There is only one week left to sign-up to what is being described by an expert as an ‘ludicrously generous’ credit card bonus.
Those who qualify for the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard can bag themselves a sign-up bonus of 50,000 Avios points.
This, according to Rob Burgess – editor of website Head for Points – is worth £500 in airline vouchers, or at the very least £333 in Nectar points which can be spent at Sainsbury’s.
Barclaycard is offering a 50,000 Avios sign-up offer on its Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard.
To qualify, new cardmembers need to spend £3,000 within the first three months.
On top of the introductory offer, cardmembers will collect 1.5 Avios for every £1 spent on eligible purchases.
Those who spend £10,000 on the card within 12 months can also choose between a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher to use on a Avios Reward Flight booking, or 7,000 bonus Avios.
It also gives access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide at a discounted rate of £18.50 per lounge pass, per person and also up to five months of Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+ and Apple Arcade for free.
The card won’t be for everyone, however. Existing cardmembers are not eligible while the card also comes with a £20 monthly fee, which may put some people off.
Anyone who previously canceled a Barclaycard Avios credit card in the past will be eligible as long as there has been a 24 month gap.
Rob Burgess – editor of website Head for Points – says this isthe most rewarding non-Amex travel credit cards on the market and arguably the most valuable Visa or Mastercard credit card in the UK.
Those who have had any other Barclaycard will be eligible only if they have canceled their non-Avios Barclaycard more than six months ago.
The offer is on until 30 May.
Mr Burgess, says this is the most rewarding non-Amex travel credit card on the market.
‘This is an unparalleled deal, especially when you consider the monthly fee,’ says Burgess.
‘If you believe you can get 1p per Avios via premium cabin flights then it is a £500 sign-up bonus for a £20 a month credit card that you can cancel at any point.
‘As long as you can hit the target spend, and as long as you qualify as a new Barclaycard customer, it is ludicrously generous.
‘The worse case scenario, even for a non-Avios collector, is to take the 50,000 Avios points and transfer them into 66,666 Nectar points, worth £333 which isn’t exactly a bad deal.
If you don’t want to pay any fee at all, there is also a special offer of 10,000 Avios on the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard, for those who spend £1,000 in three months.
But Mr Burgess says: ‘I genuinely don’t recommend getting the free card with 10,000 Avios if you believe that you can spend £3,000 in three months to earn 50,000 Avios on the paid card.’
As always with any credit card loyalty points scheme it is vital to play by the rules – the most important being, pay off the balance in full every month or face being stung with sky-high interest.
Why is Barclaycard offering such a good deal?
According to Burgess, Barclays is trying to replenish its customer base and battle back against American Express.
This is an argument that stacks up when you consider how many banking customers have been losing over recent years.
Barclays has lost more bank account switchers than any other bank, since the current account switching service (CASS) began almost 10 years ago.
Since the beginning of 2014, Barclays has lost more than 544,000 switchers than it has gained, according to numbers crunched by Andrew Hagger, a personal finance expert at MoneyComms.
To put that in context, the next worst performer is RBS, which has lost roughly 273,000 switchers more than it has gained during that time.
Meanwhile, Nationwide Building Society has scooped up almost 800,000 bank account switchers.
Burgess says: ‘The average Barclays current account customer is probably in their 50s – do you know any 20 year-olds with a Barclays current account?
‘The average Avios customer – at least the average BA Gold or Silver member is 30-45, fairly well off with an average income of probably around £70,000.
‘This is attractive to Barclays as they try to rebuild their base. They are willing to lose money on the credit cards to pull people into Premier current accounts, personal loans, mortgages etc.’
How it compare versus Amex’s British Airways Premium card?
The British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card is an obvious alternative to Barclaycard’s Avios Plus.
The card comes with a £250 annual fee – so £20.83 per month – and also offers 1.5 Avios for every £1 spent. On purchases made with British Airways or BA Holidays this is increased to 3 Avios for every £1 spent.
The card comes with sign-up bonus, offering 25,000 Avios if £3,000 is spent in the first three months.
Plus, it also offers a companion voucher in any cabin, including business & first class when new cardmembers spend £10,000 in a year.
Emily Herring, at comparison site, Finder, says: ‘Barclaycard has gone head to head with the British Airways American Express Premium Plus credit card, by offering the most generous Avios bonus on the market.
‘This 50,000 Avios points bonus tops Amex’s current bonus of 25,000, but If you travel a lot on BA, it’s still worth considering the Amex, because you get triple Avios on BA spending.
‘Plus, you can get a companion voucher – an extra flight ticket for a friend – when you spend £10,000 in a year.
‘For frequent flyers, a credit card that offers air miles, cabin upgrades and lounge access is a great way to make your everyday spending more rewarding – but it’s only worth it if you always pay off your balance each month.
‘Both cards come with a fairly hefty fee, so only consider them if you’re going to use the points and perks. You’ll need a pretty decent credit score to be eligible for these cards, too.’
