned its Preferred Rewards Gold charge card into a credit card overnight.

This has no impact on existing Gold charge card holders. However, I would stress a couple of points:

If you have Gold charge, you are allowed to apply for Gold credit. You won’t get a sign-up bonus but you would get another ‘free first year’ and another two Lounge Pass vouchers. This is a tempting idea if you are currently paying for Amex Gold charge.

It will no longer be possible to get a bonus for upgrading from Gold to Platinum, as you cannot upgrade a credit card to a charge card – they are totally different products from a regulatory standpoint

My full article on the change is here. Representative APR 57.6% variable including the annual fee (free in year 1) based on a notional £1,200 credit limit. Interest rate on purchases 22.9% APR variable.

MBNA is closing its Virgin Atlantic White and Black cards – apply for the new ones now

In April we saw the welcome launch of the two new Virgin Atlantic credit cards. As these are brand new, you should – if you haven’t read my recent articles – read these three pieces: one, two and three. They will help you decide which card to get.

If you don’t have any existing Virgin Flying Club miles, I wrote this article to help you decide if the new credit cards were a good excuse to start collecting.

Last week, MBNA wrote to all existing Virgin Atlantic credit card holders telling them that ‘changes were coming’. The letter was purposely vague, but I am treating it as the official ’60 days notice of closure’ which means that you should expect the cards to be turned off at the end of June or thereabouts.

To summarise the key facts about the new Virgin Money-issued Virgin Atlantic cards:

You CAN apply for these cards – and get a sign-up bonus – if you already have the MBNA Virgin Atlantic credit cards. You don’t need to wait for your MBNA cards to be closed.

The free Reward card has a 5000 miles sign-up bonus, earns 0.75 miles per £1 and comes with a 241 or upgrade voucher for spending £20,000 per year

The £160 Reward+ card has a 15000 miles sign-up bonus, earns 1.5 miles per £1 and comes with a 241 or upgrade voucher for spending £10,000 per year

The cards are issued by Virgin Money so it is very unlikely that you will be conflicted due to having any other cards from the same bank

You can apply for the free Reward card here and the £160 Reward+ card here. You can compare the cards side-by-side here.

Frankly, as long as your credit is excellent, picking up 5000 miles from the free Virgin Reward credit card seems a no-brainer especially as there is no minimum spend threshold.

Legal stuff: I need to tell you that the free Reward card has a representative APR of 22.9% variable. The Reward+ card has a representative APR of 63.9% based on a notional £1200 credit limit and the annual fee. The representative APR on purchases is 22.9%.

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

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:

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

Category

General

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

Gareth says:

14 May14 May 06:35

Any chance that Virgin Money could shift their stupid rule of 241 only in economy for red members?
- Rob says:
  
  14 May14 May 07:21
  
  We have discussed this with them. They see it as a way of rewarding Gold members.
  - Ben says:
    
    14 May14 May 10:07
    
    I think thats pretty fair (im not gold or silver for that matter with Virgin) I think its right to reward people of flying with an airline rather than just opening up credit cards etc
    - Rob says:
      
      14 May14 May 10:22
      
      Here’s the thing – I don’t. I think, commercially, it’s a bad idea. If someone wants to transfer 100,000 miles-worth of Amex points or Tesco points to Virgin in order to book an Upper Class 241 then Virgin should be delighted, because they are about to get paid £1000 from Amex or Tesco plus pick up a further £1000 in ‘charges’ when the booking is made. Looks like good business to me.
    - David says:
      
      14 May14 May 10:52
      
      Agree with Rob. It removes the aspirational bit.
      
      Also, their PE upgrade voucher should also allow PE to Upper.
      That is what I like about the Lloyds Avios Card – WTP to CW upgrade is possible for single flyers.
    - Ben says:
      
      14 May14 May 11:12
      
      Getting paid £1000 from Amex and £1000 in taxes (not all of that goes to them clearly) for 2 upper class flights does not seem like good business to me, especially when those flights retail for a lot more. (obviously its better than the sear going empty)
      - Rob says:
        
        14 May14 May 11:17
        
        But the seats are going empty, which is why Virgin put them up for redemption in the first place!
        
        Which is better for Virgin’s bottom line? A Gold redeems miles earned from flying Virgin for a 241 (Virgin just gets the taxes money) or a Red redeems miles transferred over from Amex or Tesco for a 241, triggering a £1000 payment to Virgin from Amex or Tesco.
- Luckyjim says:
  
  14 May14 May 20:11
  
  What is best for Virgin is the fact that the Gold Card holder chose to fly Virgin Upper Class multiple times in the first place because of a genuine incentive for doing so.
  
  Their world does not revolve around credit card churners and Tesco shoppers.
  - Rob says:
    
    14 May14 May 21:33
    
    The only question that matters is whether people would fly Virgin more to become Gold in order to use the 241 voucher …. that would be the key.
    - Louie says:
      
      15 May15 May 01:13
      
      Virgin Australia are taking a different/interesting path to encourage people to transfer Amex MR points to them – certain holders of Platinum and Centurion cards have been emailed an offer of Velocity Gold or Platinum if they transfer 250k or 500k MR points (and also get a variable bonus of up to 40% depending on the amount transferred).
Mike says:

14 May14 May 07:11

Any idea why American Express turned the Gold charge card into a credit card ? The lack of ability to upgrade from Gold to Plat will severely effect my yearly churning income
- Rob says:
  
  14 May14 May 07:20
  
  My best guess is a) interest income and b) they want this to be mainstream and Joe Public is confused by charge cards.
  - Lumma says:
    
    14 May14 May 19:18
    
    I agree. When I had the gold charge card, I was always more nervous about high spending on it rather than the BA amex just because I knew there was no real safety net if anything happened financially.
    
    I’ve never not paid the balance due on my BA card in 3 years but it’s nicer to have the (albeit expensive) safety net if anything went wrong
    
    As I get paid weekly, it’s not as simple as setting up a direct debit to pay the balance each month either
- Doug M says:
  
  14 May14 May 07:20
  
  Widen its appeal, credit cards normal, charge cards an oddity to many people. Keeps people on main Amex cards.
- mark2 says:
  
  14 May14 May 09:10
  
  Perhaps to disrupt your (and my) churn cycle?
  - S says:
    
    14 May14 May 17:20
    
    They have more effective tools at their disposal to achieve that
    - mark2 says:
      
      14 May14 May 19:08
      
      Have they used them on you?
Doug M says:

14 May14 May 07:19

Surely if financial rules require 60 days notice, that notice has to contain specifics of what is changing? 60 days notice of non specific changes is not notice, or is it?
- Rob says:
  
  14 May14 May 07:19
  
  We will find out soon!
- KP says:
  
  14 May14 May 09:08
  
  Agreed, a notice that changes are coming, isnt the same as 60 days notice of actual changes.
  - Rob says:
    
    14 May14 May 09:58
    
    They are not closing your card, remember. They are just removing some (well, all) benefits. They may feel that does not require 60 days notice.
    - EwanG says:
      
      14 May14 May 20:03
      
      When MBNA closed the bmi cards they gave proper notice.
      When MBNA made changes to the Virgin terms and conditions in April this year they gave proper notice, and a clause is still contained within them about a ‘reward scheme or other benefits’.
      I’d be surprised if MBNA will try to rely on last week’s mailing as an effective notice of changes – I expect cardholders would be successful with any challenge!
      The current terms say changes can be made on 30 days notice but they could give more.
SK says:

14 May14 May 07:37

Has anyone upgraded gold charge card to platinum charge card since the gold credit card was introduced and got 20,000 points MR upgrade bonus?
- 2002ad says:
  
  14 May14 May 07:55
  
  Would be interested to hear about this as well. Thinking of doing it at the end of the month
- Thomas Howard says:
  
  14 May14 May 08:39
  
  Are you able to retain the Gold Charge after applying for Platinum? Are you better off waiting to apply/refer in your 11th month if on a free first year?
  - Rob says:
    
    14 May14 May 08:47
    
    Yes, but you won’t get a sign up bonus as you already have a Membership Rewards account.
    
    If you have Gold Charge then, yes, if you don’t want to churn it is best to wait until your free year is nearly up unless you have a need for Lounge Club passes.
- Andrew M says:
  
  14 May14 May 08:40
  
  Yes. Seen a couple of comments from people on here that it still seems to work!
- mark2 says:
  
  14 May14 May 09:13
  
  Yes I have.
Graham Walsh says:

14 May14 May 08:18

So I’ve just done my year with IHG, just working out if it’s worth keeping for non Amex spend (even though I have the Lloyds Avios cards). I remember there being an issue trying to get the card fee refunded if I decide to cancel, but don’t I need to wait for the 1 night voucher to come through?
- Graham Walsh says:
  
  14 May14 May 08:19
  
  Actually just logged into my IHG account and it’s there to use up
  - Scallder says:
    
    14 May14 May 10:37
    
    Graham – what was your anniversary date? Mine was 10th May but no voucher as of yet.
    
    Personally I’m keeping the card for this year. Still think the £99 fee gives value for the free night, and the 20k points you’d get on that spend.
    - FlyingChris says:
      
      14 May14 May 10:54
      
      Likewise keen to know experiences of when the voucher arrives Vs anniversary & statement date. Hoping to use mine within 6 weeks of anniversary next year and wondering if that’s wishful thinking.
    - Graham Walsh says:
      
      14 May14 May 11:52
      
      Anniversary was 21st April I’m guessing as that is the new £99 fee date.
    - Liz says:
      
      14 May14 May 14:18
      
      My anniversary was 11/3. Voucher appeared and new year reset for the £10k spend on statement date ie 22/3. So the spend I did between 11/3 which I thought would go in to year 2 towards next £10k and 22/3 stayed in year 1 spend. Don’t put any big spend through till the voucher and spend target resets.
    - FlyingChris says:
      
      14 May14 May 15:09
      
      Cheers Both. Have similar dates to Liz, so sounds like has a good chance of arriving in time, assuming availability etc.
    - Scallder says:
      
      14 May14 May 16:22
      
      Liz – thanks for confirming that – I called them on Friday to ask that specific question, and I was told that spend after the anniversary date did go towards year 2. So I will be having a call with Creation after my next statement and when the counter resets. Put £500 through already which I would of course much prefer to have towards next year’s target…
    - Liz says:
      
      15 May15 May 13:03
      
      I also spent about £500 between Anniversary date and date of the statement but it didn’t go in to year 2 as I thought. I will hit the £10k ok so not too bothered but will remember next year to wait to statement date before I put much through.
- FlyingChris says:
  
  14 May14 May 13:38
  
  Good to know, there’s hope! 🙂 Was there a date when the voucher was issued on the IHG account, or did it just magically appear?
Jonathan says:

14 May14 May 08:49

Can you churn the IHG cards?
- Rob says:
  
  14 May14 May 08:57
  
  No-one knows. Probably with a 2-3 year gap, not sure about a short gap.
  
  You should be able to get the card you have not had before, eg free or paid.
Lumma says:

14 May14 May 09:09

Ot but related. Has anyone else got the new AMEX gold credit card but the but finding the counter for the sign-up bonus isn’t working? Ive had the card a week and it’s still on zero despite about £400 of purchases being credited
- mark2 says:
  
  14 May14 May 09:15
  
  Have the points been awarded for those purchases yet? the counter will not change until they have, at the earliest.
  - Lumma says:
    
    14 May14 May 09:27
    
    No, no points either yet. It’s been a while since I last had a MR earning card so can’t remember how they usually accrue
    - anttelli says:
      
      14 May14 May 09:53
      
      Seems to be a delay at the moment in awarding points. They normally register the day after the charge is confirmed on my account. My balance has not increased since 8th May
    - Andrew S says:
      
      14 May14 May 16:30
      
      I have not had any MR points post or SPG points post since May 8th either. However I transferred points successfully to Krisflyer this morning, and my SPG points have transferred over to SPG in the monthly sweep this morning.
- Lewis King says:
  
  14 May14 May 11:44
  
  My BA card hasn’t update for a while…
  - MarkH says:
    
    14 May14 May 14:14
    
    +1
    
    Transactions have posted but waiting for them to be reflected in the tracking bar (and trigger my 2-4-1)
Chris says:

14 May14 May 09:12

Is anyone aware of any other business credit cards that offer any rewards? I have hit the 6k reward on the amex business platinum and would ideally like to close it for 6 months and take it out again, but need something to use during that time that ideally gave rewards…

Also am I right in thinking that as I have this card I can’t personally get a sign up bonus for a personal amex card that uses membership rewards points (but avios and spg cards are fine)?
- Rob says:
  
  14 May14 May 09:57
  
  Amex has a Nectar Business card. BA has the Corporate BA Amex. There are no Visa / MC corporate cards with a decent reward scheme that I know of.
  - Newquay Brown says:
    
    14 May14 May 21:20
    
    Somewhat inexperienced comment? 1p in the pound, continuous earning opportunity I guess, so 1% saved on spend per annum. Not too bad.
    
    Vs why many of us are here? Ie to do far better than that.
    
    OK I guess the reason nobody else replied is because it was too obvious [hangs head in shame]
  - Newquay Brown says:
    
    14 May14 May 21:45
    
    I saved £30 on my council tax today, paying £300 on Halifax card at Co-op (Halifax Rewards). Then £1000 to Amex on Plat got me £200 (20,000 MR points upgrade bonus), council tax is unavoidable after all. Then my wife and I referred each other from Plat for a new card each, should get us aggregate 63,000 points or £630.
    
    You stick to your 1% Santander card as it’s not too bad.
  - Chris says:
    
    14 May14 May 22:34
    
    Thanks for the info

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

What are the best credit card sign-up deals for May 2018? – plus a news round-up

What is new in the last month?

Get 2,400 Avios with the FREE Tesco credit card

The Tesco Premium card is still offering 12,000 Avios

The Marriott Mastercard is coming back

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold became a credit card

MBNA is closing its Virgin Atlantic White and Black cards – apply for the new ones now

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2024 update

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

The Platinum Card from American Express

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

Earning miles and points from small business cards

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

American Express Business Platinum

American Express Business Gold

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit Card

Category

Get extra savings in the British Airways Sale!

Very generous new £350 United Airlines cashback offer on American Express cards

Wide-open business class Avios availability (9+ seats per day) to the Maldives in November

Get 40,000 points, and great benefits, with Amex Platinum

NEW: Get 25,000 bonus Avios with the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios with British Airways Premium Plus Amex

Comments (108)

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