What are the most valuable UK credit card sign-up bonuses?
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It’s time for our annual rank of the best UK travel credit card sign-up bonuses in terms of cold hard cash.
This article was updated to include the new Hilton Honors debit cards, launched in September 2024.
How do we value my miles and points?
The biggest question mark is over the value of the sign-up bonus.
- For airline miles, we assume they are worth 1p each. Of course, for airlines where short-haul redemptions are bad value, a small amount of miles can be effectively worthless. In some programmes, you would need to already have a decent balance to get full value from the bonus miles.
- For hotel points, we have used our standard valuations (0.5p per Marriott Bonvoy point, 0.33p per Hilton Honors point)
- We have valued American Express Membership Rewards points at 1p since they transfer 1:1 into airline miles and we are valuing those at 1p
All of the credit cards below add a 2.99% foreign exchange fee so you might want to get a separate free credit card to use abroad.
Unfortunately there are no travel rewards cards without a foreign exchange fee globally, although the Virgin Atlantic cards are free in the EU. One option is to get a free card from Currensea. Currensea is a simple but clever idea. You pay abroad with your Currensea Mastercard debit card. Currensea translates the cost to Sterling with just a 0.5% fee (83% less than usual) and withdraws the money from your bank account. You can find out more by clicking here. Currensea is free so there is no risk in giving it a try.
You do NOT pay foreign exchange fees if you use the Hilton Honors Plus debit card.
Bring on the winners
OK … here we go. Remember that full details on all the cards can be found on our airline and hotel credit cards directory, which is updated monthly.
GOLD: £500 of value – The Platinum Card from American Express
You get 50,000 Membership Rewards points (worth £500 as they convert to 50,000 airline miles, assuming 1p per airline mile) when you spend £6,000 in three months. 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 698.1% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £650 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 30.4% 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.
GOLD: £300 of value – British Airways American Express Premium Plus
You get 30,000 Avios points (worth £300 assuming 1p per Avios) when you spend £6,000 in three months. 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 BA 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 138.5% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £300 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 30.4% 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 Premium Plus or the free British Airways American Express 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 voucher with the Premium Plus card is far more powerful than the voucher given with the free British Airways American Express 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 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.
SILVER: £250 of value – Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
You get 25,000 Avios points (worth £250 assuming 1p per Avios) when you spend £3,000 in three months. The card fee is £20 per month and you can cancel or downgrade at any point. 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.
SILVER: £200 of value – American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
You get 20,000 Membership Rewards points. These convert 1:1 into Avios and many other airline schemes so I have valued them at £200, assuming 1p per mile. You need to spend £3,000 in three months. No fee in the first year. 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.
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 87.8% 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 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 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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold 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 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.
SILVER: £200 of value – HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard
You get 40,000 HSBC points (which convert to 20,000 Avios or other airline miles) which I value at £200. You need to spend spend £2,000 in your first three months. Note that HSBC Premier has strict eligibility criteria – to qualify via your salary you need to earn £100,000. Apply here.
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.
BRONZE: £180 of value – Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
You get 18,000 Virgin Points (£180 based on achieving 1p per point) as a bonus with your first purchase. £160 fee. Apply here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 18,000 Virgin Points after your first transaction
- Earn 1.5 Virgin Points per £1 spent
- Earn 3 points per £1 spent with Virgin Atlantic
Other information:
- Get a reward voucher worth 75,000 or 150,000 Virgin Points when you spend £10,000 in a year
- Use it towards a companion ticket when you buy a cash or reward flight
- Solo travellers can use it to upgrade a cash or reward flight by one cabin
- Vouchers are valid for two years
- Annual fee: £160
Representative 69.7% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £160 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 26.9% APR variable.
You receive a bonus of 18,000 Virgin Points after your first purchase, however small.
There are no restrictions on earning the bonus if you are accepted.
You cannot apply if you have had a Virgin Atlantic Reward+ credit card in the previous six months. You are free to apply if you have any other Virgin Money credit card or the free Virgin Atlantic Reward credit card.
When you spend £10,000 per year on the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard, you will receive a reward voucher.
The voucher is worth:
75,000 Virgin Points if you have no status in Virgin Flying Club on the date you book
150,000 Virgin Points if you have Silver or Gold status in Virgin Flying Club on the date you book
The voucher is valid for two years and will get you:
A discount on a companion flight when you book a cash or reward flight at full price for yourself (taxes and charges need to be paid on the companion ticket)
A discount on a one category upgrade for yourself when you book a cash or reward flight
BRONZE: £125 of value – Nectar American Express
You get 20,000 Nectar points. These convert at 400:250 into Avios (12,500 Avios in total) so I have valued them at £125, assuming 1p per mile. You need to spend £2,000 in three months. 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 37.1% APR variable. Annual fee applies after the first year.
You will receive 20,000 Nectar points as a sign-up bonus on the Nectar American Express credit card 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 American Express credit card 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 American Express 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.
£100 of value – Marriott Bonvoy American Express
You get 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, valued at £100 as I value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.5p each. You need to spend £3,000 in three months. Apply here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
- Earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per £1 spent
- Earn 6 points per £1 spent at Marriott hotels
- Points convert at 3:1 into Avios or other airline miles
Other information:
- 15 elite night credits per year to help you towards higher status
- Free night, up to 25,000 points, when you spend £25,000 per year.
- Upgrade to Gold Elite status when you spend £15,000 in a card year
- Annual fee: £95
Representative 54.1% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £95 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 30.4% APR variable.
You will receive 20,000 points as a sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express 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 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 Marriott Bonvoy American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the 15 elite night credits per year, the free night (up to 25,000 points) for spending £25,000 and Gold Elite status for spending £15,000.
You will receive 15 elite night credits per year in Marriott Bonvoy. The first batch will arrive within 60 days on applying and then in Spring in each subsequent year.
15 elite nights will automatically get you Silver Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy and put you nearer to Gold Elite and higher tiers.
If you spend £15,000 per card year, you will be upgraded to Gold Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.
If you spend £25,000 per card year, you will receive a free night voucher, valid at any hotel where reward nights cost up to 25,000 points.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
£100 of value – Amex Rewards Credit Card
You get 10,000 Membership Rewards points, worth £100 as they convert 1:1 into Avios, assuming 1p per airline mile. You need to spend £2,000 within three months. No annual fee. 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 30.4% APR variable
You will receive 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Rewards 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 card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You may want to do this if you are thinking of swapping your Preferred Rewards Gold or Platinum card for a free alternative, and would prefer to keep your existing Membership Rewards points balance alive.
American Express Rewards 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. The Gold card 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 American Express Rewards 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.
£50 of value – Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
You get 5,000 Avios, which I value at £50 based on achieving 1p per mile, when you spend £1,000 within three months. No annual fee. 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.
£50 of value – British Airways American Express
You get 5,000 Avios, which I value at £50 based on achieving 1p per mile, when you spend £2,000 within three months. No annual fee. 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 30.4% APR variable
You will receive 5,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the free British Airways American Express 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 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 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 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 Premium Plus American Express 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 BA Holidays.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
£33 of value – Hilton Honors Plus
You get 10,000 Hilton Honors points (worth £33 based on achieving 0.33p per point) as a bonus when you spend £2,500 in foreign currency within six months. There is a £150 annual fee but you receive Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as you have the card. Apply here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 10,000 points when you spend £2,500 in foreign currency within six months
- Earn 1.5 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent in the UK
- Earn 3 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent in foreign currency
- Get a 50% bonus when you spend at Hilton hotels
Other information:
- Receive Gold status in Hilton Honors for as long as you hold the card
- This gets you free breakfast (or a cash credit in the USA) on every Hilton stay
- You pay NO FX fees when spending in a foreign currency
- Annual fee: £150
This is a debit card, not a credit card. Transactions are automatically recharged to your existing UK current account.
You will receive 10,000 Hilton Honors points if you spend £2,500 in foreign currency during your first six months.
You are still OK to apply for the card, and receive the bonus, if you have the (closed to new applicants) Hilton Honors Barclaycard or the standard Currensea debit card (Currensea also operates the Hilton Honors Plus debit card).
You will receive Gold status in Hilton Honors for as long as you hold the card.
The key benefits of Gold status are an 80% bonus on base points on every Hilton Honors stay, ‘preferred’ room upgrades of some sort (often a higher floor or better view, not necessarily next category up) and free breakfast for two people (or a daily cash credit towards food or drink spend in the US).
You can withdraw £500 per month from ATMs outside the UK without paying any FX fees, with a 2.5% FX fee thereafter. You cannot use the card in ATMs in the UK.
£30 of value – Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard
You get 3,000 Virgin Points (£30 based on achieving 1p per point) as a bonus with your first purchase. The card is free. Apply here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 3,000 Virgin Points after your first transaction
- Earn 0.75 Virgin Points per £1 spent
- Earn 1.5 points per £1 spent with Virgin Atlantic
Other information:
- Get a reward voucher worth 75,000 or 150,000 Virgin Points when you spend £20,000 in a year
- Use it towards a companion ticket when you buy a cash or reward flight
- Solo travellers can use it to upgrade a cash or reward flight by one cabin
- Vouchers are valid for two years
- Annual fee: Free
Representative 26.9% APR variable
You receive a bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points after your first purchase, however small.
You may want to consider applying for the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard instead for its higher bonus. This comes with a £160 annual fee but has a sign-up bonus of 18,000 Virgin Points. You also receive a higher earning rate of 1.5 miles per £1 spent.
You cannot apply if you have had the free Virgin Atlantic Reward credit card in the previous six months. You are free to apply if you have any other Virgin Money credit card or the paid-for Virgin Atlantic Reward+ credit card.
When you spend £20,000 per year on the Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard, you will receive a reward voucher.
The voucher is worth:
75,000 Virgin Points if you have no status in Virgin Flying Club on the date you book
150,000 Virgin Points if you have Silver or Gold status in Virgin Flying Club on the date you book
The voucher is valid for two years and will get you:
A discount on a companion flight when you book a cash or reward flight at full price for yourself (taxes and charges need to be paid on the companion ticket)
A discount on a one category upgrade for yourself when you book a cash or reward flight
The HSBC Premier credit card and Tesco Clubcard Mastercard (points convert to Virgin Points) have no sign-up bonus. We ignored the £60 Hilton Honors debit card as the bonus is worth little more than £10.
Summary
If there is anything to learn from this bit of fun, it is this:
If you and your partner took out the best three credit cards each, you could get £2,000 of value from the sign-up bonuses between you based on our valuation model. This is certainly nothing to be sniffed at.
(Want to earn more miles and points from credit cards? Click here to visit our dedicated airline and hotel travel credit cards page or use the ‘Credit Cards’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)
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.
Prune 
Rob 
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