Amazon to close its two UK Mastercard credit cards
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
Some HfP readers are likely to have an Amazon Platinum Mastercard which they have been using where American Express is not accepted.
You didn’t earn any miles or points, but the cashback reward (paid in Amazon credit) was in line with the best options available.
Amazon and NewDay, the card issuer, have now agreed to part ways. It seems that NewDay negotiated a good deal when it agreed its original contract, because it is retaining the cardholder base.
All cardholders will be swapped to a ‘NewDay Pulse’ card in January 2023. This will be a cashback card, paying a very generous 1% for your first three months and then 0.25% thereafter.
The only snag is that cashback will be capped at £150 per year, albeit that you would need to be spending £60,000 per year to earn that.
This is comparable to what you currently receive. At present:
- Amazon Platinum cardholders get 0.25p for every £1 spent outside Amazon, paid in Amazon credit (Amazon spend earns 0.75% back for general customers and 1.5% back for Prime members)
- Amazon Classic cardholders – which hopefully don’t include any HfP readers – don’t earn any rewards (!) but do get an Amazon voucher for signing up
On the face of it, you might be tempted to stick with the NewDay Pulse replacement card. I don’t recommend that.
Bizarrely, the most generous cashback Visa or Mastercard in the UK is now the new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard.
You earn 1 Avios per £1 spent. You can transfer these to Nectar at the rate of 1 Avios = 1.6 Nectar points. As 1 Nectar is worth 0.5p, you are getting (1.6 x 0.5p) 0.8p of Nectar points for every £1 you spend.
This is triple the return of the NewDay Pulse card or the current Amazon Platinum Mastercard.
Our full review of the Barclaycard Avios Mastercard is here and you can apply here. That said, it makes more sense to get the paid card with a 25,000 Avios bonus and then trade down to the free version later. Our review of the paid Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard is here.
PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.
Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2025 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 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
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.
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
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher 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
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:
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
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
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
