What is the best Avios credit card?
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What is the best Avios credit card for you?
In this article I want to look at your options for earning Avios points from a UK credit card, and explain my preferred choices.
There are nine UK credit cards which earn Avios points at a rate of at least 1 Avios per £1 spent so it isn’t an easy choice.
With ten Avios-earning UK credit cards to choose from (plus another four if you have a small business) we need to find a way of breaking them down.
I have split them into three categories:
- Avios-earning credit cards which are great choices for the majority of people
- Avios-earning credit cards which we don’t recommend to everyone but DO work for certain groups of people
- Avios-earning credit cards which you should ignore, because other cards do the same thing but better
There isn’t one ‘best’ card, however much you want an easy answer!
However:
- the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card is, in our view, the best ‘starter’ card for someone new to ‘miles and points’, especially as its free for the first year – apply here
- the British Airways American Express Premium Plus credit card is the best choice for the serious Avios collector who can justify the £300 annual fee – apply here
Let’s jump into your choices in more detail.
Part 1
Avios-earning credit cards which are great choices for the majority of people
If you are looking for your first Avios credit card, I recommend one of these four:
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card
This card offers the most generous sign-up bonus for a free card. You receive 20,000 Amex points for signing up (=20,000 Avios) and there is no fee for Year 1 (£195 thereafter). You also receive four free Priority Pass airport lounge passes, valid at 1,400 lounges globally, and £120 of annual Deliveroo credit among other benefits.
This is the best Amex card for beginners to the miles and points hobby.
This article (click) explains in more detail why Amex Gold is your best ‘starter’ card.
Even better, you will still qualify for the sign-up bonus on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card if you choose to trade up later. Apply here.
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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 30,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within three months
- This is a special offer which runs until 27th May 2025
- Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
- Get up to 12,500 bonus points each year based on your total spending
- Earn double points on all airline and overseas spend
- Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios and Virgin Points
- You can also convert to other airlines, Eurostar and hotel schemes
Other information:
- Amex Gold is our recommended ‘first card’ for a miles and points beginner
- Get four free airport lounge passes when you sign up, and a further four each year
- After your four free passes, you can visit further lounges for a small fee
- You receive £120 of Deliveroo credit each year (24 x £5 credits)
- Annual fee: Free for the first year, £195 from Year 2
Representative 87.3% APR variable. Annual fee applies after the first year.
You will receive 30,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card if you spend £3,000 within three months of signing up.
This is a special offer which runs to 27th May 2025. The standard offer is 20,000 Membership Rewards points.
Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible, which is why we recommend this as the best choice for your first miles and points card. You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.
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 American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the four free airport lounge passes and the ‘no fee in Year 1’ offer.
The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card comes with four free airport lounge passes. These allow either you and up to three friends, or yourself four times, to visit any of the 1,400 lounges in the Priority Pass network. You make additional lounge visits for £24 per person. You receive an additional four free passes each year.
You earn double Membership Rewards points on all airline spend (made directly on an airline website) and all spend made outside the UK.
You will receive up to 12,500 bonus Membership Rewards points each year, based on how much you spend.
You receive £120 of Deliveroo credit each year. Amex will repay you £5 for the first two Deliveroo orders charged to your Gold card each month.
Other benefits include a 10% discount on Hertz car rentals, Avis Preferred Plus car rental status and special deals at 1,000 selected hotels worldwide, where American Express Preferred Rewards Gold cardholders receive a $100 in-hotel credit when booking a 2+ night stay.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card
The No 1 attraction of the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card is the 2-4-1 Companion Voucher that you receive for spending £15,000 each year.
This is valid on Avios redemptions in ALL classes and saves you, for eg, 200,000 Avios on two Club World peak day tickets to San Francisco. A solo traveller receives a 50% discount on the Avios neeed for a return British Airways redemption flight.
Coupled with a high earnings rate of 1.5 Avios per £1 spent, all serious Avios collectors should have one of these. You need to be sure that you will earn enough Avios each year to use the 2-4-1 voucher, although for the first year it is worth getting purely for the sign-up bonus.
This is the best Avios card if you know you will qualify for, and use, the 2-4-1 voucher each year.Apply here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 30,000 Avios when you spend £6,000 within 90 days
- Earn 1.5 Avios per £1 spent
- Earn 3 Avios per £1 spent with British Airways and British Airways Holidays
Other information:
- Receive a Companion Voucher, letting you book two flights for the Avios of one, when you spend £15,000 in a card year
- A solo traveller can use it for a 50% discount on the Avios for one ticket
- The voucher is valid in any cabin
- It can be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus
- Annual fee: £300
Representative 137.8% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £300 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 30.0% APR variable.
You will receive 30,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card if you spend £6,000 within 90 days of signing up.
To qualify for the bonus, you must not have held the British Airways American Express Premium Plus or the free British Airways American Express credit cards in the previous 24 months.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s British Airways American Express account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held any other American Express card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the British Airways Premium Plus card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the Companion Voucher and all of the other card benefits.
When you spend £15,000 on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card, you receive a Companion Voucher entitling you to book two Avios redemption flights for the miles of one.
Alternatively, a solo traveller can use the voucher for a 50% reduction on the Avios required for one ticket.
This voucher is valid for two years. Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets.
This voucher is the most valuable perk available in the UK airline and hotel credit card sector in my view. It could save you 150,000 or more Avios when used for a long-haul redemption in a premium cabin.
The Companion Voucher from the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card is far more powerful than the voucher given with the free British Airways American Express Credit Card. You need to spend the same £15,000 to receive it. More importantly, the Premium Plus voucher is valid for two years and is valid in ALL cabins. The voucher on the free British Airways American Express Credit Card is only valid for one year and can only be used for Economy flights.
You receive your voucher within a few days of reaching the spending target. You need to fly the outbound leg of your 2-4-1 flight before the expiry date of the voucher.
The voucher can be used for flights on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus.
You need a minimum personal income of £35,000 to apply for the card.
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
In 2022, Barclaycard launched two Avios-earning Mastercard credit cards. They are not well known because there are restrictions on how they can be advertised due to the British Airways contract with American Express.
The key attraction here is an Avios upgrade voucher for spending £10,000 per year. This lets you book 1 x return flight or 2 x one-way Avios flights for the cost of the next cheapest cabin.
This card is particularly attractive to solo travellers because you can upgrade a return ticket for one person. A couple can only upgrade in one direction.
The large sign-up bonus makes it worth getting for a short time (the fee is paid monthly, not annually) even if you don’t plan to keep the card for the long term. Apply here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 25,000 Avios when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
- Earn 1.5 Avios per £1 spent
Other information:
- Receive an Avios upgrade voucher when you spend £10,000 in a card year
- Upgrade a return BA flight for one person or two one-way flights for a couple
- Annual fee: £240, charged at £20 per month
Representative 80.1% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £20 monthly fee. Interest rate on purchases 29.9% APR variable.
You will receive 25,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard credit 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 six months, have held any other Barclaycard credit card. You must also have not held either of the Barclaycard Avios credit cards in the previous 24 months.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s Barclaycard account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous six months, you have had a British Airways American Express credit card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the upgrade voucher and the other card benefits.
When you spend £10,000 on the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard, you receive a voucher entitling you to:
- book a return Avios flight for one person, paying the Avios of the next lowest cabin (ie book Club World but only pay the World Traveller Plus Avios requirement)
- book a one-way Avios flight, or one leg of a return flight, for two people, paying the Avios of the next lowest cabin
The voucher is valid for two years. Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets, based on the cabin you fly.
The voucher cannot be used to fly in First Class.
The voucher can be used for anyone, as long as the booking is made from the Avios account of the cardholder.
You receive your voucher within five days of reaching the spending target.
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
The free Barclaycard has a lower Avios earning rate and a far lower sign-up bonus than the paid card which we covered above.
Spend £20,000 in a card year and you trigger the same upgrade voucher that you receive on the paid card, valid for two years.
For many people, it will be the perfect product to use alongside a British Airways American Express Premium Plus card. After all, you will always need a Mastercard or Visa card of some sort in your wallet or purse for when American Express is not accepted.
That said, I strongly recommend getting the Plus version for the 25,000 Avios bonus and downgrading later. Apply here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 5,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 within 90 days
- Earn 1 Avios per £1 spent
Other information:
- Receive an Avios upgrade voucher when you spend £20,000 in a card year
- Upgrade a return BA flight for one person or two one-way flights for a couple
- Annual fee: Free
Representative 29.9% APR variable
You will receive 5,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard credit card if you spend £1,000 within 90 days of signing up.
To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous six months, have held any other Barclaycard credit card. You must also have not held either of the Barclaycard Avios credit cards in the previous 24 months.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s Barclaycard account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous six months, you have had a British Airways American Express credit card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the Barclaycard Avios Mastercard even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the upgrade voucher and the other card benefits.
When you spend £20,000 on the Barclaycard Avios Mastercard, you receive a voucher entitling you to:
- book a return Avios flight for one person, paying the Avios of the next lowest cabin (ie book Club World but only pay the World Traveller Plus Avios requirement)
- book a one-way Avios flight, or one leg of a return flight, for two people, paying the Avios of the next lowest cabin
The voucher is valid for two years. Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets, based on the cabin you fly.
The voucher can be used for anyone, as long as the booking is made from the Avios account of the cardholder.
The voucher cannot be used to fly in First Class.
You receive your voucher within five days of reaching the spending target.
Part 2
Avios-earning credit cards which we don’t recommend to everyone but DO work for certain groups of people
These cards are less popular with Avios collectors but there are reasons why you may choose them:
The Platinum Card from American Express
You should seriously consider applying for this card if you are a higher earner (£35,000 income required). Note that you don’t need to be a super-high earner to get The Platinum Card, whatever image you may have of it.
For the first year, you can easily justify the £650 fee due to the sign-up bonus and other benefits.
These include the 50,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus which converts to 50,000 Avios, the Priority Pass for airline lounge access, Eurostar lounge access and the Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite, Hilton Honors Gold, MeliaRewards Gold and Radisson Rewards Premium cards.
Many people find that they end up keeping the card despite their initial intentions to cancel quickly because of the value of the travel insurance, lounge access and other perks, such as £400 per year of restaurant credit (yes, £400, although terms apply). Apply here.
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.
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 27th May 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 694.9% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £650 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 30.0% 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 27th May 2025. The standard bonus is 50,000 Membership Rewards points.
Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible. You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Points 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)
You need a minimum personal income of £35,000 to apply for the card.
The American Express Rewards Credit Card
As I explain in this article about the American Express Rewards Credit Card benefits, the ARCC card is an excellent option if you already have a Gold or Platinum American Express card and want to cancel it to avoid the annual fee.
Getting a free American Express Rewards Credit Card will keep your Membership Rewards points alive and allow you to delay transferring them to an airline or hotel partner.
It is also better than the free British Airways American Express card if you won’t spend £15,000 per year to trigger the 2-4-1 Companion Voucher. Why is it better? Because you earn the same number of Avios (1 Membership Rewards per £1 on this card, 1 Avios per £1 on the free BA card) but you also have the option of using your Membership Rewards points for something else entirely. Apply here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 10,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £2,000 within 90 days
- 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:
- Your best choice if you want a ‘free for life’ card which earns Membership Rewards points
- A good choice if you want to close a Gold or Platinum card but keep your points intact
- Annual fee: Free
Representative 30.0% APR variable
You will receive 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on The American Express Rewards Credit Card if you spend £2,000 within 90 days of signing up.
Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible. You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.
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 American Express Rewards Credit Card ard even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You may want to do this if you are thinking of swapping your American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card or The Platinum Card for a free alternative, and would prefer to keep your existing Membership Rewards points balance alive.
The American Express Rewards Credit Card is the only ‘free for life’ American Express card which lets you collect Membership Rewards points.
We do NOT recommend this card if you would also qualify for the sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold. Preferred Rewards Gold is free for the first year, comes with four free airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit and has a higher sign-up bonus of 20,000 points.
The best reason to get The American Express Rewards Credit Card is if you are coming to the end of your free first year with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold, or no longer want to pay the fee on The Platinum Card, but want to keep your Membership Rewards points intact.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
Part 3
Avios-earning credit cards which you should ignore, because other cards do the same thing but better
We are mentioning the three cards below because you may have heard of them and thought they were worth a look. We will explain why we think you should look elsewhere.
British Airways American Express Credit Card
There is little point getting this card given that the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard is available.
The 2-4-1 Companion Voucher you get for spending £15,000 per year on this card is only valid for one year and only valid for Economy BA flights. You are better with the paid-for British Airways American Express Premium Plus card because the 2-4-1 voucher is valid for two years and in ALL cabins.
If you won’t spend £15,000 per year on the free British Airways American Express card, you should get the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard. It earns the same 1 Avios per £1 and benefits from being accepted in more places than an American Express card. Apply here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 5,000 Avios when you spend £2,000 within 90 days
- Earn 1 Avios per £1 spent
Other information:
- Receive a Companion Voucher, letting you book two flights for the Avios of one, when you spend £15,000 in a card year
- A solo traveller can use it for a 50% discount on the Avios for one ticket
- The companion voucher is only valid on Economy flights
- It can be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus
- Annual fee: Free
Representative 30.0% APR variable
You will receive 5,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the free British Airways American Express Credit Card if you spend £2,000 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 British Airways 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 British Airways American Express credit card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the companion voucher and the other card benefits.
When you spend £15,000 on the British Airways American Express Credit Card, you receive a Companion Voucher entitling you to book two Avios redemption flights for the miles of one. This voucher is valid for one year. (Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets.)
The voucher on the free British Airways American Express Credit Card can only be used on Economy flights.
The voucher can be used for Avios bookings on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus.
You receive your voucher within a few days of reaching the spending target. You need to fly the outbound leg of your 2-4-1 flight before the expiry date of the voucher.
If you want more flexibility, the voucher issued with the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card is valid for two years, requires the same £15,000 of annual card spend and is valid in ALL cabins including Business and First. The Premium Plus card also has a higher earning rate of 1.5 Avios per £1 on general spend and 3 Avios per £1 on spend with British Airways and British Airways Holidays.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
Nectar Credit Card from American Express
This is basically a half-way house between the two British Airways American Express cards.
The free British Airways American Express card earns 1 Avios per £1. The £300 British Airways American Express Premium Plus card earns 1.5 Avios per £1. The Nectar Credit Card from American Express has a £30 annual fee and earns 1.25 Avios per £1 if you convert the Nectar points.
The snag is that there is no option to earn a 2-4-1 Companion Voucher on the Nectar Credit Card and this is the most valuable feature of the British Airways cards. Apply here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 20,000 Nectar points when you spend £2,000 within 90 days
- Earn 2 Nectar points per £1 spent
- Points transfer at 400 : 250 into Avios
- Points are worth 0.5p each when spent at Sainsbury’s, Argos etc
Other information:
- You can convert Nectar points into Avios, and vice versa
- Annual fee: Free for the first year, £30 from Year 2
Representative 36.8% APR variable. Annual fee applies after the first year.
You will receive 20,000 Nectar points as a sign-up bonus on the Nectar Credit Card from American Express if you spend £2,000 within 90 days of signing up.
Nectar points are worth 0.5p each if spent in Sainsbury’s, Argos etc. They can also be converted to Avios at the rate of 400 : 250. 1 Nectar point gets you 0.625 Avios.
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 Nectar American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the ‘no fee in Year 1’ offer.
The Nectar Credit Card from American Express comes lets you earn 2 Nectar points for every £1 you spend. This is on top of any Nectar points you would usually earn at Sainsbury’s and other Nectar partners.
Converted to Avios, you would be earning 1.25 Avios per £1. This makes the card better value than the free British Airways American Express credit card for your first year, as the Nectar Credit Card is ‘fee free’ for the first 12 months. There is a £30 annual fee from Year 2.
The sign-up bonus of 20,000 Nectar points is worth £100 to spend in Sainsbury’s, Argos etc.
20,000 Nectar points can also be converted into 12,500 Avios.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard
HSBC offers a World Elite Mastercard credit card to holders of its HSBC Premier current accounts.
HSBC Premier, if you earn £75,000 or more, is a decent current account because there is no annual fee.
Unfortunately, the paid-for HSBC Premeir World Elite Mastercard is outgunned by the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard. You earn the same 1.5 Avios per £1 but the Barclaycard fee is £50 lower per year (£290 vs £240) and comes with an Avios upgrade voucher if you spend £10,000 per year.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 60,000 HSBC points as a sign-up bonus
- This is a special offer to 29th May 2025
- 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 60,000 HSBC points.
This is a special offer when you apply by 29th May 2025.
You receive 60,000 HSBC points (worth 30,000 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 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.
Want to learn more?
Here are quick links to our full reviews of the cards mentioned above:
Good choices for most people:
- American Express Preferred Rewards Gold – review here, apply here
- British Airways American Express Premium Plus – review here, apply here
- Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard – review here, apply here
- Barclaycard Avios Mastercard – review here, apply here
Good choices for a niche group:
- The Platinum Card from American Express – review here, apply here
- The American Express Rewards Credit Card – review here, apply here
Poor choices (in our view):
- British Airways American Express – review here, apply here
- The Nectar Credit Card — review here, apply here
- HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard – review here, apply here
Don’t forget that our directory of all UK airline and hotel credit cards can be found here.
PS. Do you run a small business?
If you are a sole trader or run a small business, you may also want to check out these cards, all of which earn Avios or points which convert to Avios:
The American Express Business Platinum Card
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
The American Express Business Gold Card
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios 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
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