The best UK credit cards for rewards
If you’re not using a credit card for everyday spending, you could be leaving free money on the table. The best credit cards for rewards can give you cashback, air miles, discounts, and other valuable perks—just for making purchases you would have made anyway.The trick to maximising rewards is simple: use the right credit card, pay off the balance in full every month to avoid interest, and stack rewards wherever possible. Stacking rewards? Yes, there are ways you can earn multiple credit card rewards on a single transaction. Whether you're after the best credit card for cashback, reward points, or travel benefits, this guide will help you choose the best one.
The Best Credit Cards for Rewards in the UK
We've sifted through pages and pages of credit cards so you don't have to. Here are some of the best credit cards for rewards that we found. Each one offers different perks, but how much can you realistically earn? Let’s break it down.
1. NatWest Reward Credit Card
- Cashback: 1% at supermarkets. Up to 15% cashback at selected NatWest partner retailers.
- Annual Fee: £24
- Foreign Transaction Fee: 2.99%
- Potential Earnings: If you spend £500 per month on groceries, you’d earn £60 per year in cashback rewards, which compensates for the annual fee. And if you shop at partner retailers, your cashback rewards could be worth £100+.
Boost your Natwest rewards credit card with Curve: Add your NatWest Reward card to a Curve Wallet to earn additional cashback, and avoid foreign transaction fees, without having to switch cards. Curve is a digital wallet packed with cashback offers you can stack on top of the rewards you earn with your debit and credit cards. You will earn cashback automatically every time you shop at select retailers like Primark, Argos, IKEA, Waterstones and more. And if you get a premium plan you can earn an additional 1% cashback on all spending outside Europe and 1% cashback at up to 12 retailers of your choice. Used in combination with a good rewards credit card – Curve is a no-brainer for boosing cashback rewards.
2. Barclaycard Rewards Credit Card
- Cashback: 0.25% on all spending.
- Annual Fee: £0
- Foreign Transaction Fee: £0
- Potential Earnings: If you spend £1,500 per month on the credit card, that’s £45 per year in cashback—completely free.
Earn extra cashback rewards with Curve: Adding your Barclays Rewards credit card to Curve can make you additional money on your everyday spending. As we've highlighted earlier, Curve is a digital wallet packed with cashback offers from popular brands. And if you travel a lot, it could be worth getting a Curve Pay Pro plan to get 1% cashback on all your spedning outside Europe AND 1% cashback at 6 retailers of your choice. Combined with the Barclays Rewards credit card, it's a great choice for those seeking the best credit card for cashback on their everyday spending.
3. American Express Rewards Credit Card
- Cashback: 0.5% up to £10000, 1% cashback on spend above £10,000
- Annual Fee: £0
- Foreign Transaction Fee: 3%
- Potential earnings: If you spend £1,000 on your credit card in 12 months, you could earn £70 in cashback (£50 on your first £10K, £20 on your last £2K)
Warning: As the only rewards credit card you can't add to a Curve Wallet, you're limited when it comes to stacking rewards for maximum earnings. Using Amex abroad will cost you with a 3% FX fee on every purchase. With other credit cards that carry a similar fee, you can use Curve to avoid the foreign transaction fee but unfortunately this isn't an option with American Express. It's also important to remember that Amex has extremely high interest rates so if you are swaying towards Amex, make sure to pay your balance in full every month to avoid paying through the roof.
4. Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card
- Rewards: Earn 0.75 Virgin Points per £1 spent, 1.5 points per £1 spent on Virgin Atlantic.
- Annual Fee: £0
- Foreign Transaction Fee: 2.99%
- Potential earnings: 15,000 Virgin Points = A one-way short-haul flight.
Maximise your credit card rewards with Curve: The Virgin Rewards credit card doesn't offer cashback, but if you add it to Curve, you can earn cashback rewards and nab yourself a free flight. double win.
5. Yonder Reward Credit Card
- Rewards: Earn 1-5 points per £1 spent, depending on retailer.
- Annual Fee: £15 per month (£180 per year).
- Foreign Transaction Fee: £0
- Potential Earnings: If you spend £2,000 per month at Yonder’s partner restaurants and retailers, that’s up to 120,000 points—worth over £500 in dining and experiences.
Maximise Yonder credit card rewards: Yonder rewards are great for foodies and social butterflies, but many rewards are London-focused. So take a closer look at what rewards are relevant to you before signing up. Adding your Yonder card to Curve gives you cashback rewards on top of your credit card rewards so it's a great way to get free meals - and free money - when used in combination.
How to Boost Your Credit Card Rewards
Most people don’t maximise their rewards because they aren’t stacking multiple benefits. That’s where Curve comes in.
🚀 Curve: The Ultimate Credit Card Rewards Booster
By linking your rewards credit card to Curve, you can double up on cashback, avoid foreign transaction fees, and simplify your payments.
- Stack Cashback: Keep earning credit card rewards, plus get extra cashback via Curve on brands like Amazon, eBay, Primark, Argos and IKEA.
- Avoid Foreign Fees: Using Curve means no 3% foreign transaction charges, saving you £30 for every £1,000 spent abroad. Fee-free spending limits differ by tier.
- Smarter Spending: Use Smart Rules to automatically choose the best card for each purchase—cashback card for groceries, air miles card for travel, etc.
Conclusion: What’s the Best Credit Card for Rewards?
The best credit card for cashback or rewards depends on your spending habits:
- Best for everyday cashback: NatWest Reward or Barclaycard Rewards.
- Best for travel: Virgin Atlantic Reward credit card
- Best for dining & experiences: Yonder Reward.
- Best for fee-free spending abroad: Barclaycard Rewards.
For ultimate optimisation, pair your credit card with Curve—you’ll increase cashback, avoid fees, and simplify rewards into one seamless wallet.
