Flybe closes its UK Mastercard credit card to new applicants
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Flybe has pulled its credit card from the market for new applicants.
Has the curse of Head for Points struck again? At a credit card conference in February I explained why – from the point of view of the issuer – the Hilton Honors Visa card had the worst balance between sign-up bonus and long-term rewards of any card on the market. Within a week, Hilton had pulled it.
This Tuesday, I gave over a full article to the Flybe credit card and why I didn’t find it very exciting. You agreed in your comments. Yesterday Flybe pulled the card from the market.
The marketing page is still on the website but at the bottom it says “We are no longer accepting new applicants.”
I am assuming it was nothing to do with me. This is actually good news if it means a more rewarding, possibly Avios-driven, Flybe-branded credit card will appear in the future.
And should we buy the airline?
Following another dismal trading statement last week, the market capitalisation of Flybe had dropped to just £24m yesterday morning. There is, of course, a lot of debt in there as well which explains the low figure.
However, £24m is worrying low. It is a strange state of affairs that, if we had a whip around amongst Head for Points readers, we could buy the airline.
We have enough London-based investment bankers, entrepreneurs and hedgies amongst the readership to get the money together.
I should probably clarify for the purposes of Stock Exchange rules, since I spent 16 years in my previous life putting together deals like this, that I have no intention of doing so 🙂 but it simply goes to show what a parlous state the airline is in.
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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous 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
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. 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
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:
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
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
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
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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