What are the best credit card deals for September 2019?

UPDATE – APRIL 2025:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.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.

It is time for our regular round up of what is coming and what is going in the world of UK airline and hotel credit card sign-up deals.

Our directory of the 16 main UK travel credit and charge cards can be found by clicking the ‘Credit Cards’ tab at the top of the site or – for email, Flipboard, Apple News or mobile readers – by clicking here.

What was new in August?

The first Avios payment cards for small businesses – with a special HfP sign-up offer – are switching to Visa

Until February 2019, there had never been a payment for small businesses which let you earn Avios.  This has now changed.

The Capital Club and On Tap Club cards, from Capital on Tap, aimed at small businesses and sole traders, are the first non-Amex payment for small businesses which let you earn Avios.  Whilst you may not have heard of Capital On Tap, it already has 50,000 customers for its existing ‘no rewards’ payment card.  This is their first move into the rewards market.

The £99 per year ‘Capital Club’ card offers:

• 10,000 Capital On Tap points for signing up and spending £5,000 within three months
• 1 Capital On Tap point per £1 spent
• A 2:1 conversion rate into Avios so the sign-up bonus is worth 5,000 Avios and the on-going earning rate converts into 0.5 Avios per £1
• 15 free supplementary cards for your staff
• No FX fees and no ATM fees 
• 500 bonus points (250 Avios) if you use code headforpoints when applying

The £249 ‘On Tap Club’ card offers:

• 20,000 Capital On Tap points for signing up and spending £5,000 within three months
• 1 Capital On Tap point per £1 spent
• A 1:1 conversion rate into Avios so the sign-up bonus is worth 20,000 Avios and the on-going earning rate converts to 1 Avios per £1
• 20 free supplementary cards for your staff
• No FX fees and no ATM fees 
• 500 bonus points (500 Avios) if you use code headforpoints when applying

The annual fee is obviously tax deductible as a business expense.  The maximum credit limit on offer is £50,000.

Your interest rate is based on your business profile and can be as low as 9.9% APR.  The standard interest rate for marketing purposes is 39.4% APR.

However, Capital On Tap is switching to Visa in the next few days.  This is actually a bigger change than you think, because it is also becoming – legally – a business credit card.  At present it is technically a pre-paid Mastercard.  The only real change is that you will no longer be able to use it to pay for free at places, like HMRC, that only accept debit cards.

If you have the existing Mastercard, it will be switched to Visa on 31st October.  This should still allow you to pay your Q3 VAT bill and potentially pre-pay some of your corporation tax bill as well.

My full article on the Capital On Tap changes is here.  If you apply, don’t forget to add the headforpoints promo code for the additional 500 sign-up points.

The Virgin Reward and Virgin Reward+ credit cards ‘no FX fees’ offer ended

The special offer on the Virgin Reward and Virgin Reward+ credit cards ended on 31st August.  New cardholders received 0% FX fees on all foreign spending until 30th November.

You WILL still get the standard sign-up bonus if you apply now.  This is 5,000 miles on the free card and 15,000 miles on the paid Reward+ card.

Virgin Money has literally just added Apple Pay functionality as well.  More on this in an article tomorrow.

Monese is giving away 1 milllion Avios to a Head for Points reader

Online-only bank Monese has launched a great competition with Avios, which also has an equity stake in the business, and Head for Points.

One Head for Points reader who opens a free Monese account by 30th September will win 1 million Avios!

Full details are in this article, which is also pinned to the top of our home page.

Sign-up bonus on the Miles & More credit card may have permanently increased

In July, the Lufthansa Miles & More card was offering a special sign-up bonus of 10,000 miles.  It was usually 5,000 miles.

The offer was due to end on 31st July.  However, it continued throughout August and is still there now.  The wording on the card website has been changed and now implies that 10,000 miles is the ‘new normal’.

There is a £79 annual fee but this is a modest price for 10,000 Miles & More miles if you collect them.  More importantly, having this card and using it once per month stops your Lufthansa miles expiring.

Our full review of the UK Miles & More payment cards is here.

American Express still has 30,000 point bonus on the DOLLAR / EURO versions of the Platinum card

Amex is running a sign-up bonus on its Dollar and Euro Platinum charge cards – 30,000 Membership Rewards points to be precise.

The good news is that you can get this bonus even if you already have a UK Platinum or Gold card.  The bad news is that this is a complicated product with poorer transfer rates to most airline schemes than the UK cards.  I wrote about the pros, cons and sweet spots in this article.

Finally, whilst not directly related to miles and points, Head for Points is running an exclusive sign-up offer with Revolut.  Sign up via our link here and you do not have to pay the £4.99 delivery fee for the plastic card.  Read our full article first.

If you have your own small business, we also reviewed Revolut for Business – click here for details.  You can sign up here.

And very finally …. before anyone asks …. I have no idea:

• when the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express will be rebranded as Marriott Bonvoy, although I believe it is soon
• when or if Hilton Honors will launch a new card, following the survey they sent out a while ago
• when or if Emirates Skywards will launch a new card, following the survey they sent out a while ago

Further reading ….

We also published the following credit card articles in August:

What is the difference between American Express Gold and American Express Platinum?

What American Express bonuses can you get, based on the cards you have?

What can your business do with Amex Membership Rewards points?

100 prizes to be won by British Airways American Express cardholders for #BA100

Why it can be worth paying an annual fee for a miles and points credit card

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

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