Credit Card Rewards

The American Express* Platinum Cashback Everyday is the top fee-free card, especially if you've big spending to do in the next few months. This is because it has a 5% introductory rate (though only on your first £2,000 of spending, so max £100), then tiered ongoing cashback.

Need-to-knows

• You earn 5% for the first three months (on max £2,000).
• You need to spend at least £3,000 in the year to receive any cashback.
• After the intro period, you earn 0.5% cashback on spending up to £5,000/year.
• All spending above £5,001 in a year will earn 1% cashback.
• Repay in full EVERY month to avoid the 22.9% representative APR as interest will quickly wipe away the cashback gains.

Spend over £9,000 on it a year? In that case, try the Amex Platinum (eligibility calc / apply*). It has a £25 annual fee, but gives the intro 5% rate on up to £2,500 of spending (so max £125) and then tiers up to 1.25% in cashback and so is a winner for bigger spenders. Repay IN FULL or it's 28.2% rep APR (incl fee).

Fancy yourself as a bit of a jet-setter? Then the British Airways Amex* can reward you with free flights. Plus, if you're accepted you can get 5,000 bonus Avios points, but you need to be flexible with dates as seats are sometimes limited. You can also get a 'free' companion ticket if you spend £20,000/year on the card.

Need-to-knows

• You'll earn one Avios point per £1 spent on the card.
• Spend £1,000 within the first three months and you'll get the bonus 5,000 Avios points.
• Spend £20,000/year, and you get one free 'companion ticket' when booking a flight with Avios. The free ticket can be used to get the same ticket type as the cardholder (if you go first class, so do they), though only on BA. You'll still need to pay taxes and charges on top.
• Compare other frequent flyer cards in our Airline Credit Cards guide.
• See more ways to boost your Avios points.

Spend £2,000 on the Amex Nectar* card within three months, and you'll get 20,000 bonus Nectar points. These are worth at least £100 and can be spent at Nectar retailers such as at Sainsbury's.

Just do your normal spending on it to get the bonus, and remember to cancel after one year if you want to avoid the £25 annual fee that kicks in from year two.

As well as the bonus, you'll earn two Nectar points per £1 spent on the card (plus your usual Nectar points).

Need-to-knows

• You'll receive the 20,000 points bonus once you hit the trigger spend.
• There's an annual £25 fee, but it's waived in the first year. When the year is up, cancel the card if you don't want to pay it.
• Usually one Nectar point is worth 0.5p and you can spend them on anything in the Nectar range. Some retailers give 1p per point, making this freebie worth £300 at theme parks Legoland, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park etc (read Loyalty Schemes for ways to max these).
• You need to give your Nectar card number when you apply for the credit card.
• You can't get the bonus if you've had the Amex Nectar card in the last six months.
• Always carry a back-up card, as Amex isn't accepted everywhere, especially in a lot of smaller retailers.
• Make sure you repay IN FULL every month or you'll pay 22.9% interest, which'll quickly wipe out the rewards gain. The easiest way to do this is setting up a direct debit to repay in full.

Accepted new M&S Bank* cardholders who apply via our link can get a free £25 to spend in its stores on almost anything (incl clothes and food). It's split into two parts...

- £20 in M&S pts. Awarded the first time you use the card anywhere for any amount within 90 days.
- Plus extra £5 M&S vch. You're sent a coupon with the card. Just swipe it or use online with your card to buy most things at M&S for any amount and you get another £5 of points.

Just ensure you never withdraw cash (it's expensive) and repay the card IN FULL each month to avoid the 18.9% rep APR interest, and as long as you'd do the spending anyway it won't cost a penny.  

Need-to-knows

• Points-related vouchers are credited to your account within 30 days of your first purchase and will be sent in your next available quarterly reward mailing.
• You cannot get the card if you're an existing M&S Credit Card holder or if you've held a credit card with M&S Bank within the past 12 months.
• There's a six-month 0% period on spending with the card, a nice bonus, but don't feel you need to use it. If 0% spending is what you're looking for, see our 0% spending guide.
• Outside of the six-month 0% period, you'll pay 18.9% rep APR, though poorer credit scorers may get a rate up to 22.9%.
• Always pay at least the minimum monthly repayment, or you'll lose the 0% deal.

If you shop at Sainsbury's and can't meet the trigger spend for the Amex Nectar card above (or would prefer a Mastercard) then the Nectar Purchase* credit card gives you a boost on the Nectar points you earn when shopping there.

Plus, you'll get 500 bonus Nectar points worth £2.50 each time you spend £20+ in Sainsbury's in the first two months from receiving your card (max 5,000 points, worth £25). Doing a big shop? You can split it into smaller £20 chunks to max the bonus, getting 500 points on each transaction.

On top of this, there's also a decent 28 months 0% on spending, but only use this if you're disciplined and can fully repay at the end of the 28 months.

Need-to-knows

• New customers applying by 30 Jul 2018 will get 500 bonus Nectar points worth £2.50 each time they spend £20+ in Sainsbury's in the first two months from receiving their card.
• You can also shop online at Sainsbury's to trigger the points bonuses, but buying anything (incl fuel) at Sainsbury's petrol stations doesn't count.
• As well as the bonus, you get two Nectar points for every £1 you spend in Sainsbury's, or one Nectar point for every £5 elsewhere.
• Usually one Nectar point is worth 0.5p and you can spend them on anything in the Nectar range. Some retailers give 1p per point, making this freebie worth £100 at theme parks Legoland, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park etc (read Loyalty Schemes for ways to max these).
• You need to give your Nectar card number when you apply for the credit card.
• The bonus points will be added to your Nectar account within two months of the end of the offer period.
• After the 0% period ends, you'll be charged 18.9% representative APR if you don't pay the card off in full at the end of each month.

The Tesco Clubcard credit card gives you extra Clubcard points on top of the ones you'd normally collect. Plus, apply by 18 Sep 2018 and you'll earn 1,000 bonus points (worth up to £30) if you spend anything on the card within the first two months.

On top of the bonus, you earn one Clubcard point for every £8 spent and one point per £4 spent at Tesco – as well as the one point per £1 you get with a standard Clubcard. One point's worth 1p if spent at Tesco, but this is boosted to up to 4p (3p from 11 June) if redeemed for some of Tesco's Clubcard Rewards vouchers.

Need-to-knows

• The 1,000 bonus points will be applied to your account within 12 weeks of your first transaction.
• There's also up to 20 months 0% on spending, which means you only have to pay the minimum balance each month and you won't be charged interest. But after the 0% period ends you must repay the card in full or you'll be charged 18.9% rep APR (some poorer credit scorers could get up to 25.9%).

If you're a regular Amazon shopper it may be worth considering the Amazon Platinum credit card. It's a good card if you spend a lot at Amazon and want to get something back on your spending. Reward points can be converted into Amazon gift cards, equivalent to 0.75% back on Amazon spends and 0.5% on everything else. However, rewards are only redeemed once you hit a hefty 1,000 points – which is equivalent to £2,000's worth of non-Amazon spending – so it could take a while to hit the trigger.

Plus, accepted applicants will automatically receive a £10 Amazon gift card straightaway.

Need-to-knows

• The £10 gift card will be applied to your linked Amazon account on approval if you qualify for 'Amazon Instant Spend', otherwise it will be applied to your account when you activate the card.
• The card gives 1.5 Amazon Reward Points for every £2 spent at Amazon and 1 point for every £2 spent elsewhere.
• On top of the £10 gift card upon approval, you'll also get a £10 Amazon gift card applied to your account when your balance reaches 1,000 points. This will be loaded to your account within two working days of your statement date.
• Don't use the card as an excuse to spend more than you normally would at Amazon – always check prices elsewhere.
• Make sure you repay IN FULL every month or you'll pay 21.9% interest, which'll quickly wipe out the rewards gain. The easiest way to do this is to set up a direct debit to repay in full.

If you're accepted for the Amex Preferred Rewards Gold* credit card, and spend £2,000 within the first three months, you'll get a bonus 20,000 reward points, equal to £100 in high street vouchers or 20,000 airline frequent flyer points (see need-to-knows below for exactly where you can redeem them).

Plus you'll get membership for the Lounge Club scheme. It gets you two free visits at its affiliated airport lounges (see which lounges you can use) which you can use for yourself twice, or yourself and one guest.

Need-to-knows

• The card usually has a £140 annual fee, but for now is fee-free in the first year. To avoid paying £140, remember to cancel before year two starts.
• You earn one point per £1 on day-to-day spending and two points per £1 spent directly with airlines or in a foreign currency.
• Points can take up to a month to hit your Amex account (though we've seen 'em applied the day you hit the trigger spend).
• As soon as the points are in your account, you can convert them into vouchers for Amazon, M&S, House of Fraser, PC World and more, though retailers vary. Gift cards are sent by post (and received within 10 working days) or email.
• Alternatively, you can convert them to frequent flyer or hotel scheme points and add them to your current stash. Point transfers to other schemes can take up to five working days.
• You can also now use your points to pay off purchases, with them effectively working as cashback. However, you receive slightly less than you'd get exchanging for vouchers; 1,000 points gives £4.50 'cashback' vs £5 in vouchers.
• You can only use your Lounge Club membership if you still hold the Amex. Additional guests or visits are £15 each, charged to your Amex. See more Free or Cheap Airport Lounge Access tips.
• Always carry a back-up card, as Amex isn't accepted everywhere, especially in a lot of smaller retailers.
• Make sure you repay IN FULL every month or you'll pay 22.9% interest, which'll quickly wipe out the rewards gain. The easiest way to do this is to set up a direct debit to repay in full.

If you won't hit the £2,000 spending trigger on the above card, or you want a card that's fee free, this could suit you better. Spend £1,000 on the Amex Rewards* credit card in the first three months and you'll get 10,000 bonus points. You can convert these into £50-worth of vouchers at retailers such as Amazon and M&S.

Need-to-knows

• You won't receive the bonus if you already have or previously held an Amex Membership Rewards card within the past six months.
• As well as the bonus, you'll earn one membership point per £1 spent on the card.
• Points can take up to one month to hit your Amex account (though we've seen 'em applied the day you hit the trigger spend).
• As soon as your points are in your account, you can convert them into retail vouchers, frequent flyer points, hotel schemes and more. For full options see the Membership Rewards site.
• Gift cards are sent by post (and received within 10 working days) or email.
• You can also now use your points to pay off purchases, with them effectively working as cashback. However, you receive slightly less than you'd get exchanging for vouchers; 1,000 points gives £4.50 'cashback' vs £5 in vouchers.
• Your Membership Rewards points will be shown live on your card membership account homepage and your paper statement.
• If you're having issues with this card you can contact Amex on 0800 1696 767.
• Always carry a back-up card, as Amex isn't accepted everywhere, especially in a lot of smaller retailers.
• Make sure you repay IN FULL every month or you'll pay 22.9% interest, which'll quickly wipe out the rewards gain. The easiest way to do this is to set up a direct debit to repay in full.