What is the best replacement for the UK Hilton Honors Platinum Visa credit card?
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Barclaycard closed the Hilton Honors credit card in the UK last week.
This follows a run of travel card closures, with MBNA closing all of its eight UK airline partner credit cards to new applicants recently.
Why did this happen?
You should NOT assume that the Hilton Honors credit card will return under a new issuer.
The core driver was the European Union cap on interchange fees. This restricted the fee that payment processors could charge retailers for accepting credit cards to 0.3%. It is very difficult to run a successful rewards card on this basis.
What is your best alternative to the Hilton Honors UK credit card?
If you currently hold the Hilton Honors Visa credit card it will continue to operate for a while. Whether that is weeks, months or years I don’t know.
If you had been planning to get a Hilton credit card but never got around to it, here are your options:
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold or American Express Platinum (points convert 1:2 into Hilton Honors)
or / and
the Virgin Atlantic credit cards to be launched in April 2018 as either a Visa or Mastercard (miles convert 2:3 into Hilton Honors)
The sign-up bonus on Amex Gold would get you 40,000 Hilton Honors points – and the card is free for the first year. You can cancel at any time.
The sign-up bonus on Amex Platinum would get you 60,000 Hilton Honors points and all cardholders receive Hilton Honors Gold status.
Reviews and to apply
Here are my reviews of the cards mentioned above, which also explain the sign-up bonuses available:
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold – review, apply
American Express Platinum – review, apply
We will be covering the new Virgin Atlantic Flying Club credit cards in detail as soon as we have the details.
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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
