Who won ‘Best UK Travel Rewards Credit Card’ at the 2019 Head for Points Awards?

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• Yawn says:

  3 Jan3 January 07:07

  Had a different card with Creation and their customer service did seem particularly clueless, while the IT was rudimentary.

• Joe says:

  3 Jan3 January 07:32

  That’s the big thing I don’t like about the BA card – in order to save 120,000 avios with a 241 I first need 120,000 avios which I’m not going to be able to do without a lot of creative thinking! Then to redeem it on most of the routes I’d want to fly I’d have to ring up 355 days before, book the single leg and then add the second later etc etc and it’s all just too much work.

  If you combine the free night from the IHG card with an ambassador 241 weekend certificate then that’s a bit of an easier way to get good value from a credit card once a year I think. The only thing I don’t like about this approach is you pay the card fee and ambassador fees each year and then have to make sure you have a trip each year to make the most of them (but this is also true of the BA card, after paying the fee you want to make the most of the 241 and not let it expire).

  One thing I don’t see mentioned as often as I think it should be is after you’ve renewed ambassador you get a 10% rebate on all points redemptions, meaning in effect all the points you earn (eg from the IHG card) go 10% further.

  Creation are annoying to deal with – my main issue is when they block a card but their customer service is closed (which it is more hours each day than its open) then there is no way to unblock your card until they’re back in the next day. However they seem to have got a bit better recently at not randomly declining transactions all the time, and if you’re happy to let the occasional points statement miscalculation slide then you don’t have to deal with them.

  • Spurs Debs says:

    3 Jan3 January 07:46

    Joe isn’t that part of the fun of it all, plotting and planning how and where to get points from and where you are going to go to spend them?
    I keep the BAPP Never churned it my Son has a supplementary card and we always earn the 241.
    It takes work and imagination to earn and use voucher but I’m a planner I can’t do things last minute anyway, even if I wanted to. This year I’m off to Japan for two weeks, been planning it for two years used my 241 voucher and we are going 1st class both ways.

    • Anna says:

      3 Jan3 January 08:56

      I’m like you, Debs, I’m usually waiting impatiently for T-355 to roll around lol! My next travel booking is most likely going to be for April 2021 so it’s going to be a dull 3 months waiting for that to open up. OH has a BAPP that he doesn’t churn in case they withdraw it or significantly change the conditions for new customers, I churn.
      Joe – I appreciate availability is never guaranteed but if you are after flights which carry a very expensive cash price, even buying avios when there is a 50% bonus offer on can offer a significant saving when using a 2 4 1.

      • Spurs Debs says:

        3 Jan3 January 09:16

        Snap Anna I’m currently trying to plan for April
        2021. I think it will be my last big trip. Hoping to do Hawaii via LA. Going to take family to an event but won’t know where that is till April this year. But rumours it will be LA. So I think LHR to LAX use 241 voucher then Alaska/AA to islands?
        I’ll take any advice if people have got any. 3 adults 1 child. I’m hoping event is in Vegas as no desire to go to LA really. But that’s out of my control.

        • Anna says:

          3 Jan3 January 09:33

          We did LA and Hawaii about 17 years ago. Not much of interest in LA for us (except the Natural History museum if that’s your kind of thing, we are history geeks!), however there is a lot of opportunity for exploring the surrounding areas like Joshua Tree which are worth seeing and easily drivable. We also went to Oahu for 10 days, while I would go to the Big Island next time there was still plenty to do and see. Pearl Harbor is a must, by coincidence we visited on Veterans’ Day and there were a couple of guys there who had actually been present when it was attacked (though it’s unlikely they are still around).
          Of course being America there will be a lot to appeal to a child, what you do might be dependant on the age.

        • Spurs Debs says:

          3 Jan3 January 09:55

          I’m planning on taking grandson to Wrestlemania.
          I took him this year to it in NY and we had a great time. It’s a 5 day event if you do other shows as well so won’t be time for much else. It’s also really hard work using a wheelchair so extra planning needed for that.
          If we don’t go to event we could go the other way via Tokyo/ Hong Kong.
          We will see lots of research needed!

        • Anna says:

          3 Jan3 January 11:10

          Wow, cool Grandma!

        • Nate1309 says:

          3 Jan3 January 12:51

          AA flights LAX to HNL are easy to snag as long as it isn’t a weekend flight you need. When I booked a trip for my dad 7+ seats were available every day booked at T-?? at 00:00 in ? time zone. apologies for the ?s as I can’t remember the exact details as I booked it 18m ago. have a look on the BA website for what days are available now and should give you an idea. Was a great use of avios though, 12500 and $4.

        • Chas says:

          3 Jan3 January 13:37

          Spurs Debs – we did a 3 week road trip this summer starting and ending in LA, and taking in Vegas and SFO, as well as multiple national parks on the way, so happy to offer plentiful advice of things which worked for us (2 adults and 2 teenage girls) if of interest once your location is confirmed. Key thing to think about though if you’re planning on doing any National Parks, is to book your accommodation very early to avoid having to stay outside the park and traipse in and out every day, which often adds several hours to your journey.

    • Lady London says:

      3 Jan3 January 12:24

      I hope you will tell us about that trip when you’ve done it,@Spurs Debs!

      • Spurs Debs says:

        3 Jan3 January 19:24

        Thanks. As soon as we know where WM is being held I can plan and ask advice. Tbh there won’t be much time to do much else if we go to shows, it’s really full on and long and unfortunately I get tired really easily.It’s more Hawaii I’m planning on I’ve been to Vegas twice but would go again. I took my Son for his 21st he’s now 38 lol and I took my Mum after an Alaskan cruise. I’m busy putting finishing touches to my trip to Japan in April an early 60th present to myself.
        I don’t go anywhere all year and I mean I hardly get out of the house the more my Mums dementia takes hold the more housebound I become, but once a year or every two years I like to plan to do something fabulous, something to look forward to.

  • Joe says:

    3 Jan3 January 07:51

    My favourite card is actually my Hilton one, because of getting Hilton gold after £10k spend year. This is can be worth a lot depending how often you stay at a Hilton. What I like most though is that if you don’t stay often, as there’s no annual fee I don’t really feel like I’ve lost very much (at most the opportunity cost of not putting £10k spend on another card). It’s a shame it’s not open to new applicants anymore.

    • Peter K says:

      3 Jan3 January 08:35

      The Hilton card is the one I’d miss most if it went.

      • Crafty says:

        3 Jan3 January 09:21

        Agreed. Excellent card.

      • Rob says:

        3 Jan3 January 11:18

        That’s unfortunate.

        • The Savage Squirrel says:

          3 Jan3 January 13:36

          “That’s unfortunate.”

          Oh dear, it looks like the HH card is not long for this world :(. Shame, as I’ll also miss it for the reasons described – for a free card you really couldn’t grumble about the offer; and as it was free you could always ditch hitting the £10k target for a year if a much better opportunity came along.

        • memesweeper says:

          3 Jan3 January 17:30

          oh no… 🙁

        • The Urbanite says:

          3 Jan3 January 22:00

          Sad but the day has to be coming. So many other points cards have been withdrawn for existing customers, most recently the mundane TSB Avios card the other day. Just have to make the most of it while it’s still going!

      • Roy says:

        3 Jan3 January 13:23

        The earning rate is 2 points per £, right? – so no better than an Amex MR card. In fact, I got 3 points per £ converting my MR points in the recent promotion – but of course there are no guarantees about future promotions.

        So the attraction is purely that you can get gold for free, I guess?

        • The Savage Squirrel says:

          3 Jan3 January 13:37

          Plenty of places don’t take Amex. Curve for one…

        • Roy says:

          3 Jan3 January 13:46

          Fair point.

        • The Urbanite says:

          3 Jan3 January 22:07

          Yes, there is the option to convert MR to Hilton but I wouldn’t do so in normal circumstances. The Hilton Visa is more widely accepted than the Amex so easier to rack up spend on. Personally I save MR/SPG points for redemptions on airlines that aren’t BA or Virgin but people have different uses for their points.

    • Nate1309 says:

      3 Jan3 January 12:53

      +1 for Hilton card love

• Craig says:

  3 Jan3 January 07:35

  +1 for the customer service at Creation, they blocked my card for apparent fraud but didn’t tell me they’d done it. They then blocked the supp card, the whole mess took weeks to sort out.

  • David says:

    3 Jan3 January 08:26

    Had this with Virgin Money – blocked card, didn’t inform me. Unable to use card when I wanted to – refused to refund the annual fee for the period of time they were not providing the subscribed to service.

• Brighton Belle says:

  3 Jan3 January 07:45

  The extended time cycles and rules on all the Amex cards means I’m closing my 3 Amex cards. I can’t generate enough Avios for long haul redemptions. By the time I’ve paid the exorbitant BA fees I might just as well pay cash with someone else in economy. The business seats are nice but economy isn’t so bad … 40 years of sitting at the back… and at least it’s smoke free nowadays. I can’t ignore the tons of CO2 I contribute either.

  Amex Platinum is exceedingly expensive and the travel insurance worthless if you are nudging 70 and have the slightest pre- existing conditions; only for City gym-bunny thirty-somethings. Amex will lose my £800 in card fees.

  If Hilton decide to relaunch a Uk card that’s where my money’s going.

  • Dominic says:

    3 Jan3 January 08:39

    Unfortunately, in the kindest way possible, I don’t think Amex *want* card churners like yourself, hence significantly widening the card change fees.

    Those bonuses are there to attract new customers with the hope they’ll stay and keep paying – not an annual handout.

  • Anna says:

    3 Jan3 January 09:03

    I must be getting jaded but I am seriously starting to consider returning to economy for shortish transatlantic flights to save the hassle of transferring through LHR (especially T5 with its poor business lounges). Business class fares from MAN are generally absolutely ridiculous, not to mention also the lack of decent lounges, I couldn’t justify paying £2.5k when it’s double what you pay from a London airport. I think the only time I might splash out would be a Qatar trip to somewhere like Seychelles for the tier points, otherwise, unless OW start taking MAN seriously, I’ll be looking in future at Virgin’s offerings to NYC from where I can connect to many other destinations.

    • Crafty says:

      3 Jan3 January 09:22

      For a 7 hour flight to the east coast (assuming it’s a leisure not work trip) sitting in economy and watching a couple of films is a perfectly acceptable way to save £2,000.

      • Anna says:

        3 Jan3 January 09:36

        I agree – it’s the lack of avios earning opportunities direct from MAN that puts me off, not the travel class.

        • Lady London says:

          3 Jan3 January 12:38

          But at least you can say you’ve been in First and stayed in some very nice hotels :-).

          In MAN hopefully there will always be Y competition for longhaul at least from the holiday providers.

          There appears to be some excellent holiday providers out of some other European markets and not just the cheaper ex-EU flights that we know about. So depending on how/if the Virgin-KL tie-up works then it maybe it could become worth routinely flying them out of regional airports to pick up a holiday company fare or package longhaul. As Rob says UK school holiday dates are not the same as Europe’s.

        • Anna says:

          3 Jan3 January 14:56

          Totally, LL, and for anything over 8 hours I don’t think I could cope with Y any more! But our future travel plans are likely to include stopovers in the Eastern USA, so 8ish hours in Y, with 3/4 days in a city, followed by 4 hours in Y to the Caribbean or other part of the US wouldn’t be too bad. But I’m also hoping to get to Singapore and a few other far away places in the future, but only if it’s in J or F!

• Rui N. says:

  3 Jan3 January 08:36

  OT but related to Amex. 🙂
  My Gold card is coming up for annual renewal. I don’t want to mess with the whole thing of cancelling and getting a new one, but wouldn’t mind a discount in the annual fee. Any good strategies to get them to give a partial refund or extra points when renewing? What number to call and who to ask for?
  TIA

  • Anna says:

    3 Jan3 January 09:09

    You can just call the number on the back of the card to enquire (I think the chat agents would refer you to this as well), however if you’ve another Amex user in the family for a bit more effort I would be cancelling and get some referral points.

    I cancelled my SPG the other day as I’ve hit the 15k spend for gold and will renew it when I next need Bonvoy gold if it’s still around! In the meantime I have a supplementary on my OH’s card so we’ll spend towards hitting his £15k for when his gold expires in March.

    • Rui N. says:

      3 Jan3 January 10:26

      Thanks Anna. 🙂 I’ll try calling and see what they say. I won’t cancel, as they only other person in the family is on an Amex 2-year hiatus to get the sign up bonuses next year.

      • Anna says:

        3 Jan3 January 10:59

        Yes, I cancelled most my Amexes when the rules changed but I’ve since had a re-think and am going to apply for another BAPP this year to get a 2 4 1 which is worth more than the sign up bonus – OH will refer me for that from his BAPP for 9k avios. As other posters have pointed out, by next year the rules might be different again, or the cards might not exist!

• George C says:

  3 Jan3 January 08:53

  Will these ‘Awards’ ever be over??

  • Rui N. says:

    3 Jan3 January 09:04

    If you read the post before complaining you’d see there are 12 awards, and this is #10.

  • Darren says:

    3 Jan3 January 10:43

    “and now we remember the UK travel cards that we lost over the last year”

    • Simon says:

      3 Jan3 January 13:48

      Hilarious, Darren. 😁

• B says:

  3 Jan3 January 09:04

  I think the choice of BA amex is pretty ill informed, with a creation card as editors choice bang on. Terrible customer service but hugely profitable.

  I don’t hold the BA amex anymore as long haul travel plans are minimal over the next couple
  of years (annual solo F trip to OZ only). The remainder of my flying is done with BA reward flight saver (3 family trips)

  The unsung hero is the LLoyds avios card. I also hold virgin reward card.

  Last months credit card points earning was

  40k Avios, 76k Flying club and 100k ihg.

  • memesweeper says:

    3 Jan3 January 09:08

    Last *month*? Yowser. Well played.

    Rob — an article on best rewards cards for consistent heavy spenders might be in order. 🙂

  • B says:

    3 Jan3 January 11:52

    No flying. The avios are there for the taking so may as well pick them up. I’m focused on FC these days but avios have their use for family holidays in Europe plus CX redemptions to Oz to minimise costs.

    I use all my amex MR for Marriott (30k this month but usually around 5k) – I quite like the moments redemptions and this sits well with the SPG card that I use for work expenses.

    I missed out on the Hilton card as I wasn’t on the ball enough before it was closed. As I don’t have a monthly Hilton earning opportunity, I’ve decided to ignore the scheme.

    This game is all about the loopholes, it would take years of saving points to do anything interesting if you just rely on your day to day spend and the occasional bonus.

    • Doog1000 says:

      3 Jan3 January 12:35

      Hi B

      You’re obviously an expert on this stuff so it would be helpful if you for example could share how you earned 40k avios last month if not by flying or day to day spend.
      We can then see if this is something we can easily imitate – eg was it Barclays 25k offer that earned the bulk?

      If you reluctant to share fair enough but though I would ask the question directly!

      Cheers

      Doog1000

      • Ashish says:

        3 Jan3 January 13:52

        I would be more interested in the 100k IGH – wit their current limits on MS

      • Crafty says:

        5 Jan5 January 21:27

        Ashish – IHG points are easy to pick up if you have to / are able to put through payments to HMRC via Curve, using the IHG Premium card.

  • Lady London says:

    3 Jan3 January 12:42

    Are you very rich or us your strategy closer to just re-using money? Impressive.

    • Anna says:

      3 Jan3 January 14:59

      I bet we all have stuff we don’t share on here – we need an annual conference 😂

      • Anna says:

        3 Jan3 January 15:02

        In fact we should have one, in Vegas, organised by Debs and with Shoestring as guest speaker! Like they have for those pyramid schemes I’ve never been tempted to join 😂😂😂

      • Alex says:

        3 Jan3 January 15:34

        Seminars dedicated to each scheme, of course.

  • The Urbanite says:

    3 Jan3 January 22:18

    The Lloyds card was the hero for me until I got told off like a naughty schoolboy and slapped on the wrist by one of their departments the other week who were clearly very well clued up on the activities of serious points collectors!

    Also, B’s stats are entirely believable. Well done!

    • Shoestring says:

      3 Jan3 January 22:27

      a certain poster recently got 100+K in a month or so, enough to pay for his cruise, so he said!

• memesweeper says:

  3 Jan3 January 09:06

  I’m surprised the hotel cards didn’t, in general, do better. Hotel points are much easier to spend in my experience than airline points. Love my SPG Amex, Hilton Barclaycard and IHG Creation cards. IHG Creation Customer Service, it must be said, is abysmal. Fortunately I’ve not needed to talk to them in a while.

  • Crafty says:

    3 Jan3 January 09:24

    +1. These are the cards we actively use too. And also IHG White when my annoyingly low Black limit is maxed.

    • Peter K says:

      3 Jan3 January 22:39

      Why not pay off your IHG black mid month to free up more credit?

      • Crafty says:

        5 Jan5 January 21:29

        I do, several times a month, but Creation is pretty slow to update its systems. I find it’s 48-72 hours between paying off a certain amount and being able to use the equivalent credit. My limit on the Premium is only £2,400, so this is pretty much always maxed out and in between paying-off cycles. I also have the free card with a limit of £6,500 (they’re about to increase it again – infuriatingly this is the only one they’ll increase).

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