Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

ENDS SOON: Get 100,000 bonus Avios for getting the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card and Premier Banking with Barclays Avios Rewards

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UPDATE – APRIL 2025:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly directory of the top UK travel credit card offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Credit Cards’ menu above.  Thank you.

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Barclaycard and Barclays are currently running, easily, the richest Avios promotional deals we have ever seen. If you only respond to one Avios collection offer this year, make it this one.

Full details are on the Barclays website here. I strongly recommend reading the information there alongside our article below.

The offer ends on 30th November 2022. Whilst you might think it is a bit early for a ‘last chance’ article, it isn’t because newcomers to Barclays need to apply for two products separately.

Get 100,000 bonus Avios for getting both the Avios Plus credit card and Premier Banking

This is a complex offer so there are four articles about it. We are updating them over the next four days, but if you want to jump ahead you can use the links below to read the original versions from last month:

…. plus the one you’re currently reading which is for anyone totally new to Barclays:

  • Get 100,000 bonus Avios for getting the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card and Premier Banking with Barclays Avios Rewards

One of these articles should be appropriate for your circumstances.

Only continue reading this article if you do not have Premier Banking with Barclays Avios Rewards and you do not have either of the Barclaycard Avios credit cards.

Full details of the different versions of this offer can be found on the Barclays website here.

Get 100,000 bonus Avios for getting the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card and Premier Banking with Barclays Avios Rewards

If you are new to Barclays, this is a truly exceptional offer. You are being offered 100,000 Avios – which is worth, in the worst case scenario that you turn it into Nectar points, £667 – for:

  • Opening a Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card (£20 monthly fee) and
  • Joining Premier Banking with Barclays Avios Rewards (£12 monthly fee), please see terms and conditions below

You will get £5 back into your current account every month you pay the fee for both products.

The 100,000 Avios bonus is on top of the standard sign-up bonuses for the two products, which are worth up to an extra 50,000 Avios between them.

You’ll need to keep both products for four months or more, starting from the date you open the last product. Eligibility and T&Cs apply.

Barclays Avios Rewards terms and conditions

Here are some key things to note about Premier Banking and Barclays Avios Rewards:

  • You can opt in to Barclays Avios Rewards if you’re a Premier Banking or Wealth customer with a personal current account with Barclays – you’ll need to register for the Barclays app and have a British Airways Executive Club account too.
  • There’s a £12 monthly fee and you have to opt out of Barclays Blue Rewards and go paperless for all your accounts and services.
  • To access Barclays Avios Rewards in the Barclays app, you need to be over 18.
  • To join and remain eligible for Premier Banking for free you need to have an income of £75,000 paid into a Barclays current account or £100,000 invested with Barclays. T&Cs apply.

Here is the legal information we need to tell you about the credit card:

How does the 100,000 bonus Avios offer work?

This is a little complicated because you need to apply for, and be accepted for, two different products to receive the 100,000 bonus Avios:

  • you need to apply for the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card via this link – this should be your first step, because you need to pass a credit check in order to be accepted
  • once accepted for the Avios Plus credit card, you need to join Premier Banking via this link
  • you need to activate the Barclays Avios Rewards add on – this costs £12 per month but comes with 1,500 Avios per month and a British Airways upgrade voucher* every 12 months

In return, you will receive:

From the Avios Plus credit card:

  • if you’re new to Barclaycard, you’ll collect 25,000 Avios if you spend £3,000 on the Avios Plus credit card in your first three months. T&Cs apply.
  • if you’re an existing Barclaycard customer who does not currently have either of the Barclaycard Avios cards, you’ll collect 5,000 Avios if you spend £3,000 on the Avios Plus credit card in your first three months. T&Cs apply.

From Barclays Avios Rewards:

  • you’ll receive 25,000 Avios with Barclays Avios Rewards if your Premier current account is the first current account you are opening with Barclays and you complete a full switch using the Current Account Switch Service within three months.
  • if you have been a customer with Barclays for four months or more already, you’ll receive 2,500 Avios as a joining bonus

On top of the two bonuses above:

  • you will receive an additional 100,000 Avios if you retain your Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card and Barclays Avios Rewards for at least four months

For clarity, holders other Barclaycard non-Avios credit cards are able to get the 100,000 Avios bonus if they complete the steps above. You will receive a lower bonus of 5,000 Avios for taking out the Avios Plus credit card. You need to look in the Barclaycard app to see if you are offered the opportunity to upgrade to the Avios Plus credit card – not all cardholders will see this, and if it isn’t there then you are blocked from this deal.

Click here for the full terms and conditions.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card and Barclays Premier.

How does the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card work?

Even without the carrot of an additional 100,000 Avios bonus, the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card is an impressive product.

The core card features are:

  • A £20 per month fee
  • A sign-up bonus for new Barclaycard customers of 25,000 Avios if you spend £3,000 in the first three months
  • You get 1.5 Avios per £1 spent
  • You get a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher* if you spend £10,000 on the card within twelve months

Note that the fee is paid monthly and you can downgrade to the free card at any point, although you will lose the 100,000 Avios bonus if you do so within four months.

What happens if I am rejected for the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card?

In order to receive the 100,000 Avios, you need to be accepted for both the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card and Barclays Avios Rewards.

You should apply for the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card first and then, if successful, proceed to join Premier Banking and switch on Barclays Avios Rewards.

How does Barclays Avios Rewards work?

Once you are approved for the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card, you also need to join Premier Banking with Barclays Avios Rewards to receive the additional 100,000 Avios bonus.

Even without this offer, Barclays Premier – with the Barclays Avios Rewards add-on – is a good deal.

Barclays Avios Rewards is the rewards scheme for Premier Banking and Wealth customers with a personal current account. It is the only way to collect Avios from a UK current account.

This is how it works:

  • There is a £12 monthly fee for Barclays Avios Rewards
  • You receive 1,500 Avios per month
  • You receive a ‘cabin upgrade voucher*’ after 12 months (more details below)

What is important to remember about Barclays Avios Rewards is that – unlike a credit card reward – there is no spend requirement. Once you opt in to Barclays Avios Rewards you will receive monthly Avios and an annual BA upgrade voucher*.

If you spend £10,000 within twelve months on your Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card, you could get a second upgrade voucher* each year. This would allow you to:

  • upgrade a return flight, in both directions, for two people travelling together, or
  • upgrade a flight in one direction for four people travelling together

To join Barclays Premier Banking for free, you will need an income of £75,000+ OR at least £100,000 saved or invested with Barclays.

You’ll receive 25,000 Avios if you are opening your first account with Barclays and complete a full switch using the Current Account Switch Service within three months. If you have been with Barclays for four months or more, you’ll receive 2,500 Avios as a joining bonus.

Conclusion

This article is aimed at people who:

  • have not yet taken out a Barclaycard Avios credit card, and
  • have not joined Premier Banking with Barclays Avios Rewards

If you are new to the Barclaycard Avios credit cards and new to Premier Banking with Barclays Avios Rewards, you could receive multiple Avios bonuses with this offer:

  • You’ll receive 25,000 Avios if you’re opening your first account with Barclays and complete a full switch using the Current Account Switch Service within three months and switch on Barclays Avios Rewards.
  • If you’re new to Barclaycard, you’ll collect 25,000 Avios if you spend £3,000 in your first three months on the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card. T&Cs apply.
  • You will receive 100,000 Avios as an additional bonus for applying for both products (requires both products to remain open for four months) by 30th November 2022

The bonus for Barclays Avios Rewards is reduced to 2,500 Avios if you have an existing Barclays current account and are upgrading. You will still receive the 100,000 Avios bonus if you meet all of the other criteria and apply by 30th November 2022. T&C apply.

The bonus for the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card is reduced to 5,000 Avios if you spend £3,000 in your first three months if you have an existing non-Avios Barclaycard credit card. You will still receive the 100,000 Avios bonus if you meet all of the other criteria and apply by 30th November 2022. T&C apply.

Find out more on the Barclays website

You can find out more, and apply, on this special page of the Barclays website.

Remember to apply for the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card before you join Premier Banking with Barclays Avios Rewards, just in case you are not accepted for the credit card.

*Cabin upgrade vouchers must be used on Avios reward flight bookings. Reward flights and cabin upgrades are subject to availability. Taxes, fees and carrier charges per person apply. Additional terms and conditions apply to the use of the cabin upgrade voucher, please go to here for more information.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.


How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

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 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 card

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.

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.

Comments (102)

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

  • Anthony says:

    If I’m not liable for the welcome bonus due to previously having the card, can u still get the 100k bonus?!

  • optomdad says:

    I have now got the Avios Rewards account set up with the Barclays App, and also the Barclaycard Avios account set up previously with the Barclaycard App – will they combine at some point since at this moment the Barclays App won’t add my Barclaycard. I should add that the account only got opened today. Thanks in advance if anyone has experienced this and knows the answer.

    • optomdad says:

      Otherwise how will Barclays know that I have had both accounts in 4 months time?

    • Reney says:

      in your Barclays app, under manage my account can you see your credit card? If yes then add it, if not some people suggest waiting a week. I called Barclays and was told I got 2 customer profile which needed merging. So you might have to call them.

  • Phil W says:

    Some advice required.

    Situation: Meet income criteria. Last BC product has Hilton CC which was cancelled in 2018. Have HSBC Premier Account, which I would like to maintain as my main bank account (for all my points and miles gaming, I’m strangely reticent about changing my main bank account). Have mortgage with HSBC.

    Would either of the following approaches work for this offer:

    (1) Apply for BC Avios Plus CC, Join Barclays Premier Banking switching a vanilla Revolut/Monese current account (that has no standing orders, DDs or recurring Income), Opt in to Barclays Avios Rewards, then transfer my income from my HSBC account for 5 months?

    (2) Apply for BC Avios Plus CC, Join Barclays Premier Banking switching a vanilla Revolut/Monese current account (that has no standing orders, DDs or recurring Income), Opt in to Barclays Avios Rewards, then arrange for my income to be paid directly into my new Barclays account for 5 months, and then transfer it to HSBC?

    If #2 would work, what is the perceived likelihood that HSBC will withdraw Premier from me in the meantime.

    TIA

  • Optimus Prime says:

    If you are an existing Barclaycard client and the app only lets you switch to the fee-free Avios card, is there any way to upgrade to Avios Plus before 30th November?

  • Josh says:

    I have a Barclaycard, just a basic platinum one. I never use it. I’ve read through the comments and can’t find a suitable answer. If I sign up for just the Barclays avios plus card, how many points could I be rewarded? Not looking to open a premier account as well

  • Neil says:

    Word of advice for anyone tempted by this offer….don’t waste your time.

    I applied and was immediately accepted for the card at the end of October. All very painless so far. The same day I applied for the Premier Account, only to be told by Barclays there was a 5 week wait for applications to be processed – taking us outside the qualifying window for the 100,000 bonus.

    Today a letter came through saying they needed proof of ID in a branch to complete the set up….promising I thought. However, when I tried to make an appointment to do this (you annoyingly just can’t walk in) the earliest they had at any of our local branches (I gave them lots of options) was January for a Saturday, or mid-December for the middle of a work day. This again takes us outside the 100,000 qualifying window, and for over a week Barclays have been unable to confirm whether they’d honour the offer due to the delays being their end not mine!

    Not sure if anyone has managed to get any more sense out of them honouring the deal due to their own delays, but if they won’t then HfP should really take this article down, or at least qualify that it is almost impossible to obtain due to Barclays’ processes.

    • Rob says:

      It doesn’t matter when you have the interview. All you need to do is apply by 30th November. Barclays is well aware of the delays with ID verification slots.

      • Neil says:

        Thanks for the reply Rob, but that’s not what they’re telling me. I’ve asked their customer service team several times and all they can tell me is they’re ‘waiting for confirmation as to whether they’ll honour the bonus points’ given the account won’t be open until outside the window.

        • Rob says:

          They are wrong. We went to Barclays last week with an identical query on behalf of another reader and we have it in writing. It is also logical, frankly, because Barclays would have to pull the offer now if that wasn’t the case, given that no-one is getting a slot before December, at least London-way.

          • Neil says:

            Thanks Rob, this is helpful! I’ll put it to their customer service team to see what they say…

  • Hana says:

    I have applied for the credit card and have been approved. When I go to apply for a bank account, I am directed to the mobile app, which I have downloaded. I cannot see how to apply unless I have registered my new credit card, which I do not have the details for yet. Can I use the good old fashion browser and still be eligible for the 100k?

    • Hana says:

      The whole process was seamless once I realized applications could only be made from 6 am. LOL.

  • Fahim says:

    Hi Team!

    I am really hoping you might be able to help…

    I have some Barclays Offshore Wealth bank accounts and also a UK onshore Premier account. I also have the Avios Plus credit card. I therefore meet the requirements for this bonus (subject to switching on Avios Rewards). The problem I have is even though I can see all my offshore and onshore Premier accounts on my app, I can’t see the ‘rewards’ option. Speaking to the helpdesks, they say it is not possible to switch on Avios Rewards over the phone or at the branch, only through the app. So even though I meet the requirements (have the Premier account and the Avios Plus credit card and willing to switch on Avios Rewards), I seem to be stuck! Any suggestions for a workaround on this?

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