Credit cards Airline credit cards
How do airline credit cards work?
You accumulate miles (or points) as you spend, which can then be redeemed against flights or travel-related expenses, such as accommodation or car hire.
High interest rates (APRs) mean these cards are only suitable for people who pay off their credit card bill every month. Some come with an annual fee, but also a higher reward rate - do the maths before applying, to make sure these cards offer you good value.
Airline credit card reward points compared
The table below shows how many reward points you need to fly to Paris, Rome and Cape Town with a selection of airlines credit cards. All flight costs are based on one adult flying economy class, departing from a London airport on 14 January 2012 and returning a week later. Flight costs are for the same airlines as the credit card brand unless otherwise stated. Cards are ranked using a weighted score, based on how much you need to spend on the card to fly to each of the three destinations, what charges and taxes are payable, any annual fee and the standard APR on purchases. We also show the cost of flights used in the scenario below booked on 20 October 2011. Costs are split into the price of the flight and in brackets the taxes and charges.
| Provider | Purchase APR Purchase APR help | Annual card fee | Paris | Rome | Cape Town | Find out more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Cook Visa Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 19.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 19.9% (variable). | 19.9% | No Fee | £14,080a | £11,711a | £85,053a |  |
| Natwest/RBS YourPoints World MasterCard Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 17.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 17.9% (variable). | 17.9% | No Fee | £23,000a | £20,600a | £170,500a | |
| Provider | Purchase APR Purchase APR help | Annual card fee | Paris | Rome | Cape Town | Find out more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair MasterCard Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 19.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 19.9% (variable). | 19.9% | No Fee | £1,500b | £15,00c | n/a | |
| Lloyds TSB Duo Avios American Express Card Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 15.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 15.9% (variable). | 15.9% | No Fee | £9,000d | £15,000d | £50,000e | |
| Lloyds TSB Premier Duo Avios American Express Card Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 13.95% (variable) with an annual fee of £50, your Representative APR will be 21.9% (variable). | 13.95% | £50 | £7,200d | £12,000d | £40,000e | |
| British Airways American Express Credit Card Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 19.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 19.9% (variable). | 19.9% | No Fee | £9,000d | £15,000d | £50,000 | |
| BMI American Express Credit Card Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 16.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 16.9% (variable). | 16.9% | No Fee | £6,000f | £8,000f | £33,333g | |
| Flybe MasterCard Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 18.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 18.9% (variable). | 18.9% | No Fee | £6,000 | n/a | n/a | |
Virgin Atlantic Black Amex Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 18.9% (variable) with an annual fee of £140, your Representative APR will be 47.2% (variable). | 18.9% | £140 | n/a | n/a | 25,000 | |
| BMI plus American Express Credit Card Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 17.9% (variable) with an annual fee of £85, your Representative APR will be 34.5% (variable). | 17.9% | £85 | £4,500f | £6,000f | £25,000g | |
| British Airways American Express Premium Credit Card Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 19.9% (variable) with an annual fee of £150, your Representative APR will be 50.1% (variable). | 19.9% | £150 | £6,000d | £10,000d | £33,333 | |
Virgin Atlantic White Amex Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 17.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 17.9% (variable). | 17.9% | No Fee | n/a | n/a | £50,000 | |
| BMI Credit Card Visa Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 16.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 16.9% (variable). | 16.9% | No Fee | £12,000f | £16,000f | £66,666g | |
| Miles and More American Express Credit Card Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 16.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 16.9% (variable). | 16.9% | No Fee | £20,000h | £20,000h | £40,000g | |
| Lloyds TSB Duo Avios MasterCard Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 15.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 15.9% (variable). | 15.9% | No Fee | £45,000d | £75,000d | £250,000e | |
| Lloyds TSB Duo Premier Avios MasterCard Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 13.95% (variable) with an annual fee of £50, your Representative APR will be 21.9% (variable). | 13.95% | £50 | £36,000d | £60,000d | £200,000e | |
| Aadvantage American Express Credit Card Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 17.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 17.9% (variable). | 17.9% | No Fee | £13,333a | £13,333a | £40,000a | |
| Virgin Atlantic White Visa Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 17.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 17.9% (variable). | 17.9% | No Fee | n/a | n/a | £100,000 | |
| Virgin Atlantic Black Visa Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 18.9% (variable) with an annual fee of £140, your Representative APR will be 47.2% (variable). | 18.9% | £140 | n/a | n/a | £50,000 | |
| Bmi Plus Credit Card Visa Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 17.9% (variable) with an annual fee of £85, your Representative APR will be 34.5% (variable). | 17.9% | £85 | £9,000f | £12,000f | £50,000g | |
| Miles and More Visa Credit Card Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 16.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 16.9% (variable). | 16.9% | No Fee | £40,000i | £40,000i | £80,000g | |
| Priority Club Rewards Visa Representative example: Based on a credit limit of £1,200 with a purchase interest rate of 18.9% (variable), your Representative APR will be 18.9% (variable). | 18.9% | No Fee | £50,000 | £80,000 | £260,000 | |
| Provider | Paris | Rome | Cape Town |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMI | n/a | n/a | £479 (£322.22)k |
| British Airways (BA) | £32 (£89)k | £32 (£65.60)l | £479 (£349.03)k |
| Flybe.com | £53.94 (£71.29)m | n/a | n/a |
| Lufthansa | £42 (99.99)k | £57 (£104.89)k | n/a |
| Ryanair | £18 (No Fee)b | £25.98 (£16)c | n/a |
| Virgin Atlantic | n/a | n/a | £509 (£349.03) |
Table notes
- a) Based on a flight with BA
- b) Flying from Manchester - there is no London to Paris with Ryanair
- c) Flying from Stansted
- d) There is a flat fee of £27 to cover additional taxes, fees and charges for Reward Flight Saver flights under the Avios scheme in zones 1 to 3
- e) Flying with Virgin Atlantic
- f) Flying with Lufthansa
- g) Flying with BMI
- h) Flying with Lufthansa. you can pay 15,000 award miles worth £10,000 to cover taxes and charges
- i) Flying with Lufthansa. you can pay 15,000 award miles worth £20,000 to cover taxes and charges
- j) based on converting your Priority Club Points into BA/Avios miles at 10,000 Priority points equal to 2,000 BA/Avios miles
- k) From Heathrow
- l) From Gatwick
- m) From Birmingham
Topping up your airmiles
If you are interested in one of the airline cards, it’s important to check whether or not you can top up your points by paying cash to get to your chosen destination. Most schemes offer this option, and by doing so you can get your flight much quicker than if you waited until you have the full number of points. It is also vital to check whether there are any restrictions on availability of flights or hotel rooms, particularly during holiday season.
Overseas credit card spending
If you have an airline credit card and travel a great deal, the chances are you will use it abroad. Remember airline cards, like most credit cards, usually charge an exchange loading fee ranging from 2.5% to 3% for spending on your card overseas.
If you have one of these cards, it may be best to take an alternative card abroad. Choose from our Best Rate credit cards to use abroad.
Which? Recommended Providers and Which? warning
Which? Recommended Providers are companies that are both rated highly by our members and have products that meet the high standards of our researchers. Which? closely monitors the products and practices of all Recommended Providers and reserves the right to exclude any company that does not treat its customers fairly. Follow the link for a full list of WRPs.
We also understand that for many people, finding products with the best rate is a priority. But where a product from a provider with a poor service score appears in our Best Rate tables, we'll highlight this with the warning logo. By naming and shaming providers which customers judge to offer poor satisfaction in these tables, we hope that companies improve their standards.
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