Which of the NINE special credit card sign-up bonuses currently available should you get?
We have NEVER seen as many credit and debit cards running special sign-up bonuses at once as we do at the moment.
Whilst this is great news for you, it is easy to get confused about what is available. I thought I’d do a quick summary today of the current offers and closing dates. The deals start closing soon, with the two Virgin Atlantic offers ending first on 18th May.
For more information on how each card works and the benefits it brings, click through to our full review. This article looks purely at the sign-up bonuses.
The Platinum Card from American Express
What’s the deal? The sign-up bonus is increased to 75,000 Membership Rewards points from 50,000 Membership Rewards points. These convert to Avios at 1:1 and to many other airline and hotel schemes. You also receive £250 to spend at Amex Travel.
What do you need to spend? £10,000 in six months
When does the deal end? 26th May
What is the card fee? £650, refundable pro-rata if you cancel
Do you qualify for the bonus? You cannot have had a personal Gold or Platinum American Express card in the past 24 months, or any other personal Amex card which gives Membership Rewards points. Business cards and supplementary cards are OK. British Airways, Nectar and Marriott Bonvoy cards are OK. For clarity, having a British Airways American Express does NOT disqualify you.
The representative APR is 685.3% variable, including the annual fee. The representative APR on purchases is 29.1% variable.
Our full American Express Platinum review is here.
You can apply here.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card
What’s the deal? The sign-up bonus is increased to 40,000 Membership Rewards points from 20,000 Membership Rewards points. These convert to Avios at 1:1 and to many other airline and hotel schemes.
What do you need to spend? £5,000 in six months
When does the deal end? 26th May
What is the card fee? Free in the first year, £195 thereafter
Do you qualify for the bonus? You cannot have had any personal American Express cards, including the British Airways, Nectar or Marriott cards, in the past 24 months. Business cards and supplementary cards are OK.
The representative APR is 85.8% variable, including the annual fee. The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 29.1% variable.
Our full American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review is here.
You can apply here.
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
What’s the deal? The sign-up bonus is increased to 36,000 Virgin Points from 18,000 Virgin Points
What do you need to spend? You receive 18,000 Virgin Points with your first purchase and a further 18,000 Virgin Points when you spend £3,000 in 90 days
When does the deal end? 18th May
What is the card fee? £160 – this is a sunk cost which is not partially refunded if you cancel
Do you qualify for the bonus? Yes, unless you have applied for a Virgin Money card in the last three months. Holders of the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard can apply for this as well and will receive the bonus.
The representative APR is 69.7% variable, including the annual fee. The representative APR on purchases is 26.9% variable.
Our full Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard review is here.
You can apply here.
Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard
What’s the deal? The sign-up bonus is increased to 6,000 Virgin Points from 3,000 Virgin Points
What do you need to spend? You receive 3,000 Virgin Points with your first purchase and a further 3,000 Virgin Points when you spend £1,000 in 90 days
When does the deal end? 18th May
What is the card fee? Nothing – the card is free for life
Do you qualify for the bonus? Yes, unless you have applied for a Virgin Money card in the last three months. Holders of the £160 Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard can apply for this as well and will receive the bonus.
The representative APR is 26.9% variable.
Our full Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard review is here.
You can apply here.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
What’s the deal? The sign-up bonus is increased to 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points from 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
What do you need to spend? £3,000 in 90 days
When does the deal end? 26th May
What is the card fee? £95, refundable pro-rata if you cancel
Do you qualify for the bonus? You cannot have had a personal American Express card in the past 24 months. Business cards and supplementary cards are OK.
The representative APR is 52.5% variable, including the annual fee. The representative APR on purchases is 29.1% variable.
Our full Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card review is here.
You can apply here.
Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card
What’s the deal? The sign-up bonus is increased to 30,000 Hilton Honors points from 15,000 Hilton Honors points
What do you need to spend? £2,500 in foreign currency in six months
When does the deal end? 28th May
What is the card fee? £150 – this is a sunk cost which is not partially refunded if you cancel
Do you qualify for the bonus? Yes, there are no restrictions as long as you have not had a Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card in the past
Our full Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card review is here.
You can apply here.
Hilton Honors Debit Card
What’s the deal? The annual fee for the first year is halved from £60 to £30 and you will receive a sign-up bonus of 5,000 Hilton Honors points
What do you need to spend? £1,000 in foreign currency in 12 months
When does the deal end? 28th May
What is the card fee? £30 for your first year during this special offer – this is a sunk cost which is not partially refunded if you cancel
Do you qualify for the bonus? Yes, there are no restrictions as long as you have not had a Hilton Honors Debit Card in the past
Our full Hilton Honors Debit Card review is here.
You can apply here.
HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard
What’s the deal? The sign-up bonus is increased to 60,000 HSBC points from 40,000 HSBC points. These convert at 2:1 into Avios and various other airline and hotel schemes.
What do you need to spend? £3,000 in three months
When does the deal end? 28th May
What is the card fee? £290 – this is a sunk cost which is not partially refunded if you cancel
Do you qualify for the bonus? You need to have a HSBC Premier current account to apply for the card
The representative APR is 100.2% variable, including the annual fee. The representative APR on purchases is 29.9% variable.
Our full HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review is here.
You can apply here.
HSBC Premier Mastercard
What’s the deal? The sign-up bonus is increased to 30,000 HSBC points from 20,000 HSBC points. These convert at 2:1 into Avios and various other airline and hotel schemes.
What do you need to spend? £2,000 in three months
When does the deal end? 23rd July
What is the card fee? Nothing – the card is free for life
Do you qualify for the bonus? You need to have a HSBC Premier current account to apply for the card
The representative APR is 29.9% variable.
Our full HSBC Premier Mastercard review is here.
You can apply here.
Conclusion
There is a lot of choice here, which doesn’t make things easy.
Study the rules carefully to see what you can get:
- If you have only had British Airways American Express cards from Amex in the past, you should qualify for 75,000 points + £250 Amex Travel credit bonus on The Platinum Card
- If you are totally maxed out on the American Express bonuses you can get, take a look at Virgin Atlantic Reward+. As a Mastercard, this is a good partner card to use alongside your American Express. As part of SkyTeam, there are a lot of other airlines apart from Virgin Atlantic where you can use your miles.
- If you don’t have a credit card with a low foreign exchange fee, take a look at the two Hilton Honors debit cards. The cards have low FX fees and you earn bonus points on all spending outside the UK.
- The two HSBC Premier credit cards are restricted to HSBC Premier current account holders, but if this is you then now is a good time to add one. If nothing else, get the free card and pick up 15,000 easy Avios – or more if you wait for another Avios transfer bonus.
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. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.