Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

LAST CALL: Win 1 million Avios when you apply for a Barclaycard Avios credit card via HfP!

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We are currently running a fantastic competition – exclusive to Head for Points readers – in conjunction with Barclaycard.

We have FOUR MILLION AVIOS to give away!

There are four prizes of 1 million Avios each, with a new winner drawn every two weeks.

Monday 20th March was the first day of Round 4, the final round. If you apply today you will be in the new draw. The competition closes on 2nd April.

Win 1 million Avios when you apply for a Barclaycard Avios credit card

How can you win 1 million Avios?

You are entered into the competition when you apply, and are accepted for, one of the two Barclaycard Avios credit cards.

You must apply for your card via the special Head for Points competition entry links below. Applications made via the main Barclaycard website or by any other method will not qualify for entry into the competition.

There are four entry periods:

  • 7th February to 19th February (now closed)
  • 20th February to 5th March (now closed)
  • 6th March to 19th March (now closed)
  • 20th March to 2nd April

There will be one winner drawn at the end of each entry period who will receive 1 million Avios.

The draw you are entered into will depend on the date on which your card application is accepted. This is usually the same day that you apply but could be later if further checks are required on your application.

You are only entered into one draw – entries are not carried forward into subsequent draws.

The winner will be drawn and notified within five days of the end of each entry period.

Full terms and conditions can be found on the application website. Legally, the promoter of the competition is Barclaycard, 1 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HP.

Which links do I need to use to enter?

To apply for the free Barclaycard Avios credit card (5,000 Avios sign-up bonus) and be entered into the competition, you must use this link here.

To apply for the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card (25,000 Avios sign-up bonus) and be entered into the competition, you must use this link here.

Win 1 million Avios when you apply for a Barclaycard Avios credit card

Which is the best Barclaycard Avios credit card for you?

The Avios Plus Mastercard offers a sign-up bonus of 25,000 Avios if you spend £3,000 within three months.

The free Avios Mastercard offers a sign-up bonus of 5,000 Avios if you spend £1,000 within three months.

These are very good products with everything you could ask for, and are easily (in my view) the most attractive Visa or Mastercard credit cards in the UK. You get:

  • a big sign-up bonus which the majority of HfP readers will qualify for
  • a very high Avios earning rate
  • an annual British Airways cabin upgrade voucher for an Avios redemption for hitting a spending target

Every HfP reader in the UK should seriously consider applying for one of these cards. If you already have one, see if your partner is keen.

Let’s summarise the two Barclaycard Avios credit cards:

Win 1 million Avios when you apply for a Barclaycard Avios credit card

The free card: Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

The representative APR is 29.9% variable.

The benefits are:

  • No annual fee
  • A sign-up bonus for new Barclaycard customers of 5,000 Avios if you spend £1,000 in three months
  • You earn 1 Avios per £1 spent
  • You earn a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher if you spend £20,000 in a card year

You can apply here. This link will also enter you into the competition to win 1 million Avios. Our full review is here.

Win 1 million Avios when you apply for a Barclaycard Avios credit card

The paid card: Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

The representative APR is 80.1% APR variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases is 29.9% variable.

The benefits are:

  • A £20 per month fee (reduced to £15 for customers who hold Barclays Avios Rewards via their current account)
  • An exceptional sign-up bonus for new Barclaycard customers of 25,000 Avios if you spend £3,000 in three months
  • You earn 1.5 Avios per £1 spent
  • You earn a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher if you spend £10,000 in a card year
  • The ability to buy passes for DragonPass airport lounges for just £18.50 per person per visit

You can apply here. This link will also enter you into the competition to win 1 million Avios. Our full review is here.

Win 1 million Avios when you apply for a Barclaycard Avios credit card

If you’re a UK-based HfP reader then you should be seriously thinking about getting one of these cards.

In the short term, I strongly recommend the £20 per month Barclaycard Avios Plus card. This has three advantages

  • a far higher welcome bonus of 25,000 Avios
  • a higher earn rate of 1.5 Avios per £1 spent
  • the triggering of the cabin upgrade voucher with just £10,000 of spend

If, after a few months, you decide that it isn’t for you, you can swap to the free card.

On the other hand, if you start with the free card, you will NOT be able to get the 25,000 Avios if you upgrade to the paid Barclaycard Avios Plus card. I think it’s better to start with the paid card and then rethink later on.

Long term, you can decide whether the free or paid card sits best alongside your other credit cards. We have a separate article comparing the two cards in detail which you can find here.

Conclusion

Four million Avios is the richest competition prize we have ever offered on Head for Points.

If you had been planning to apply for one of the two Barclaycard Avios credit cards but haven’t yet done so, now is your chance.

The closing date for the fourth and final draw is Sunday 2nd April. You will be notified within five days if you are the first lucky winner of 1 million Avios!

You MUST apply via our special application links to enter

As a reminder, you will only be entered into the competition if you apply via one of the two links below, or advertised elsewhere on HfP:

Free card:

To apply for the free Barclaycard Avios credit card (5,000 Avios sign-up bonus) and be entered into the competition, you must use this link here.

Paid card:

To apply for the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card (25,000 Avios sign-up bonus) and be entered into the competition, you must use this link here.

Good luck!

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 2024)

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

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

25,000 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 – 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

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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

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

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

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

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

Comments (26)

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

  • strickers says:

    Time to tweak my adblocker to allow the link to work.

  • strickers says:

    Player 2 applied, approved, only a £1500 credit limit though. That’s going to take some work to hit the £3k.

  • americancaller says:

    I have hit the 10k spend on my Barclaycard Avios Plus, got the confirmation email from Barclays that the voucher will be issued in 5 working days, it has now been three weeks and there is no trace of it in my account. Called both Barclays and BA but they are unable to help and blame each other for the problem.

    • zapato1060 says:

      Please don’t expect them anytime soon. You will get them but it really has been an absolute debacle.

  • PlaneSpeaking says:

    The application asks, “Do you have a Barclaycard, or have you had one in the last six months?” When I select “Yes”, the continue button greys out and it asks me to apply from the Barclays or Barclaycard app. Is this a glitch or should I tell a porky and select “No”?

    • Rob says:

      Pretty sure they’ll work it out before the card is despatched!

      You can’t have 2 Barclaycards. If you have a current card you need to swap for an Avios card via the app.

      If you closed the one you had then potentially carry on with the application – you can always claim you didn’t realise it was under 6 months.

      • @mkcol says:

        It’s not an available option to switch from the Hilton card to anything else in the app.

  • PlaneSpeaking says:

    Thanks Rob. I do have existing Barclaycards – the app will let me switch any of them but presumably, I won’t be entered into the competition which is a shame. Hey ho.

    • Rob says:

      Not necessarily – the app will let you switch to the cards which the Barclays algorithm has decided will suit you. The call centre cannot override this.

      Frankly your best bet is to cancel what you have and wait 6 months so you qualify for a sign up bonus on an Avios card.

      • Adam says:

        Out of interest, do Barclaycard do any retention deals with Avios that you are aware of? Amex have offered double Avios when I’ve tried to cancel previously.

  • Adam says:

    I have the Barclaycard Avios card currently – if I cancel, how long before I could technically reapply for a new sign-up bonus?

    • Adam says:

      Just read your previous reply Rob, thanks!

      • JDB says:

        @Adam you can sign up again six months after cancelling, but you won’t get another SUB – that requires two years from cancellation.

  • Grimz says:

    if it says no after the eligibility checker, is that it? Its the 2nd time i have tried for the card but still a no!

    • Rob says:

      If you’re not bothered about a short-term ‘ding’ on your credit report (and unless you’re after a mortgage in the next 90 days you shouldn’t be bothered) then you can always try an application, assuming Barclays lets you apply if you fail the eligibility check.

  • namster says:

    still have not got my 100k points from the previous hfp promo

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

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