Best UK
Travel Credit Cards
The miles and points we’ve collected from travel credit cards are pivotal in keeping this blog going. It was how we managed to secure business class flights to Tokyo for less than £600 per person (and it took a lot less points than you might think.
We believe a good travel credit card (or a few) is a tool that all financially responsible travellers should be using. However, knowing which travel credit card(s) to apply for can be confusing. Here we share the best UK travel credit cards and what we personally use.
American Express Platinum Card
Welcome bonus: 30,000 Membership Rewards points after spending £4,000 in the first three months
Earning rate: 1 Membership Reward point per £1 spent on all purchases, 2 Membership Rewards points per £1 spent at American Express Travel
Other key benefits: Two priority pass cards which provide airport lounge access. Elite status in five major hotel loyalty programmes and travel insurance. For more benefits see download our free travel hacking guide.
Representative example and annual fee: There is an annual fee of £575 which is refunded pro-rata if you cancel early. You will keep your hotel status even when you cancel.
Why it’s great: The American Express Platinum Card is great to take advantage of the generous welcome bonus and the hotel loyalty programmer, which gets you free benefits from day one. We have used the points to get box seats to Arsenal games, upgrade flights and much more. In fact 30,000 points was all it took to book two business class flights from Istanbul. You can read more about this on our blog. Remember this is a charge card and must be paid in full every month.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card
Welcome bonus: 20,000 Membership Rewards points after spending £3,000 in the first three months
Earning rate: 1 Membership Reward point per £1 spent on all purchases, 2 Membership Rewards points per £1 spent for any airline purchase
Other key benefits: Two annual lounge passes to make your airport experience more enjoyable. Not as good as the priority pass which gives unlimited access but this is my card of choice.
Annual Fee There is an annual fee of £140, first year is free.
Why it’s great: The American Express preferred rewards gold card is my top pick for the beginners, and one of my first cards. A 20,000 Membership Rewards-point welcome bonus and no fee for the first year make this card a big hit. Miles earned on Amex can be transferred to a multitude of different loyalty programs. I have used them on British Airways and Emirates in the past. For example, 20,000 points can be transferred to British Airways Avios, which is enough for two return flights to many destinations in Europe. The no annual fee in the first year makes this the one of the best travel credit cards out there. Remember this is a charge card and must be paid in full every month.
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
Welcome bonus: 25,000 Membership Rewards points after spending £3,000 in the first three months.
Earning rate: 1.5 Avios for per £1 spent on all purchases, 3 Avios per £1 spent on British Airways or BA holidays.
Other key benefits: 2-for-1 Companion Voucher earned after £10,000 in annual spend on the card. This is what makes this card such a winner. It effectively halves the number of points you need to book two flights. Used right this is worth in excess of £1,200. This rewards is also available with the standard BA card below which carries no fee, but the big difference is with this card it is valid for 2 years rather than 1 year. For more benefits download our free travel hacking guide.
Annual fee: There is an annual fee of £195.
Why it’s great: The 2-4-1 companion vouchers is what makes this card. Lasting 2 years it gives you the best chance of booking a business/first class reward flight. Read more about how we used the companion voucher to book our business class flights to Tokyo.
British Airways American Express Card
Welcome bonus: 5,000 Membership Rewards points after spending £1,000 in the first six months
Earning rate: 1.5 avios for per £1 spent on all purchases.
Other key benefits: 2-for-1 Companion Voucher earned after £10,000 in annual spend on the card. This is what makes this card such a winner. It effectively halves the number of points you need to book two flights. Used right this is worth in excess of £1,200. The voucher is valid for a period of 12 months from when earned.
Annual fee: There is an annual fee of £575 which is refunded pro-rata if you cancel early. You will keep your hotel status even when you cancel.
Why it’s great: Other than the 2-4-1 companion vouchers. This card is great for the infrequent travel as you need a much lower spend rate to hit the welcome bonus.
Halifax Clarity Credit Card
Welcome bonus: No bonus
Earning rate: no points earnt per £1 spent
Other key benefits: No charges to use abroad to pay or withdraw cash. Get the official Mastercard exchange rate. Full list of benefits available on the Halifax website.
Annual fee: Free
Why it’s great: Now you might be thinking why should I get this card, no bonus, no earning rate, absolutely nothing. The real win here is this card has no fees for using it abroad for payments or cash withdrawals, that’s right no foreign transaction fees. You also get the official Mastercard rate, which for 99% of countries is better than exchanging your cash. That is why this card is on the list of the best travel credit cards. Note, when using for cash withdrawals there is a small interest charge but this is nil if paid off same day. Sometimes we have left it a couple of days and the interest charge was in the pence.
Recommendation
If you are just starting off and all the talk about credit card talk gets slightly confusing or you just want to know which cards to get then I recommend you start off with the American Express Gold Card, British Airways American Express Premium Plus and the Halifax Clarity Card. For a complete guide on the best travel credit cards and information on how to get cheap / free flights and hotels, download our FREE TRAVEL HACKING GUIDE.
Remember the Amex gold and platinum are charge cards so need to be paid off in full every month. Please do not use credit cards if you are unable to afford the spend and pay them off in full every month to avoid the high interest rates.
If you have any questions use the contact form to reach out and I will do my best to reply.