Barclays Premier Avios Rewards

Barclays Premier Avios Rewards is not a credit card — it is a banking product attached to the Barclays Premier current account. For a monthly fee of £12, it delivers 1,500 Avios per month (18,000 per year), an annual upgrade voucher identical to the Barclaycard credit card vouchers, and a £5 discount on the Barclaycard Avios Plus monthly fee. The earning is passive: the Avios arrive every month regardless of how you spend. The voucher is the same as the one earned from the Barclaycard Avios credit cards — book one cabin higher, pay the Avios of the cabin below.

This product matters because it stacks with the Barclaycard Avios credit cards. A Barclays Premier account holder with a Barclaycard Avios Plus card earns two separate upgrade vouchers per year — one from the bank account (at no extra voucher threshold — it is earned automatically) and one from the credit card (at £10,000 or £20,000 spend). Two upgrade vouchers per year is genuinely powerful for premium cabin bookings.

The Dual-Voucher Strategy

The standout feature is stacking with a Barclaycard Avios credit card. A Barclays Premier holder with Avios Rewards (£12/month) plus a Barclaycard Avios Plus (£15/month with Premier discount) earns:

18,000 Avios per year from the Premier account (passive, no spend required). An upgrade voucher from the Premier account (automatic). 1.5 Avios per £1 from the Barclaycard Plus on all spending. A second upgrade voucher from the Barclaycard (at £10,000 spend). Total cost: £324/year (£180 Premier Avios Rewards + £180 Barclaycard Plus after discount — but note the Barclaycard discount saves £60/year, so effectively £324).

Two upgrade vouchers per year means a couple can each upgrade one leg of a trip — outbound in Business Class for one person, return in Business for the other — while paying only Premium Economy Avios on those legs. On a long-haul return to New York, two vouchers can save 80,000–160,000 Avios across two travellers. At 1p/Avios, that is £800–£1,600 in Avios savings from £324 in annual fees.

Add a BA Amex Premium Plus (£300, Companion Voucher at £15,000) to this stack and a household has the Companion Voucher plus two upgrade vouchers per year — the most complete set of BA Avios benefits available from UK cards.

The Passive Earning

1,500 Avios per month requires no action beyond paying the £12 fee. You do not need to spend anything on the current account or hold a minimum balance for the Avios. They arrive automatically. Over five years, this produces 90,000 Avios for £720 in fees — approximately 0.8p per Avios, which is good value against a typical Avios valuation of 1p+.

The passive nature makes this particularly appealing for collectors who want to accumulate Avios steadily without routing spending through specific cards. The monthly Avios arrive regardless of how you bank or spend.

Premier Eligibility and the Switcher Bonus

Barclays Premier requires meeting one of the eligibility criteria: £75,000+ annual income paid into the account, £100,000+ in savings/investments with Barclays, or a Barclays residential mortgage. These are checked annually. The current account itself has no monthly fee — the £12 is specifically for the Avios Rewards add-on.

Barclays regularly runs switcher bonuses for new Premier customers. The most recent was £400 cash for switching your current account (late 2025). These bonuses are among the most generous bank switching offers in the UK and can significantly offset the first-year cost of Avios Rewards.

The Voucher in Detail

The upgrade voucher earned from the Premier account is identical in mechanics to the Barclaycard Avios credit card vouchers. It lets you book a return flight for one person in the next cabin up (e.g. Business Class) while paying only the Avios of the cabin below (e.g. Premium Economy). It is valid for two years from issue. BA-operated flights only. Cannot be used to upgrade to First Class. When offered, you can choose 7,000 bonus Avios instead — but the voucher is almost always worth more (saving 40,000–80,000 Avios on a long-haul upgrade).

The voucher is earned automatically each card year — there is no spend threshold to hit on the Premier account. This is a significant advantage over the Barclaycard credit cards, where you must spend £10,000 (Plus) or £20,000 (free card) to trigger the voucher. The Premier voucher just arrives.

The Full Avios Stack — Three Products Combined

The maximum Avios benefits stack for a UK household uses three Barclays products plus the BA Amex:

Barclays Premier Avios Rewards (£144/year): 18,000 Avios passive + upgrade voucher (automatic).

Barclaycard Avios Plus (£180/year, reduced to £180 with Premier discount): 1.5 Avios per £1 + upgrade voucher at £10,000.

BA Amex Premium Plus (£300/year): 1.5 Avios per £1 + Companion Voucher at £15,000.

Total annual cost: approximately £624. Total benefits: 18,000 passive Avios, two upgrade vouchers, one Companion Voucher, and 1.5 Avios per £1 on all spending (Amex where accepted, Barclaycard Mastercard everywhere else). On a family trip in Business Class, the Companion Voucher halves the Avios cost and the two upgrade vouchers can save an additional 80,000–160,000 Avios on the legs they cover. The total Avios saving per trip can exceed 250,000 — from £624 in annual card and banking fees.

Who Should Get This

Yes, get this if: You meet Barclays Premier eligibility criteria. You hold or plan to hold a Barclaycard Avios credit card and want the dual-voucher strategy. You want passive Avios earning with no spending requirement. You value the £5/month Barclaycard discount.

Skip this if: You do not meet Premier income/savings/mortgage criteria. You already have more Avios vouchers than you can use. You prefer to keep your banking and card strategies separate.