Alright, folks, let’s talk plastic. Specifically, the kind that racks up points and miles. As you know, I’m based in the UK, where, yes, we do have credit cards that earn airline miles: American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card, American Express Platinum credit card, British Airways American Express Premium Plus credit card, Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card, Nectar American Express credit card, Virgin Atlantic Reward+ credit card, Barclaycard plus, Hilton Honors plus and a few others if you squint. But compared to some other countries, I can’t help but wonder: Are we getting short-changed?
In This Post
Where Are All the Credit Cards?
Look at the US. They’ve got a buffet of credit cards, each one promising points, lounge access, and probably a free puppy if you sign up fast enough. Sure, the UK isn’t as big, but even smaller regions like the Middle East have hundreds of cards to choose from. So why are we scraping by with a handful?
And What’s the Deal With Sign-Up Bonuses?
In the US, sign-up bonuses regularly hit six figures 100,000 points just for signing your name and promising to spend a bit. Over here? We celebrate like it’s Christmas if we get 30,000 Avios. Why? Is there some secret UK regulation against having nice things?
I refuse to believe there’s no demand. If anything, Brits love a good deal just look at the Tesco Clubcard aisle battles.
So, What’s the Verdict?
Are we really this limited when it comes to credit cards? Are other countries just drowning in choice while we scrape together points like it’s rationing season? And are UK sign-up bonuses that bad, or am I just bitter?
Drop your thoughts in the comments because if there’s one thing we do have in abundance, it’s opinions.
1 comment
This isn’t rocket science. The UK caps interchange fees and the fees banks may charge. Ergo, less rewards.