Frequent Flyer Credit Cards

Receive rewards on everyday spending

UK consumers are missing out on potential financial rewards - such as cashback, retail vouchers or frequent flyer points - to the tune of a staggering £3.6 billion per annum, according to research by American Express. By using other payment methods almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of consumers are failing to take advantage of over a hundred pounds worth of rewards and benefits they could be earning by paying for their everyday spending on a rewards credit card.

At a time when families across the UK are having to tighten purse-strings, American Express is urging consumers to ditch their ‘Passive Plastic' and get more from their spending by earning rewards from their day-to-day spending as well as bigger ticket items.

Currently, 78 per cent of those holding a rewards credit card are using their points at least once a year, with 42 per cent of respondents stating that they are more likely to use their points now than a year ago.  On average, rewards cardholders believe they benefit around £116 a year from using their points, with their favourite rewards listed as retail vouchers (36 per cent), cashback (34 per cent) and complementary flights (13 per cent).

She says shopping, he says hard cash...

Men and women revealed differing preferences in their choice of rewards; women are more likely to opt for retail vouchers to ‘treat themselves' (42 per cent), whereas men are more likely to use their rewards to ‘boost their spending power' by earning cashback (38 per cent).

In addition, almost half (47 per cent) of women said they are more likely to use their reward points now than a year ago, compared to more than a third (36 per cent) of men.

Julie Hay, Vice President at American Express said: "It is time UK consumers ended their unrequited love affair with ‘Passive Plastic'. Why continue to make purchases on debit and credit cards that give nothing back for your spending?  At a time when every penny counts, we're urging consumers to make the cards in their wallets work harder for them."

Family funds could go further with American Express Rewards Cards

With the average family spending £1,412 a month on goods and services that could be purchased on credit cards, they are failing to cash in on a host of potential benefits on offer from reward cards.  These could include vouchers for retailers such as House of Fraser and Amazon, £266 Cashback, or 18,000 BA Miles (enough for two standard class return flights to European destinations such as Norway, Italy and Croatia).

Frequent Flyer Credit Cards that Actually Help Elite Status

While  airlines credit cards earn frequent flyer miles on their own airline and affiliates, few cards earn miles that count toward  elite status . Most airlines differentiate between qualifying miles, which go towards earning elite benefits, and non-qualifying miles, which can be used towards free flights and such but won’t help you reach that platinum level.

Generally, if you pay for plane tickets with your frequent flyer credit card, you’ll earn a) non-qualifying miles from the card and b) qualifying miles just for flying, which you’d get no matter how you paid. However, some airline credit cards do offer qualifying miles that bring you closer to unlimited lounge access, upgrades, and getting to pass all the slow people in the security line.

Earning miles: Continental has one of the less impressive elite programs at the lower level, but its upper-tier benefits are worthwhile. At the Silver level, you don’t even get a waived baggage fee, and only at Platinum do you get waived ticket change fees. However, the other industry-standard benefits are there, including airport lounge access, priority pre-boarding and unlimited upgrades.