Want more travel hacks and credit card perks? For our entire collection of reviews and guides, click here. Your next Avios windfall might be just a swipe away. Welcome to the Barclaycard Avios credit card review:
Want to rack up more Avios without spending a penny on annual fees? The Barclaycard Avios Mastercard might just be your golden ticket. It’s the best non-Amex Avios earner out there, perfect as a backup or even your main card if you’re tired of shops turning their noses up at American Express.
In This Post
The Need-to-Know Details
💳 Annual Fee: £0 (yep, totally free)
📉 APR: 29.9% variable (don’t carry a balance, or say goodbye to those Avios benefits)
🎁 Sign-Up Bonus: 5,000 Avios after spending £1,000 in three months
Looking for a bigger haul? The Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard (£20/month) offers 25,000 Avios if you hit £3,000 in the same timeframe.
Savvy Tip: If you can meet the £3,000 spend, start with the Plus card for the bonus, then downgrade to this free version later.
Who Can Apply?
✔ No Barclaycard Avios card in the last 24 months? You’re in.
✔ No Barclaycard credit card (of any kind) in the previous six months? Still good.
✔ Holding a British Airways Amex? Doesn’t count—apply away!
✔ Are you a supplementary cardholder on another person’s Barclaycard? You are still eligible.
The Avios Upgrade Voucher – Worth It?
Spending £ 20,000 per year, you’ll earn a two-year Avios upgrade voucher.
How It Works:
✈ Upgrade a return flight for one person (e.g., fly Club World instead of Premium Economy)
✈ Upgrade one leg of a return flight for two people
There’s a catch: you must book using the highest Avios and lowest cash redemption option. This means short-haul flights aren’t the best use, but long-haul? Absolute gold.
Not keen on the voucher? Swap it for 7,000 Avios instead.
How Good is the Avios Earning Rate?
For a free card, it’s impressive:
✅ 1 Avios per £1 spent—top of the league for non-Amex cards
✅ Monthly earning cap? 4x your credit limit (most people won’t hit that)
Foreign Spending – A Bit of a Letdown
❌ 3% FX fee on spending outside Europe (ouch)
✅ 0% FX fee in Euros, Swedish Kronor, and Romanian Lei
Barclaycard Avios vs BA Amex – Which One’s Better?
Still undecided? Here’s a quick head-to-head:
| Feature | Barclaycard Avios (Free) | BA Amex (Free) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | £0 | £0 |
| Earning Rate | 1 Avios per £1 | 1 Avios per £1 |
| Voucher Type | Upgrade voucher at £20,000 spend | 2-4-1 companion voucher at £15,000 spend (Economy only) |
| Voucher Expiry | 2 years | 1 year |
| Accepted Everywhere? | ✅ (Mastercard) | ❌ (Not all shops take Amex) |
| Best For | People avoiding Amex & wanting upgrades | Economy-only 2-4-1 redemptions |
Can You Upgrade or Downgrade?
Yes! Barclaycard makes it easy to switch between the free and paid versions:
🔼 Upgrade for a better earning rate & a voucher at £10,000 spent (but your spending counter resets).
🔽 Downgrade to keep the sign-up bonus, but you’ll lose progress toward the voucher.
Should You Get This Card?
✅ Yes, if…
✔ You want the best free Avios card out there.
✔ You need a Mastercard to back up your BA Amex.
✔ You spend under £10,000 a year the Plus version won’t be worth it.
❌ No, if…
✖ You’d rather have a 2-4-1 voucher than an upgrade option.
✖ You spend a lot abroad—the 3% FX fee is a killer.
✖ You’re planning to spend £3,000+ in three months—go for the Plus version first, then downgrade later.
Final Verdict – A Must-Have for Avios Collectors
The Barclaycard Avios Mastercard is hands down the best free Avios-earning card in the UK, with an unbeatable 1 Avios per £1 rate for a non-Amex.
The upgrade voucher makes it more flexible than BA Amex’s Economy-only 2-4-1, but that £20,000 spend requirement is hefty. If you’re using this card as a backup to an Amex, the earning rate alone makes it worth having.
Power Play: Start with the Plus version, bag that 25,000 Avios bonus, and then downgrade.
Ready to start racking up those Avios? Apply for the Barclaycard Avios credit card here.
