What are the best credit card sign-up deals for October 2020? – plus your news round-up

UPDATE – DECEMBER 2021:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.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.

We have also included a round-up of all of the loyalty credit card news from the last month.

Our directory of the 15 main UK travel credit and charge cards can be found by clicking the ‘Credit Card Offers’ tab at the top of the site or – for email, Flipboard, Apple News or mobile readers – by clicking here. We have also introduced a separate directory for small business credit cards which is here.

What was new in September?

It was a quiet month. The biggest story is one which we will cover in a few days, once we’ve done a proper analysis – the launch of two Amazon Business Rewards American Express credit cards. These provide a new option for our small business readers.

In the meantime ….

Amex launched another £100 giveaway for holders of The Platinum Card

American Express launched another £100 giveaway in late September for holders of The Platinum Card.

You will receive £100 statement credit when you spend £100 at a combination of Waitrose, John Lewis, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Deliveroo.

Based on how the offer worked last time, you don’t need to spend the full £100 to get the credit. If you spend £25 in Waitrose tomorrow, you will immediately get a £25 credit. This continues until you hit the £100 cashback cap.

The offer is only available on primary cards, not supplementary cards.

Both online and in-store purchases count. You have until 22nd December to spend your £100.

You can find out all about the deal in this article.

You can no longer access No1 Lounges if you have an Amex Platinum or Amex Gold card

No1 Lounges, the leading UK independent airport lounge chain, has been dropped by Priority Pass and Lounge Club, the two airport lounge club networks.

This is due to a dispute over money and pre-booking, which No1 had wanted to make compulsory.

Priority Pass holders (which means all American Express Platinum cardholders) and Lounge Club cardholders (which means all American Express Preferred Rewards Gold cardholders) will now have to use alternative lounges.

Our full story is here.

Virgin Atlantic offering special flight deals for holders of its Reward and Reward+ credit cards

Virgin Atlantic launched two deals to encourage its credit card holders to book flights with the airline.

The first part is for all Virgin Atlantic Reward and Reward+ credit card holders.

All cardholders will receive double miles when bookings flights or Virgin Atlantic Holidays before 31st October. Bookings must be made directly with the airline or via the Holidays website to qualify.

The second part is even more interesting.

Holders of the Reward+ card (the one with the £160 annual fee) will also receive a free Virgin Atlantic upgrade voucher.

There is a minimum spend of £500 required at either Virgin Atlantic or Virign Atlantic Holidays.

The upgrade voucher is valid for 24 months and allows the cardholder to upgrade either one return flight or (if two are travelling) one leg each of a return flight.

You can upgrade from either Economy to Premium or Premium to Upper Class. There must be reward seats available in the higher class and additional taxes and charges may be due.

This is a very attractive offer for Reward+ cardholders, especially as the upgrade could be worth more than the £500 minimum spend required to earn it. The two year validity period is also very useful.

You can find out more in this HfP article.

American Express is letting Business cardholders sell their Membership Rewards points for 0.9p

American Express is, until 18th November, letting Business Gold and Business Platinum cardholders sell their Membership Rewards points for 0.9p each.

This is a very generous deal, and better than the majority of miles and points redemption options.

You ‘sell’ your points by using them to part-pay for items on your card statement. The usual rate is a poor £4.50 per 1,000 points redeemed, but it is currently doubled to an excellent £9 per 1,000 points redeemed.

Our full article on redeeming American Express Business Membership Rewards points for 0.9p is here.

Amex extended the offer for Preferred Rewards Gold cardholders to sell their points

A similar offer is running for Preferred Rewards Gold cardholders. This was due to end on until 1st October but is now extended to 21st November.

The rate is not as impressive. You only receive £6.75 per 1,000 points.

This is NOT a no-brainer and you should think carefully because you can get better value for your points. It isn’t a terrible deal, however, and if your job is currently looking uncertain you may prefer the certainty of cash.

Details of the Amex Gold Membership Rewards redemption offer are here.

Amex still has a 30,000 point bonus on the Dollar / Euro versions of the Platnium card

Finally, a reminder that Amex is currently running a rare sign-up bonus on its Dollar and Euro Platinum charge cards – 30,000 Membership Rewards points to be precise.

The good news is that you can get this bonus even if you already have a UK Platinum or Gold card.  The bad news is that this is a complicated product with poorer transfer rates to most airline schemes than the UK cards.  I wrote about the pros, cons and sweet spots of the American Express International Currency Cards in this article.

Further reading ….

We ran the following credit card articles during September:

Five reasons why you should keep your Amex Gold card after the free first year

Another FREE £100 for Amex Platinum cardholders!

EXTENDED: American Express will pay you 0.675p CASH for your Membership Rewards points

Get up to £100 Amex cashback with Hilton, IHG and Leading Hotels of the World

Why you shouldn’t spend £20,000 on the free BA Amex credit card

Why Amex Platinum Fine Hotels & Resorts is a great choice for one night stays

How to get free hotel elite status from UK credit cards

Virgin offering extra bonuses to Reward and Reward+ cardholders when booking flights

Get airport lounge access with the Santander World Elite Mastercard credit card

Should you trigger your next British Airways American Express 2-4-1 voucher early?

Save with generous new Amex cashback deals at Marriott and Hyatt

How does the Hertz and Amex Platinum ‘4 hour grace period’ work?

Got a free BA Amex? Earn 1,000 bonus Avios over the next seven weeks

You need ZERO Virgin points for upgrades or 2-4-1 flights with the new credit card vouchers

How to access some Lufthansa airport lounges with American Express Platinum

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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:

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.

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: