After I wrote about my experience flying business class with Virgin Australia fully funded by credit card points, I had an influx of messages asking for more info on the card I used to get my biz class seat. Since I wrote this blog for my Australian TBG squad, it’s finally the UK’s turn! Do bear in mind I’m not physically on the ground in the UK so all of these offers are simply what I’ve found through a lot of research. I’m not privy to advertising or periodic special offers, so I urge you to do your own searches before signing up to anything. 

I’ve not ever had a rewards credit card in the UK, but from what I’ve found, the best points systems worth signing up for are Avios, Virgin and AMEX. Here are the UK rewards credit cards I found with bonus points for card opening. Oh, and as always, information contained in this article is general in nature and you should consider whether credit is right for your situation. Remember that applying for a credit card could negatively impact your credit score.

British Airways Premium Plus Credit Card

With this card, you’ll score 25,000 bonus Avios points when you spend £3000 within the first 3 months of membership. Avios points can get you British Airways fares, so you could jet off to Europe, or upgrade a longer haul flight.

Virgin Atlantic Reward Plus MasterCard

With this card, you can get 30,000 bonus Virgin points, in two parts. You’ll earn 15,000 points for making one purchase on your new card, and the remaining 15,000 if you spend £3000 within 90 days of card opening. You’ll then earn a generous 1.5 points per £1 spent on everyday purchases, and 3 points per £1 spent when you spend with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays. So, booking your holiday or flights with this card will see you earn beefy rewards and get you well on your way to the upper class cabin. You’ve also got the added benefit of this being a MasterCard, so you won’t get caught in a no-Amex situation.

British Airways American Express Credit Card

You can earn a cute 5000 bonus points when you spent £1000 within the first 3 months of card opening with this card, and then earn 1 Avios point per £1 spent on your everyday purchases. You’ll also be rewarded with 4000 bonus points for every friend you successfully refer (up to 90,000 referral points per year) AND spend £20,000 on the card in one year and receive the coveted BA 2-for-1 companion voucher to get two seats for the price of one in any cabin class. Best of all, there’s NO annual fee for this card!

American Express Rewards Credit Card

Another no annual fee bad boy for you here! You can earn 5000 bonus AMEX points when you spent £2000 within 3 months of card approval. The AMEX rewards program gives you the flexibility to redeem points on any of the 12 airline partners, too.

AMEX Nectar

This made me chuckle because Nectar points are such a nostalgic home thing for me! But with the Amex Nectar, you can get 20,000 bonus Nectar points when you spend £2000 within the first 3 months, and then earn 2 points per £1 spent on all purchases. You can also refer friends to this card and get 5000 bonus Nectar points for every approved pal (capped at 90,000 per year).