Barclaycard tweaks Avios earning on its credit cards

Barclaycard shook up the UK credit card market in 2022 when it launched its two Avios credit cards.

Notwithstand their creaky IT, we have seen some exceptional benefits:

• a free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard earning 1 Avios per £1 spent and an annual upgrade voucher (or, soon, a 7,000 Avios bonus) for spending £20,000 per year – a package no other UK Visa or Mastercard can touch

• a paid-for Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard earning 1.5 Avios per £1 spent and an annual upgrade voucher (or, soon, a 7,000 Avios bonus) for spending £10,000 per year

• sign-up bonuses which have run as high as 50,000 Avios (!) for the paid-for Avios Plus Mastercard

Our review of the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard is here. Our review of the paid-for Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard is here.

From 30th June 2023, Barclaycard is making a change to the cards. I would guess that it will have zero impact for 95% of HfP readers and probably 99% of broader cardholders, but it is worth flagging regardless.

There will be a monthly cap on Avios earning

Barclaycard is introducing a cap on the number of Avios you can earn each month.

This concept is not new. Virgin Atlantic has a cap on its two Virgin Atlantic Reward credit cards but the Barclaycard cap is FAR more generous.

If you have a Virgin Atlantic credit card, your monthly earning is capped at your credit limit. If you pay down your balance mid-month and run it up again, you won’t receive additional miles.

(For example, if your credit limit is £10,000 and you spend £8,000, pay it off after two weeks and then spend another £7,000, you will only earn Virgin Points on your first £10,000 of spending for that month.)

Barclaycard is limiting your monthly Avios earning to FOUR TIMES your credit limit.

Frankly, the number of people who spend their entire credit limit, pay it off, run it up again, pay it off etc x four must be tiny. It clearly is an issue for Barclaycard, however, hence this new rule.

It appears that the majority who do clear their account more than four times per month are doing so in relation to business spending. You cannot earn Avios on B2B purchases made with the Barclaycard Avios cards (see rule 4.4) and this change is part of a broader focus on enforcing this rule.

This rule change comes into force from 30th June 2023.

The full revised T&C document from 30th June 2023 is here.

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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