How can you maximise your Barclaycard credit card or Barclays Avios Rewards upgrade voucher?

Barclays offers two Avios-earning products:

• via Barclays Avios Rewards, available to Barclays Premier current account holders, and

• via the two Barclaycard Avios credit cards

Both of these products offer you the opportunity of earning an annual Avios upgrade voucher. In this introductory article I want to look at how to maximise the value you get from it.

I’m not going to go into the two products again in detail but:

• Barclays Premier has a sign-up bonus of 25,000 Avios and, when you opt in to Barclays Avios Rewards, you receive 1,500 Avios per month AND a Barclays Upgrade Voucher every 12 months – read this HfP article for full details

• the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard credit card has a sign-up bonus of 5,000 Avios and earns 1 Avios per £1 spent with an annual upgrade voucher for spending £20,000 – click here for our review and click here to apply

• the paid-for Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard credit card has a sign-up bonus of 25,000 Avios and earns 1.5 Avios per £1 spent with an annual upgrade voucher for spending £10,000 – click here for our review and click here to apply

Terms and conditions apply, as you’d expect.

How does the Barclays upgrade voucher work?

We wrote this detailed guide on how the Barclays upgrade voucher works so I won’t cover that ground again today.

If you’re not familiar with how to use your voucher, you should read the article above before continuing.

Today, I want to look at how to maximise the value of the voucher.

How do you maximise the Barclays upgrade voucher?

The sensible answer, of course, is ‘to go somewhere you really want to go’.

This article looks at the ‘best value’ Avios redemptions based on points needed per mile flown.

Before I start, let me remind you of this page of HfP which shows the Avios needed for every British Airways route.

Key fact to remember #1:

Remember that you cannot use the Barclays upgrade voucher to upgrade from Business to First, so we won’t be touching on that.

Key fact to remember #2:

Our Avios pricing chart shows the ‘most Avios, least cash’ pricing option. If you are NOT using a Barclays upgrade voucher, other pricing options are available, requiring fewer Avios but more cash. On short haul, these are usually better value than the ‘most Avios, least cash’ option.

However, it’s tough luck. Using the voucher, you can ONLY select the ‘most Avios, least cash’ price shown in our article here.

Seven things to ponder when using your Barclays upgrade voucher

I have come up with seven points to consider if you want to maximise the value of your Barclays upgrade voucher.

You can refuse the voucher and take 7,000 bonus Avios

Whilst this article discusses how to maximise the value of your Barclays upgrade voucher, remember that there is a Plan B. Via the Barclays or Barclaycard app, you can choose to receive a bonus of 7,000 Avios rather than a voucher.

7,000 Avios is, on paper, a bad deal compared to what the voucher can be worth. In some case it may make sense, however, especially if your household is also generating a British Airways American Express 2-4-1 companion voucher each year. After all, there are only so many holidays you can take!

Your voucher will save you between 11,500 and 130,000 Avios – a huge range

It’s a huge gap, so choose how you use your annual voucher wisely.

The smallest saving of 11,500 Avios is a return Business off-peak short-haul flight to somewhere under 650 miles (give or take) from London, such as Manchester or Amsterdam. You pay 18,500 Avios – which is usually the Economy price – instead of 30,000 Avios, the usual Business Class price.

The biggest saving is 130,000 Avios from a return Business off-peak flight to Sydney. You pay 160,000 Avios (the World Traveller Plus / Premium Economy price) instead of 290,000 Avios which is the Business Class price.

In reality, most people will end up somewhere in the middle. Your Barclays upgrade voucher will save you 60,000 Avios on a peak day return Business flight to New York for example. You would pay 120,000 Avios (the World Traveller Plus / Premium Economy rate) instead of 180,000 Avios (the Club World / Business Class rate).

Even the worst redemption isn’t actually that bad

Even if you do end up blowing your voucher on the worst possible redemption – Business Class to Amsterdam, off peak, saving 11,500 Avios – you’ve still done OK.

At a notional value of 1p per Avios, you’ve saved £115. If you got your voucher as a Barclays Premier customer, it’s not a bad return on your annual £144 fee for Barclays Avios Rewards given that you’ve also earned 18,000 Avios on top.

You also get a lot for the upgrade if you don’t have British Airways Executive Club status – lounge access, fast track security, business class check-in, guaranteed empty middle seat, free drinks including champagne onboard and a free meal.

On a mid-range redemption, you’ve ‘saved’ £600

As I said above, a ‘typical’ redemption (peak Business class return to New York, Dubai etc) saves you 60,000 Avios when you use a Barclays upgrade voucher.

At a notional 1p per Avios, your Barclays upgrade voucher has saved you £600-worth of points.

The one you didn’t spot – you save MORE Avios when you travel off-peak

Because of the odd way that the Avios redemption chart was drawn up, your Barclays upgrade voucher gives you a bigger saving on off-peak dates.

For example, Heathrow to New York in Club World (Business Class) return:

• off-peak dates cost 85,000 Avios with the voucher, saving you 75,000 Avios

• peak dates cost 120,000 Avios with the voucher, saving you 60,000 Avios

Don’t forget that the cash element is based on the cabin you fly

Your Barclays upgrade voucher allows you to fly (on short haul) in Business Class for the Avios needed for Economy. On long haul, you can fly in Business Class for the Avios needed for Premium Economy, or in Premium Economy for the Avios usually needed for Economy.

However, the cash element of your ticket is based on the cabin you actually sit in.

Going back to our New York example:

• a standard off-peak return Avios redemption in World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) is 85,000 Avios + £305 cash

• a standard off-peak return Avios redemption in Club World (Business Class) is 160,000 Avios + £375 cash

• a standard off-peak return Avios redemption in Club World (Business Class) using a Barclays upgrade voucher is 85,000 Avios + £375 cash, ie the World Traveller Plus Avios rate (85,000 Avios) and the Club World cash rate (£375)

Upgrading from Premium Economy to Business beats Economy to Premium Economy – despite a similar Avios saving

Ignore all the numbers. At the end of the day, you want the best flying experience possible.

On peak date, using the Barclays upgrade voucher ‘saves’ you the same number of Avios whether you use it to upgrade from Economy to Premium Economy or from Premium Economy to Business.

Back to our return New York example, on a peak date:

• flying World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) with the voucher costs 60,000 Avios return, saving you 60,000 Avios

• flying Club World (Business Class) with the voucher costs 120,000 Avios return, also saving you 60,000 Avios

Upgrading from Economy to Premium Economy is, however, a relatively modest change. You get a wider seat and a bit more leg room, but that’s about it. You don’t even get lounge access.

Upgrading from Premium Economy to Business IS a huge jump. You get lounge access and a fully flat bed (with a door, if you get Club Suite) which IS a massive difference.

To maximise the ‘value’ of your voucher, ignore the Avios saving and focus on the value of the experience. This means, if you can, using your voucher for an upgrade to long-haul Business.

‘Maximising’ your voucher could also mean, for example, saving the voucher for a flight where you know British Airways has a decent lounge on the return, or for a short-haul flight which departs at the right time to get breakfast or dinner rather than a snack. It’s about more than the absolute number of Avios saved.

Conclusion

Making the most of your Barclays upgrade voucher means looking at both the Avios you need, the Avios you save and the cabin experience you will end up getting.

For a solo traveller, the sweet spot is probably a return upgrade to Business Class on a 10-12 hour flight (eg US West Coast) flying off-peak. 95,000 Avios + £355 for a return flat bed flight to San Francisco can’t be beaten.

For a couple who can use a Barclays upgrade voucher to upgrade one leg each when both travel together, the sweet spot is potentially using the voucher for the overnight leg of a flight where one direction is a day flight.

New York is the obvious example here. Off-peak, 125,000 Avios + £340 per person would get both of you Premium Economy outbound and Business Class inbound. You may find Premium Economy totally fine for the day flight out, but you would get the flat bed for the night flight on the way back.

Whether you save the minimum 11,500 Avios or the maximum 130,000 Avios, the Barclays upgrade voucher can deliver good value.

Find out more about products which generate a Barclays upgrade voucher

• Barclays Premier current accounts – read this HfP article for full details – earn one voucher every 12 months

• the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard (5,000 Avios bonus) – click here for our review and click here to apply – earn one voucher when you spend £20,000 in a card year

• the paid-for Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard credit card (25,000 Avios bonus) – click here for our review and click here to apply – earn one voucher when you spend £10,000 in a card year

Interest rate information

The free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

The representative APR is 29.9% variable.

The paid-for 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.

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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:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

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.

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.

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.

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

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.

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