Barclaycard Avios Plus: UK card terms explained

What does the Barclaycard Avios Plus cost?

Approval depends on a customer's financial circumstances and borrowing history, and the interest rates offered may differ from the representative example. [2] Standard and cash interest rates move up and down with the Bank of England Base Rate or for other reasons set out in the account terms, while promotional interest rates are not affected by Base Rate changes. [2] New accounts are opened with digital statements, and customers can switch to paper statements at any time. [2]

How do you earn Avios with the card?

Eligible purchases collect 1.5 Avios for every £1 spent. [2] Avios are earned on purchases, balance transfers and money transfers within the credit limit, but not on transactions that make up the cash balance — cash withdrawals, wire transfers and buying currency — and not on transactions that are later returned or refunded. [2] Spending above the agreed credit limit collects nothing. [2] Qualifying purchases made outside the UK do collect Avios, provided the balance stays within the limit. [2]

Customers new to Barclaycard can collect 25,000 Avios by spending £3,000 in the first three months. [2] An existing Barclaycard customer who changes to the Avios Plus card collects 5,000 Avios for spending at least £3,000 within three months of receiving it. [2] The welcome bonus can be collected only once, no bonus is paid when moving between the two Barclaycard Avios cards, and a missed spending target means no bonus. [2]

For illustration, Barclaycard's own examples — correct as of June 2026 — price an off-peak economy return from London to Paris at 20,000 Avios plus £5, and an off-peak Club Europe return from London to Rome at 44,000 Avios plus £40. [2]

How do Avios reach a British Airways Club account?

When applying, a cardholder either links an existing British Airways Club membership or has one set up. [2] Barclaycard transfers the Avios collected to that linked account each month, and they arrive on the second working day of the next month. [2] Only one British Airways Club membership can be linked to the card. [2] The balance can be checked in the Barclays or Barclaycard app and in the British Airways Club account itself. [2] To book a Reward Flight Saver, a member must have collected at least one Avios in the previous 12 months. [2]

What travel benefits come with the card?

Spending £10,000 on the card within 12 months brings a choice between a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher and 7,000 bonus Avios. [2] One voucher can be collected for every 12-month period in which the spending target is reached. [2]

The voucher moves a booking up one cabin class where available — Premium Economy (World Traveller Plus) to Business (Club World), for example — and cannot be used to upgrade to First. [2] It must be applied when an Avios Reward Flight is booked, cannot be added to an existing booking, and travel must begin within 24 months of issue. [2] Once redeemed, it appears in the Member vouchers section of the British Airways Club account within five working days. [2]

Airport Lounge Membership, provided with Assurant and DragonPass, gives discounted access to more than 1,000 lounges worldwide at £24 per pass per person, and pre-booking at selected lounges for £6 per person per visit at least 72 hours ahead. [2] The account also includes a free additional cardholder, Apple Pay support and fraud detection that monitors around the clock. [2]

Who is eligible to apply?

Applicants must be 18 or over to use the product or service through the app. [2] Barclaycard's eligibility check takes a few minutes and does not affect a credit score. [2] An application needs a British Airways Club membership number, or Barclaycard sets one up, plus address details for the last two years, a phone number and email address, employment details, income before and after tax, monthly outgoings, and the sort code and account number of a main bank account. [2] In some cases copies of the last two bank statements or payslips are also required. [2] An accepted card can arrive within seven working days. [2]

Existing Barclaycard customers can ask to change to the card in the Barclays or Barclaycard app, and spending on an old Barclaycard Avios card does not count towards the new card's spending targets. [2] Separately, Premier Banking customers, or holders of a personal Wealth current account, can switch on Barclays Avios Rewards for £12 a month; a cardholder who pays the £20 monthly fee for Avios Plus and switches on Avios Rewards as a Premier customer receives £5 back into a current account each month. [2] Barclaycard lists an income of £75,000, or £100,000 held with the bank, as the route into Premier Banking. [2]

Why does the World Elite name need checking?

This comparison does not read benefits across from one card to another on the strength of a name. The HSBC UK Premier World Elite Mastercard is left to its own programme page. A listed source covers the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, whose Status Lift benefit adds CAD 200 of tier qualifying spend for every $5,000 of eligible purchases charged to the account, awarded up to 50 times in a calendar year. [3] That benefit is defined in WestJet Rewards terms, does not count as money, and cannot be sold or transferred. [3] The HSBC UK Premier World Elite Mastercard's fee, earning rate and benefits are not part of this comparison; start with the HSBC UK Premier World Elite Mastercard programme page.

Exceptions and limits

• Avios are not awarded on cash withdrawals, wire transfers, currency purchases, transactions later returned or refunded, or spending above the credit limit. [2]
• The welcome bonus is paid once per customer, and none is paid when switching between the two Barclaycard Avios cards. [2]
• The cabin upgrade voucher must be used when a reward flight is booked, cannot be added to an existing booking, cannot upgrade to First, and travel must begin within 24 months of issue. [2]
• A balance transfer may reduce the credit limit if it is not completed within 60 days of the account opening. [2]
• Interest rates are variable and can change with the Bank of England Base Rate, and the rate offered depends on individual circumstances. [2]
• Reward Flight Saver bookings require at least one Avios collected in the previous 12 months. [2]

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Barclaycard Avios Plus cost?

£20 a month, with a representative 80.1% APR (variable) and a 29.9% p.a. variable purchase rate based on a £1,200 credit limit; a 31.9% variable APR may be offered instead. [2]

How many Avios does the card earn per £1?

1.5 Avios per £1 on eligible purchases, including qualifying purchases made abroad, but not on cash-like transactions, refunded transactions or spending above the credit limit. [2]

When do Avios arrive in a British Airways Club account?

Barclaycard transfers them monthly, and they appear in the linked account on the second working day of the following month. [2]

What does spending £10,000 in 12 months get?

A choice between a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher and 7,000 bonus Avios, with one voucher available for each 12-month period in which the target is reached. [2]

Do you need a British Airways Club account before applying?

No: applicants can give an existing membership number, or Barclaycard will set up an account. [2]

Related pages

Programmes: Barclaycard Avios, HSBC UK Premier World Elite Mastercard. Guides: Avios credit cards in the UK compared, HSBC UK credit cards, UK credit card application rules. Terms: glossary of frequent flyer terms.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers the Barclaycard Avios Plus card only: the HSBC UK Premier World Elite Mastercard is not covered here — see the HSBC UK Premier World Elite Mastercard programme page — and other UK rewards cards, including the standard Barclaycard Avios card, are outside this comparison.

1. Barclaycard Avios Plus card page and terms, checked 18 October 2026
2. WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard Status Lift terms, checked 18 October 2026