Barclays travel credit cards: comparison and review

Planning a getaway or a longer vacation anytime soon? Wherever it is that you’ll be travelling to, you’ll need to think about how you’ll be spending while you’re away.

Paying outside the UK with your main credit card can sometimes be a large additional expense. Also, you might not want to carry it with you while travelling for safety reasons. In this guide, we’ll tell you all about the Barclays travel credit card and how it can help you save during your trip.

We’ll also show you an alternative for spending abroad – the Wise card from the money services provider Wise. It’s designed for travel, letting you spend in the local currency in 150+ countries worldwide for low, transparent fees* and mid-market exchange rates.

Learn more about the Wise card 💳

What travel credit cards Barclays offers?

Barclays has two reward-based credit cards that are made for travellers - the Barclaycard Avios card and the Barclaycard Avios Plus card. Their reward points are the same that are the reward currency of British Airlines (BA).¹

Both of these are Mastercards, so you’ll be able to use them virtually anywhere.

Barclays travel credit card’s benefits

Let’s get into Barclays travel credit card benefits.

First and foremost, the regular Barclays Avios card doesn’t have any monthly or annual fees. So, you get access to British Airways Avios for free, just by making everyday purchases.

At the moment, there’s a special promotion going on where you can get a double welcome bonus of 10,000 Avios instead of 5,000. All you need to do is make sure you spend £1,000 in the first three months. This applies until 23:59 on 26 September 2024.²

When it comes to the Barclaycard Avios Plus card, you also collect Avios, but there are other benefits included as well. For instance, it gives you access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide. You only pay a heavily discounted rate of £18.50 per lounge pass.

When it comes to the welcome bonus for this card, you can get 25,000 Avios by spending £3,000 in the first three months. This alone could be enough for a reward flight.³

Do Barclays credit cards have travel insurance?

So, does the Barclays credit card have travel insurance? Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like it, since there’s no information about it on their website. However, you may want to contact them directly and check for any updates.

Barclays travel credit cards’ quick comparison/overview

Let’s look at a quick comparison of both travel credit cards:

Barclays travel credit cards

Let’s cover the features of Barclays travel credit cards to help you decide which one might be better for you.

Barclaycard Avios card

When you spend with your Barclaycard Avios credit card, you receive 1 Avios for every £1 spent on eligible transactions. If you spend £1,000 in the first three months, you’ll get a 5,000 Avios welcome bonus. However, you can take advantage of an ongoing promotion by applying by 23:59 on 26 September 2024 and you’ll receive a double welcome bonus of 10,000 Avios.²

When you collect enough Avios, you can exchange them for cabin upgrades or even reward flights that cost only a few pounds. One example they’ve listed on their website is collecting 19,500 Avios and adding only £1 for a peak economy return flight from London to Milan.²

You get a special reward if you spend £20,000 on your card in 12 months. You can choose between a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher or 7,000 bonus Avios points.²

The representative APR is 29.9% variable. The representative APR on purchases is 26.9% variable. This is based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200.²

Lastly, in order to qualify, you need £20,000 of income per year and four years experience of managing credit.²

Barclaycard Avios Plus card

This card has a £20 monthly fee and lots of perks that come with it. For example, if you have this Barclays travel credit card, you get discounted access to over 1,000 airport lounges across the globe. You’ll only pay a fixed rate of £18.50 per lounge pass. When it comes to Avios, you’ll get 1.5 for every £1 spent on eligible purchases.³

There’s an even better welcome bonus with the Avios Plus card. If you spend £3,000 in the first three months, you’ll get 25,000 bonus Avios in your account. Also, if you spend £10,000 on your card in 12 months, you’ll get either a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher or 7,000 bonus Avios points.³

The representative APR is 80.1% variable. The representative APR on purchases is 29.9% variable. Just like it is with the free card, this is based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200. What’s also the same is the eligibility criteria - £20,000 in annual income and four years experience of managing credit.³

Barclays travel credit card’s fees

The Barclays travel credit card fees are pretty much the same with both cards. The only difference is the £20 monthly fee with the Barclays Avios Plus credit card.

Here are the other fees both cards have in common:²

• 2.99% cash transaction fee with a £2.99 minimum
• 2.99% non-sterling foreign transaction fee
• Personalized fees for balance transfers and instalment plans
• £12 late payment fee

Both of these Barclay travel credit cards also have foreign ATM fees when you use your card abroad. Every time you withdraw foreign currency, you’ll be charged a 2.99% fee (minimum fee of £2.99).⁴

A great alternative for low-cost spending abroad - the Wise card

Looking to do some travelling and need a convenient and cost-effective card?

Get yourself a Wise card and you can spend at the mid-market exchange rate in 150+ countries, whenever you want.

Open a Wise account online and you can get a Wise card for a one-time cost of just £7. Your card automatically converts currency whenever you spend, so you don’t need to worry about preloading foreign currency to your account or converting cash. There’s only a small conversion fee* to pay.

And if you need cash, your Wise card has you covered. You can withdraw up to £200 a month (max 2 withdrawals) from ATMs for free (although double-check that the ATM operator doesn’t charge its own fee).

Sign up with Wise today 💰

Sources used:

Sources last checked on date: 04-Sep-2024