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Amazon launches a new UK credit card with Barclaycard

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Amazon has gone back into the UK consumer credit card market with a new product operated by Barclaycard.

It is decent in terms of benefits. However, we do not recommend HfP readers get this card because it will block you from the Barclaycard Avios credit cards and their generous sign-up bonuses.

It may, on the other hand, be one that you could recommend to a non-traveller looking for a free non-Amex credit card with decent benefits.

Amazon launches UK credit card with Barclaycard

You can see details on the Amazon website here. The APR is 28.9% variable.

The key features are:

  • no annual fee
  • £20 Amazon voucher as a sign-up bonus
  • 0.5% back on spending, paid in Amazon vouchers, for the first year
  • 0.25% back on spending, paid in Amazon vouchers, from Year 2
  • 1% back on Amazon spending
  • 2% back on Amazon Prime Day and other ‘event’ days

You CANNOT use this card with Apple Pay.

The 0.5% return in Year 1 makes the card more valuable than major ‘non travel’ reward cards such as the Marks & Spencer, Sainsburys, Tesco and John Lewis products. These tend to pay you just 0.1% to 0.25% of your spending. Even after Year 1, 0.25% is at the top end of what you could expect to earn from a consumer card like this.

(Of course, it would make more sense to get the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard, which earns 1 Avios per £1, and transfer the Avios into Nectar points at 1:1. This would give you 0.5% back every year, not just for the first year. Your average member of the public won’t go for this, however.)

The sign-up rule is:

“You won’t be able to apply for the Amazon Barclaycard if you already have a Barclaycard, or have had one in the last 6 months. Barclaycard will be opening applications for existing Barclaycard customers in the future.”

The last line is interesting. This is the first time that we’ve seen Barclays publicly state what we have been telling readers for a couple of years – that there is a major IT upgrade going on at Barclaycard which will allow you to hold multiple cards at the same time from 2025.

best travel rewards credit cards

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – October 2024 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 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

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.

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

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

40,000 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:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

American Express Business Platinum

Up to 80,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

Get up to 40,000 points as a sign-up offer and FREE for a year Read our full review

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

10,000 points bonus – plus an extra 500 points for our readers 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

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback when you spend at least £2,000 per month.

Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit Card

Get 1% cashback when you spend at least £2,000 per month* Read our full review

Category

General

Comments (80)

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

  • Stephen Creasey says:
    13 Aug13 August 08:14

    Like wise never had any issues with BarclayCard and Apple Pay. Is it Google Pay that is the issue, as while I’ve not tried that, some websites suggest that isn’t supported ?

    • David says:
      13 Aug13 August 09:15

      It’s BC Visa’s that don’t work with Apple Pay? MasterCards are fine?

    • Jay-Marc says:
      13 Aug13 August 14:52

      Google Pay does actually work with at least some Barclaycards (I know of mine & a friend’s that do) but this is not officially acknowledged.

    • Richard says:
      13 Aug13 August 23:05

      I believe it links back to when phone based payments were being introduced, Barclays didn’t want to support Google or Apple Pay. They could get around this on Android has app devs were allowed to use NFC, so they added the feature to their own app. Apple didn’t let app devs access NFC, so Barclaycard had to give in and allow Apple Pay. I think most cards can be added to both.

  • James W says:
    13 Aug13 August 09:30

    BAPP bonus is definitely targeted as I haven’t got it!

  • WillPS says:
    13 Aug13 August 09:42

    The ‘multiple cards’ thing isn’t an IT limitation, as it’s possible to hold multiple cards now, you just can’t apply for a second (which is a policy which has varied over the last decade).

    ‘Applications for existing customers’ could just mean the ability to change an existing card; as customers already can (subject to eligibility!) between all except the Hilton card; i.e. from Travel to Avios, or Avios to Avios Plus.

  • Panda Mick says:
    13 Aug13 August 09:42

    I saw “Singapore changes” and my heart sank, but it appears that the BCN-MXP is not changing (phew!).

    I did BCN-MXP last week on a TP run, mixed in with Air Europa, and have managed nearly half the TPs I need with VS for this year. Thursday was especially tough though:

    MXP-BCN
    BCN-MAD
    MAD-LGW

    In one day!

    I had two meetings in the US cancelled, hence the need to do this

    SQ are wonderful on the flight, but I do NOT like that tiny little hobbit hole your feet go into on the A350. Compared to the cavernous hole you could fit a Tory PPE contract into on the Air Europe 787 (Herringbone), it seems almost arbitrary

    I now (almost) have sympathy for @rob!

    • Panda Mick says:
      13 Aug13 August 09:43

      I have NO idea what happened there:
      MXP-BCN
      BCN-MAD
      MAD-LGW

      In one day!

      I had two meetings in the US cancelled, hence the need to do this

  • Mayfield says:
    13 Aug13 August 09:44

    “The last line is interesting. This is the first time that we’ve seen Barclays publicly state what we have been telling readers for a couple of years – that there is a major IT upgrade going on at Barclaycard which will allow you to hold multiple cards at the same time from 2025.”

    This might be sooner as I have received confirmation that my Tesco CC is going to migrate to Barclaycard in October. (Following the Tesco bank sale) I also have a HH card so i’m assuming they’ll let me keep both….

    • WillPS says:
      13 Aug13 August 11:13

      Tesco Bank the company moves to the control of Barclays in Nov. Very much doubt the IT will change for some time – Barclays are taking over responsibility for the Tesco Bank systems which infers to me they will continue separately for a while amidst integration work.

      These things take time – Nationwide are allowing 6 years *after* their takeover of Virgin Money completes to do the job (although Virgin Money is a rabbit warren of disperate systems, Tesco Bank is little better with some RBS vintage stuff and some stuff of their own).

      • Andrew. says:
        13 Aug13 August 11:48

        There’s probably rather a lot to do at Nationwide. They’re in the process of upgrading their system right now (hence withdrawal of Passbooks early next year).

        But their current systems won’t be designed to accommodate some of the large businesses (eg local authorities) with high volume, high value transactions.

  • Mayfield says:
    13 Aug13 August 09:52

    Thanks, I wasn’t aware. Panic over for me then.

    • Rob says:
      13 Aug13 August 09:54

      Those are on a separate IT system, they told us, which is now effectively locked and is why no-one new has been able to have two cards for a few years now.

  • Myriad says:
    13 Aug13 August 09:57

    Don’t even know if it’s amusing that Amazon is having a Visa credit card after they publicly pulled consumers into their petulant whining two years ago

    • Nick says:
      13 Aug13 August 13:53

      But Amazon won when Visa capitulated. No reason not to do a joint deal now that’s over.

  • illuminatus says:
    13 Aug13 August 10:23

    Rob, it’s worth noting that the card terms are vastly better for Prime members – £50 Amazon Gift Card, Get 2% back in rewards when you shop on Amazon and 1% back when you shop everywhere else, 4% back in rewards during eligible Amazon key shopping events

    • Rob says:
      13 Aug13 August 10:27

      You must have a targeted offer. When logged in as a Prime member I only get the standard offer and none of the PR material mentions a better deal for Prime members.

      • figgyc says:
        13 Aug13 August 11:20

        Andy Clever cash reports the targeted offer is for holders of the previous Amazon Newday credit cards.

        • Maples says:
          13 Aug13 August 14:16

          I had the old card, and yes, I can see that offer you’ve described.

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

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