Best UK Credit/Charge Cards
Oct 10, 1999 | 2:58 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: england
Programs: Lufthansa senatoe, BA Gold, Flying Blue Gold
Posts: 207
Best UK Credit/Charge Cards
I keep reading of all the wonderful offers that are available to my American FF's on credit cards, but are there any good offers available to UK citizens (preferably with a good interest rate)?
Oct 10, 1999 | 4:28 pm
#2
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
Posts: 1,976
Do you actually mean 'UK Citizens' or do you mean 'UK residents'? I will assume the later, so repost if I'm wrong.
The short answer seems to be not really! Did you have any specific airline in mind, as that is also very important?
American Express is OK, at a price - the green card costs GBP37.50 p.a and membership rewards Classic is another 23.50. You earn one point per pound chraged and points can be exchanged for miles with BD, AF, VS, Alitalia, IB, Qualiflyer, DL and CO. Amex don't offer any of the big sign up bonuses for optima cards they do in the US, nor any of the branded Optimas (worse luck).
Dinbers Club claim not to offer the big American sign-up bonuses on their UK card (though if anyone cna proivde evidence to the contrary, I'm ready to apply tomorrow).
As for others, there is a United Airlines Visa card, offered by Beneficial Bank for which there seems to be a standing 5k mile enriollment bonus. Go to http://www.ual.com and follow the UK link to country speciifc sites, then go to Mileage Plus, etc. I seem to remember something similar from AA but I am not an AA flyer so I threw it away.
Natwest cards enable you to collect Air Miles, but the rate is derisory and not really worth bothering with.
I can't think of anything else more specific, at least not without more information. In general, the US credit card market is so much bettetr developed than ours (as is the awareness of frequent flyer programs) that nobody constructively markets with them yet. Also, any credit card offering 'expensive perks' like FF miles tends to have a much higher interest rate than you can get by shopping around.
Similar expereinces apply with regard to the telephone market.
[This message has been edited by james (edited 10-10-1999).]
The short answer seems to be not really! Did you have any specific airline in mind, as that is also very important?
American Express is OK, at a price - the green card costs GBP37.50 p.a and membership rewards Classic is another 23.50. You earn one point per pound chraged and points can be exchanged for miles with BD, AF, VS, Alitalia, IB, Qualiflyer, DL and CO. Amex don't offer any of the big sign up bonuses for optima cards they do in the US, nor any of the branded Optimas (worse luck).
Dinbers Club claim not to offer the big American sign-up bonuses on their UK card (though if anyone cna proivde evidence to the contrary, I'm ready to apply tomorrow).
As for others, there is a United Airlines Visa card, offered by Beneficial Bank for which there seems to be a standing 5k mile enriollment bonus. Go to http://www.ual.com and follow the UK link to country speciifc sites, then go to Mileage Plus, etc. I seem to remember something similar from AA but I am not an AA flyer so I threw it away.
Natwest cards enable you to collect Air Miles, but the rate is derisory and not really worth bothering with.
I can't think of anything else more specific, at least not without more information. In general, the US credit card market is so much bettetr developed than ours (as is the awareness of frequent flyer programs) that nobody constructively markets with them yet. Also, any credit card offering 'expensive perks' like FF miles tends to have a much higher interest rate than you can get by shopping around.
Similar expereinces apply with regard to the telephone market.
[This message has been edited by james (edited 10-10-1999).]
Oct 11, 1999 | 6:09 am
#3
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Northern England
Posts: 1,594
You can get a Diners club card, branded with the BA logo fee free for the first year if you contact BA Exec club. This gives you one mile per 10 GBP, or 1 mile per 5GBP for BA purchases.
Natwest also do a BA branded credit card which gives a slightly better earning rate than their plain card of 1 mile per 15 GBP. Again contact BA exec club. They have had joining bonus of upto 400 miles in the past few months.
There are joining bonuses from AMEX thru the individual airlines. For example, Virgin give 3000 miles for the green and 5000 miles for the gold plus 1000 and 2000 respectivily for additional cards. These miles are deposited into your airline account rather than MR.
Natwest also do a BA branded credit card which gives a slightly better earning rate than their plain card of 1 mile per 15 GBP. Again contact BA exec club. They have had joining bonus of upto 400 miles in the past few months.
There are joining bonuses from AMEX thru the individual airlines. For example, Virgin give 3000 miles for the green and 5000 miles for the gold plus 1000 and 2000 respectivily for additional cards. These miles are deposited into your airline account rather than MR.