Barclays/Amex/Barclaycard Avios Advice Pls!

[spmd2]

Hi all,

Am looking for a bit of guidance.

I currently have a Barclays Premier Account, and two credit cards – Amex Prem Plus and a Barclaycard Cashback (one of the old ones which pays 0.5% on everything) which i use for day to day when Amex not allowed. I noticed only recently that i could sign up for Avios Rewards with my Premier account. At the moment i’m on ‘Blue Rewards’ which i pay £4/month for but I get £7month in return. I could also switch my current 0.5% cashback card to one of the new Barclaycard Avios cards.

It seems from the reading i have done that it’s worth paying £12/month (and getting 1,500 avios/month) for the avios rewards?. I was also going to switch to the Barclaycard basic Avios (no fee) card to replace my 0.5% cashback car but then crossed my mind that this may not be logical? I suppose it all comes down to how much i value the avios vs the cash, but my brain is not big enough to work that out properly.

Thank you!

spmd2

[gustavo]

Blue Rewards is being re-done soon so you won’t get the usual £3 a month. I had Blue Rewards as well and switched to Avios Rewards. You get 2500 avios when you sign-up and the 1500 avios per month for £12. If you value the avios as cash (meaning converting to Nectar), you are not paying anything else that you would have if spent as Nectar points. I guess the other benefit is the upgrade reward after 12 months which I am yet to receive (switched to Avios Rewards around August last year). So if anything, you would be getting an upgrade voucher.

With regards to cards, it depends on your perspective. I think if you earn a lot of Avios per year and have a companion to travel with, the BAPP seems to be a better card for the reward. I am starting to re-evaluate because I have gained a good amount avios for a good redemption or two, but I don’t see myself earning as much in the near future because I don’t usually travel business with work. So you might find yourself better off with the Avios Plus card instead of the BAPP, because the upgrade voucher is better for you. You could get the upgrade voucher with the card and the Barclays Premier account.

I might take the Avios Plus card hit the target and downgrade to the free version and also cancel the BAPP.

[rum]

Forget the earning rate of any card for a moment and consider the following two facts before deciding on anything:

– Amex customer service is in decline, but still manageable
– Barclays customer service is on a par with Creation right now (i.e. incompetent) and in fact getting worse

Go figure.

[CarpalTravel]

Add to that, how easy is it to raise an issue with a transaction?

Amex = easy peasy
Virgin CC = Write a letter agony
Barclaycard = ??

[rum]

CarpalTravel wrote:

Add to that, how easy is it to raise an issue with a transaction?

HSBC = like slashing your wrists with a very small spoon

Barclays = based on the experience (= nightmare) of opening an account, I am not sure I want to know!!!

[spmd2]

Thank you all, for your input. I have (somehow) managed to get value out of the Amex 2-4-1s (often First) and the 3x on BA tickets has been valuable which the Barclaycard does not have AFAIK so i think better to hold vs the Barclaycard plus, although this is cheaper by £5/month if i have a Barclays avios account as well. i suppose the question is do i switch my 0.5% cashback card to the the basic barclaycard. Am i right in thinking that if you take the avios/nectar rate of 0.8p, it’s basically the equivalent of having a 0.8% cashback card? (and 1.2% on the Barclaycard plus given the 1.5x spend, but not including the fee). On this basis, seems logical to switch, presumably. Finally, i have a Curve card which i use for all non-amex and foreign spending with my Barclaycard cashback behind it. Presumably this will work fine with either the standard or plus Barclaycard Avios, thereby earning avios on foreign spend?

Customer service points well taken. 😉

Thank you!

[spmd2]

spmd2 wrote:

Thank you all, for your input. I have (somehow) managed to get value out of the Amex 2-4-1s (often First) and the 3x on BA tickets has been valuable which the Barclaycard does not have AFAIK so i think better to hold vs the Barclaycard plus, although this is cheaper by £5/month if i have a Barclays avios account as well. i suppose the question is do i switch my 0.5% cashback card to the the basic barclaycard. Am i right in thinking that if you take the avios/nectar rate of 0.8p, it’s basically the equivalent of having a 0.8% cashback card? (and 1.2% on the Barclaycard plus given the 1.5x spend, but not including the fee). On this basis, seems logical to switch, presumably. Finally, i have a Curve card which i use for all non-amex and foreign spending with my Barclaycard cashback behind it. Presumably this will work fine with either the standard or plus Barclaycard Avios, thereby earning avios on foreign spend?

Customer service points well taken. 😉

Thank you!

ah, i have just found the thread on curve + barclaycard avios… i hope they solve that…