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What are the best credit card sign-up deals for October 2018? – plus a news round-up

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UPDATE – DECEMBER 2021:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly directory of the top UK travel credit card offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Credit Card Offers’ menu above.  Thank you.

It is time for our regular round up of what is coming and what is going in the world of UK airline and hotel credit card sign-up deals.

Our directory of the 16 main UK travel credit cards can be found by clicking the ‘Credit Cards’ tab at the top of the site or – for email, Flipboard, Apple News or mobile readers – by clicking here.

What was new in the last month?

Very little.  That’s why this article is tucked away in the third news slot today instead of leading the home page as it usually does!

The major news in September was with Curve Card.  This card (which is free – in fact they will pay you £5 for getting one) announced two changes:

Foreign exchange transactions are now free (subject to monthly caps) if made midweek

Your underlying Visa or Mastercard holder can now see when you use the card in an ATM and could charge you a cash advance fee if it wished – although only Tesco Bank is doing so at the moment

You can now use Curve Card to turn ANY Visa or Mastercard into a 0% FX fees card, and you still receive miles and points from that card.  Simply pay with Curve, which will recharge the transaction in £ as a purchase to any linked Visa or Mastercard.  You can find out more here.

Here are five things which did NOT happen in September:

Not happening #1:  No new Marriott Mastercard

The new Creation-issued Marriott Rewards Mastercard was due to launch in August.  Nothing has happened and my approaches to people I know at Marriott and Creation have got nowhere.

However, if they simply reopen the old Marriott card – which I still have – to new applicants once again, this is what you will get:

  • a Mastercard issued by Creation
  • no annual fee
  • 1 ‘new scheme’ point per £1 spent
  • 10,000 ‘new scheme’ points, worth around £50, as a sign-up bonus
  • 2,000 free ‘new scheme’ points annually on your card anniversary
  • 10 elite night credits each year

Keep an eye on HFP for news on the launch, but don’t hold your breath.

Not happening #2:  Re-opening the Lloyds Avios Rewards Mastercard

We now know what is happening to the existing Lloyds Avios Rewards Amex and Mastercard double packs:

  • the Amex part is going (it will be Mastercard-only)
  • the upgrade voucher is going
  • the 0% FX fees benefit is going
  • the Avios earning rate is improving

The Avios earning rate on the new Mastercard will be:

0.4 Avios per £1 you spend in the UK

0.8 Avios per £1 you spend outside the UK (but with a 3% FX fee)

0.4 Avios per £1 transferred on a balance transfer (this is a new benefit – Lloyds Duo Avios cardholders used to get Avios on balance transfers but Lloyds Avios Rewards cardholders did not)

….. plus a 25% Avios bonus for Club Lloyds current account holders.

Will this card be re-opened to new customers or will it will remain exclusively for legacy cardholders?  We don’t know.

Lloyds Bank has set up a special website on the changes and you can find more details here.

Not happening #3:  The new Hilton Honors credit card

Hilton is running a few surveys with members as it tries to put together a package for a new UK credit card.  There is no time frame for the launch.

Not happening #4:  A relaunch of any of the other MBNA credit cards

I had a few chats with industry consultants at the Loyalty Summit conference last month, and there doesn’t seem to be progress on Lufthansa, Etihad, Emirates, United or American relaunching UK credit cards.

There is a real market gap here.  After all, the 0.3% interchange fee cap has not stopped aggressive new credit card launches in Europe.  There is no-one – literally no-one – interested in stepping into the gap in the UK.

I spoke with someone who was consulting for one of the ex-MBNA airlines and he could not find anyone willing to take them on.  I also spoke with someone from a major loyalty programme who had failed to get anyone new to respond to a recent ‘request for proposals’.

With so many fintech companies currently fighting over what may prove to be unfertile ground – with Revolut, Monzo, Starling etc all desperate to provide current accounts for people in their 20s with modest incomes – it is hard to understand why no-one is keen to come into this space.

If you were an ex-MBNA airline cardholder and are looking for:

alternatives to the American Airlines credit card, read this article

alternatives to the Etihad Guest credit card, read this article

alternatives to the Miles & More credit card, read this article

alternatives to the Emirates Skywards credit card, read this article

alternatives to the United MileagePlus credit card, read this article

Not happening #5:  Tesco Bank rolling over its sign-up bonus

The offer of 1,000 Tesco Clubcard points (2,400 Avios or 2,500 Virgin Flying Club miles) for taking out a free Tesco Clubcard Mastercard ended in mid September.  It has not been rolled over and, knowing Tesco Bank, is not likely to appear again for another year.

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

Nectar American Express

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

American Express Platinum card Amex

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

Amex Platinum Business American Express

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 card

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:

Barclaycard Select Cashback Credit Card

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review

Category

Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, Tesco Clubcard

Comments (229)

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

  • Broadway says:
    1 Oct1 October 08:43

    Hi,
    Just wondering how quickly the Gold status for hotels comes through after approval for a Platinum Amex card?

  • Alex W says:
    1 Oct1 October 08:52

    OT. Will buying Ambassador (first time not renewal) extend Spire IHG status? Thanks.

    • Robman says:
      1 Oct1 October 09:47

      I’d also be interested in the answer to this question

    • RTS says:
      1 Oct1 October 10:00

      Try it? What do you have to lose?

    • Genghis says:
      1 Oct1 October 10:04

      Supposedly this no longer works. My pack came in a month this time though, record speed!

    • Rob says:
      1 Oct1 October 11:22

      No longer it seems.

      • Alex W says:
        1 Oct1 October 12:10

        Decisions… it worked for me last year/this year and obviously can’t tell if it will work next year yet… unless IHG has made a statement?

        • Genghis says:
          1 Oct1 October 12:32

          Why would IHG make a statement when the “free” SE was never official?

        • Alex W says:
          1 Oct1 October 14:29

          They could say “we found a loop hole and closed it”.

      • Alex W says:
        1 Oct1 October 12:14

        I’ve just noticed my account says status expires 31 Dec 19. I haven’t re-qualified but renewed ambassador in Aug. Does that mean it’s worked or do you think they will demote me in Jan?

    • KevMc says:
      1 Oct1 October 14:15

      …I have actually just logged in to check my renewal options and see that you can now pay $150 to renew OR pay $200 and get 15k points plus a 10% rebate on all reward nights for 12 months (up to 100k back).

      My current status expires 1st January 2019, but does anyone know if this 12 months of rebates would begin from the date I renew (ie now), or would it be from 1st January? I have an 8-night stay in the IC Boston in October, so a 10% rebate on that on top of the 15k would more than pay for itself!

      • Alex W says:
        1 Oct1 October 14:24

        I think the rebate would apply to bookings made after your Ambassador anniversary. If poss, cancel and rebook redemptions after that date.

      • Genghis says:
        1 Oct1 October 14:25

        Rebate starts from when you pay your $200. Note it’s for “new” bookings so you would need to rebook those 8 nights. I find the 10% rebate pays for the AMB fee alone.

        • Genghis says:
          1 Oct1 October 14:27

          Actually, I misread. I’d like to retract, “Rebate starts from when you pay your $200”

        • Alex W says:
          1 Oct1 October 14:29

          Agreed, just gotta work out if it’s worth Mrs W paying for 2+ years of Ambassador to get her the rebate as well!

  • Patrick says:
    1 Oct1 October 08:55

    Curve now seem to be blocking all transactions originally categorised as ” Business Services ” on my account. Worked fine until last week.

    General spending still goes through but I have no need for their card for that kind of thing.

    • Am says:
      2 Oct2 October 09:36

      I was just about to sign up but I couldn’t select my date of birth. IPhone only app and I use an ipad. I think the credit card withdrawal is going to go and this just becomes a normal card to link to your debit card. The only good thing would be the fx use. But there are hundreds of options on the market! Why did curve have to change it? Anyone else report back on atm charges on Credit cards?

  • PAL says:
    1 Oct1 October 08:57

    Hi all, is there a list of CC that cover windshield damage on car hire. Made the mistake of booking it on BAPP. Was thinking of buying separate 3P cover also…

    • RTS says:
      1 Oct1 October 09:38

      If you have Amex Plat – that covers it irrespective of whether it is booked on that card or not from memory.

    • the_real_a says:
      1 Oct1 October 14:12

      Yup – second AMEX plat. There is no restriction to windscreen, tires or underside of the vehicle. Also most of the pay for excess insurance providers dont have this clause either (surprisingly)

  • RTS says:
    1 Oct1 October 09:04

    Curve question – has anyone withdrew in a foreign ATM with the Curve card yet? I am due to be away for a couple of weeks in SG and Indonesia. I will surely need more than £200. Am I right in saying that if I link my Lloyds card to Curve and set the currency to IDR or SGD – I should avoid the Curve 2% fees after £200 withdrawal?

    • Genghis says:
      1 Oct1 October 10:07

      Under the old regime, yes re SGD, but I wouldn’t trust anything with Curve at the moment. IDR is not a Curve supported currency so this is not possible.

      • GRIMZ says:
        1 Oct1 October 11:25

        I am going to the USA next week and will need some $ from an ATM, is it okay to use CURVE linked to my Lloyds card without changing any settings?

        • Rob says:
          1 Oct1 October 12:26

          Yes, should be.

        • the_real_a says:
          1 Oct1 October 14:16

          However since Curve are now charging the 0.5% “weekend fees” it would be better to change the curve app underlying currency to USD for the llyods card since its 0% FX and let LLyods do the conversion.

  • Anna says:
    1 Oct1 October 09:04

    OT but credit cards. I applied for a BAPP in May, hit the 10k spend for the companion voucher and last week downgraded the card to the free blue one. My account is now showing that I will earn another companion voucher if I hit the 20k spend by May 2019. Is this right? It would mean that you can earn 2 vouchers in a single card year (though I am just about to check that my original voucher hasn’t disappeared from my BA account!)

    • Anna says:
      1 Oct1 October 09:08

      It’s still there.

    • RTS says:
      1 Oct1 October 09:23

      This has been mentioned a few times but never once have I heard anyone take the plunge and try it out. Your could be the first, Anna 😀

      • Anna says:
        1 Oct1 October 09:40

        I’ll do a few small purchases and see if the counter keeps going down!

        • Genghis says:
          1 Oct1 October 10:07

          IT error. The counter will keep on moving but you won’t get another voucher.

        • Anna says:
          1 Oct1 October 13:43

          Shucks. I had just under 7k to go which could have replaced the 7k I presumably won’t be spending on my Lloyds card next year!

    • Graham Walsh says:
      2 Oct2 October 12:50

      I tried this, was advised by someone else that it would work, it didn’t Get BAPP, spend £10k, get voucher, downgrade for 2 months, upgrade again to BAPP, spend £10k, no 2nd voucher. On the PDF statements it says you’ll get to earn another voucher from x date. (12 months from year 1)

  • Anon says:
    1 Oct1 October 10:29

    Still haven’t received any letters from Lloyds talking about card changes.

    Website states –

    “These changes will happen two months after the date you receive a letter detailing the changes to your credit card account. You will receive a confirmation letter once this has taken place.”

    Others have said this is October for everyone. Will probably stop using it this month as won’t be able to get £7k on it to earn another upgrade voucher. Shame about the FX fee as that was one of the most useful parts of the card.

  • ADS says:
    1 Oct1 October 10:30

    Lloyds Avios Rewards card(s) – has anybody been moved to the new card yet ?

    my renewal date is November, and this month’s statement included the standard “Annual Fee – Reminder”.

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

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