Four credit and debit cards worth keeping, unused, just for their benefits
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Typically there are three different types of travel loyalty credit cards you can apply for:
- cards you get just for the sign-up bonus
- cards you get primarily for the strong on-going earnings rate
- cards you get but don’t use because they come with generous perks
Head for Points tends to focus on the first two types. I thought it was worth a look at the four loyalty cards which offer decent on-going perks even if you don’t use them.
This list was recently expanded with the launch of the Hilton Honors Plus debit card which we reviewed here. The card gives you Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as you hold it.
For clarity, my list does NOT include perks which require you to hit a spending target each year to receive them such as the British Airways American Express 2-4-1 voucher or the Barclaycard Avios Mastercard upgrade voucher.
All of the perks discussed below are yours simply because you took out the card.
The place to turn for full details of all airline and hotel loyalty credit cards is, of course, our ‘Top Credit Card Offers‘ page, which summarises all of the cards and deals currently available.
Looking through the list, these are the four cards you might want to get but keep in your desk drawer gathering dust:
The Platinum Card from American Express
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 80,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £10,000 within six months
- This is a special offer which runs to 14th January 2025
- Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
- Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios and Virgin Points
- You can also convert to other airlines, Eurostar and hotel schemes
Other information:
- Two Priority Pass cards, each allowing two people into 1,400 airport lounges
- Elite status in four major hotel loyalty programmes
- Comprehensive travel insurance
- £400 per year of restaurant credit (T&C apply)
- £50 per half year of Harvey Nichols credit (ends June 2025)
- Annual fee: £650
Representative 701.4% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £650 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 30.7% APR variable.
You will receive 80,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card if you spend £10,000 within six months of signing up.
This is a special offer which runs to 14th January 2025.
Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible. You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (usually at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.
This is the ONLY personal American Express card where you still qualify for the bonus if you already hold a British Airways American Express card.
To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card which earns Membership Rewards points. This includes The Platinum Card and Preferred Rewards Gold.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held any other American Express card, including the British Airways, Marriott and Nectar cards.
For clarity, you can still apply for The Platinum Card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the long list of other benefits.
The Platinum Card from American Express comes with an unrivalled list of benefits for the keen traveller.
Your personal travel patterns will determine which of these is the most valuable. The key benefits are:
Full comprehensive travel insurance for you, your family and the family of your supplementary cardholder, subject to enrolment
Two Priority Pass cards, each of which allows the holder and a guest unlimited free access to 1,400 airport lounges
Elite status in four major hotel loyalty schemes: Marriott Bonvoy (Gold), Hilton Honors (Gold), Radisson Rewards (Premium), MeliaRewards (Gold)
Access to Eurostar lounges, irrespective of travel class
£200 per year to spend in over 170 UK restaurants (£100 per half year)
£200 per year to spend in over 1,500 international restaurants (£100 per half year)
£50 to spend at Harvey Nichols, instore or online (£50 per half year, this benefit ends on 30th June 2025)
The restaurant benefit is different for 2024. If you apply today, you will receive £300 of dining credit to spend by 31st December 2024. £150 can be used in selected UK restaurants and £150 can be used outside the UK. The terms listed above will apply from 1st January 2025.
You need a minimum personal income of £35,000 to apply for the card.
The Platinum Card from American Express is the most complex and most debatable card here.
Because you can get a very generous 50,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus (converts into 50,000 Avios or 50,000 Virgin Flying Club miles amongst other things) it may be worth giving the card a try to see if it works for you.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. Click here to apply.
There are a lot of long-term benefits that can have real value:
- 2 Priority Pass cards, each getting you and a guest into 1,400 airport lounges for free. If you give your second card to your partner, you have a family of four covered. London lounges include the Aspire lounge in Heathrow T5, the Plaza Premium lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5 and the Club Aspire and No1 lounges in Heathrow T3, as well as a number of Gatwick options.
- Eurostar lounge access (cardholder only, no guests, although your supplementary Platinum cardholder can get in with their card)
- Lounge access with Delta in the US
- Access to Amex’s upmarket ‘Centurion’ lounge network at selected US airports, Hong Kong and London Heathrow Terminal 3
- Marriott Bonvoy (Sheraton, Le Meridien, Aloft, St Regis etc) hotels Gold status,
- Hilton Honors (Conrad, DoubleTree, Waldorf Astoria, Hampton etc) Gold status
- MeliaRewards (Melia, INNSiDE, Tryp, ME) Gold status
- Radisson Rewards (Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn) Premium status
- Travel insurance, subject to enrolment, which is fully comprehensive (some minor benefits such as lost luggage requiring you to pay for your flights and hotels with an American Express card, although ‘big stuff’ like medical cover is covered regardless) although read the small print if you have pre-existing conditions
- Comprehensive car hire insurance
- Discounts and/or added benefits in luxury hotels via the Fine Hotels & Resorts programme
- £200 per year to spend in 150+ UK restaurants (no minimum spend required, credited at £100 per half year)
- £200 per year to spend in 1,800+ restaurants outside the UK (no minimum spend required, credited at £100 per half year)
- £50 per half year to spend at Harvey Nichols, online or instore (benefit ends 30th June 2025)
…. plus some other bits and pieces, including car hire status.
A lot of people, including myself, have a Platinum card for the benefits but – because of the weak 1 point per £1 earning rate – do not use it much.
Our full review of The Platinum Card is here. You can apply here.
HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 40,000 HSBC points as a sign-up bonus
- Earn 3 HSBC points per £1 spent in Sterling
- Earn 4 HSBC points per £1 spent in foreign currency
- Points convert at 2:1 into Avios or 12 other programmes
Other information:
- Only available to HSBC Premier account holders
- Receive free airport lounge access with Priority Pass
- Annual fee: £290
Representative 100.2% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £290 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 29.9% APR variable.
The sign-up bonus on the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard is 40,000 HSBC points.
You receive 40,000 HSBC points (worth 20,000 Avios or other airline miles or hotel points) for spending £2,000 within three months. You will receive the bonus within 60 days of reaching the £2,000 spend target.
The annual fee is £290.
There is no restriction on receiving the bonus if you have previously held the card, as long as you cancelled it over six months ago or are upgrading from the free HSBC Premier Mastercard.
The points earned with the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard can be transferred to various airline and hotel loyalty schemes – Asia Miles, British Airways Executive Club / Avios, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Finnair Plus, Flying Blue (Air France KLM), Qantas Frequent Flyer, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, TAP Miles&Go and Wyndham Rewards.
They can also be redeemed for other items including retailer gift cards.
Cardholders can access any airport lounge in the Priority Pass network for free. No guests are allowed, but you can get your partner a supplementary credit card on your account for an annual fee of £60. Children would be charged at £24 per visit.
You can access airport security fast track lanes at participating airports worldwide. No guests are allowed, but you can get your partner a supplementary credit card on your account for an annual fee of £60.
You need to be a HSBC Premier current account holder to apply for this card. HSBC Premier comes with a range of additional benefits including comprehensive travel insurance.
The HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard is only available to HSBC Premier current account holders, and a substantial financial commitment to HSBC is required to receive one.
You receive free airport lounge access at 1,400 airports worldwide via the Priority Pass programme. Guests are charged at £24, although if you regularly travel with the same adult it would be cheaper to pay £60 to get them a supplementary credit card on your account. There is no way of getting children into a lounge with you without paying the £24. It is a cheaper way of getting lounge access than buying your own Priority Pass card.
If you get the standard version of the HSBC Premier Mastercard, you also get a Priority Pass card but are charged £24 per lounge visit, no freebies.
You would also get comprehensive travel insurance, although this is technically a benefit of the free HSBC Premier current account and you would receive this even if you decided not to take out the credit card.
The card has a chunky £290 annual fee BUT you receive a sign-up bonus of 40,000 HSBC points. These convert to 20,000 Avios or 12 other airline and hotel programmes.
Our full review of the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard is here. You can apply here.
Consider the Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard too ….
Whilst it is not a ‘travel rewards’ card, and so not included in this article, you may also want to look at the new Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.
This costs £15 per month and includes Priority Pass airport lounge access. It is, I think, the cheapest option in the UK for someone who purely wants unlimited airport lounge access.
Unlike American Express, HSBC and Lloyds also allow you to use selected airport restaurants with your Priority Pass. This HfP article looks at the UK airport restaurants which will give you an £18 credit.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
- Earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per £1 spent
- Earn 6 points per £1 spent at Marriott hotels
- Points convert at 3:1 into Avios or other airline miles
Other information:
- 15 elite night credits per year to help you towards higher status
- Free night, up to 25,000 points, when you spend £25,000 per year.
- Upgrade to Gold Elite status when you spend £15,000 in a card year
- Annual fee: £95
Representative 54.5% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £95 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 30.7% APR variable.
You will receive 20,000 points as a sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.
To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the 15 elite night credits per year, the free night (up to 25,000 points) for spending £25,000 and Gold Elite status for spending £15,000.
You will receive 15 elite night credits per year in Marriott Bonvoy. The first batch will arrive within 60 days on applying and then in Spring in each subsequent year.
15 elite nights will automatically get you Silver Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy and put you nearer to Gold Elite and higher tiers.
If you spend £15,000 per card year, you will be upgraded to Gold Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.
If you spend £25,000 per card year, you will receive a free night voucher, valid at any hotel where reward nights cost up to 25,000 points.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
The Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 15 free elite night credits per year.
15 night credits means that you will immediately qualify for free Silver Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy. This has few real benefits, except for a 10% bonus on base points earned from Marriott hotel stays, so it is debatable whether it is worth the £95 annual card fee on its own.
However, it also puts you 15 nights nearer the very valuable Platinum Elite status which usually requires 50 nights. Platinum Elite comes with guaranteed lounge access, breakfast benefits and a guaranteed 4pm check-out.
I have this card myself and find that I can manage 35 Marriott nights each year on top to requalify for Platinum Elite. The 15 free elite nights even count towards lifetime status with Marriott Bonvoy.
You will also receive 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points as a sign-up bonus, if you qualify and meet the spending target.
Our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card is here. You can apply here.
Hilton Honors Plus Mastercard debit card
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 10,000 points when you spend £2,500 in foreign currency within six months
- Earn 1.5 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent in the UK
- Earn 3 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent in foreign currency
- Get a 50% bonus when you spend at Hilton hotels
Other information:
- Receive Gold status in Hilton Honors for as long as you hold the card
- This gets you free breakfast (or a cash credit in the USA) on every Hilton stay
- You pay NO FX fees when spending in a foreign currency
- Annual fee: £150
This is a debit card, not a credit card. Transactions are automatically recharged to your existing UK current account.
You will receive 10,000 Hilton Honors points if you spend £2,500 in foreign currency during your first six months.
You are still OK to apply for the card, and receive the bonus, if you have the (closed to new applicants) Hilton Honors Barclaycard or the standard Currensea debit card (Currensea also operates the Hilton Honors Plus debit card).
You will receive Gold status in Hilton Honors for as long as you hold the card.
The key benefits of Gold status are an 80% bonus on base points on every Hilton Honors stay, ‘preferred’ room upgrades of some sort (often a higher floor or better view, not necessarily next category up) and free breakfast for two people (or a daily cash credit towards food or drink spend in the US).
You can withdraw £500 per month from ATMs outside the UK without paying any FX fees, with a 2.5% FX fee thereafter. You cannot use the card in ATMs in the UK.
The Hilton Honors Plus debit card comes with Gold status in Hilton Honors for as long as you keep the card.
Hilton Gold is the best mid-tier status of any hotel group because it gets you free breakfast for two on every stay. The only exception is in the USA where you receive a daily cash credit towards any food or drink spend.
You also receive an 80% bonus on Hilton Honors base points earned during your stay and should be upgraded to a ‘preferred’ room. This isn’t necessarily a higher category but the best room in the category you booked.
Even if you never use the debit card, you are ‘buying’ Hilton Honors Gold status for £150 per year. You can easily recoup this in free breakfast savings if you stayed as few as three nights with your partner.
You will also receive 10,000 Hilton Honors points as a sign-up bonus if you spend £2,500 in foreign currency within your first six months.
As the name suggests, this is a debit card and not a credit card. Transactions are debited to your existing UK current account as soon as they are made.
Our full review of the Hilton Honors Plus Mastercard debit card is here. You can apply here.
Conclusion
Overall, there are some interesting deals to be had with some credit cards which makes them worth keeping, even if you don’t use them.
For bigger spenders, especially heavy travellers, The Platinum Card from American Express is worth a look.
The generous sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points, airport lounge access and the free hotel status cards mean that you don’t have much to lose by giving it a try, despite the heavy fee.
The new Hilton Honors Plus debit card is arguably your cheapest option for ‘buying’ worthwhile travel status, as it gives you Gold status in Hilton Honors.
PS. In case you are wondering, I deliberately excluded The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card. Whilst you get four free airport lounge passes per year and £120 of Deliveroo credit, these do not justify the £195 annual fee from Year 2 onwards. Of course, in Year 1, it is a different story. I also excluded the basic Hilton Honors debit card because the benefits of the included Hilton Honors Silver status do not justify the £60 annual fee.
Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 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 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 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. 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
Huge 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 Business Rewards Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) and NO FX fees 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
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