What are the best credit card deals for May 2014?

UPDATE – APRIL 2025:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly directory of the top UK travel credit card offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Credit Cards’ menu above.  Thank you.

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.

Keep up to date with the latest UK credit card bonuses by signing up for our free daily or weekly newsletters.

I have updated the ‘Credit Card Offers‘ page at the top of the screen for May.

A few new deals were launched during April – I will summarise the current special offers and their closing dates below.  Of most relevance to HfP readers, the sign-up bonuses on the British Airways American Express cards are due to drop on May 21st.

Four cards are currently unavailable:

The IHG Rewards Club / IHG Rewards Club Black cards will be relaunched at the end of June once they have been migrated to the Barclaycard platform

The Hilton card is in the same boat and will relaunch on July 1st

The Ryanair credit card has also disappeared from the website although, as it is still referenced, this may again be just a temporary halt

Here is the full list of the special deals currently available:

American Airlines (ends 31st May)

The sign-up bonus on the free AA credit cards is currently 15,000 miles.  This is a substantial improvement on the usual 5,000 miles.  Full details can be found in this post.  The home page for the card is here.

British Airways (ends 21st May)

The sign-up bonus on this free card is increased from 3,000 Avios to 9,000 Avios until 21st May.  Full details are in my review here. The Amex home page for the card is here.

British Airways Premium Plus (ends 21st May)

The sign-up bonus on this card is increased from 18,000 Avios to 25,000 Avios until 21st May.  Full details are in my review here. The Amex home page for the card is here.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (ends 30th June)

It is rare that you see an offer on the Virgin cards.   We went all 2013 without anything, and then Virgin launched a 25,000 mile deal.  It then immediately topped it with the best offer ever seen on these cards – 30,000 Virgin miles with the £140 ‘Black’ card and 10,000 Virgin miles with the free ‘White’ card.

Note that you CANNOT cancel the £140 paid card and receive a refund of your annual fee.  You can find full details on the Virgin credit cards bonus and links to the application forms in this article.

Lufthansa Miles & More (ends 30th May)

Lufthansa is currently offering an additional 10,000 Miles & More miles when you apply for their cards.  This is a major improvement on the standard 1,500 miles!  My post on the deal is here.

Tesco Clubcard (ends 8th June)

This card usually has no sign-up bonus, although you have been able to claim 1,000 bonus points by letter me refer you.  Until June 8th, Tesco is offering 1,000 points if you apply via this link.

You may still be able to claim the additional 1,000 ‘refer a friend’ points as well.  Full details are in my review of this offer here.   If you have  applied for the Tesco card during 2014, you can also retrospectively claim the 1,000 ‘refer a friend’ points – email me at rob at headforpoints.com for the referral form.)

United MileagePlus (ends 30th June)

This deal just broke yesterday and I haven’t had time to write a full post yet.  Keep an eye out for it in the next couple of days.  Until June 30th, the sign-up bonus is increased from NOTHING (!) to 15,000 miles.

Bonuses on small business cards

Head for Points focusses primarily on personal cards. However, if you are a sole trader or run a very small business, you may also want to check out the American Express Platinum Business Card and the American Express Gold Business Card. There is currently a 20,000 points (= 20,000 Avios) bonus on the Gold Business card and a 40,000 points (40,000 Avios) bonus on the Platinum Business card.

In my experience people still receive the sign-up bonus on the small business cards even if they already have a personal Gold or Platinum card.  This is technically not what the rules say, however, and you should bear this in mind.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

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