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

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With travel, and life in general, getting back to some level of normality, we are bringing back the regular HfP features which were suspended last year.

Today 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 12 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, Google News, RSS 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 July?

Here are the news stories we covered:

The sign-up bonus doubled on the Marriott Bonvoy Amex – and you get Gold Elite status

American Express and Marriott Bonvoy have launched the first special offer on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card since it launched last year.

The bonus is doubled to 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points if you apply before the end of August. You will also receive Gold Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy until February 2023.

Not many HfP readers will qualify for the sign-up bonus due to having other American Express cards. However, you would still receive Gold Elite status.

You might consider it worth the £75 card fee purely to get Gold Elite status until February 2023.

Full details of the Marriott Bonvoy American Express 40,000 points bonus are in this article. You can apply here.

Mariott Bonvoy American Express credit card

Is the 10,000 Nectar points (6,250 Avios) bonus on the free Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card ending?

The Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card is, to be honest, a bit rubbish when it comes to day to day spending. The earning rate is so poor that there is no reason to use it outside of Sainsbury’s and Argos.

The sign-up bonus, on the other hand, is a handy 10,000 Nectar points (6,250 Avios). You need to spend £400 in Sainsbury’s or Argos in two months to trigger this – gift cards seem to be fine.

The Sainsbury’s Bank website says that the bonus is changing on 8th August. We don’t know how, but you may want to jump on this offer now. The card is free.

This article discusses the Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card in detail.

Earn 2 KrisFlyer miles per £1 spent abroad on the Currensea travel money card

The Currensea travel money card is a free product which lets you spend abroad with just 0.5% FX fees instead of the usual 2.99% added by most credit and debit cards.

Currensea now has a new twist. You can choose to pay the industry standard 2.99% FX fee – but you will receive 2 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles per £1 spent. It’s an interesting proposition especially if you are making purchases for your business which are tax deductible.

This article explains more about the Currensea and KrisFlyer partnership.

American Express announces positive changes to the British Airways Accelerating Business Credit Card

The British Airways Accelerating Business Credit Card has been a bit of a damp squib since it launched. The combination of On Business points and Avios seems to have been too confusing.

The card will relaunch in September with a number of improvements:

there will be an impressive Avios sign-up bonus, replacing the current small On Business points bonus

you will earn more bonus On Business points when you buy BA flights on the card

you will receive 10,000 Avios for every £20,000 you spend, up to 30,000 Avios per calendar year

This article covers the changes to the British Airways Accelerating Business card in detail. The Amex website does not reflect them yet as they are not live until September.

Is the new Lloyds cashback credit card the best on the market?

The market for Visa and Mastercard travel rewards products is not great. The Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard is VERY generous – here is our review of the free Virgin Atlantic credit card – but, if you’re not a Virgin Points collector, there isn’t much else to excite.

Lloyds Bank launched a cashback credit card last week which is the most generous on the market. It is worth a look if you are struggling for a decent Visa / Mastercard option.

Is the Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card the best card for sole traders?

If you have a small business, Barclaycard has a very generous Visa credit card.

It is free and you get a huge 1% cashback on virtually all of your spending. It is available to all small businesses, including sole traders.

We reviewed the Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card here. You can apply here.

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

Finally, a reminder that Amex is still running a 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.

What are the best travel credit card sign-up deals for August?

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are my top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus. These deals are listed in no particular order and their position on the list is not a sign of how good or bad the offer is.

The Marriott Bonvoy offer is a special deal which only runs to 31st August.

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

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 points bonus and the most generous non-Amex for day to day spending Read our full review

American Express Marriott Bonvoy credit card

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points sign-up bonus and 15 elite night credits Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

Head for Points focusses primarily on personal cards. However, if you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these.

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

We also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback Cashback Credit Card for small businesses and sole traders. It is FREE for life and offers 1% cashback on your spending:

Barclaycard Select Cashback Credit Card

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points and do not consider interest rates, service levels or any impact on your credit history. By recommending credit cards on this site, I am – technically – acting as a credit broker. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a credit broker.