Are these the possible changes to the Lloyds Avios Rewards credit card?

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On Monday I ran a piece about why I thought the Lloyds Avios Rewards credit card could not continue in its current form.

I was then handily emailed some draft marketing documentation currently being used as part of some market research. This shows a Lloyds Avios Rewards Card that would be different to the one we have today:

the American Express card has gone, either because the Amex licence has ended (which is going to happen in the medium term) or Amex has agreed a deal with Avios to be the sole American Express issuer of Avios points in the UK

the earning rate on the Mastercard is improved, from 0.25 Avios to 0.3 Avios per £1

the annual fee remains at £24

The future of the upgrade voucher and the 0% foreign exchange fees was not clear. I don’t believe that the latter is sustainable.

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If this turned out to be the finished relaunched product, my recommendation would be entirely driven by whether the upgrade voucher and FX benefits remained.

After all, the Tesco Clubcard Mastercard offers the same 0.3 Avios per £1 – albeit impacted by rounding down – and has no annual fee and has the benefit of diversification. If Avios devalues again, you can use your Clubcard vouchers elsewhere.

You would need to spend £800 abroad on your Lloyds card before the foreign exchange fee saving would overtake the £24 annual fee. However, you could link the Tesco card to Supercard or Curve to remove or reduce that 3% fee anyway so the FX fee should not be the driving factor.

If this new card does turn out to be the one that is launched, it may be the upgrade voucher (or lack of it) which swings your decision.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus.

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways BA Amex American Express card

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending: