Comparison of Avios Reward Credit Cards
Mar 24, 2015, 10:55 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Bristol (ex-Londoner)
Programs: BAEC Blue, VS Flying Club
Posts: 231
Comparison of Avios Reward Credit Cards
Hi all,
I've been doing a lot of research (some may say too much!) into the different Avios reward credit cards out there, I'm not going to make any recommendations, so feel free to draw your own conclusions.
Disclaimer: All of the below is based on my own mathematics, and could very well be wrong! The calculations also make some generalisations on redeeming various points schemes. Also, this is using current promotional offers (as of today: 24th March 2015) - introductory and bonus offers are likely not available to existing customers of said banks. Long story short: YMMV!
Lloyds Choice Duo (dual MasterCard + AmEx cards)
Tesco Bank Credit Card
British Airways AmEx
British Airways Premium Plus AmEx
Now, for the interesting bit. How long will it take to accrue enough Avios (using these cards alone) to be able to afford a return ET RFS fare (9,000 Avios)?
I've used the new Avios peak rates, and subtracted any welcome bonuses), ignored any joining fee and assumed a paltry £600 monthly spend.
Note: For the Premium Plus BA AmEx, I've used a WT return to New York (80,000 avios) as the welcome offer alone will get two people a RFS return in Zone 1, as well as adjusted the first three months' spend to £1000 to average out the welcome offer.
Hope some people find this useful!
Craig
I've been doing a lot of research (some may say too much!) into the different Avios reward credit cards out there, I'm not going to make any recommendations, so feel free to draw your own conclusions.
Disclaimer: All of the below is based on my own mathematics, and could very well be wrong! The calculations also make some generalisations on redeeming various points schemes. Also, this is using current promotional offers (as of today: 24th March 2015) - introductory and bonus offers are likely not available to existing customers of said banks. Long story short: YMMV!
Lloyds Choice Duo (dual MasterCard + AmEx cards)
- 1 Avios = £5 (via MasterCard)
- 1 Avios = £1 (via AmEx)
Tesco Bank Credit Card
- 50 Clubcard points = 120 Avios, so therefore 1 Clubcard point is worth 2.4 Avios
- Welcome Offer: 1000 points = 2400 Avios
- 1 Clubcard point for every £4 spent, therfore 2.4 Avios for every £4 spent
- Therefore, 1 Avios = £1.66 spent
British Airways AmEx
- Welcome offer: 3000 Avios
- Bonus offer - £500 spend in the first three months: 3000 Avios
- 1 Avios = £1
British Airways Premium Plus AmEx
- Welcome offer: 18000 Avios
- Bonus offer - £3000 spend in the first three months: 18000 Avios
- 1 Avios = £0.66
Now, for the interesting bit. How long will it take to accrue enough Avios (using these cards alone) to be able to afford a return ET RFS fare (9,000 Avios)?
I've used the new Avios peak rates, and subtracted any welcome bonuses), ignored any joining fee and assumed a paltry £600 monthly spend.
Note: For the Premium Plus BA AmEx, I've used a WT return to New York (80,000 avios) as the welcome offer alone will get two people a RFS return in Zone 1, as well as adjusted the first three months' spend to £1000 to average out the welcome offer.
- Lloyds (MasterCard only) = £45,000 (75 months = 6 years, 3 months!!)
- Tesco = £10,956 (18.26 months)
- Lloyds (AmEx only) = £9,000 (15 months)
- British Airways AmEx = £3,000 (5 months)
- British Airways Premium Plus AmEx = £29,040 (46.4 months = 3 years 10 months)
Hope some people find this useful!
Craig
Last edited by CraigWatson; Mar 24, 2015 at 11:25 am
Mar 24, 2015, 11:20 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
Very useful, thanks. I did have a couple of thoughts on this.
I think that this is a comparison of credit cards that can be applied for now. But those of us who have existing Avios-earning credit cards that are no longer available to new applicants would want to dig out our terms and compare them to these. I wonder if that might be worth noting.
The Tesco card is technically called something like a Tesco Bank Credit Card, isn't it? Whatever it is, it might be worth distinguishing that from the Tesco Clubcard which is the basic Tesco loyalty/rewards card.
Finally, I don't think that there's any RFS on long-haul (or longer short-haul) destinations, so "WT return RFS to New York" doesn't exist - nice though that would be.
I think that this is a comparison of credit cards that can be applied for now. But those of us who have existing Avios-earning credit cards that are no longer available to new applicants would want to dig out our terms and compare them to these. I wonder if that might be worth noting.
The Tesco card is technically called something like a Tesco Bank Credit Card, isn't it? Whatever it is, it might be worth distinguishing that from the Tesco Clubcard which is the basic Tesco loyalty/rewards card.
Finally, I don't think that there's any RFS on long-haul (or longer short-haul) destinations, so "WT return RFS to New York" doesn't exist - nice though that would be.
Mar 24, 2015, 11:28 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
Reward Flight Saver
Reward Flight Saver gives you a better deal on shorter flights with British Airways routes within zones 1-3. You pay with Avios or Avios & Money, plus a flat fee of £35/ €42.50 return for economy, or £50/€60 for business and we pay the taxes, fees and carrier charges for you. To be eligible for Reward Flight Saver all you need to do is collect one Avios 12 months before you book.
Reward Flight Saver gives you a better deal on shorter flights with British Airways routes within zones 1-3. You pay with Avios or Avios & Money, plus a flat fee of £35/ €42.50 return for economy, or £50/€60 for business and we pay the taxes, fees and carrier charges for you. To be eligible for Reward Flight Saver all you need to do is collect one Avios 12 months before you book.
Mar 24, 2015, 12:13 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Quite close to NQY
Programs: BAEC Silver,clubcard,clubcard plus, BA Amex................ And Mucci x3 ;)
Posts: 9,488
Worth adding the amex gold to the list due to the sign up bonus which can convert directly to haribos. There is a gold amex thread with a list of potential referrers (yes I'm on the list).
Also worth noting with the tesco to avios rates you quote that some of us are on the old grandfathered rate of 800 per £2.50 as apposed to 600/£2.50
cs
Also worth noting with the tesco to avios rates you quote that some of us are on the old grandfathered rate of 800 per £2.50 as apposed to 600/£2.50
cs
Mar 24, 2015, 2:22 pm
#6
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: South West UK
Programs: OW Saphire, Club Carlson Gold
Posts: 236
For example my trip back from IBZ to LHR was £7.50.
Mar 24, 2015, 2:36 pm
#7
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: LHR, SAN
Programs: BA GGL, AA PLT, VS-curious
Posts: 1,487
I have the Lloyds duo and am getting 1.25 avii for every £1 on the amex and £5 on the MC. (Actually I'm getting 2.5/£1 on amex, but that's an intro offer, after six months the standard rate is 1.25).
Mar 24, 2015, 2:52 pm
#8
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 26
Snap, we also have the Lloyds avios reward duo cards and get 1.25 avios per £1 on the amex & per £5 on the mc with double earning on the amex for 6 months.
Mar 25, 2015, 3:15 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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^
Something to be getting on with: http://www.headforpoints.com/2013/11...-avios-points/ (updated March 2015)
Something to be getting on with: http://www.headforpoints.com/2013/11...-avios-points/ (updated March 2015)
Mar 25, 2015, 5:09 am
#11
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BA Bronze
Posts: 82
I've pretty much given up on earning Avios on credit cards now.
Currently I have 18 month old, and family in the US. Return in Club World for me, wife and child is 88,000 plus a companion voucher.
When she turns 2 later this year and the new redemptions come in, that will go up to 240,000 plus a companion voucher at peak times, and 200,000 plus a companion voucher at off peak. It's just not worth it - so I am switching to Amex MR to earn and burn on other airlines now.
Currently I have 18 month old, and family in the US. Return in Club World for me, wife and child is 88,000 plus a companion voucher.
When she turns 2 later this year and the new redemptions come in, that will go up to 240,000 plus a companion voucher at peak times, and 200,000 plus a companion voucher at off peak. It's just not worth it - so I am switching to Amex MR to earn and burn on other airlines now.
Mar 25, 2015, 7:07 am
#12
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: UK (MAN)
Programs: BAEC - Gold, VS - Silver, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum Elite, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 248
Is it worth mentioning that with the BA Premium Amex, any BA spend attracts a higher avios earning rate?
I'm lucky that at the moment, I can still book some of my BA flights using my Amex and when the changes kick in, it will at least help me to reduce the pain of the silver reduction.
I'm lucky that at the moment, I can still book some of my BA flights using my Amex and when the changes kick in, it will at least help me to reduce the pain of the silver reduction.