Since I got into using travel reward credit cards and earning credit card points and miles, here are some of the things I’ve heard people say about them when I ask if they think travel rewards are worth it in the UK –
‘Credit card points and miles are worthless’
‘I don’t spend enough to build up points and miles’
‘We don’t get good points and miles in the UK’
I’ve also been told that travel reward credit cards, points and miles are a scam. So how is it that I have amassed over 300,000 points in 18 months? And how is it that these points can buy me literally ten’s of thousands of pounds worth of travel?
To me, points and miles are essentially just free money. I’m not giving up anything to earn them. I simply earn them with every day spending. Most people in the UK have a Tesco Clubcard, Nectar Card, Lidl+, or some other app they collect points with for their shopping. Credit cards are exactly the same. But, they come with greater potential for rewards. You just need to make sure you are using the best rewards credit card for you personally.
So, are travel rewards worth it in the UK? Firstly, if you’re wondering what travel rewards, credit card points and miles actually are, check out my beginners guide to points and miles and then come back here.
Anyway, let me break down some of these common concerns.
‘Credit card points and miles are worthless’
By definition, this is just completely incorrect. Okay, credit card points and miles might not be life changing to many people but they do have their own value. This value can be extremely good if used correctly. For example, even at the lowest end, one point is worth around 0.4p. This means 10,000 points are worth £40. Maybe I’m wrong but I’m quite certain £40 is not worthless, especially as you’re earning it for doing literally nothing.
The real benefit to travel reward credit cards and their points, comes when you use them for travel. If you find the right deal, you can see points being worth upwards of 10p per point. In other words, 10,000 points can be worth £1,000. I’m sure now credit card points sound very interesting. Here is a real life example –
British Airways are selling a first class rewards flight on 29/06/2025 from London to Johannesburg. It is listed for 100,000 Avios points and £545.81 in taxes. If you were to pay for this flight outright it is listed at £11,382. So, once you take the taxes off the price, you’re left with £10,836.19. This is what is covered by the 100,000 Avios points. This gives a value of 10.8p per point, giving you an £11,000 flight for £545. So if you’re asking whether travel rewards are worth it in the UK, this seems like a good start.
‘I don’t spend enough to build up points and miles’
I think one problem we have as humans is that we are very impatient and struggle with long term thinking. It is literally rooted in our biology to think short-term. And I completely understand that some people will benefit more from travel reward credit cards than others. However, finding and using the best travel rewards credit card for you, has little to no downsides.
Firstly, you can collect points and miles, which you wouldn’t collect if you used a debit card, or a credit card that doesn’t offer points. Also, you help to build your credit score, you get greater protection in terms of scams and refunds. So no matter how much you spend and how long it is going to take to build points, if you’re spending the money anyway, why wouldn’t you want to collect them?
‘We don’t get good points in the UK’
Compared to the best travel reward credit cards in the US, this is unfortunately true. But if we don’t compare ourselves to them and just focus on what we can do, there is still plenty of opportunity. Forget the yanks and learn what you can do to collect points and miles.
As I said, I have amassed over 300,000 points in 18 months. This was just by using welcome bonuses, spending, and referrals effectively. To be honest, if I had known more about this when I started looking into the best rewards credit cards, I could have collected closer to 500,000 by this point. Given the BA example I used earlier, 500,000 points could be worth £50,000 worth of redemptions.
Although we have limited options compared with others, we can still make the most of what we do have available.
‘Points and miles are a scam’
I think the word ‘scam’ gets thrown around a lot — especially when it comes to points and miles. People hear “free flights” or “seven nights in a hotel for nothing” and immediately assume someone’s about to bungee jump out of the ceiling and snatch their bank details. The word ‘scam’ indicates something is dishonest. I understand that if you are not clued up on points and miles and you see all these people claiming to save thousands on flights, it looks suspicious. Really, it is just that people know something about travel reward credit cards that you don’t. They also probably understand what the best rewards credit cards are.
So how do you make travel rewards worth it in the UK?
Well, I personally think travel rewards are worth it in the UK no matter what. You are getting rewarded with points and miles for spending that you are already doing. It shouldn’t matter how big the reward is, if it’s free then take it! But there are ways you can make it more worth it.
Firstly, you have to pick the best rewards credit card for you. If you spend £700 per month, a welcome bonus that requires you to spend £2,000 per month is not for you.
Then, you need to understand where to use the card to maximise your points earnings. For example, if you were to get the American Express Nectar card, then start shopping at Sainsbury’s instead of Tesco because you can earn extra points. If you need to buy something, look at Nectar partners first. Or, go through the Amex shopping portal, because you will earn extra points.
Added Value
Another huge booster (if you have an Amex), are the referral schemes. You can earn up to 90,000 points per year on referrals, which is massive. You may think this will be a lot of referrals but it depends which card you have. Some cards will require 20 referrals, whilst others will only need 5.
These ideas are great to get started. However, I think a long-term strategy gets a bit more complicated. You may need to involve multiple cards and rotating through different cards. First, you should check out my beginners guide to credit card rewards, points and miles.
If you’re genuinely looking to travel more without torching your bank account, then getting into points and miles is a no-brainer — as long as you live somewhere that actually offers these programmes. Even if it takes a whole year to collect enough for a free flight, that’s still a big chunk of your travel costs wiped out.
Are travel reward credit card points still worth it if you have to pay for the credit card?
It’s true, some travel reward credit cards have annual fees. If I’m completely honest, the answer to this question is, it depends on you and what value you can get from the card. Credit cards are not a one size fits all. That’s why there are so many different options available. Overall, the best rewards credit cards are the one’s that have annual fees however, this does not mean it is best for YOU!
I pay £650 per year for the Amex Platinum and I think it is more than worth it and is one of the best travel reward credit cards for ME. For this, I get a lot of benefits that are worth a lot more than £650, if you can use them. For example, £500 per year in credit when you eat at certain places, comprehensive travel insurance, unlimited airport lounge access, better referral points and more. So, I can now eat out with my friends or family and get credit back, I travel a lot so it would cost a lot more if I had insurance for each individual trip and if I use the lounge every time I travel, it is more than worth it.
Please note that I am not suggesting you go and get the Amex platinum. You have to do your own research and ensure that whatever card you choose is the most suitable and beneficial to you.
Now, if you can’t get the value from a credit card that has a fee, then the answer would be no, points and miles aren’t worth it for that particular credit card. However, you have plenty of free options that can help you start collecting points. Here are some of the best travel rewards credit cards in the UK to help you decide.
Can you get travel completely free using points and miles?
In short, no, not usually. Unfortunately, you still have to pay the taxes for reward flights. As you might imagine, the UK has one of the highest rates of flight taxes in the world. However, these taxes may be anywhere from 5-50% of a flights overall cost. So, you can still save a lot of money. I would say the best value when redeeming points for flights is either long-haul flights or using them for business or first class flights.
On the other hand, if you wanted to redeem the points for hotels, you usually won’t have to pay any other fees, so you will only have to use points.
So why don’t more people talk about points and miles in the UK?
Most of the people I have spoken to have no idea that this is even a thing, let alone knowing if travel rewards are worth it in the UK. The people who have heard of it usually have the views that I spoke about at the start. I.e. it’s a scam, it’s not worth it, they don’t spend enough or they just don’t know how to choose the best rewards credit cards.
There is also a huge stigma around credit cards. People are scared of ‘debt’, they see the high interest rates and get put off, they don’t trust financial institutions. In reality, credit cards are considered a much better, safer financial tool than debit cards, if used appropriately. You usually don’t pay any interest if you pay your balance off at the end of the statement period and, you may not trust financial institutions, but we live in the world we live and we should make the most of what is available.
The truth is, you are missing out on so much potential if you’re not involved with credit card points and travel rewards. Imagine walking into a shop, they have a sale on and you find something you want to buy. Then, you had to the counter and ask for them to charge you full price instead of the marked sale price. Sounds silly doesn’t it? This is essentially what you are doing if you aren’t collecting rewards on your spending.
Are travel reward credit card points and miles actually worth it in the UK?
I’m going to leave this for you to answer for yourself. After all, it’s your money and you can choose to do with it what you wish. But for me, it’s an absolute no-brainer and I am so glad that I started to learn about how to collect, use and make points and miles worth it, even in the UK. If you want further info, check out the best travel rewards credit cards in the UK.
Let me know below if you have any tips for people looking to make it worth their while.
I have many other articles on the site, whether you need inspiration, travel tips or itineraries.
