Barclaycard doubles welcome bonus on Avios card - is it worth going for?

If you're an Avios collector, Barclaycard’s latest introductory offer might catch your eye. 

For a limited time, new customers can earn a double welcome bonus when they open a Barclaycard Avios credit card account. 

Avios is a reward scheme that allows you to exchange points for money off flights and upgrades, car hire, hotels, experience days and wine.

Here, Which? takes a closer look at the deal and reveals how it stacks up against other air mile credit cards.

How to get the double Avios introductory offer

New customers who take out a Barclaycard Avios card can earn a double welcome bonus until 26 September.

You’ll earn 10,000 Avios points instead of 5,000 if you spend £1,000 on your card within the first three months. 

If you don’t already have a British Airways Executive Club (BAEC) account when you apply, Barclaycard will set one up for you. Alternatively, you can link your new Barclaycard to an existing BAEC membership. 

Your Avios points will be transferred to your BAEC account within three months of you meeting the spending criteria. 

You’ll qualify for the deal if you:

• haven't had a Barclaycard within the past six months
• haven’t had a Barclaycard Avios or Avios Plus account welcome bonus within the past 24 months
• applied for the Barclaycard Avios on or between 11:00 on 15th August 2024 and 23:59 on 26 September.

If you change from your existing Barclaycard to a Barclaycard Avios card, you’ll only get a welcome bonus of 1,000 Avios if you spend at least £1,000 within three months of receiving the card. 

• Find out more: best credit card deals September 2024

What does the Barclaycard Avios card offer?

This card has no monthly fee and you get one Avios point for every £1 spent.

If you spend £20,000 on your card within 12 months, you’ll get to choose between a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher to use on an Avios Reward Flight booking, or 7,000 bonus Avios points.

This means you'd need to spend around £1,666 a month, on average, to qualify for the upgrade. 

If you did this, you'd end the year with 30,000 Avios points (20,000 from your spending, 10,000 from the introductory deal). 

Barclaycard said this would be enough for a peak economy return flight from London to Milan (19,500 Avios plus £1 in fees), or a peak economy return flight from London to Barcelona (24,000 Avios, plus £9 in fees).  

The credit card is powered by Mastercard and has an APR (variable) of 29.9%.

• Find out more: best air mile credit cards

Make your money go further

Find the best deals, avoid scams, and grow your savings with our expert guidance. From only £4.99 a month.

Join Which? Money

Cancel anytime.

How does the Barclaycard Avios card compare?

The British Airways American Express card is the closest competitor for earning Avios.

Like Barclaycard, it has no annual fee and earns you one Avios point per £1 spent. It has a representative APR of 31% (variable). 

Instead of an upgrade voucher, BA offers a companion voucher if you spend a certain amount per year. A companion voucher allows you to get a second seat for a friend or loved one travelling on the same flight and cabin as you, providing you're seated in economy class.

BA requires you to spend £12,000 a year to get this extra perk, rising to £15,000 from 1 November 2024. This is considerably less than the £20,000 you need to spend with Barclaycard to get the upgrade voucher, or 7,000 Avios. 

New customers can get an introductory deal of 5,000 Avios points when they spend £2,000 on their BA Amex card in the first three months. 

To find out how the Barclaycard and Amex cards stack up against other cards, visit our guide to the best air mile credit cards.

Is Barclaycard a good provider?

Barclaycard scored an impressive 72% in our latest credit card provider satisfaction survey, placing it joint-seventh with Halifax, Nationwide and Virgin Money.

The provider scored four stars out of five for its mobile app and statement clarity, and three stars for its transparency of charges and customer service. It scored just two stars for its application process.

• Find out more: best credit card providers

Is this the best way to collect Avios points?

An air mile credit card can give your points balance a serious boost, especially if you put most of your everyday spending on it. Just be sure to pay off the balance in full each month to avoid interest charges, which can quickly outweigh your rewards.

If you're not keen on taking out a new credit card, you can still earn Avios on your weekly shop through Nectar's free loyalty scheme. 

Nectar points can be converted into Avios via the app or online, and every 400 Nectar points can be converted to 250 Avios points. This means one Avios point is worth 1.6 Nectar points.

Which? Money Podcast

Join us on our weekly audio show for the latest money news and personal finance hacks to help make you better off.

Listen now