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Credit card rewards
Earn cashback, points & more
Spend on one of these cards and it pays you – either in pure cashback or points that convert into vouchers for shops, airlines, hotels and more. If you're debt-free and pay off your card every month, you can earn goodies worth £100s each year. Plus our Reward Credit Card Eligibility Calculator will show 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 rewards, see...
Top airline credit cards | 0% balance transfers | Full credit cards section
How do reward credit cards work?

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 shops. Reward cards can be a great way of earning £100s' worth of bonuses/cashback.
It sounds great – everyone loves something for nothing. But unless you're careful, cards will actually deliver nothing for something, as you'll likely get hit with interest if you don't pay them 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.
Check your chance of acceptance
Amex offers the top-paying rewards cards

If you're looking for a cashback or reward card, your best bet is likely to be a card from American Express' range. We've selected our top picks below as they have big intro bonuses and/or give unbeatable ongoing rewards when compared with the rest of the market.
Though note a couple of important points:
- Amex isn't as widely accepted as Mastercard or Visa
- You won't get the intro bonuses below if you've had a personal (not business) Amex in the last two years
If this second point applies to you, or if you need a backup card for when Amex isn't accepted, check out the top non-Amex cards below.
Top fee-free cards. These cards have no ongoing fees and give decent cashback/rewards. | ||
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Get 5% cashback for the first three months, then ongoing cashback of up to 1% – though you must spend £3,000+ per year to get any cashback. After the first three months, you get 0.5% cashback on the first £10,000 spent each year and 1% back on all spend over £10,000.
However, if you'll spend £10,000+ per year, the Amex Platinum below will beat it. Alternatively, Chase's current account pays 1% cashback, though it's via a debit card rather than a credit card. |
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- 5% cashback for first 3mths (max £100) - 0.5% cashback on first £10,000 spend - 28.8% rep APR |
Check eligibility | |
Apply* | ||
Amex Rewards |
Get 10,000 bonus Amex points if you spend £2,000+ in the first three months – which can be converted into Avios and/or Nectar points. This card gives one Amex point per £1 spent, which can be used in a variety of ways – see full info, including our Nectar trick.
If you spent £2,000 in the first three months it'd could get you £80 in Nectar points, a £50 voucher or 12,000 airmiles. |
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- 10,000 bonus pts on £2,000+ spend - 28.8% rep APR |
Check eligibility | |
Apply* | ||
Top cards with ongoing fees. These cards give bigger cashback/rewards than the cards above. | ||
![]() Amex Preferred Rewards Gold |
Get 20,000 bonus Amex points if you spend £3,000+ in the first three months – though there's a hefty £160 annual fee from year two. As with the above Amex card, points can be converted into Avios and/or Nectar points – see full info, including our Nectar trick. You also get four free visits to airport lounges each year and £5 cashback on two £5+ Deliveroo orders a month.
If you spent the £3,000 to hit the trigger you could get £150 in Nectar points, £100 in vouchers or 23,000 airmiles. |
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- 20,000 bonus pts on £3,000+ spend - 72.4% rep APR |
Check eligibility | |
Apply* | ||
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Get 5% cashback for the first three months, plus up to 1.25% cashback after – though there's a £25 annual fee. If you'll spend over £10,000 a year and you want to earn cashback, this'll pay more than the Amex Everyday above, even after the fee, as the cashback rates are higher. | |
- 5% cashback for first 3mths (max £125) |
Check eligibility | |
Apply* | ||
Amex Nectar |
Get 20,000 bonus Nectar points if you spent £2,000 in the first three months – there's a £25 annual fee from year two. If you hit the £2,000 trigger you'd have 24,000 Nectar points, worth £120 at Nectar retailers such as Sainsbury's, Argos and eBay. Alternatively, they could be converted into 18,000 Avios. Plus you also get ongoing points. | |
- 20,000 bonus pts on £2,000+ spend - 34.3% rep APR |
Check eligibility | |
Apply* |
See all official APR examples.
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As we say above, the top-paying credit cards are all from American Express. But if you already have an Amex, can't get one, or need a backup for when it's not accepted, there are a few decent options – mostly from supermarket chains. We've selected these cards as they give the best returns when used at those stores, but do give some points if used elsewhere.
Important. Most of the cards below offer 0% on new spending for a certain number of months. If you plan on using the card for everyday spending, it's best to ignore this and continue to pay it off IN FULL every month. However, if you NEED to borrow for a planned, affordable, one-off purchase, such as to replace a broken appliance, there's no cheaper borrowing – provided you borrow as little as possible and only an amount you can pay back during the 0% period.
Best non-Amex reward credit cards for new cardholders
Top retail cards. These cards are fee-free and give decent intro bonuses, plus ongoing points. | ||
Get 8,000 bonus Nectar points if you spend £400+ at Sainsbury's/ Argos in the first two months – worth £40. As well as the bonus, this card gives boosted points at Sainsbury's and Argos, though you could earn more points with the Amex Gold or Amex Nectar, if you're willing to pay a fee. Do note that you can also convert Nectar points into Avios. | ||
- 8,000 bonus points on £400+ spend - One point per £2 at Sainsbury's/ Argos - One point per £5 spent elsewhere - Up to six months 0% on spending - 22.9% rep APR |
Apply (not in our eligibility calc) |
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John Lewis Credit Card |
Get triple points at John Lewis/Waitrose for the first 90 days – that's 15 points per £4 spent. After that, this card gives five points per £4 spent at John Lewis or Waitrose, and one point per £4 spent elsewhere. Points are converted to vouchers three times per year and posted out to you (min 500 points needed to convert). | |
- Triple points at John Lewis/ Waitrose for 90 days - Six months 0% on spending |
Apply (not in our eligibility calc) |
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Next-best retail cards. These card have no intro bonuses, but give decent ongoing points. | ||
Asda Money Credit Card |
Get an ongoing 1% cashback at Asda, 0.3% elsewhere. You earn 'Asda pounds' which need to be converted into discount vouchers – you can then use these online or in store. Asda pounds expire after six months, so be sure to convert them in time (via the Asda Rewards app). | |
- 1% cashback at Asda - 25.9% rep APR |
Apply (not in our eligibility calc) |
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Tesco Bank Mastercard |
Good for Tesco shoppers wanting extra Clubcard points. You get one point for every £4 spent at Tesco, so five points per £4 when used with a Clubcard – see boost Clubcard points to get the most out of this card. | |
- 1 Clubcard point per £4 at Tesco - Up to 14 months 0% on spending |
Check eligibility | |
Apply* |
See all official APR examples.

Best reward debit card
A current account from Chase currently beats the Amex Platinum Cashback Everyday card above if you don't take into account Amex's intro bonus, or you won't meet the Amex's minimum spend. Unlike the other options in this guide, it's a debit card rather than a credit card, so you'll need to top up the account in advance to be able to spend.
Top reward debit card for new cardholders
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Get an ongoing 1% cashback with Chase's app-only current account. The cashback you can earn is unlimited for 12 months if you sign up before 1 May – after that it's capped at £15/month. From April you'll also need to pay in £500+/month, so set up a standing order. Most purchases made using the debit card qualify, though there are some exclusions.
Its debit card is also a top pick for overseas use, giving near-perfect rates, and you can also open a linked easy-access saver paying 3% AER interest on up to £500,000. |
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- 1% cashback on most debit card spend - Fee-free overseas spending & ATM withdrawals |
Apply* |
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.
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