Lloyds TSB Avios Duo: Worthwhile to me?

Smedders11

Hello everyone!

I do a a lot of spending on my debits cards; it's rare to see me with cash. For this reason, I've decided to get my first credit card. My credit rating is a bit low due to my student overdraft and two phone contracts, though I've been out of the former for over a year now as I've become very good with my money. Still, my credit rating hasn't recovered yet so I figured I might have a better chance applying to my bank (I don't know if this carries any merit, but I was accepted by my bank whilst I was declined an Argos card a few months back).

I was interested in a cashback credit card, but Lloyds don't seem to do any; so I decided to get the Avios Duo. I was sold on the benefits tab as it had spa and city breaks for two, so I applied and was accepted.

I never thought to look up reward cards on this site until now, and on the Avios scheme site it said it was only really worth it if you're a frequent flyer. Is this strictly the case? I live with my fiance! and we spend a lot, so my train of thought was along the lines that we'd benefit from daybreaks and spa days more than flights. A quick points calculator came out at 7,000-9,000 points per year.

So yeah, any insight into whether we'd be able to take advantage of the offer despite not being regular travelers? We're open to going away more by all means, but mostly just to Europe, which this site says aren't really worthwhile due to tax or something. We're going on holiday next year so could the points be used to make any worthwhile contribution to that flight? Or would I be better going for an Aqua card?

Sorry for the lengthy post, and sorry if it's an irritable question to ask. Thank you for any feedback!

dazza.mk

Smedders11 wrote: »

Hello everyone!

I do a a lot of spending on my debits cards; it's rare to see me with cash. For this reason, I've decided to get my first credit card. My credit rating is a bit low due to my student overdraft and two phone contracts, though I've been out of the former for over a year now as I've become very good with my money. Still, my credit rating hasn't recovered yet so I figured I might have a better chance applying to my bank (I don't know if this carries any merit, but I was accepted by my bank whilst I was declined an Argos card a few months back).

I was interested in a cashback credit card, but Lloyds don't seem to do any; so I decided to get the Avios Duo. I was sold on the benefits tab as it had spa and city breaks for two, so I applied and was accepted.

I never thought to look up reward cards on this site until now, and on the Avios scheme site it said it was only really worth it if you're a frequent flyer. Is this strictly the case? I live with my fiance! and we spend a lot, so my train of thought was along the lines that we'd benefit from daybreaks and spa days more than flights. A quick points calculator came out at 7,000-9,000 points per year.

So yeah, any insight into whether we'd be able to take advantage of the offer despite not being regular travelers? We're open to going away more by all means, but mostly just to Europe, which this site says aren't really worthwhile due to tax or something. We're going on holiday next year so could the points be used to make any worthwhile contribution to that flight? Or would I be better going for an Aqua card?

Sorry for the lengthy post, and sorry if it's an irritable question to ask. Thank you for any feedback!

Am presuming your calculation of 7,000 - 9,000 points a year is based upon the American Express, have you factored in the fact that not everyone accepts it? as the spend decreases by a factor of 5 for the Mastercard.
As evern with that spend you wouldn't make 1 spa treatment a year (min on Avios site is 12,700) , upto you to decide what is better that, or £100 cashback from the Aqua reward card across the year (assuming acceptance)

Smedders11

dazza.mk wrote: »

Am presuming your calculation of 7,000 - 9,000 points a year is based upon the American Express, have you factored in the fact that not everyone accepts it? as the spend decreases by a factor of 5 for the Mastercard.
As evern with that spend you wouldn't make 1 spa treatment a year (min on Avios site is 12,700) , upto you to decide what is better that, or £100 cashback from the Aqua reward card across the year (assuming acceptance)

Hmmn, I'm not sure. I used the Avios calculator on the website and just put in what we spend.

http://www.lloydstsb.com/credit_cards/duo_avios.asp
According to this link, health days are only 2,700. I'm confused about the 12,700 though. Is there some sort of catch I'm missing on the Lloyds website? Those benefits listed there seem very appealing to us, and within what we spend, so am I missing something?

fracturedsun

I have an LTSB avios duo card (they're my bank so they gave me a higher limit & it seemed easier though I'm not really interested in the rewards). There are several different rewards available... take a look at the Avios website to see the actual number of rewards needed. There are some days out around the 2000-4000 points mark.

I also have an aqua card though which gives me 3% cashback (up to £100 cashback a year) which I use as a reward card as I find this is a much better deal for me personally. (I use the duo card for larger purchases and after I've earnt a months worth of cashback... it's a much lower limit too).

dazza.mk

Smedders11 wrote: »

Hmmn, I'm not sure. I used the Avios calculator on the website and just put in what we spend.

http://www.lloydstsb.com/credit_cards/duo_avios.asp
According to this link, health days are only 2,700. I'm confused about the 12,700 though. Is there some sort of catch I'm missing on the Lloyds website? Those benefits listed there seem very appealing to us, and within what we spend, so am I missing something?

try looking at the Avios website:

http://www.avios.com/spend

They're the ones you'll be booking the flight/day out whatever through so therefore their prices are accurate, there isn't much for 2,700