Barclaycard Avios credit cards

Earning Avios on the card

The Barclaycard Avios card collects 1 Avios per £1 spent on eligible purchases and is accepted wherever Mastercard is taken. [1] Barclaycard counts purchases, balance transfers and money transfers made within the credit limit towards Avios, but not transactions that form part of a cash balance, such as cash withdrawals, wire transfers and buying currency. [1] Nothing is earned on transactions that are later returned or refunded, on spending that takes the account over its agreed limit, or where the account terms are not kept. [1] Qualifying purchases made abroad also collect Avios. [1]

New Barclaycard customers can collect 5,000 Avios by spending £1,000 in the first three months. [1] A customer who moves an existing Barclaycard across to the Avios card receives a smaller bonus: 1,000 Avios for spending at least £1,000 within three months of receiving the card, while a move to the Avios Plus card carries 5,000 Avios for spending at least £3,000 in the same window. [1] The welcome bonus can only be collected once, no bonus is paid if the spending target is missed, and switching between the two Avios cards does not generate a second bonus. [1]

On application the card is linked to an existing British Airways Club membership, or one is set up, and the Avios collected each month are transferred to that account on the second working day of the next month. [1] The balance can be seen in the Barclays or Barclaycard app as well as in the Club account. [1] Barclaycard illustrates the combination of everyday earning and a welcome bonus by noting that a cardholder could collect 25,000 Avios by spending £20,000 in the first year. [1] Once in the Club account, Avios can be moved at the same value between British Airways Club and Iberia Club, AerClub, Loganair Loyalty, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Finnair Plus accounts, as often as the member likes. [4]

The cabin upgrade voucher

Spending £20,000 on the Barclaycard Avios card within 12 months gives a choice between a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher for use on an Avios Reward Flight booking and 7,000 bonus Avios. [1] One voucher is available for every 12-month period in which the spending target is reached. [1] The voucher moves the booking up one cabin class where a seat is available, for example from World Traveller Plus to Club World, and cannot be used to upgrade into First. [1]

The voucher has to be applied when the Reward Flight is booked, so an existing booking cannot be amended to use it, and the British Airways Club member must make the booking and start travelling within 24 months of the voucher's issue date. [1] Reward flights and cabin upgrades depend on availability, and taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable per person. [1] After the voucher is redeemed it can take up to five working days to appear in the Club account, where it sits in the member vouchers section rather than in the Barclays or Barclaycard app. [1] British Airways confirms that a Barclays upgrade voucher can be used to upgrade between cabins on an Avios-only flight, subject to availability, at the same upgrade price as a standard Reward Flight. [3] Where a Reward Flight has been booked using any type of voucher, changes have to be made through the British Airways contact centre rather than online. [3]

The flights themselves are British Airways Reward Flights, which pair a fixed Avios amount with a cash amount for taxes, fees and carrier charges. [3] British Airways guarantees at least eight economy seats, two premium economy seats and four business seats on its own flights to and from London Heathrow and London Gatwick, and at least two business and two economy seats on flights to and from London City. [3] Reward Flights with Iberia, American Airlines and oneworld partners are also possible, but the cash element varies rather than being fixed. [3] British Airways' published examples, correct as of May 2026, start at 10,000 Avios plus £2.50 each way within Europe and from 55,000 Avios plus £150 return for destinations further afield. [3]

Fees, rates and eligibility

Barclaycard's representative example for the Barclaycard Avios card, described as what most accepted customers get, is 29.9% APR variable with a purchase rate of 29.9% a year variable, a £1,200 credit limit and a £0 monthly fee. [1] Acceptance depends on financial circumstances and borrowing history, the rates offered may differ from those shown, and an APR of 31.9% variable may be offered instead. [1] The same page also displays a 28.9% APR representative figure elsewhere, so the summary box provided at application is the version to rely on. [1] Standard and cash interest rates move with the Bank of England base rate or for other reasons set out in the account terms, though base rate changes do not apply to promotional rates. [1]

Applicants must be 18 or over and are directed to an eligibility checker, which takes a few minutes and does not affect the credit score, before applying. [1] A successful applicant may have the card within seven working days. [1] Barclaycard asks for a British Airways Club membership number if the applicant has one, address details for the previous two years, phone and email contact, employment details, income before and after tax, an idea of monthly outgoings and the sort code and account number of the main bank account, and may ask for recent bank statements or payslips. [1] Customers moving from one Avios card to the other can check eligibility in the app, but spending already made on the existing card does not count towards the new card's spending targets for extra rewards. [1]

Exceptions and limits

• What the card does not cover. Cash-balance transactions, refunded or returned purchases, spending above the credit limit and breaches of the account terms all earn nothing. [1] Only one British Airways Club membership can be linked to a card. [1]
• Voucher limits. No First class upgrades, no retrofitting to an existing booking, travel within 24 months of issue, and availability plus per-person taxes, fees and carrier charges apply. [1]
• The Avios themselves. Under The British Airways Club terms, all Avios expire if a member has not collected, spent, purchased or transferred Avios for 36 consecutive months, and membership terminates automatically in that case. [5] The Club defines an active member as one who has earned or redeemed Avios within the previous 12 months. [5]
• Reward Flight Saver. To be eligible for Reward Flight Saver pricing, a member needs to have collected at least 1 Avios in the past 12 months. [1]
• Selling Avios. Selling, bartering or purchasing Avios, including through internet sales or auctions, is listed as fraud in the Club terms. [5]
• Not covered here. Barclays Avios Rewards is a separate banking product for Premier Banking customers and personal Wealth current account holders with a £12 monthly fee, and is not one of the cards described above. [1]

Related pages

Programme: The British Airways Club. Comparisons: Avios credit cards in the UK compared. Using the Avios: how to book British Airways Club awards. Terms: Avios and the full glossary.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Rates, reward prices and card terms are stated as published on that date and can change. Barclaycard Avios Plus fees and earning, Barclays Avios Rewards, business Avios cards and Avios credit cards issued outside the United Kingdom are not covered, because the sources checked do not publish those details.

1. Barclaycard Avios credit card, with product FAQs and representative example, checked 18 October 2026
2. The British Airways Club: Reward Flights, checked 18 October 2026
3. The British Airways Club: transfer your Avios, checked 18 October 2026
4. The British Airways Club terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026