Collecting Avios with Barclays: Banking and Credit Cards + Other Benefits

It’s been just over two years since I switched from HSBC to Barclays to take advantage of collecting more Avios. Barclays has the UK’s only Avios-earning current account.

There are lots of ways to collect Avios with Barclays, including Barclays Avios Rewards, Barclaycard credit cards and additional extras like mortgages and life insurance. 

Whether you’re already a Barclays Premier Banking customer and thinking of signing up for Barclays Avios Rewards, switching bank accounts, or wondering about Barclaycard Credit Cards, here’s what you need to know!

Barclays Avios Rewards

To be eligible for Barclays Avios Rewards, you must be a Premier Banking or Barclays Wealth customer. This is one of the biggest downsides of earning Avios through Barclays current accounts.

You need an income of £75,000+ per year OR at least £100,000 saved or invested with Barclays to get a Barclays Premier Account or £500,000 investable assets for a Barclays Wealth account.

Barclays Avios Rewards is £12 per month and allows you to earn 1,500 Avios per month regardless of your monthly spending

When you sign up, you’ll get a 25,000 Avios bonus if you switch to Barclays Banking using the Current Account Switch Service and join Barclays Avios Rewards within three months.

When you sign up, you need to add your British Airways Executive Club number so the Avios and any rewards can be added to your account. To set up your Avios Rewards account, you must agree to go paperless for all your Barclays accounts.

If you’ve already had an account (for at least 4 months), you’ll get 2,500 bonus Avios instead of 25,000 when you join Barclays Avios Rewards.

You’ll receive an anniversary reward every 12 months—either 7,000 Avios or a British Airways Cabin Upgrade Voucher.

I see it a bit like an Avios subscription – a guaranteed 1,500 Avios per month for £12. That works out at 0.8p per Avios.

TIP: I’m not sure how it works, but there’s a loophole here. I suggest signing up with Barclays Avios Rewards even if you don’t meet the requirements. My application was accepted when I switched despite not meeting the requirements. Six months ago, I received an email telling me I would lose access to Premier Banking if I didn’t meet the requirements within six months. They would allow me to continue earning Avios for a further 12 months if I continued to pay the £12 per month. Fast forward six months, and they have reversed the decision, and I can now keep Premier Banking despite still not meeting the requirements. 

The British Airways Cabin Upgrade Voucher

Earning the Cabin Upgrade Voucher as a Barclays Avios Rewards annual bonus requires no minimum spend —you need to continue being a member of Barclays Avios Rewards.

The cabin upgrade voucher allows you to upgrade your cabin on a British Airways flight while only spending the Avios needed for the cabin below (e.g. Fly in World Traveller Plus and pay the number of Avios required for a World Traveller redemption).

There are a few things you should know about this voucher:

• You can only use the cabin upgrade voucher on a British Airways reward flight. Your flight must be fully paid for with Avios, NOT Avios + cash or cash only. 
• There has to be availability in the class you want to upgrade to.
• The upgrade can only be used on a British Airways-operated flight, NOT any airline in the Oneworld alliance or a codeshare flight not operated by BA.
• You can upgrade from World Traveller to World Traveller Plus and from World Traveller Plus to Club World. However, you can’t upgrade from Club World to First.
• Although the flight must be booked from your BA Executive Club account, you can book a flight for anyone on your household account or family and friends list.
• You must pay the taxes and charges of the cabin you’re upgrading to.
• Your flight must depart from the UK.
• The voucher can’t be applied to BA holiday booking.

You can read our article on how to earn and use Barclaycard cabin upgrade vouchers here >>>

7000 Avios Vs a Cabin Upgrade Voucher

While a Cabin Upgrade Voucher is worth more, there are several reasons why it may be best to opt for the Avios. Here are some of them:

• You won’t be flying with BA for the next two years, but you want to keep topping up your Avios balance.
• You’re not planning to use your Avios (e.g. you want to convert them to Nectar Points or purchase them from The Wine Flyer).
• You won’t have enough Avios to pay for a full redemption flight to get the upgrade. Remember, you must also pay the taxes and fees for the cabin you upgrade to.
• You travel as a larger group or family all the time.

Last year, I opted for the Avios rather than the upgrade voucher. I used an upgrade voucher on my next flight. I would also have to pay for two children in World Traveller Plus, and anyone travelling with me would also need to purchase a World Traveller Plus ticket. I was also unsure whether I’d take a BA flight where an upgrade is worth it in the next 2 years. It turns out we are, but they are all short-haul flights with a baby!

TIP: The Cabin Upgrade Voucher is valid for two years from the date you select. You can wait until the end of your membership year to choose, and your voucher will be valid for two years from that day. However, the cabin upgrade voucher will be issued by default if you forget to choose.

Boosting Your Avios with Barclays Products

Mortgages: Earn 700 Avios per month and an extra 2,000 Avios when you take out a residential or buy-to-let mortgage. The mortgage must be residential or buy-to-let. You’ll also get a 2,000 Avios joining bonus for every mortgage you take out. You can earn Avios for one residential mortgage and unlimited buy-to-let mortgages.

Life Insurance: Earn 150 Avios for the first 12 months of having life insurance. This increases to 500 Avios if critical illness coverage is included.

Loans: Earn 200 Avios per month with each Barclays Loan (minimum £5,000) + a joining bonus of 2,000 Avios with your first loan.

Barclaycard Avios Credit Cards

There is also the only UK Avios-earning current account and two Avios-earning credit cards – a free and paid version.

Here’s a comparison:

	Barclaycard Avios	Barclaycard Avios Plus
Joining Bonus	5,000 Avios joining bonus if you spend £1,000 in the first three months.	25,000 Avios joining bonus if you spend £3,000 in the first three months.
Avios Earning	1 Avios for every £1 spent	1.5 Avios for every £1 spent
Minimum Spend for Reward	Spend £20,000 in 12 months and get a Cabin Upgrade Voucher OR 7,000 Avios	Spend £10,000 in 12 months and get a Cabin Upgrade Voucher OR 7,000 Avios
Lounge Access	No Lounge Access	£18.50 per lounge pass, per person via DragonPass
Monthly Fee	FREE	£20

The credit cards also have a cabin upgrade voucher award, which can be earned in addition to the one earned with Barclays Premier Banking. You CAN use both on the same booking.

DragonPass

Avios is not the only travel reward you’ll earn from Barclays Avios Rewards. You’ll also get a set amount of cheap or free annual lounge visits via DragonPass. The DragonPass app lets you book over 1,000 lounges worldwide, including Plaza Premium Lounges. I enjoyed visiting the Plaza Premium Heathrow Terminal 4 before a flight to Bangkok.

If you have Barclays Avios Rewards or the Barclays Avios Rewards Credit Card, you can get five lounge passes at £18.50. If you have both, you’ll get ten. If you have the Barclays Travel + Pack, you’ll get five FREE annual lounge visits.

With DragonPass Premier+, you’ll also get:

• Discounted fast-track
• Airport dining offers
• Money off some airport spa treatments

Barclays Travel and Breakdown Insurance

Anyone who banks with Barclays has access to travel and breakdown insurance products. In 2024, travel insurance was voted Which Best-Buy Travel Insurance with RAC breakdown cover for the UK and Europe.

Travel Pack

The travel pack has no fantastic benefits besides knowing you have good family travel insurance and RAC breakdown cover. The minimum cost is £14.50 per month, depending on health conditions.

Travel Plus Pack

The Travel Plus Pack is £22.50 per month, and you’ll also get:

• Discounted fast-track security
• Six complimentary airport lounge visits per year via DragonPass Premier+
• A 24/7 digital concierge service.

Avios Earning Potential with Barclays

Example 1 – Barclays Premier Banking:

If you sign up for Barclays Premier Banking and get a 25,000 Avios joining bonus + 1,500 Avios per month for one year, you can opt for the anniversary reward of 7,000 Avios at the end of the year. You will have earned 50,000 Avios in one year just by paying £12 per month and banking with Barclays Premier!

In the second year, you’ll continue to earn 1,500 Avios each month. If you opt for the 7,000 Avios bonus, you’ll earn 25,000 Avios this year and all future years.

Example 2 – Avios Barclaycard + Premier Banking

You opt for the free Avios Barclaycard. You earn 3,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 on your card in the first three months. If you spend £15,000 on your card in 12 months, you will have earned 18,000 Avios in your first year with a completely FREE card. If you also had Barclays Premier Banking, you would have earned 68,000 Avios.

Example 3 – Barclaycard Avios Plus 

You get the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card for £20 per month. You spend £3,000 in the first 3 months and get a 25,000 Avios bonus. In one year, you spend £10,000 on your credit card and earn 15,000 Avios. You earn 40,000 from your credit card in one year.

Final Words

Barclays Avios Rewards is worth a look if you meet the eligibility criteria and want to collect Avios through a UK current account. You can earn up to 50,000 Avios in your first year and 25,000 Avios in future years!

If you don’t meet the requirements, you can still apply for a Barclaycard Credit Card and earn Avios through everyday spending. You can have a credit card AND Barclays Premier Banking and get sign-up bonuses and rewards, including two cabin upgrade vouchers per year. 

Do you find Barclays Premier Banking/Barclaycard Credit Cards worthwhile? Let us know in the comments below!