Barclaycard Avios (free and Paid) question

dgmjr2018

I am looking to apply for either the free Barclaycard avios card, or the paid one, however I am in a bit of a dilemma.

For the free card, there Is a minimum income requirement of £20,000, although I read on different forums that people got accepted for the free card despite having a lower salary (and low credit limit). Meanwhile the paid card doesn't seem to have a minimum income requirement, but I suspect that there may be one

Should I go through the eligibility check to see what it tells me

WillPS

dgmjr2018 said:

Should I go through the eligibility check to see what it tells me

Yes.

The premium card is unlikely to be worth it based on points alone unless you're spending £4000+ a month (and that's working on a 1p valuation for an Avios point, if you transfer them to Nectar like I do you'd need to spend closer to £7k to make it worth it).

MrFrugalFever

I think you’ll need to understand why you want the card initially and what benefit it will bring.
The Avios Plus monthly fee will far outweigh any gains if you’re only spending a few hundred a month or even if it’s a large one-off purchase (that’s providing you even get a half decent limit too). As per post from Will.

When I did the eligibility check (direct with BC) it didn’t indicate my suggested limit but did say which cards I was eligible for.

Don’t forget to be honest throughout your application, especially on the earnings but as quite of evidence will be sought.

Marchitiello

As others have said, Avios can be a great reward currency but it does not suit everyone. The fee you pay for the premium card should be looked in the context of the Upgrade voucher, which in itself is not great value and would be difficult to use if you spend very little on the card thus not earning enough Avios to book the lower fare to be upgraded (e.g booking WTP and use the voucher to upgrade to Club World). Not sure about the income requirement itself but with less than £20k and assume lower spend per month it will take you years to earn enough Avios for a nice booking. Exchanging to Nectar is obviously an option, but again only great if you do Spend in Sainsbury/Argos/Habitat/ eBay normally. 

WillPS

Marchitiello said:

Exchanging to Nectar is obviously an option, but again only great if you do Spend in Sainsbury/Argos/Habitat normally. 

Don't forget Ebay. I think Habitat standalone stores are gone now?

dgmjr2018

MrFrugalFever said:

I think you’ll need to understand why you want the card initially and what benefit it will bring.
The Avios Plus monthly fee will far outweigh any gains if you’re only spending a few hundred a month or even if it’s a large one-off purchase (that’s providing you even get a half decent limit too). As per post from Will.

When I did the eligibility check (direct with BC) it didn’t indicate my suggested limit but did say which cards I was eligible for.

Don’t forget to be honest throughout your application, especially on the earnings but as quite of evidence will be sought.

Seems like the free version of the card is the best alternative, since thr main aim of the card is to complement/act as an alternative for when AMEX isn't accepted.

Also, I've seen people in the HFP forums saying that they give you a temporary £200 - until you send them proof of income and that will determine the actual credit limit.

WillPS

dgmjr2018 said:

MrFrugalFever said:

I think you’ll need to understand why you want the card initially and what benefit it will bring.
The Avios Plus monthly fee will far outweigh any gains if you’re only spending a few hundred a month or even if it’s a large one-off purchase (that’s providing you even get a half decent limit too). As per post from Will.

When I did the eligibility check (direct with BC) it didn’t indicate my suggested limit but did say which cards I was eligible for.

Don’t forget to be honest throughout your application, especially on the earnings but as quite of evidence will be sought.

Seems like the free version of the card is the best alternative, since thr main aim of the card is to complement/act as an alternative for when AMEX isn't accepted.

Also, I've seen people in the HFP forums saying that they give you a temporary £200 - until you send them proof of income and that will determine the actual credit limit.

Sometimes.