Great for: Premium charge card experience
If you can get your head around spending £575 a year on a payment card, then you stand to benefit from all that The Platinum Card can offer. This high-end experience from American Express includes access to 1,200 airport lounges worldwide, comprehensive travel insurance for you and your family (subject to enrolment), hotels benefits, Membership Rewards points and a platinum concierge service. Note that this is a charge card, not a credit card, so you have to pay down your balance in full each month.
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- Good/Excellent
what we like
- 1 Membership Rewards Point per £1 spent
- 30,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points when you spend £4,000 in first three months (subject to eligibility)
- Complimentary airport lounge access at more than 1,200 lounges around the world
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ANNUAL FEE:
£575 -
REPRESENTATIVE APR:
N/A -
INTRO OFFER:
30,000 Membership Reward points if you spend £4,000 in the first three months (subject to eligibility)
KEY SCORES:
- 5/5 Perks
- 1/5Fees
- N/AAPR
Great for: Everyday cash back with an extra boost for big spenders
If your goal is maximizing your cashback rewards, the American Express Platinum Cashback Credit Card could be your best bet. The downside is that the card carries an annual fee of £25. However, you get 5% cashback over the first three months (up to £125) and 1% cash back after that. And if you spend more than £10,001, you unlock an even higher 1.25% cashback rate.
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- Fair/Average
- Good/Excellent
what we like
- 5% cashback for first 3 months (up to £125, subject to eligibility)
- 1% – 1.25% cashback after first 3 months, depending on spend
- No cap on cashback earned
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ANNUAL FEE:
£25 -
REPRESENTATIVE APR:
27.3% -
INTRO OFFER:
5% cashback for first 3 months (up to £125)
KEY SCORES:
- 4.5/5 Perks
- 4/5Fees
- 3.5/5APR
Great for: Collecting hotel reward points
With this card you can earn points when you spend, which will in turn unlock free hotel stays and a host of other travel offers. If you use your card at any properties participating in Bonvoy, you will receive 6 points for every £1. If you use the card elsewhere its 2 points for every £1 spent. Add in a welcome offer of 20,000 bonus points when you spend £3,000 in the first three months (subject to eligibility) and the ability to upgrade the Elite status of your card if you meet the requirements, and you have an attractive package for a frequent traveller looking for a high-end credit card. Just be aware that the card does carry a £75 annual fee.
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- Fair/Average
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what we like
- Welcome offer of 20,000 points based on spending £3,000 in first three months
- 2 reward points for every full £1 spent
- Automatic upgrade to Gold Elite Status after £15,000 in spend during the year
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ANNUAL FEE:
£75 -
REPRESENTATIVE APR:
38.8% -
INTRO OFFER:
Welcome award of 20,000 bonus points based on spending £3,000 in the first 3 months (subject to eligibility)
KEY SCORES:
- 5/5 Perks
- 1/5Fees
- 2/5APR
Great for: Collecting Avios on everyday spend
This card is all about the Avios. If you are a new cardmember, then you can earn 5,000 Avios if you spend £1,000 in the first three months. Everyday spending will see you earn 1 Avios for every £1 spent, and there is also a friend referral scheme which offers 4,000 bonus Avios for each friend who is approved (up to 90,000 a year). All of these can then be redeemed as full or part payment against flights, or for flight upgrades. You can also get a Companion Voucher when you spend £20,000 on the card each year. And did I mention there is no annual fee?
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- Fair/Average
- Good/Excellent
what we like
- 1 Avios per £1 spent
- 5,000 bonus Avios when you spend £1,000 in first three months (subject to eligibility)
- No annual fee
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ANNUAL FEE:
£0 -
REPRESENTATIVE APR:
22.2% -
INTRO OFFER:
5,000 Avios points if you spend £1,000 in the first three months (subject to eligibility)
KEY SCORES:
- 4/5 Perks
- 3/5Fees
- 2/5APR
Great for: Collecting rewards on a charge card
This card is an American Express classic. The Green Card allows you to earn rewards from the American Express Membership Rewards scheme as well as benefit from travel insurance and purchase protection features (subject to enrolment) without having to worry about accruing debt and interest charges. That’s because this is a charge card, not a credit card, so whatever you spend during the month will need to be repaid in full. The card does, however, carry a £60 annual fee.
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- Fair/Average
- Good/Excellent
what we like
- 1 Membership Rewards point for each £1 spent
- Refund and purchase protection (subject to enrolment)
- Travel inconvenience and travel accident insurance (subject to enrolment)
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ANNUAL FEE:
£60 -
REPRESENTATIVE APR:
N/A -
INTRO OFFER:
N/A
KEY SCORES:
- 3/5 Perks
- 1/5Fees
- N/AAPR
Great for: Rewards, balance transfers and 0% purchases
The John Lewis Partnership Credit Card is an appealing rewards card for consumers who shop regularly at John Lewis or Waitrose. Cardholders get 5 points for every £4 in spend at John Lewis and Waitrose and 1 point for every £4 spent elsewhere. It also has an 18-month balance transfer offer and a 9-month 0% introductory interest rate on new purchases, and you get all of this without having to dole out an annual fee.
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- Fair/Average
- Good/Excellent
what we like
- 5 points for every £4 spent at John Lewis and Waitrose, 1 point for every £4 spent elsewhere
- 0% interest for 18 months on balance transfers
- 0% interest for 9 months on purchases
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ANNUAL FEE:
£0 -
REPRESENTATIVE APR:
18.9% -
INTRO OFFER:
18 months 0% on balance transfers
9 months 0% on purchases
KEY SCORES:
- 4/5 Perks
- 4/5Fees
- 4.5/5APR
Great for: Long 0% purchase and balance transfer, plus points
The M&S Shopping Plus credit card ticks a lot of the boxes to make a great credit card. For starters, there’s a long 18-month 0% period on new purchases. But you can add to that a 16-month, 0% period for balance transfers made in the first 90 days and the M&S points programme. It is worth noting that there’s a 2.9% fee on balance transfers.
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- Fair/Average
- Good/Excellent
what we like
- 0% interest on purchases for the first 18 months
- 0% interest for 16 months on balance transfers made in the first 90 days (2.9% fee applies)
- Earn M&S points for shopping at M&S and elsewhere
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ANNUAL FEE:
£0 -
REPRESENTATIVE APR:
19.9% -
INTRO OFFER:
0% interest on purchases for 18 months
0% interest on balance transfers for 16 months
KEY SCORES:
- 4/5 Perks
- 5/5Fees
- 4/5APR
Great for: Long 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers
The Barclaycard Platinum 18 Month 0% Interest Purchase and Balance Transfer Card combines two solid offers. Cardholders get 18 months of 0% interest on purchases, plus 18 months of 0% interest on balance transfers. There is a 2.9% fee on balance transfers, so those looking to keep costs down may want to look for a card that offers fee-free transfers.
Read full review >- Poor/No credit
- Fair/Average
- Good/Excellent
what we like
- 0% interest on purchases made over the first 18 months
- 0% interest on balance transfers for 18 months (but a 2.9% fee applies)
- Savings on live events with Barclaycard Entertainment
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ANNUAL FEE:
£0 -
REPRESENTATIVE APR:
21.9% -
INTRO OFFER:
0% interest for 18 months on new purchases
0% interest for 18 months on balance transfers made in the first 60 days
KEY SCORES:
- 3/5 Perks
- 3/5Fees
- 3/5APR
Great for: Big points at M&S plus sign-up bonus
For M&S shoppers, the M&S Reward Plus card may look like an outstanding option. Over the first year, users get 2 M&S points for every £1 spent at M&S, along with 1 point for every £5 spent elsewhere. You get a nice boost from the beginning too, as M&S will send you a 500-point voucher with the card.
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- Fair/Average
- Good/Excellent
what we like
- Double M&S points for M&S shopping in first year (2 points per £1 spent)
- 1 M&S point for every £5 spent elsewhere
- 0% interest for 6 months on purchases and balance transfers made in the first 90 days
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ANNUAL FEE:
£0 -
REPRESENTATIVE APR:
19.9% -
INTRO OFFER:
Double points at M&S for first year
KEY SCORES:
- 3/5 Perks
- 5/5Fees
- 4/5APR