Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What are credit-card points?
Credit-card points are reward units credited to a credit card account for spending on the card, which the cardholder can later redeem through the rewards programme attached to that card. Cards differ mainly in whose currency they earn: a bank-issued rewards card earns the issuer's own points, while a co-branded airline or hotel card earns that programme's currency — Avios collected on a Barclaycard Avios card, for example, is the reward currency of The British Airways Club and can be spent on flights, upgrades, hotel stays and car hire. [2] [3]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Credit-card points are earned on eligible spending and stay with the card issuer or the co-branded programme until they are transferred or redeemed. [2]
- HSBC UK describes its Rewards Credit Card as earning reward points on eligible purchases — points issued by the bank rather than by an airline. [3]
- The Barclaycard Avios card collects 1 Avios for every £1 spent on eligible purchases and passes them to a linked British Airways Club account each month. [2]
- The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard carries a Status Lift benefit that adds to airline status progress: every $5,000 in eligible purchases adds 200 CAD of tier qualifying spend. [4]
What is the difference between a bank rewards card and a co-branded card?
HSBC UK lists a Rewards Credit Card among its cards and describes it as earning reward points on eligible purchases. [3] The bank also notes that some credit cards come with extra benefits, including rewards, offers and purchase protection. [3] Points of this type belong to the bank's own reward scheme, so the places they can be spent are set by the issuer rather than by an airline programme.
A co-branded credit card instead earns the currency of one named airline or hotel programme. The Barclaycard Avios card is one example: Avios is the reward currency of The British Airways Club, and cardholders can spend it on flights, cabin upgrades, hotel stays and car hire. [2] The card collects 1 Avios for every £1 spent on eligible purchases, with no monthly fee. [2] When you apply, you either link an existing British Airways Club membership or the issuer sets one up for you, and the Avios collected are sent to that account each month. [2]
Points that can be moved into more than one partner programme are usually described as a flexible or transferable currency, while a card that earns a single programme's currency is a co-branded card. Both sit on top of a normal credit agreement: the HSBC Rewards Credit Card, for instance, carries a purchase rate of 26.9% p.a. variable and a representative 26.9% APR variable, based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit. [3]
How do credit-card points reach a loyalty account?
On the Barclaycard Avios card, the Avios collected are transferred to the linked British Airways Club account on the second working day of the next month. [2] The running balance can be checked in the Barclays or Barclaycard app, and the total balance in the Club account itself. [2] Only one British Airways Club membership can be linked to the card, so a cardholder with more than one membership has to choose which to attach. [2]
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard also has a Status Lift benefit that works differently: it feeds tier qualifying spend rather than a spendable currency. Tier qualifying spend earned through the Status Lift benefit is credited approximately ten business days after the monthly statement date on which the $5,000 spending threshold is reached. [4] Cardholders can track it in the transaction history of their WestJet Rewards account. [4]
Can card spending count toward airline elite status?
It can on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard. Under Status Lift, a primary cardholder receives the equivalent of 200 CAD in tier qualifying spend for every $5,000 in eligible purchases charged to the account during a qualifying year. [4] The benefit may be awarded up to 50 times per qualifying year, which equals 10,000 CAD in tier qualifying spend. [4] Tier qualifying spend tracks progress towards Silver, Gold and Platinum status each calendar year. [4]
| Tier | Tier qualifying spend (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Teal | up to $3,999 |
| Silver | $4,000 – $5,999 |
| Gold | $6,000 – $9,999 |
| Platinum | $10,000 and beyond |
Tier qualifying spend earned this way has no monetary or other exchange value and cannot be sold or transferred. [4] Purchases made on every card attached to the account count towards the $5,000 threshold, but the 200 CAD is credited only to the primary cardholder's WestJet Rewards account, not to a supplementary cardholder's. [4]
Which card transactions earn points?
Barclaycard pays Avios on purchases, balance transfers and money transfers made within the credit limit, but not on transactions that make up the cash balance, such as cash withdrawals, wire transfers and buying currency. [2] No Avios are collected on transactions that are later returned or refunded, or on any transaction that takes the account over its agreed limit. [2] Qualifying purchases made abroad do earn Avios, provided the account stays within its limit. [2]
WestJet defines eligible purchases as the net purchase transactions that appear on the monthly statements during a qualifying year, minus returns, other credits, fees, interest charges and cash advances. [4] That exclusion covers balance transfers, cash-like transactions, and bill payments that are not pre-authorised charges set up with a merchant; purchases made outside Canada do count. [4]
Cash withdrawals are a common gap on any card: HSBC notes that a credit card can be used at an ATM, but that withdrawing cash usually carries a charge, and that interest on cash withdrawals is added daily until the balance is paid off. [3]
Exceptions and limits
- Welcome bonuses are conditional and one-off. Barclaycard offers 5,000 Avios to customers new to Barclaycard who spend £1,000 in the first three months. [2] Existing Barclaycard customers who switch collect 1,000 Avios on the Avios card (£1,000 spend within three months) or 5,000 Avios on the Avios Plus card (£3,000 spend within three months). [2] The bonus can be collected once only, and switching between the two Avios cards removes eligibility. [2]
- Spending targets unlock extra rewards. Spending £20,000 on the Barclaycard Avios card within 12 months lets the cardholder choose between a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher and 7,000 bonus Avios. [2] One voucher is issued for each 12-month period in which the target is reached; it must be used at the time of booking, moves the booking up one cabin class, cannot be used for First, and travel must begin within 24 months of issue. [2]
- Status progress resets. WestJet tier qualifying spend resets to $0 every 1 January, and status earned is held for the rest of the calendar year in which it was reached plus the whole following calendar year. [4]
- Statement dates can push spending into the next year. If a monthly statement is prepared on the 27th and a purchase is made on 28 December, the transaction posts to the January statement and does not count towards that qualifying year's $5,000. [4]
- Benefits can be withdrawn. A WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard account must be open and in good standing when a Status Lift is awarded, and WestJet reserves the right to remove lifts and any tier upgrade if the account is closed before the end of a qualifying year. [4] WestJet and Royal Bank of Canada may change or withdraw the benefit at any time. [4]
- Card cost sits outside the points. HSBC defines APR as the yearly cost of borrowing, taking in interest and other charges such as an annual fee. [3] Barclaycard notes that approval depends on financial circumstances and borrowing history, and that the rate offered may differ from the advertised one. [2]
Frequently asked questions
How soon do Avios earned on a Barclaycard arrive in a British Airways Club account?
They are transferred on the second working day of the month following the month in which they were collected. [2] The card can be linked to only one British Airways Club membership. [2]
Can I claim a Barclaycard Avios welcome bonus more than once?
No. The welcome bonus can be collected once only, and a cardholder who switches between the Avios card and the Avios Plus card is not eligible for the bonus again. [2]
Do all purchases count towards the WestJet Status Lift threshold?
No. Returns, other credits, fees, interest charges and cash advances — including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorised merchant charges — are excluded from eligible purchases. [4]
Can a supplementary cardholder on the WestJet card earn Status Lifts?
No. Purchases on every card attached to the account count towards the $5,000 threshold, but the 200 CAD of tier qualifying spend goes only to the primary cardholder's WestJet Rewards account. [4]
Can tier qualifying spend be spent on flights?
No. Tier qualifying spend has no monetary or exchange value, counts only towards tier qualification and cannot be redeemed for anything. [4]
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. The examples here come from one UK bank rewards card (HSBC UK), one UK co-branded airline card (Barclaycard Avios) and one Canadian co-branded airline card (WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard); other issuers and programmes, including American Express, Chase and hotel co-brand cards, are not covered here.
- Barclaycard Avios credit card page (Barclaycard), checked 18 October 2026
- Credit cards range and card FAQs (HSBC UK), checked 18 October 2026
- Status Lift benefit, WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard (WestJet), checked 18 October 2026