October 2024’s credit card & BNPL news & round-up

The latest news to help you get the most from your credit card.

Here’s my monthly update sharing changes for leading UK credit cards, as well as some of the relevant articles you might have missed on the blog.

October’s credit card & BNPL update video

I go into more detail on some of this month’s updates in this video.

October’s credit card & BNPL news

Chase trial UK credit card

It’s been rumoured for a long time, but reports have revealed that Chase staff are trialling a credit card in the UK ahead of a full public launch.

Don’t get too excited though. It seems like at start it’ll just be a basic credit card without any points or cashback. Those features will hopefully come later.

Asda reduces cashback rate for new cardholders

You’ll now get 0.75% on Asda spend and 0.2% elsewhere with the Asda Money credit card, which isn’t great compared to alternative cashback cards. However, that’s only for people who applied from September onwards. For now, existing cardholders get 1% in Asda and 0.3% at other retailers.

Amazon launches new Barclaycard

Though this is our October update, our last one of these was in early August – before Amazon launched it’s new partnership with Barclaycard. As covered in August, there’s a welcome offer and ongoing points available. You can read all the details in our Amazon Barclaycard Rewards credit card review.

BA Amex changes begin next month

Changes to the companion voucher eligibility for the British Airways Amex cards kick in on 1 November. You’ll need to spend £15,000 in your card year (so each anniversary from when you opened it) to trigger the voucher. This is for both the free and paid card.

If you’re still interested in getting the card, there’s a boosted Avios welcome offer running until Tuesday 8 November, more on that below.

Virgin Atlantic revamps points redemptions

From 30 October 2024 redeeming Virgin points for flights will get a lot more complicated – and could mean you need more to book certain seats and routes. You can read more about it on the Head for Points website.

Metro and Sainsbury Bank ditch credit cards

You can no longer apply for a new credit card with Sainsbury’s Bank. Existing ones are still working fine, though they could all move to NatWest in 2025. We’ll update you when we know more.

It’s a different story for Metro Bank though as all existing credit cards were closed on 10 September 2024, and they won’t be reopening applications either.

Tesco Bank cards set to move to Barclays

Meanwhile it looks like Tesco Bank credit cards will be transferred over to Barclays at the start of next month. Nothing will change at the start, but since Barclaycard have a policy of only one card with them, there’s a chance it could rule you out of welcome offers from other cards they provide.

Virgin & Nationwide merger

And yet another change saw Nationwide take over VIrgin Money on 1 October. For at least a year they’ll keep operating as separate businesses, so you don’t need to worry about anything.

10% HSBC offer recap

If you blinked you’ll have missed this amazing 10% cashback offer from HSBC. It was available in the last week of September, for earnings in October, November and December 2024 – if you were an existing HSBC Visa credit card holder and got the email inviting you to activate the offer. To be sure you don’t miss out on deals like this, make sure you subscribe to our free newsletter, sent out every Thursday morning at 7am.

October’s credit card special offers

BA Amex Premium Plus: 60,000 points welcome

This offer ends 8 October 2024 – more details in our BA Amex Premium Plus deals page.

Amex Cashback Everyday: extra £25 welcome

There’s an extra £25 on offer for new Amex Cashback Everyday cardholders, with 5% back on the first £2,500 spend rather than the usual £2,000. More details in our American Express deals page.

Amazon Barclaycard: £20 or £50 welcome

New applicants for the Amazon Barclaycard Rewards card will get a £20 Amazon credit, while anyone who had the previous Amazon credit cards can get £50 in credit.

Asda Money: get up to £30 back in Asda Pounds

If you open a credit card with Asda Money you can nab a £30 bonus in your Asda Reward app. More details in our credit card deals page.

This month’s best credit cards

As always when talking about credit cards the best credit card for you will depend on your credit report and why you need one. Make sure you read my rules for having and applying for a credit card.

But assuming you’ve got a great credit report, don’t need one to clear existing debts and will clear the balance completely each month, these are my top picks: