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Points Travel Pro › Earning on Cards
Every UK card that earns airline miles or hotel points. Fees, earn rates, vouchers and the combinations that turn everyday spending into predictable free travel.
For most UK points travellers, credit card spending generates far more airline miles and hotel points than flying. A household spending £30,000 a year on a 1.5 Avios-per-pound card earns 45,000 Avios from everyday purchases. The same household flying Economy to Tenerife earns 1,500 Avios from the flights. Cards earn 20 to 30 times more than flights for the typical leisure traveller.
This page maps every UK credit card and debit card that earns airline miles or hotel points. Each card links to a detailed guide covering sign-up bonuses, earning tactics, voucher mechanics, and portfolio fit.
There are 22 cards on this page. You do not need all of them. Most strong portfolios use two or three cards. If you are new to UK points travel, these are the three cards that matter most — in this order.
Apply for Amex Gold first (20,000 MR bonus, free Y1). Then BA Amex Premium Plus (30,000 Avios — Gold does NOT block this). Then Barclaycard Avios Plus (25,000 Avios — no Amex conflict). This order maximises bonuses. Applying for BA Amex before Gold blocks the Gold bonus for 24 months.
These articles cover the decisions that sit across all cards — bonuses, transfers, and when to move points.
These cards deposit Avios directly into your BA Executive Club account each time you spend. Avios is the most versatile domestic points currency — usable across BA, Qatar, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Finnair. For most UK collectors, this section contains the two or three cards that will form the backbone of their strategy.
The anchor card for serious UK Avios collectors. The 1.5 Avios per £1 earn rate is strong, but the Companion Voucher is the reason this card exists: spend £15,000 in a card year and you can book two Avios reward flights for the cost of one, in any cabin including Business and First, valid for two years. On a long-haul Business Class return, the voucher alone can save 150,000+ Avios. Nothing else in the UK card market comes close to this single benefit.
The no-fee alternative. Same 1 Avios per £1 earn rate and the same £15,000 voucher threshold — but with two critical restrictions that make it a fundamentally different card. The free version's Companion Voucher is valid for one year only (not two) and works only in Economy (not all cabins). For Economy-only flyers or low spenders who won't hit the threshold, it costs nothing and earns Avios on every purchase. For anyone with premium cabin ambitions, the Premium Plus is worth the £300 fee many times over. You can upgrade from free to Premium Plus at any time, but you won't receive a new sign-up bonus on the upgrade.
The BA Amex is powerful but it has a weakness: Amex is not accepted everywhere. Aldi, Lidl, many independents, and a surprising number of online retailers reject it. The Barclaycard Avios Plus solves this — it is a Mastercard earning 1.5 Avios per £1, matching the BA Amex earn rate but with near-universal acceptance. It also offers a different voucher: an upgrade voucher that lets you book one cabin higher while paying the Avios of the cabin below (e.g. Business Class for Premium Economy Avios). For most Avios collectors, this is the essential second card alongside a BA Amex — together they earn 1.5 Avios per £1 everywhere.
If you don't want to pay £20/month for the Plus card, the free Barclaycard Avios earns 1 Avios per £1 and offers the same upgrade voucher — just at a higher spend threshold of £20,000 instead of £10,000. Many collectors start with the Plus (for the 25,000 bonus and easier voucher), then downgrade to the free card via the Barclays app once they've captured the first-year value. As a permanent zero-cost Mastercard that earns Avios on every non-Amex transaction, this card has no downside.
Not a credit card — a banking product. If you qualify for Barclays Premier (£75,000+ income, £100,000 savings, or a Barclays mortgage), you can add Avios Rewards for £12/month. This delivers 1,500 Avios per month passively — no spending required — plus an automatic upgrade voucher identical to the Barclaycard vouchers. The real power is stacking: a Barclays Premier holder with a Barclaycard Avios Plus earns two upgrade vouchers per year from two separate products. Two vouchers can save 80,000–160,000 Avios on premium cabin flights.
A niche card for Sainsbury's loyalists. It earns Nectar points (2 per £1 general, 3 at Sainsbury's and Esso) rather than Avios directly. Nectar converts to Avios at 400:250 — giving an effective base rate of about 0.625 Avios per £1, which is lower than the direct Avios cards above. The value comes from stacking with Nectar Prices, eShops portal bonuses, and periodic Avios conversion bonuses of 10–25% that improve the rate substantially. Free in Year 1, then £30. This card blocks other Amex bonuses for 24 months — apply only after collecting Amex Gold and Platinum bonuses first.
These cards deposit Virgin Points directly into your Flying Club account. Virgin Points never expire and give access to Virgin Atlantic flights (now dynamically priced — some Upper Class one-ways as low as 29,000 points), plus SkyTeam partners including Delta and Air France-KLM, and ANA in Business and First. For UK transatlantic travellers, building a Virgin Points balance alongside Avios creates genuine optionality — when BA availability or pricing disappoints, Virgin often has an alternative.
The primary Virgin earning card. Earns 1.5 Virgin Points per £1 on everything and 3 per £1 on Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays purchases. The annual fee of £160 is lower than the BA Amex Premium Plus (£300), and the card charges no FX fees in the Eurozone — making it the cheapest way to spend in Europe while earning airline points. The reward voucher at £10,000 spend can save up to 75,000 VP for Red members or 150,000 VP for Silver and Gold members. Issued as a Mastercard, it works everywhere Amex doesn't.
The no-fee version earns 0.75 Virgin Points per £1 — half the Reward+ rate — and triggers the same voucher at a higher threshold of £20,000. The voucher itself is identical: same value, same two-year validity, same status-dependent cap. Virgin Money allows you to hold both cards simultaneously, each earning its own sign-up bonus and triggering its own voucher independently. A household with one Reward+ and one free Reward card can earn two vouchers per year. The free card also shares the same 0% Eurozone FX benefit.
Beyond Avios and Virgin Points, a small number of other airline programmes offer UK-issued payment cards. These are niche products suited to frequent flyers in specific programmes rather than general points collectors.
The first and only Star Alliance UK payment card, launched in March 2026 in partnership with Currensea. It is a debit card linked to your existing current account — no credit check, no impact on your credit score. The card earns 1.33 MileagePlus miles per £1 on United spend and all non-European transactions, with a 0.99% FX fee making it competitive for overseas spending. For UK-based United flyers, the card has become a practical consideration from April 2026: non-cardholders will earn fewer miles when flying United and pay more miles on redemptions. Cardholders receive a 10% discount on United award flights, rising to 15% or more with Premier elite status.
American Express Membership Rewards points are the Swiss Army knife of UK points. They transfer 1:1 to BA Avios, Virgin Points, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Delta SkyMiles, Qantas Frequent Flyer, and more. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer transfers at 3:2. The defining advantage: you earn now and decide later where the points go. Nothing is committed until you have a booking in hand, which means programme devaluations and changing travel plans never catch you out.
The recommended first card for most UK points travellers. Earns 1 Membership Rewards point per £1, doubling to 2 per £1 on airline purchases and foreign currency spend. Free for the first year, then £195 — but four free airport lounge visits, £120 of annual Deliveroo credit, and Amex Offers cashback make the renewal maths work for most active travellers. The 20,000-point sign-up bonus (22,000 via referral) converts to 20,000 Avios, 20,000 Virgin Points, or any other partner at 1:1. Promotional bonuses of 30,000–40,000 run periodically.
Same earning as Gold — 1 MR per £1, 2 per £1 on airlines and FX. The £650 fee buys a different proposition entirely: unlimited Priority Pass lounge access with a guest, complimentary Gold status in Hilton Honors (free breakfast for two), Marriott Bonvoy, Radisson Rewards, and MeliaRewards, £200 per year in UK restaurant credit, £200 in international restaurant credit, £200 Amex Travel credit, Fine Hotels & Resorts with guaranteed 4pm checkout, comprehensive travel and car hire insurance, and a 50,000-point sign-up bonus. Whether the fee is justified depends entirely on how many of those benefits you will actually use. For frequent travellers who stay in hotels and use lounges, the tangible value regularly exceeds £1,500 per year.
This card has no travel benefits, no bonus categories, and no reason to use it as your primary spender. It exists for one purpose: keeping your Membership Rewards balance alive when you cancel the Gold or Platinum. Without an active MR-earning card, Amex gives you 30 days to transfer or lose your points. The free Rewards card prevents that — hold it indefinitely at zero cost and your entire MR balance plus transfer access remains intact. Apply for this card last, never first — holding it blocks Gold and Platinum bonuses for 24 months.
HSBC offers a parallel flexible-currency system for customers who qualify for Premier banking (income, mortgage, or savings criteria). The transfer partner list overlaps with Amex but includes some unique options — notably Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer at a more efficient rate than Amex's 3:2, Air India Maharajah Club, IHG One Rewards, and Wyndham Rewards. If you already bank with HSBC Premier, these cards add airline earning at no conflict with your Amex strategy.
No fee for Premier customers. Earns 1 HSBC Reward point per £1, converting to approximately 0.5–0.75 airline miles per £1 depending on the partner (improved in early 2026). The earn rate is lower than Amex, but the card costs nothing, works as a Mastercard everywhere, and gives access to 11 transfer partners including some that UK Amex cannot reach. A useful secondary earner for existing Premier customers — not a reason to switch banks.
The premium version roughly doubles the earn rate to approximately 1.5 miles per £1 and adds unlimited free Priority Pass lounge access — the same level as Amex Platinum, but at £290 instead of £650. A supplementary card at £60/year also gets free lounge access, meaning a couple can both enter lounges independently for £350 total. For HSBC Premier customers who want Mastercard-based lounge access and the best UK earn rate for Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, this card competes directly with the Amex Platinum on lounges at a significantly lower price.
These cards earn hotel points and — more importantly — deliver elite status. The status benefits (free breakfast, room upgrades, elite night credits toward higher tiers) are usually worth far more than the points earning itself. The debit cards in this section are issued by Currensea, link to your existing bank account via Open Banking, require no credit check, and do not affect your credit score. They sit alongside credit cards without competing for the same spending.
The Marriott Amex is not primarily an earning card — at 2 Bonvoy points per £1 (5 at Marriott properties), the rate converts to roughly 0.67 airline miles per pound. The real value is the 15 Elite Night Credits deposited into your Marriott account every year, counting toward Gold (25 nights), Platinum (50 nights), and lifetime milestones. For anyone staying 10+ Marriott nights per year, these credits compress the path to elite status dramatically. Combined with a Marriott debit card (10–15 more credits), you can start each year 25–30 nights toward Platinum without sleeping in a single hotel.
The strongest Marriott debit option. £175/year for instant Gold status, 15 Elite Night Credits (plus up to 5 more from spending), and a free night certificate worth up to 50,000 Bonvoy points. The free night alone is worth approximately £250 at typical Marriott redemption values — more than covering the annual fee. Combined with the Marriott Amex (15 more credits), you start each year with 30 nights toward Platinum. The card earns 1.5 Bonvoy per £1 in UK/Europe, 3 elsewhere, doubled at Marriott properties.
The budget option at £55/year. Provides Silver status and 10 Elite Night Credits — no free night certificate, no additional credits from spending, and a lower earn rate (1 per £1 UK). The Premium card at £175 is almost always better value because the free night certificate (worth ~£250) more than covers the £120 fee difference. The basic card's role is as the cheapest possible way to add elite night credits — useful if you already have Gold from Amex Platinum and simply want 10 more credits toward Platinum at minimal cost.
Instant Hilton Honors Gold for £150/year — and Gold means free breakfast for two at virtually all Hilton properties worldwide, including Conrad, Waldorf Astoria, DoubleTree, and Hampton Inn. At an upscale Hilton where breakfast costs £30–50 per person, a couple saves £60–100 per night. The card pays for itself in two to three stays. It also charges 0% FX fees worldwide (unlike any Amex or most credit cards), earns 1.5 Hilton points per £1 on UK spend, and requires no credit check. Redundant if you hold Amex Platinum (which includes Gold), but the cheapest standalone route to Gold for everyone else.
The £60 entry point. Silver status — which does not include free breakfast, the benefit most people want from Hilton elite status. Silver provides a 20% bonus on base points and the 5th night free on reward stays, but little else of practical value. The Plus card at £150 is better value for anyone who stays at Hilton even once per year, because a single breakfast-included stay covers the £90 fee difference. The basic card suits collectors who want Hilton earning at the lowest possible cost and have no need for breakfast benefits.
Hotel debit cards don't affect your credit score and don't compete with credit card spending. Marriott Amex (credit, £95) + Marriott Premium Debit (£175) + Hilton Plus Debit (£150) = Gold in both chains, 30 Marriott elite nights, free breakfast at Hilton, and a Marriott free night certificate — all for £420/year. The Amex Platinum (£650) provides Gold in both chains but without the Marriott credits or free night.
For directors of Limited Companies and LLP members, business cards create a second track of earning that operates independently from personal cards. Sign-up bonuses do not conflict — you can hold personal Amex Gold plus Business Platinum and collect both bonuses. Business card fees are tax-deductible. Since January 2026, sole traders can no longer apply for Business Gold or Business Platinum; only the BA Amex Accelerating Business card remains open to them.
The highest-value business card in the UK. The 120,000 MR promotional bonus (to 5 May 2026) is the largest sign-up bonus on any UK payment card — and there are no eligibility restrictions. If you are accepted and spend £12,000 in three months, you receive 120,000 MR regardless of what other Amex cards you hold. The card also delivers the same lounge access, hotel status, FHR, and insurance as the personal Platinum, plus £200 Amex Travel credit, £150 Dell credit, £300 indeed.com credit, and up to 98 free employee supplementary cards. The £650 fee is tax-deductible.
The accessible alternative — free for the first year, with a 60,000 MR promotional bonus (to 5 May 2026) and no eligibility restrictions. It lacks the Platinum's travel benefits (no lounges, no hotel status, no FHR, no insurance) but earns the same 1 MR per £1 on all spending. Up to 20 free employee supplementary cards funnel all business spending into a single MR balance. Most directors apply for Business Platinum first (120,000 bonus), then Business Gold 12 months later (60,000 bonus) — collecting 180,000 MR across two years from business cards alone.
The only business card earning Avios directly — and the only Amex business card still open to sole traders. Earns 1.5 Avios per £1 on all spending plus double On Business points on BA purchases. Annual spend bonuses of 10,000 Avios at £20,000, £40,000, and £60,000 (up to 30,000 bonus Avios per year) push the effective rate to 2 Avios per £1 for high spenders. A business spending £60,000 in Year 1 earns 150,000 Avios including the 30,000 sign-up bonus. The £250 fee is tax-deductible.
The essential Amex gap-filler for business. A free Visa card earning 0.8 Avios or 0.8 Virgin Points per £1 with 0% FX fees worldwide — the only business Visa in the UK that earns airline points. Use it wherever Amex is not accepted (B2B suppliers, trade merchants, SaaS platforms billed in foreign currencies). A Pro version at £299/year upgrades to 1 Avios per £1 (1.25 with pre-funding), adds Priority Pass lounge access, and includes top-tier Radisson Rewards VIP status. Limited Companies and LLPs only — sole traders cannot apply.
No single card does everything. The UK market forces at least two cards — Amex for earning, Visa or Mastercard for acceptance. Most strong portfolios use three or four.
BA Amex Premium Plus + Barclaycard Avios Plus. Combined £540/year. 1.5 Avios per £1 everywhere. Companion Voucher + upgrade voucher. Saves 200,000+ Avios per year on premium flights.
Amex Gold + Barclaycard Avios (free or Plus). Lower fees. Flexible MR earning transferable to 13+ programmes. Best for travellers who don't yet know which airline they'll fly.
Two adults each holding BA Amex Premium Plus (two Companion Vouchers) + two Barclaycard Avios cards (two upgrade vouchers). £1,080/year. Family of four flies Business Class return using two vouchers — saving 350,000+ Avios equivalent.
One household member adds Virgin Reward+ (£160). Access to dynamic pricing sweet spots, Eurozone FX savings, and a second programme without fragmenting the core strategy.
After 5+ nights per year in a specific chain. Hilton Plus Debit (Gold, breakfast) pays for itself fastest. Marriott Amex + Premium Debit stacks to 30 elite nights from Day 1. Debit cards don't compete with credit card spending.
The Amex Platinum bridges airline and hotel. Its Hilton Gold and Marriott Gold replaces separate hotel cards — if the lounges, dining credits, and travel perks justify the £650 fee. For pure points earning, the Gold card does the same job at one-third the price.
Credit cards are the engine of UK points travel. Direct Avios cards provide the core earning and the all-important vouchers. Flexible Amex adds optionality across 13+ programmes. Virgin cards offer a competitive Atlantic alternative. Hotel debit cards deliver elite status without touching credit card spending. The strongest strategies combine two or three cards deliberately — start with what you want to redeem, then work backwards to the cards that get you there.