
Credit Card Rewards
Earn cashback, points & more
Spend on one of these cards and it pays you – either in pure cashback or points that can be converted into vouchers for shops, airlines, hotels etc. If you're debt-free and pay off your card every month, you can earn goodies worth £100s each year. Plus our Rewards Eligibility Calculator will show credit cards you've the best odds of getting.
Who's this guide for? People who pay off their credit card balance in full every month who want to be rewarded for their spending.
Not what you want? If you're looking to cut debt costs or want other ways to get rewarded for spending, see...
Top Airline Credit Cards | 0% Balance Transfers | 0% Money Transfers | Full Credit Cards Section

How do reward credit cards work?
Reward cards can be a great way of earning £100s' worth of bonuses/cashback.
Essentially, they're quite simple. You just do your everyday spending on them and, in return, you get cashback or points which you can turn into vouchers, or money off at various retailers.
It sounds great – everyone loves something for nothing. But unless you're careful, cards will actually deliver nothing for something, as you may get hit with interest if you don't pay off IN FULL every month. Some cards even impose a minimum spend to get the rewards – so always read carefully before choosing a card and make sure it'll work for you.
We take you through the top cards and the potential pitfalls below.
See which reward credit cards you've the best chance of getting, in your own personal best-buy table.
Usually, applying is the only way to know if you'll be accepted for a credit card. Yet that marks your credit file, affecting your ability to get future credit. To help, our tool uses a 'soft search' to find your chances of acceptance before applying.
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The top-paying rewards cards are from Amex

If you're looking for a cashback or reward card, your best bet is likely to be a card from American Express' range – they have big intro bonuses and give unbeatable ongoing rewards when compared with the rest of the market.
However, there are a couple of drawbacks: Amex isn't as widely accepted in shops compared with Mastercard and Visa, plus if you've held a personal Amex within the past two years, you won't be eligible for the introductory offers (if this applies to you, or if you need a backup card for when Amex isn't accepted, check out the top non-Amex cards).
In this section, we've listed the top Amex cashback cards, plus we've also got those that give decent ongoing points rewards and included details of what you can spend the points on.
Highest cashback payer with no fee, giving up to 5%. Best if you'll spend less than £10,000 a year – if you'll spend more, it's beaten by the Amex Platinum Cashback
The Amex Platinum Everyday (check eligibility / apply*) is the top fee-free card, especially if you've big spending to do in the next few months. It gives 5% back on your first £2,000 of spending in the first three months (max £100 cashback), then up to 1% after. Cashback is paid to your account annually – in the month after your card anniversary date.
Important: You need to spend at least £3,000/yr to earn any cashback.
Note: You won't get the intro 5% rate if you've held a personal Amex card in the past two years.
Representative APR (variable): 22.2% APR (Official APR Examples)
Important: Repay IN FULL every month to avoid interest
Cashback: 5% in first 3mths (max £100), then once you've spent £2k or after 3mths (whichever's sooner) it's 0.5% on the next £5,000/yr, 1% above £5,000/yr
Annual fee: None
Min income: N/A
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Top cashback rates overall – but charges annual fee. Beats the Everyday above if you'll spend more than £10,000 a year
The American Express Platinum Cashback (check eligibility / apply*) charges a £25 annual fee, but has an intro 5% cashback rate on up to £2,500 of spending in the first three months (max £125 cashback).
After that, it gives 1% back on up to £10,000/yr and 1.25% above this – making this card a winner for bigger spenders. Cashback is paid to your account annually – in the month after your card anniversary date.
Note: You won't get the intro 5% rate if you've held a personal Amex card in the past two years.
Representative APR (variable): 27.3% APR incl fee (Official APR Examples)
Important: Repay IN FULL every month to avoid interest
Cashback: 5% in first 3mths (max £125), then once you've spent £2,500 or after 3mths (whichever's sooner) it's 1% on the next £10,000/yr, 1.25% above £10,000/yr
Annual fee: £25
Min income: N/A
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Trick to nab £184 in Nectar points or £100 M&S/Amazon vch or 23,000 airline/hotel points when you spend £3,000 within 3mths
The Amex Preferred Rewards Gold credit card (check eligibility / apply*) gives an intro bonus of 20,000 reward points if you spend £3,000 in the first three months. This is on top of the usual one point per £1 spent (making a total of 23,000 points). Amex says the points come within a month of hitting the trigger, but it usually only takes a couple of days. You can change them for:
- 36,800 Nectar points (worth £184). Amex doesn't advertise this, but there's a trick to manipulate the new British Airways and Nectar partnership: you need to swap your Amex points for BA points, which are called Avios (23,000 points = 23,000 Avios), then swap the Avios for Nectar points (23,000 Avios = 36,800 Nectar points) and hey presto... (see the FAQs tab for more on how to do this). You can spend these points at Nectar partners including Sainsbury's, eBay and Argos – see the Nectar website for the full list.
- A £100 voucher. Choose from retailers such as M&S and Amazon. This will use up 20,000 points, so you'll still have 3,000 left over.
- 23,000 airmiles/hotel points. Schemes include Avios, Virgin Red and Hilton Honors.
All cardholders also get two free visits per year to airport lounges.
The card usually has a £140 annual fee, but is fee-free in the first year, so to avoid it, remember to cancel before year two starts.
Note: You won't get the bonus if you've held a personal Amex card in the past two years.
Representative APR (variable): 56.6% APR incl fee (Official APR Examples)
Important: Repay IN FULL every month to avoid interest
Annual fee: No fee in year one, but £140 from year two onwards
Standard points earned (excl bonus): One per £1 on day-to-day spending, two points per £1 spent directly with airlines or in a foreign currency
Value of one point: 0.8p if converted to Nectar points via Avios, 0.5p if converted to vouchers (airline/hotel scheme redemption values vary)
Points' expiry: N/A
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Earn 24,000 Nectar points, worth £120 at Sainsbury's/Argos/eBay, when you spend £2,000 within 3mths
Spend £2,000 on the Amex Nectar card (check eligibility / apply*) within the first three months, and you'll get 20,000 bonus Nectar points, on top of the usual two Nectar points per £1 spent you get with this card. So hit the spending trigger and you'll end up with at least 24,000 points, worth £120 at Nectar retailers such as Sainsbury's, Argos and eBay. Points will usually be credited to your Nectar account within a month of hitting the trigger.
Alternatively, you can now convert Nectar points to Avios, which you can spend on flights, hotel and car hire (see FAQs tab for more details).
The card has a £25 annual fee that kicks in from year two, so diarise to cancel before then if you don't want to pay it.
Note: You won't get the bonus if you've held a personal Amex card in the past two years.
Representative APR (variable): 27.3% APR incl fee (Official APR Examples)
Important: Repay IN FULL every month to avoid interest
Annual fee: Free in year one, then £25
Standard points earned (excl bonus): Two per £1 spent
Value of one point: 0.5p at Nectar partners
Points' expiry: One year if you don't collect or spend any points
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Earn 5,000 bonus Rewards points for spending £2,000 within three months. Spend 'em on a £25 Amazon/M&S vch or swap 'em for Nectar pts, or airmiles/hotel pts
If you won't hit the spending trigger on the Gold card above, Nectar pts aren't your thing, or you want a card that's fee-free all the time, this could suit you better. Spend £2,000 on the Amex Rewards credit card (check eligibility / apply*) in the first three months and you'll get 5,000 bonus points, on top of the usual one point per £1 spent – so you'll have a total 7,000 points. You can change them for:
- A £25 voucher. Choose from retailers such as M&S and Amazon.
- 7,000 airmiles/hotel points. Schemes include Avios, Virgin Red and Hilton Honors.
- 11,200 Nectar points (worth £56). To do this, you need to swap your Amex points for Avios, then swap the Avios for Nectar points (see FAQs tab for more details).
Note: You won't get the bonus if you've held a personal Amex card in the past two years.
Representative APR (variable): 22.2% APR (Official APR Examples)
Important: Repay IN FULL every month to avoid interest
Annual fee: None
Standard points earned (excl bonus): One per £1 spent
Value of one point: 0.8p if converted to Nectar points via Avios/0.5p if converted to vouchers (airline/hotel scheme redemption values vary)
Points' expiry: N/A
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As we say above, the top-paying cards are all from American Express. But if you already have an Amex and don't qualify for the bonuses, can't get an Amex, or need a back-up for when it's not accepted, there are a few decent options – mainly from supermarket chains. They give the best returns when used at those stores, but do give some points if used elsewhere.
Nectar members only. Earn 10,000 bonus Nectar points worth £50 at Sainsbury's/Argos/eBay
With the Sainsbury's Bank Nectar Reward card (apply, it's not in our eligibility calculator), you can earn Nectar points on all purchases. Plus, spend £400+ at Sainsbury's, Argos or Tu Clothing in the first two months and you'll get 10,000 bonus Nectar points, worth £50.
The points will be credited to your Nectar account 60 days after the end of the two-month period. You can spend them at Sainsbury's and at Nectar partners, eg, Argos, and you can also now swap Nectar points for Avios (at a rate of 400 Nectar to 250 Avios) which means you can put them towards flights etc.
You'll only be able to apply for this card if you've had a Nectar card for six months or more. You could also get up to 17 months 0% on spending (some poorer credit scorers will get 14 or 12 months 0%), but only use this if you're disciplined and can fully repay within the 0% period.
It's also worth looking at the Amex Nectar card, which offers a 20,000 Nectar-point intro bonus and ongoing points, as it could be a better option.
Representative APR (variable): 20.9% APR (Official APR Examples)
Important: Repay in full before end of 0% period to avoid interest (always pay at least monthly minimum) then clear IN FULL every month if you continue spending on it
Annual fee: None
Standard points earned (excl bonus): Two per £1 spent in Sainsbury's, one per £5 elsewhere
Value of one point: 0.5p at Nectar partners
Points' expiry: None unless account is closed
Accepted new M&S Bank cardholders (check eligibility / apply*) can get up to £30 in bonus cashback and points, which convert to M&S vouchers. There are two elements to this:
- £25 cashback. Apply by Fri 19 Mar and spend at least £100 within 90 days (though don't make this an excuse to overspend), and you'll get £25 cashback applied to your card within 30 days.
- £5 in M&S points. You're sent a coupon to collect 500 points on one purchase at M&S (no min spend).
You'll also get one point for every £1 spent at M&S, and one point for every £5 spent elsewhere. You can spend points at M&S at a value of 1p per point. Points are converted to M&S vouchers and sent to you by post every three months.
The card also offers a near market-leading 18mths 0% on new spending too, so it's a good choice if you NEED to borrow for a planned, affordable buy (eg, a new fridge) – as done right it is interest-free.
If you're using it for the 0%, always pay at least the min monthly payment, and clear the debt before the 0% ends or it's 19.9% rep APR.
Representative APR (variable): 19.9% APR (Official APR Examples)
Important: Repay in full before end of 18mth 0% period to avoid interest (always pay at least monthly minimum), then clear IN FULL every month if you continue spending on it
Annual fee: None
Standard points earned (excl bonus): One per £1 spent in M&S, one per £5 spent elsewhere
Value of one point: 1p at M&S
Points' expiry: Two years
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Card | Rewards | Value of one point | Rep APR† |
Amazon Apply direct to lender |
- Free £20 voucher to spend on Amazon - 0.75 points per £1 spent at Amazon (1.5 points for Prime members) - 0.25 points per £1 spent elsewhere |
1p | 21.9% |
Tesco Check eligibility / Apply* |
- 1 point per £4 at Tesco (on top of the usual point per pound spent) - 1 point per £8 elsewhere |
1-3p (See how to boost points) | 20.9% |
†If not repaid. Representative variable APR, your interest may be different.
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Cashback sites may pay you for signing up
As an extra boon, members of specialist cashback websites can be paid when they sign up to some financial products. Do check that it's exactly the same deal though, as terms can be different. And remember the cashback is never 100% guaranteed until it's in your account.
For full help to take advantage of this and the pros and cons, see our Top Cashback Sites guide.
If you're struggling to pay off debt on an existing credit card due to coronavirus, lenders should provide support. What's available depends on whether you've already had help:
For the latest updates and full information on the support available, see our Coronavirus Finance & Bills Help guide.
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