Image Archives - Page 2 of 35 - Be Clever With Your Cash

Updated August 11, 2026 | Best Buy

The best student bank accounts 2026

The best 0% overdrafts and freebies for students

Choosing the best student bank account is typically about finding the one with the best benefits, such as the size of the interest-free overdraft, then other things, like money management tools, freebies and what’ll happen when you graduate.

Here are the best bank accounts for students in 2026 and what they offer.

Some articles on the site contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund our work. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or our editorial independence. Read more here.

How to choose the best student bank account

When choosing a student account, you typically want to focus on the size of the interest-free overdraft, despite freebies being tempting.

It’s also worth noting that most accounts are designed for three-year courses, so check the terms — especially for the overdrafts — if you have a longer degree.

When looking at your options, these are the key questions to ask.

How big is the 0% overdraft?

A 0% overdraft could be essential to help you get through your time at university. You won’t be charged any interest on the money in there, making them the cheapest way to borrow money.

Of course, you need to be careful about using it and not treat it as free cash as you will have to pay it back. You will generally have a few years after you graduate (and hopefully start working) to do this, but even so, don’t spend this money just because it’s available.

The lengths of 0% overdrafts change between the banks – and you might not even get the advertised amount. If the wording says the overdraft is “up to” that means you might not get the high sum mentioned in the adverts.

But it might be best not to go for the largest amount, as the bigger the overdraft the bigger the temptation to use it all. Instead, work out how much you think you’ll need to use and ask for that.

Plus, even if you think you won’t need one at all, it’s worth choosing a bank that offers one and applying for it at the start – you never know how things could change.

Some banks will also increase the size of overdraft each year, though you often have to ask. This means you can’t blow it all in the first year.

However, there could be conditions attached to having one of these fee-free overdrafts, so make sure you read all the T&Cs upfront. It could be something like pay in £500 every term.

There’s also the chance you could get rejected for the overdraft so check your credit file before applying. Most students won’t have much on their file, but it’s worth making sure there’s nothing wrong there.

And of course, if you spend more than your overdraft allows you may be hit with huge interest charges of around 40%.

What freebies are available?

Freebies typically come in the form of cash, although we’ve seen some accounts offer other things, such as subscriptions, including Headspace. Santander’s been offering a Railcard for years, a great perk if you’re moving further away.

Some of these could save you a fair bit of cash, if you’d have bought them anyway, that is. These should generally be a second deciding factor once you’ve looked at overdraft options.

It also pays to check how much these freebies would cost if you looked around for extra deals and discounts. Often the value advertised is much higher than you’d actually need to pay.

What happens after you graduate?

Banks go all out for your business as a student as they know there’s a good chance you’ll stick with them for the rest of your life – and that’ll make them money. You’ll usually be moved to a Graduate account with the same bank, but you don’t have to stick with them — you could choose a better graduate account or go for bank switching cash or other rewards. You can see the types of offers currently on offer here.

The best bank accounts for students

Here’s our pick of the best accounts to get. You can only have one student account at a time, usually, but you can open up additional standard bank accounts on top.

You’re also able to switch from your student account to a new one if you want to change banks mid-degree. However with most, you’ll be subject to a credit check, so don’t apply for these too close to each other.

Bank	Account name	0% overdraft	Perks
Nationwide	FlexStudent current account	Year 1: Up to £1,000 Year 2: Up to £2,000 Year 3: Up to £3,000	£100 cash, £120 in Just Eat vouchers
NatWest & RBS	Student Bank Account	First term: Up to £500 Years 1 & 2: Up to £2,000 Year 3: Up to £3,250	£100 and a 4-year Tastecard
Santander	Edge Student	Years 1-3: £1,500 guaranteed	4-year Santander 16-25 Railcard £100,000 prize draw (win at least £20)

Up to £3,000 overdraft: Nationwide FlexStudent

Perk: £100 cash, one of the largest overdrafts and top ethical choice

The Nationwide student account offers £100 if you open an account after 15 July 2026, then pay in £500 and use the debit card five times by 11 December 2026. You can’t have had a FlexStudent or FlexGraduate account on 30 June 2025.

This also has one of the largest overdrafts over the course of the degree (NatWest offers up to £3,250 and HSBC also offers up to £3,000). The overdraft builds gradually over your degree, stopping you from blowing it all in one go.

This is so far one of the best student accounts in 2025 due to its large interest-free overdraft and the perks. It’s a good choice if you’re worried about the ethics of your bank, too.

You’ll also be eligible for the Nationwide Fairer Share payment in the summer, which has been worth £100 a year for the last three years.

Nationwide FlexStudent

Overdraft	Up to £1,000 in year one; up to £2,000 in year two; Up to £3,000 in year three
Opening offer	£100 cash
	£120 in Just Eat vouchers (£10 per month)
	Limited edition debit card
Bonus paid	14 days after meeting criteria
Requirements	Open a new FlexStudent account no more than five months before and 12 months after starting your course
	Deposit £500 and use debit card 5 times by 11 December 2026 (for the bonus and vouchers)
	Deposit £500 every term (for the overdraft)
	Not had a FlexStudent or FlexGraduate account before 15 July 2026
	Have been a UK resident for three or more years
Offer ends	Unknown

See our full review of Nationwide FlexStudent

Up to £3,250 overdraft: NatWest or RBS Student Account

Perk: £100 cash and a 4-year Tastecard

The interest-free overdraft is up to £500 in the first term and then up to £2,000 after this. You can get up to £3,250 in the third year. By offering you an increasing amount, you’ll be able to budget more efficiently and reduce the risk of blowing it all in Freshers’ week.

NatWest and RBS both also offer £100 cash and a free 4-year Tastecard. If you don’t go for this account there are other ways to get cheap or free dining discount memberships.

NatWest/ RBS Student Account

Overdraft	Up to £500 in the first term, up to £2,000 in the first year then up to £3,250 in the third year.
Opening offer	£100 and a four-year Tastecard
Bonus paid	Within 10 working days of meeting criteria
Requirements	Open an account after 1 July 2026
	Not have had a student offer from NatWest since 1 July 2022
	Lived in the UK for at least three years
Offer ends	Unknown

Read our review of the NatWest student account

Featured investing offer

eToro Free £50 in fractional shares

Customer rating 3.8/5

Offer
free £50 in fractional shares*
Annual fee
£0
Investment styles
Shares, funds or ready-made portfolios
Minimum deposit
$50

Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

FSCS Protected? Yes
Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional shares Yes
Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

View Deal

Guaranteed overdraft: Santander Edge Student

Perk: Free 4-year railcard + win at least £20

The Santander Edge Student account offers a guaranteed £1,500 overdraft for the first three years, so it’s a decent option if you want certainty on how much you can borrow. If you study longer it increases to £1,800 in year four and £2,000 if you stay on for a fifth year.

You also get a free four-year 16-25 railcard, a nice option if you are likely to be travelling by rail a lot as it knocks a third of train fares but I’d opt for hard cash instead.

There’s also at least £20 to be won via a prize draw. More details in our full review.

Santander Edge Student

Overdraft	£1,500 in years one to three, £1,800 in year four, £2,000 in year five (if still studying)
Opening offer	4-year 16-25 Railcard & guaranteed £20 prize
Bonus paid	Within 5 working days you’ll get a code to redeem the railcard
Requirements	Deposit £500 every term
	Have proof of an accepted or unconditional offer
	Live in the UK for tax purposes
Offer ends	Unknown

See our review of the Santander Edge Student account

More on the Santander Edge Student account

Our podcast

Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Steve Alderton and Editor James Andrews.

Episodes every Monday.

Listen now

Other student accounts

It’s worth checking out these accounts too, some of them offer good overdrafts, but they mainly offer freebies. These might seem more attractive than 0% overdrafts, but if you do need to borrow, an overdraft is probably worth more.

If you’re really not bothered by an overdraft then it’s still worth nabbing one and putting that cash in savings.

Bank	Account name	Overdraft	Perks
HSBC	Student Account	Up to £1,000 in year one, up to £2,000 in year two, up to £3,000 in year three	None in 2026 yet (no offer in 2025)
Lloyds	Student Current Account	Years 1-3: Up to £1,500	£100 cash and up to £90 in Deliveroo vouchers
Barclays	Student Additions Account	Year 1: Up to £1,000 Years 2 & 3: Up to £1,500	None in 2026 yet (no offer in 2025)
TSB	Student Bank Account	Years 1-3: Up to £1,500	5% interest on up to £500
Co-op	Student bank account	Not yet taking applications for 2026 Year 1: Up to £1,400 Year 2: Up to £1,700 Year 3: Up to £2,000	None

How to get a student bank account

You have to be over 18 and living in the UK to get any student bank account, and most will require you to be at the start of your first year to get the freebie.

You’ll need to show ID such as a passport, driving licence or birth certificate. You’ll also need to bring along proof of your acceptance to the uni or college – possibly your UCAS letter or university acceptance letter.

You don’t need to wait until you get to your university to open the account, so doing it now before you head off means you can get your bank card and PIN sent out and your online banking set up in advance.

Can I have more than one student account?

Most of the time you can only have one “student” account, this is usually laid out in each bank’s T&Cs – you’ll likely not get the perk or overdraft if you try and attempt it.

You could potentially open one of these accounts to get the freebie, then close it down and open up another one (or switch it). You’ll need to do this within the stated timeframes to get any perks, and it’s worth double-checking the T&Cs of each account to make sure you’re allowed.

There’s nothing stopping you from opening another bank account that’s not got the “student” perks – keep reading for more on these.

Can I switch my student bank?

You can switch your student bank account to any other account of your choosing, whether that’s another student account with another bank or a standard current account. This is as long as the bank is part of the Current Account Switching Service.

In some cases, this can get you an extra perk, so it could be worthwhile.

If you want to switch after you’ve graduated, this is possible too, just be careful about trying to switch if you’re overdrawn, as you may wind up paying overdraft fees.

Can I earn interest on my savings?

Though some of the student accounts will offer interest on money in the account, they are quite limited and not a reason to pick one account over another.

However, if you think you’ll have more money available or don’t think you’ll need to use all of your overdraft, then you could look at other savings accounts.

Just be careful not to lock it away if you think you’ll need to access your savings.

Could you stooze your overdraft?

Stoozing is where you borrow money at 0% and put that cash into savings. Normally it’s via a specialist credit card – but you don’t need to do that when you have an interest-free overdraft.

To take advantage you simply transfer the money from your current account to a top-paying savings account. Putting £1,000 into a 4% paying account will earn you £40 in interest in a year.

If you’re confident you won’t need to use the money at all then you can get higher rates by fixing your savings.

If you do this, make sure you have enough cash in the bank to cover your everyday spending.

Alternative to student accounts

The bulk of the specialist student current accounts will have perfectly decent apps. But if you want one that’ll help you budget or have more advanced features you’ll want to look at digital banks Starling, Chase or Monzo.

They have a number of features that will help you do things like keep track of your spending, split your money by purpose (e.g. bills, going out, groceries) and it’s also a lot easier to set alerts for when your balance is getting low.

However, none of these offer specific student accounts and therefore don’t have a 0% overdraft. Instead, they could be a good secondary account alongside a high-street bank, getting you the best of both worlds.

I suggest using one of these as your day-to-day bank or everyday spending, transferring over a set amount to spend each week from the student account with an overdraft.

They’re also decent bets for spending abroad, whether studying overseas or on holiday.

You don’t have to stick with just a student account. You can open one with other features at another bank to use in addition.

Updated August 10, 2026 | Articles

Cheapest ways to watch Premier League, EFL & other football on TV (2026/27 season)

Andy Webb | Updated by Andy Webb

Here’s how to watch football on TV without forking out the equivalent of a Premier League player’s ~~daily~~ hourly wage.

If you’re dusting off your football shirt ready for the new season, you may also be considering the cheapest ways to watch your team on TV.

This year, more than 260 Premier League games will be shown on TV, split between Sky TV, and TNT Sports (previously BT Sport).

Championship, League One and League Two fans will get most of their action on Sky Sports, with more games than ever broadcast. Plus there’s European football on TNT and Amazon Prime. And let’s not forget international matches too.

If you want to watch as many games as possible, it doesn’t come cheap. And if you don’t support one of the big teams, they’ll be featured less often, which can make it more expensive per match.

Here’s my guide to the cheapest ways to watch Premier League, EFL and other football.

Cheapest ways to watch football on Sky Sports

Sky Sports is available on as an add on for Sky, EE TV and Virgin Media packages, or as a pay as you go pass via NOW.

If you already pay for Sky or Virgin, then it’s worth haggling to see if you can add on Sky Sports, or reduce your existing spend. However if you just want the sport channels you’ll be tied into an 18 or 24 month contract for all your other services you have with them such as broadband, as well as forced to also pay for entertainment options, really bringing the price up.

Sky Sports is currently £22 a month for 24-months direct from Sky with the standard Sky channels and Netflix adding on another £15 a month. Sky Ultimate with more streaming services, like Disney+ and HBO Max is £24, though Sports is another £20 here.

Sadly it doesn’t look like Sky is still offering a cut price deal just for the football channels or just for the F1 channel – but keep an eye out for either’s return.

You can pay a £25 a month for a monthly rolling contract via Sky Stream as an introductory offer, but you’ll need to pay at least £18 a month on top for Sky Essentials and Netflix. For most people you’re better off going with NOW.

With Virgin Media it’s also another £20 on top, at least for the sports channels. Again, not bad, but you’re likely over paying for the other channels.

Get day or month Sky Sports passes with NOW TV

NOW TV passes are particularly good if you don’t want to pay for other Sky or Virgin channels or Netflix (which is bundled with Sky), or if you won’t watch all year around.

Plus, combine a NOW TV pass with cut-price broadband and phone line deal and it’ll often be much much cheaper than getting everything as part of the full Sky or Virgin packages.

If you only plan to watch a few games at home throughout the season you can buy a NOW day pass for £14.99. You get all the Sky Sports channels for 24 hours. This isn’t as good a deal as it used to be, but still a money saver if you just want to watch a single match.

A monthly pass is also available, meaning you can view more sport. But at £34.99 it’s not as cheap as adding to Sky if you pay it every month.

The good news is there are regular deals to reduce the price of a pass. These have dwindled a little over the last few years, and there are very few day pass deals.

But monthly ones do still pop up quite regularly, often dropped to between £21 and £28 a month either when you first sign up or as a retention offer if you go to cancel. Get it this low, if not lower, then it’s more comparable to what you’d pay adding it to Sky without the requirement for other channels. I actually paid just £17.99 a month last season.

More recently you might find these offers tie you in for a minimum period, perhaps as long as six months, which isn’t as flexible. But others still let you cancel when ever you want.

You can get more details on NOW TV sports deals in our regularly updated list of the best NOW TV Sky Sports Pass offers.

You can stream the NOW TV app on your TV, console or streaming stick; or on your computer or mobile device. Though you can’t record (it’s all on-demand and catch up), you can now pause and rewind live sport.

If you want HD or to share your pass you’ll need to pay more. It’s £6 a month for Boost (2x streams and 720p) and £9 a month for Boost Ultra (3x streams and 1080p). Again, there are often deals to bring the price down. Personally I tend to pay full price for the first month, then get a lower deal of £2 or £3 via the cancellation trick.

Watch Sky Sports without a subscription

All the latest Sky Sports on NOW deals

The cheapest way to watch football on TNT Sports

TNT Sports is available to add to TV packages from Sky, EE and Virgin, or stream direct from Discovery+. We’ve got a deals page which highlights some of the best TNT Sports deals available, but here are the cheapest options.

Free with some BT broadband packages

If you have been with BT for a while for broadband or mobile packages then it’s worth checking if you’ve got free access to the full Discovery+ package, which includes TNT Sports. If you’re not eligible you can add it for £10 a month with no long contract commitment.

Buy a month’s pass

If you don’t have or want expensive pay TV contracts, you can access TNT Sports with HBO MAX for £30.99 per month. You don’t need to commit to a contract, so you can get a month’s access whenever you need it, making it good for casual fans. A year will come in at £25.99 a month, though you’re locked in to 12 months.

Sky customers can add it for £28 a month, which is a rolling 31 day contract.

Save money on TNT Sports

All my ways to save on this dedicated TNT Sports deals article

The cheapest way to watch football on Amazon Prime Video

There will be 17 Champions League games shown on Amazon Prime this season, spread across the year. It costs £95 for the full year, and obviously you get access to other Prime benefits. But there are ways to pay less if you’re only after the odd match.

Get a free Amazon Prime trial

If you’ve never had Prime, you can take out a 30-day trial for free. And if you have had a trial before, it’s still worth checking as you can normally get another one after a year, if not sooner.

Pay £7.99 a month

You can also sign up on a monthly basis, at a lower £7.99 a month (there was a sneaky price hike this year, which wasn’t really publicised). That’s much cheaper than the full monthly Prime price of £8.99 a month, and you’ve got the flexibility to cancel if there are no games on, and resign up when there are.

Save money on Amazon Prime Video

All the latest Amazon Prime Video deals

Save more on pay TV

Switch to a new deal

With Sky Sports and TNT Sports, rather than just add the channels to your existing service as a top-up, it’s often cheaper to switch your service to a new company.

There are always offers for current customers signing new contracts, but the best deals are usually for new customers or those who threaten to leave. You can generally save even more by going via cashback sites.

Haggle with your provider

You can add on the Sky Sports and TNT Sports channels to your existing Sky, Virgin, Talk Talk and BT TV packages, but this can get very expensive.

Look out for special offers at the start of the season, or get on the phone with your provider and haggle for a better deal.

Cancel it when you don’t need it

These big pay TV companies often let you take Sky Sports month by month, so if there aren’t any matches you want to see, or you know you won’t have time, just call up and cancel.

You can sign up again when you want to restart watching the channels. Check the terms and conditions before subscribing and see if there is a notice or minimum period.

Featured investing offer

eToro Free £50 in fractional shares

Customer rating 3.8/5

Offer
free £50 in fractional shares*
Annual fee
£0
Investment styles
Shares, funds or ready-made portfolios
Minimum deposit
$50

Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

FSCS Protected? Yes
Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional shares Yes
Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

View Deal

The cheapest way to watch every live TV game

Share it with a friend

Know someone who has TNT Sports, NOW TV or Sky? You can usually watch the channels on up to two devices (smart TV, computer, tablet, phone) simultaneously, so you could split the cost between you. Here’s my guide on sharing your subscriptions.

Watch it in the pub

Of course, you can save all that hassle and head to the pub.

Premier League fans will normally be able to find somewhere showing the games, though Championship and lower may struggle. A few pints would cost the same as a NOW TV day pass.

What matches are on which TV channel?

There’s no point signing up for all the channels showing football this year if the team you support isn’t going to be featured. Here’s a very detailed breakdown of which leagues will be show on each broadcaster this season.

Where to watch the Premier League 2026/2027 on TV?

Only selected games are broadcast on TV, though from this year all matches outside the Saturday 3pm kick off will be shown. These are picked a couple of months ahead and will be split between Sky Sports and TNT Sport. Free to air highlights will once again be on the BBC.

Though more than a third of games will be televised, it’s really just one match a week alongside a couple of rounds of full fixtures on TNT Sports. So Sky is going to be where you’ll catch most games.

Broadcaster	Number of games
Sky Sports	At least 215 – 32 on Saturday at 5.30pm – 32 on Sunday at 2pm – 32 on Sunday at 4.30pm – 32 on either Friday at 7.30pm or Monday at 8pm – All 30 matches on 1st, 2nd and 3rd midweek fixtures (Dec & Jan) – All 10 matches from last day of the season – Plus at least 57 rescheduled or additional matches
TNT Sports (previously BT Sport)	52 – 32 on Saturday at 12:30pm – All 20 matches from 4th and 5th midweek fixtures (Feb & Mar)
BBC	Highlights on Match of the Day

Until 2029

You can see selections on the Premier League website. Expect these to be announced on these dates (though in my experience they change a lot):

Period of matches	Match week	Date of estimated release
August/September	2-5	Week commencing 13 July
October	6-9	w/c 24 August
November	10-12	w/c 21 September
December/January	13-20	w/c 19 October
January	21-23	w/c 30 November
February	24-27	w/c 21 December
March	28-30	w/c 18 January
April	31-33	w/c 22 February
April/May	34	w/c 22 March
May	35	w/c 29 March
May	36	w/c 5 April
May	37	Post-FA Cup semi-finals*

Where to watch Champions League, Europa League and Europe Conference League on TV in 2026/27

It’s the same as last year, thought this will change in the 2027/28 season as Paramount+ will start broadcasting Champion’s League matches instead of TNT Sports, while the other European competitions will go to Sky.

Amazon Prime

17 Champions League games will be shown on Prime for the first time this season. They’ll be on Tuesday nights and Amazon have the first pick for these games.

TNT Sports

All the other games and highlights are on TNT Sports. The finals have historically been free to watch on the BT Sport YouTube channel, and are now on the Discovery+ app.

BBC

You’ll get free to air highlights for the Champions League on the BBC until 2031.

Where to watch Football League (Championship, League One, League Two, League Cup) on TV in 2026/27

Sky Sports

Sky is the only place to watch EFL games. As with last season there are a huge number of games shown on Sky Sports. 1,059 out of 1,891 matches will be on TV. You can see what’s been picked on the EFL upcoming live games page.

It will be broadcasting the following:

328 EFL Championship games
248 League One games
248 League Two games
All play-off semi-finals and finals
All 93 EFL Carabao cup games
All 127 EFL Trophy games

Each week there will be:

Five matches in the Sky Bet Championship
Five from Sky Bet League One and League Two

This includes:

All opening and closing day fixtures
All mid week fixtures
All bank holiday fixtures

Shown across these time slots:

Saturday at 12.30pm
Friday night and Sunday 12.30pm
Some Thursday and Monday nights

ITV

You’ll be able to watch 10 live EFL matches and 10 EFL Cup matches (including the final) on ITV, along with EFL highlights.

Where to watch FA Cup on TV matches in 2026/27?

In 2026/27 the FA Cup will be completely free to watch.

Broadcaster	Games
BBC	14 fixtures including the final
TNT Sports	24 games including the final

Where to watch Women’s Super League, Championship & FA Cup on TV in 2026/27?

Matches are split between Sky and the BBC, and some may be on YouTube too. All Women’s Championship are on YouTube.

Broadcaster	Games
Sky	Up to 44 live league games
BBC	21 live league games plus 7 FA Cup games and the League Cup final
YouTube	Some games not shown on the BBC or Sky, all Women’s Championship games

Where to watch international friendlies and qualifiers on TV?

The home nations’ men’s international qualifiers and friendly matches are split across different broadcasters, depending on which team you want to watch.

England’s women’s games are on ITV. BBC Wales has the women’s international games for Wales.

Broadcaster	Games shown
ITV	All England mens games, including World Cup qualifiers and Nations League
BBC	Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland mens matches
SC4	Wales mens matches (in Welsh)

Where to watch other football on TV?

This Wikipedia page will show you who has the broadcast rights for other matches, including the Scottish Premier League, non-league and La Liga.

The average cost to watch each Premier League team

A couple of seasons ago, we looked at the potential savings you could make from mixing and matching providers rather than committing to a year of sports channels. We found that football fans could save themselves up to £850 on watching the Premier League this season.

If you pay for all the services all year you’re going to get better value if you support one of the big teams and very poor value if you support a smaller one. However, if you’re a fan of various different sports or like to watch multiple teams, it might be worthwhile.

(All this football talk reminds me of this classic Mitchell and Webb sketch…)

Updated August 10, 2026 | Deals

Spotify music streaming deals

Zoe Roddy | Updated by Zoe Roddy

The latest free trials, vouchers, discounted annual passes and hacks to save money on Spotify.

How much does Spotify cost?

Following a price increase in October 2025, Premium prices all went up by £1 or £2.

Plan	Premium Monthly price
Individual	£12.99
Duo	£17.99
Family	£21.99
Student	£5.99

New Spotify customer deals

A couple of times a year there tends to be a new customer deal offering three months for 99p. When these come about I’ll list them below. Otherwise, new customers can always get one month for free.

Three months free Spotify with Adidas

New Spotify customers can get three months free via Adidas’s adiClub. To get it, you need to sign up for adiClub and claim the 250 points on offer. You can then redeem the points for 3 months of Spotify Premium in the rewards shop. You can cancel anytime or pay £12.99 once the free trial ends.

Three months free for new customers

New Spotify customers can get three months of Premium for free. Make sure you set a calendar reminder to cancel if you don’t want to pay once it’s up.

Get three months free

Three months free Spotify via H&M

New subscribers can get three months free if you apply via the free H&M membership.

Head to the H&M app and in the offer section of your H&M account you’ll need to generate a code to trigger the free Spotify trial.

You need to redeem the offer by 5 November 2026.

This isn’t open to current subscribers, and remember to cancel the subscription if you don’t want to pay full price, as it’ll renew at £12.99 per month after three months.

Get three months of Spotify

One month free Spotify

If there isn’t an increased offer, when you go direct to Spotify new customers can get usually one month for free.

Get one month free Spotify Premium

Previous Spotify customer deals

These offers for ex-customers are rare, but still appear from time to time.

Four months free Premium if you’ve not tried it before (ended)

New Premium customers and those who haven’t tried it before can get four months until 31 December 2025. You can cancel anytime or pay £12.99 once the free trial ends.

Get four months of Spotify

Two months for £6.50 (ended)

This “welcome back” offer gets you two months of Premium for the cost of half of one month. This one runs 17 November to 31 December 2025.

It’s for those who had a Spotify Premium account but cancelled it more than 30 days ago. But if you’ve used one of these offers in the last 24 months, you won’t be eligible this time.

Look out for an email offering you this, or you can also log in and see if the offer is displayed in your account. It’s for the individual Premium account only, not Duo, Student or Family.

We usually see it run two or three times a year, usually April, August and November.

Here are the previous dates from recent offers to give you an idea of when it might return.

17 November to 31 December 2015
Mid August to 22 September 2025 (for those who cancelled before mid July 2025)
Mid April to 19 May 2025 (for those who cancelled before mid March 2025)
End of November – 31 December 2024 (for those who cancelled before November 2024)
Mid August to 17 September 2024 (for those who cancelled prior to 12 July 2024)
Mid April to 14 May 2024 (for those who cancelled before 18 March 2024)
Mid January – 14 February 2024 (for those who cancelled before 1 Jan 2024)
27 November – 31 December 2023 (for those who cancelled before 27 October 2023)
August to 12 September 2023 (for those who cancelled before 16 July 2023)
21 April – 16 May 2023 (for those who cancelled before 19 March 2023)
29 November – 31 December 2022 (for those who cancelled before 28 October 2022)
August/September 2022 (for those who cancelled before mid-May 2022)
April – 19 May 2022 (for those who cancelled before 14 March 2022)

Existing Spotify customer deals

You don’t need to pay full price for Spotify as an existing customer. Here are my top ways to save.

12 months of Spotify Premium for the price of nine (ish) (ended)

This is a decent deal from Currys for existing Spotify Premium customers. It’ll cost you £120 rather than £155.88, so you’ll get almost three months free based on the new prices.

You can it as a digital or physical gift card that is sent in the post. Frustratingly you can’t use gift cards with Family, Duo or Student accounts. It also won’t work on Basic plans.

You can stack this with an existing gift card, or buy one now to add at a later date, though you can’t have more than 18 months of credit on your account at any time.

Buy a year of Spotify at Currys

Featured investing offer

eToro Free £50 in fractional shares

Customer rating 3.8/5

Offer
free £50 in fractional shares*
Annual fee
£0
Investment styles
Shares, funds or ready-made portfolios
Minimum deposit
$50

Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

FSCS Protected? Yes
Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional shares Yes
Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

View Deal

Downgrade to Spotify Basic

This new, slightly cheaper, version of Spotify started in May 2024 but seems to have disappeared.

However if you see it in your account, you get everything that Premium offers such as offline listening (downloads) and no-adverts, but you do sacrifice audiobooks. Not all users will be able to get this, so you’ll need to check your accounts to find out. Here’s everything you need to know about Spotify Basic.

Shared Spotify subscription deals

If you live with others who pay for their own Spotify Premium you can save cash by combining them via a Duo or Family plan.

Here’s the breakdown per month per person, with annual costs per person in brackets.

Plan	1 person	2 people	3 people	4 people	5 people	6 people
Premium	£12.99 (£155.88)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Duo	£17.99 (£215.88)	£9 (£107.94)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Family	£21.99 (£265.88)	£12 (£144)	£7.33 (£87.96)	£5.50 (£66)	£4.40 (£52.80)	£3.67 (£43.98)

Monthly cost per person on each plan (annual in brackets)

Spotify Family for £21.99 a month and get six accounts

A decent option if there are three or more of you with your own Spotify accounts. Subscribe to a Family pass and you can pay £21.99 all in. So the more of you, the cheaper it gets. You can share with two people but the Duo option will work out cheaper.

Get Spotify Family

Spotify Duo – £17.99 a month for two

Duo is the best option for two people living at the same address, and this is the one we use.

You’ll pay £17.99 a month for Spotify Duo, so £4 cheaper than the family option (£50sh less a year), or £8 less than two standard Premium accounts (£96 total less a year). You will be asked to verify your address.

Get Spotify Duo

Save on Apple Music

Here are ways to save on Apple Music streaming including free trials and offers.

Save on Tidal, Amazon, Deezer & more

Here are more music streaming free trials and offers if you fancy changing from Spotify.

Updated August 10, 2026 | Deals

Amazon vouchers & deals

Zoe Roddy | Updated by Zoe Roddy

From Amazon vouchers and free trials of Amazon Prime to flash sales and tricks for free delivery

Let’s face it, Amazon is probably the one shopping website that most people use pretty regularly, so it helps to have a voucher or discount stored up. Here are the best deals at the moment.

If you’re thinking of reducing how much you use Amazon, check out Andy’s article, which looks at why it can be good to cut back.

There are some decent offers throughout the year to watch out for. You won’t be eligible for all of them, but it’s worth a look.

Amazon Prime membership offers

Amazon Prime is Amazon’s membership scheme. You can learn more in our comprehensive Amazon Prime review.

It’s worth knowing that even if you’ve had a free trial in the past, it doesn’t mean you can’t get free or cheap offers to rejoin.

30-day free Amazon Prime trial every year

You know the drill here. You get free next day delivery, Amazon Prime Instant Video, access to Amazon Prime Now and loads of other goodies. It’s normally £95 a year but you can get a free 30-day trial.

You will hopefully be able to do this every 12 months, but it’s unclear if this is guaranteed for all customers. You can always try your luck (you never know), but if you’ve not yet taken out a trial, I’d wait until you’ve got a lot of spending coming up, or a big sale such as Prime Day or Black Friday.

Get your Amazon Prime 30-day free trial

99p for one week of Amazon Prime

If you’ve previously had Amazon Prime but aren’t yet eligible again for a second free trial you might be offered a week for 99p. After this you’ll pay full price unless you cancel.

See if you can get a week of Amazon Prime for 99p

£2 off Prime via O2

If you have an O2 SIM you can now add Amazon Prime to your bill and receive a £2 discount each month. You’ll find the details here.

Get an O2 SIM

Amazon Student and 18-22 year-olds: six months free, then £47.49 a year

If you have a student card you should also be able to join Amazon Student. This is essentially Amazon Prime. You get six months free, then 12 months at half price. Amazon might ask for additional proof you are a student. You’ll get the student account for as long as you’re a student or for up to four years.

If you’re between 18 and 22 then you can get this too, but you’ll need to prove your age with a valid driving licence or passport. You can get this account until you’re 23.

Get your Amazon six month free trial

Amazon gift card and voucher offers

Prime Video: £5 credit

Amazon has relaunched a regular offer that lets selected customers get £5 credit to use for rentals or purchases on Prime VIdeo. You do not need Prime to access this.

The credit will be available for 30 days once activated.

See if you’re eligible

Snoop: £5 Amazon Voucher

Snoop is an app to help you track your spending. It also analyses your bank date to suggest ways you can save money. Right now there’s an offer to get a £5 Amazon voucher.

You must go via the link below for the offer to track.

Once you’ve downloaded the app and signed up you need to connect a bank or credit card account and stay connected until the end of the following month. The voucher will then be paid.

Join Snoop to get your £5 voucher

Free credit when you buy a gift card

This one’s worth trying even if you’ve used a similar promotion. However, you can normally only qualify once every couple of years. Check the offer is displayed when you click through. The latest offer we’ve seen offers £6 extra when you buy £60 in gift cards.

If nothing is displayed, it could mean it’s ended or you’re not eligible. These deals are often extended or return after a short absence.

See if you’re eligible for this offer

£5 extra when you top up by £60

Similar to the gift card promotion, here you top up your Amazon account and get some extra credit added. The promo value changes often, but it’s currently £5 when you add £60.

If it is running, it’s only for people who haven’t topped up their account in the last 36 months. Again, this deal can come and go, so it’s worth checking.

Check if you can get this offer

Amazon offers

Check eligibility for promotions

You might have personalised Amazon offers. It’ll show you trials and discounts you are eligible for. However, we still think it’s worth looking at the offers above and below in case they don’t show.

Prime member offers

Free Kindle book

There are lots of ways to save on Kindle books, but Prime members can also nab one of six titles every month for free via First Reads. There’s normally a mix of genres and once you pick your book you can send it to your Kindle.

See which books are on offer this month

Prime Big Deals Day 2025

This sale for Prime members takes place in October most years. It’s pretty much a carbon copy of Prime Day. As soon as we spot any early offers, we’ll share them below.

Don’t forget you’ll need to be a Prime member to get the offers – but we’ve listed deals above that’ll save you money or perhaps help you get it for free.

October’s Prime Big Deals Day sale (ended)

Amazon ran its special two-day sale for Prime Members on 7 and 8 October 2025.

This autumn deal event could offer the chance to grab a bargain ahead of Black Friday and the Christmas sales.

It’s always worth shopping around and seeing if you can get the same item for less elsewhere, or with added features. If you do buy something at Amazon and the price drops during the sale you can get a refund for the difference.

Before the actual day, the offers are mostly on Amazon’s own products and devices.

Early offers include:

Discounts on Echo devices – up to 54% off.
Ring and Blink cameras and doorbells – up to 61% off
Fire TV stick 4K – up to 57% off
Kindle – up to 29% off
Amazon Music Unlimited – get 4 months free (usually one month)
discounts on branded gift cards, including Uber, Vue and One4All – details on our gift card deals page

Shop Amazon Prime Big Deals Day Sale

Amazon Black Friday

Black Friday 2025

The Black Friday week of deals is at the end of November, but the sale started on Thursday, 20 November this year, and they tend to carry on after.

You need to have a Prime membership to get early access to the best deals, but the 30-day free trial will give you that.

If you’re after an Amazon device (Echo, Kindle, FireTV, Eero, Ring) then this is likely to be one of the cheapest times to buy.

Amazon Black Friday week 2025

Amazon is starting its Black Friday sales a week early this year, with sales beginning on Thursday 20 November until Cyber Monday on 1 December.

Remember to use price history tools to check if something is a good price, and check you can’t get it for less elsewhere.

Some picks so far are:

Up to 60% off Kindle, Alexa and Ring
Automatic refund if price drops before 9 December after purchase between 21 November and 2 December 2024 – we’ve not seen this return yet, but we’re checking back often to see
2% discount for Prime members if you choose “no rush” delivery (won’t be available on all items)
15% discount on Amazon Resale (discount likely to go up ater Thursday)
25% off some items on Morrisons order

Shop Black Friday week at Amazon

Prime Day 2026 (ended)

Prime Day is Amazon’s big sale just for Prime members. This year, it’s running from 23 June to 26 June — a little earlier than usual.

It’s important to remember that not all the deals are the best price. Some are simply old stock that needs clearing, while others are often just as cheap throughout the year. We’d recommend using uk.camelcamelcamel.com to see the price history before making any purchase

And don’t get caught up spending money just because there’s a sale on. If you don’t actually need it, don’t buy it.

Most offers are product-specific, and we’d encourage you to check for price matching elsewhere, especially on tech like Echo speakers and Ring doorbells.

Prime Day: 23 – 26 June 2026

Amazon is running its special four-day sale for Prime members between 23 and 26 June 2026. The summertime deal event could offer the chance to grab a bargain ahead of larger autumn sales such as Black Friday.

It’s worth shopping around and seeing if you can get the same item for less elsewhere, or with added features. If you do buy something at Amazon and the price drops during the sale you can get a refund for the difference.

As always the biggest discounts are on Amazon’s own devices, such as Kindle, Echo, Fire, Eero and Ring. If you’re new to TopCashback you can get an additional £18 bonus plus up to 1.87% back on these devices. We’ll add some here once they launch.

So far you can get:

Shop Amazon Prime Day Summer Sale

Amazon Business offers

Every now and then there are offers such as £50 off for new Amazon Business users. I’ll update here as and when.

It can take time to set up the account but you should be approved in around two days.

Updated August 7, 2026 | Best Buy

The best cashback or reward debit and credit cards

Zoe Roddy | Updated by James Andrews

Earn as much as 5% back when you spend from the likes of American Express, Chase and Barclaycard.

You can earn cashback or rewards via both debit and credit cards. In most instances the best option is the one that pays the best rate.

If you’re worried about managing a credit card it makes sense to use a debit card more. However, credit cards do have extra perks like added consumer protection or for deposits when hiring a car.

Cashback can be spent as you wish, while rewards normally need to be transferred into vouchers and spent at specific retailers.

We’ve outlined the best options so you can earn as you spend. Below, we compare credit card rewards across Amex, Visa, Mastercard and retailer-specific cards so you can see which suits how you spend.

Best cashback debit cards

The highest ongoing rate on debit cards is via the PayPal+ scheme, where there’s 1% up for grabs at home and abroad. It’s easy to use and there are ways to increase the value of the points you earn.

Trading 212 offers a lower rate of 0.5% but it’s often boosted to a higher 1.5% if you auto-invest. You’ll also earn the cashback on overseas spending. It has a cap of £15 a month.

PayPal+

1% cashback

Boosted to 1.5% if reach Gold or Black tiers

No fee

Fee-free abroad and earn cashback

> PayPal+ card review

Trading 212

1.5% cashback

Max £15 cashback a month

Must opt in to auto investment of cashback and pay one regular subscription each month with the card to qualify

Cashback payable daily

£5 for physical card

Fee-free abroad and earn cashback

> Trading 212 card review

> Customer reviews of T212 on Smart Money People

Other cards

Chase now offers 2% back, but only on groceries, takeaways, restaurants and some travel costs, and you’re capped at £20 a month in cashback. You also need to have £1,000 saved with the bank every month and use the debit card at least 15 times to qualify.

We’ve not listed cards which offer money back from time to time on a changing list of retailers. This includes Monzo, Halifax and Santander. These are worth a look but are really just pot luck as to whether something is available when you want to buy something.

Occasionally there’ll be a short lived cashback offer on other cards, and we list them on our banking deals page.

Best credit cards for cashback and rewards

There are different types of cashback credit card, so we’ve split this section into:

Best American Express cashback cards
Best Visa or Mastercard cashback cards
Best supermarket or retailer cashback cards
Best airline rewards cards

Cashback credit card rules

A really important rule if you are using a cashback credit card.

Always pay off the balance in full every month

There’s no point using a cashback credit card if you’re going to get charged interest on your purchase. So make sure you set up a Direct Debit to clear the full balance.

If you can’t afford to do that, then a credit card probably isn’t your best option except for emergencies. I’ve written more about clearing credit card debts, so do read that.

It’s also worth doing an eligibility check before you apply if you can. This gives you a sense of whether you’ll be accepted, though not a guarantee.

Read more about these credit card rules.

Best American Express cashback and reward credit cards

The three Amex credit cards I’d look at for everyday earning are the Cashback, Nectar or Preferred Rewards Gold card.

Amex Cashback	Amex Nectar	Amex Preferred Rewards Gold
0.75% on first £10,000 a year then 1.25%	2 Nectar points per £1 (equivalent to 1%)	1 point per £1 (equivalent to 0.5%) Bonus points for every £5,000 spend (boosts equivalent rate to up to 0.75%)
5% welcome bonus (up to £150) in first three months	20,000 welcome bonus if you spend £2,000 in two months (worth £100)	20,000 standard welcome bonus if you spend £3,000 in two three months (worth £10) Often boosted to up to 40,000 points (£175)
Cashback payable at end of year	Points redeemable instantly	Points redeemable instantly
£25 a year fee	Free in first year £30 a year afterwards	Free in first year £195 a year afterwards
		Also £10 back at Deliveroo each month, 4 free Priority Passes
Bonus £25 via referral (typical)	Bonus £20 via referral (typical)	Bonus £70 via referral (typical)
		> Amex Gold credit card review
> Customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People	> Customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People	> Customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People
> Check your eligibility for an American Express credit card	> Check your eligibility for an American Express credit card	> Check your eligibility for an American Express credit card

Our analysis

The highest-paying of all credit and debit cards without restrictions is the American Express Nectar, which earns you the equivalent of 1% back. This makes it a strong option to anyone searching for the best cashback credit card without spending caps. Of course, you are earning Nectar points, but as long as you sometimes shop at Sainsbury’s or Argos, that shouldn’t be an issue. It’s free in the first year.

If you want pure cash, then go for the American Express Cashback card. You will pay £25 a year for this, but you can wipe that out in the first year by applying via a referral link You’ll be earning 0.75% on spending up to £10,000, and then a higher 1.25% if you go beyond this. This resets every 12 months.

There is a free but lower paying (at 0.5% on first £10,000, then 1%) version called American Express Everyday Cashback. However you must spend at least £3,000 a year to get any cashback on that.

Alternatively you could look at the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card. You’ll only earn one Amex point (worth 0.5% if you swap it to a gift card), though it’s boosted for every £2,500 you spend above £5,000, pushing potential earnings to 0.75%. This card is initially free, but very expensive from the second year onwards, so it’s certainly only for one year. I’d also wait for when the welcome bonus is increased.

Other Amex cards

The focus of this guide is ongoing earning from spending, whether as cashback or Amex Reward points, however we’ve a longer guide to all American Express cards, their features and their welcome bonuses, including the Platinum card.

Extra Amex offers

Check out this article with details of boosted referral bonuses and other extra offers with your American Express card.

Best Visa and Mastercard cashback and reward credit cards

If you want a back up credit card that’s not American Express, then the following are worth a look. They’re also all fee-free for spending overseas, which is something the Amex cards don’t offer.

Santander Rewards	Lloyds Ultra	Barclaycard Rewards	NatWest Travel Reward
3% on everyday travel, eating out and takeaways for first year, 0.25% on everything else 0.25% on all after first year	1% for first year, 0.25% after	0.25%	1% on UK travel spending (including trains, planes, car rentals, hotels, buses & more) 0.1% elsewhere

Cashback paid monthly	Cashback paid each January	Cashback paid monthly	Cashback paid after 35 days
No fee	No fee	No fee	No fee
Fee-free abroad	Fee-free abroad	Fee-free abroad	Fee-free abroad
	Visa	Visa	Mastercard
> Santander Reward credit card review	> Lloyds Ultra credit card review
> Customer reviews of Santander credit cards over on Smart Money People		> Customer reviews of Barclaycard credit cards over on Smart Money People	> Customer reviews of NatWest credit cards over on Smart Money People
> Check eligibility for a Santander credit card		> Check eligibility for the Barclaycard Rewards credit card	> Check eligibility for a NatWest credit card

Our analysis

For all spending types, the Lloyds Ultra card is a top paying 1% card for 12 months, and then a lower but hard to beat 0.25% afterwards for a non-Amex card. It’s also fee free to use abroad.

But for petrol, trains and eating out, the 3% in year one from Santander is going to earn you more than on any card.

Alternatively, the Barclaycard Rewards pays a solid 0.25% cashback on spending at home or abroad, and is fee free.

I’ve included the NatWest Travel Reward credit card, but it’s only advantage over other cards is you can earn 1% back on holiday planning at home, such as hotels and flights – though you’d get the same with the Amex Nectar as long as the retailer accepts it. If you pick exactly the right retailers to spend at (and these are sent as “personalised offers” you could earn more in reward points.

Other cards

NatWest Reward Black: 1% at supermarkets, 0.25% elsewhere (£24 annual fee unless a NatWest Reward current account customer) Also available from RBS
Virgin Money Everyday Cashback: 1% cashback for the first 90 days, 0.25% after that – capped at £15 a month. Fee-free abroad

Featured investing offer

eToro Free £50 in fractional shares

Customer rating 3.8/5

Offer
free £50 in fractional shares*
Annual fee
£0
Investment styles
Shares, funds or ready-made portfolios
Minimum deposit
$50

Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

FSCS Protected? Yes
Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional shares Yes
Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

View Deal

Best supermarket and retailer specific cashback and reward credit cards

These cards will earn you a decent rate at core UK retailers and supermarkets like Amazon and John Lewis. You’ll also earn on spending elsewhere, but those rates can usually be beaten by other cards listed above.

Amazon Barclaycard Rewards	John Lewis Partnership	M&S Bank Rewards
1% at Amazon (2% on big sales) 0.5% elsewhere for the first 12 months, then 0.25%	5 points per £4 spent at John Lewis or Waitrose (equivalent of 1.25%) 1 point per £10 spent elsewhere (equivalent of 0.1%)	1 points per £1 at M&S (equivalent of 1%) 1 points per £5 at elsewhere (equivalent of 0.2%)
£20 welcome credit (sometimes boosted)	Regular welcome offers	Regular welcome offers
	Max £15 cashback a month
Redeem credit in multiples of £5	Redeem vouchers in multiples of £5	Vouchers paid quarterly
No fee	No fee	No fee
> Amazon Barclaycard Rewards review
> Customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People	> Customer reviews of John Lewis credit cards over on Smart Money People	> Customer reviews of M&S Bank over on Smart Money People
> Check your eligibility for an Amazon credit card	> Check your eligibility for a John Lewis credit card	> Check your eligibility for a Marks and Spencer Bank credit card

Other cards

Asda Money: 0.75% back at Asda, 0.2% elsewhere

Best airline reward credit cards

Fee-free versions of the following cards are available, though you’ll earn far fewer points all round.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus	Barclaycard Avios Plus	Virgin Atlantic Reward+
1.5 Avios per £1 spent	1.5 Avios per £1 spent	1.5 point per £1 spent
30,000 bonus welcome Avios if you spend £6,000 in three months Often boosted to 60,000 points	25,000 bonus welcome Avios if you spend £3,000 in three months	18,000 bonus points with first spend
Spend £15,000 to get a companion voucher	Spend £10,000 to get a cabin upgrade voucher	Spend £10,000 to get a companion or cabin upgrade voucher
£300 a year	£20 a month (£240 a year)	£160 a year
	> Barclaycard Avios review
> Customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People	> Customer reviews of Barclaycard credit cards over on Smart Money People	> Customer reviews of Virgin Money cards over on Smart Money People
> Check your eligibility for an American Express credit card	> Check your eligibility for a Barclaycard credit card	> Check your eligibility for a Virgin Money credit card

Our analysis

As well as earning points as you spend, the draw with these cards are welcome offers and 2-4-1 vouchers. However the latter can require huge amounts of spending – and then even more to get enough points to use alongside the vouchers, especially on non-economy seats.

Unless you are going to be spending a lot, or want to save long term for a dream trip, I prefer using cashback card and having the flexibility to shop around for deals on flights.

You can also earn points on some American Express cards, such as the Nectar, Reward, Gold and Platinum that can covert to many different airline schemes.

How to choose between a cashback and a rewards credit card

Cashback and rewards cards suit different types of spender:

Choose cashback if you want flexibility – the money lands as cash and can be spent, saved or used to offset your statement
Choose rewards or points if you already have a retailer or airline you’re loyal to, since points can be worth more than their cash equivalent when redeemed well
Choose an Amex card if you shop regularly at Sainsbury’s, Argos or Nectar partners, since Amex points there behave almost like cashback
Choose a Visa or Mastercard if you want a fee-free backup for spending abroad, since Amex isn’t accepted everywhere

Expert thoughts on cashback and reward credit cards from Be Clever With Your Cash

For anyone wanting a single recommendation from this guide, the Amex Nectar card is the standout. It’s free in year one, has no spending restrictions unlike most cashback cards, and the points are easy to use for anyone who shops at Sainsbury’s or Argos even occasionally, which covers most households at least some of the time. It’s about as close to a “just get this one” answer as we can offer.

Airline reward cards should be handled with more caution. They only really pay off for those already loyal to one airline who spend enough to clear voucher thresholds, which for most people takes far longer than expected – and the value of points can evaporate if an airline changes its redemption rules, which has happened more than once in the past few.

Flexible cashback beats speculative points that might only ever be “worth it” in theory.

It’s also worth flagging that cashback and rewards credit cards only ever make financial sense when the balance is cleared in full every month. The 0.5–2% earned back is trivial next to the 20%+ APR most of these cards charge on any carried balance, so only get one if you know you have the discipline to treat it like a debit card that happens to pay you back.

The best credit card deals

Check out my list of the best credit card offers and promotions

Updated August 6, 2026 | Deals

Travel deals

Zoe Roddy | Updated by Amelia Murray

From flights to trains to taxis, here are some great travel deals, discounts, voucher codes and offers we’ve uncovered.

Sometimes there are offers to get discounts on trains and taxis, and often we share motoring deals and petrol offers here too.

Petrol and motoring deals

Halfords: Free 10-point car check and £5 voucher

If you join the Halfords Motoring Club for free, you can get a free £5 voucher to spend online or in-store at Halfords and a free 10-point car check, worth £15.

There’s a Premium tier for £54 per year that gets you your MOT (worth £44.99), 2 10-point car checks, a free fitting of wiper blades or headlights and 5% off at the autocentres and in-store.

This is generally a pretty good deal, but definitely worthwhile if you’re having enough work on your car to make the most of the 5% off, don’t know how to change your headlights or windscreen wipers and would usually do your MOT at Halfords.

Asda: get 5p a litre off if you spend £40 in store (ended)

From now until July 31, anyone spending £40 or more in-store at Asda can get 5p a litre off petrol and diesel when filling up at an Asda fuel station.

You have until Friday, August 7, to use the voucher.

To take advantage of the offer you need to have signed up to Asda rewards and use your account when making the purchase.

The money off coupon then automatically appears in your Asda Rewards app and can be redeemed by scanning your Asda Rewards barcode, followed by the coupon, at the pump or kiosk.

The money-off deal will work at all 321 of Asda’s fuel stations nationwide.

Get the Asda rewards app

Barclays/Tesco: get 5% cashback on fuel (ended)

From 1 May to 31 July 2026, Barclays customers can get 5% cashback on fuel from Tesco fuel stations. You can get cashback on purchases between £5 and £200, and you need to use a personal Barclays debit card to get it. Cashback is capped at £10 per month – so you can earn on up to £200 of fuel.

With Unleaded currently costing an average of £1.57 per litre, if you usually spend less than £200 on fuel in a month, you’re bringing the average cost per litre down to £1.49.

Barclays currently has a switching bonus of £200, so you can earn a little extra cash on a switch and save money on petrol.

More about Barclays

Bus, tube and tram deals

Free bus travel for kids during August

The Government has made bus travel free for all children, between five and 15 years old, on local routes in England until August 31.

The government has listed all the participating bus services on its website.

Which bus routes are free?

£3 bus fare cap

Bus fares have been capped at £3 one way in England from January 2025. Not all bus companies are taking part – you can see a detailed list of the companies and routes here.

And as recently announced by Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, from January 1 2027, the cap will fall to £2 for the rest of the year.

Find out if your local bus company is participating

TFL – Free Santander Cycle rides in London (ended)

Every Sunday in July you can pick up a Santander Cycle – including e-bikes – to get about in London for free.

You can have as many 60 minute rides as you like, but each Sunday has a different code to get you access to the bike.

The codes are:

5 July – CYCLEJULY5
12 July – CYCLEJULY12
19 July – CYCLEJULY19
26 July – CYCLEJULY26

Simply download the Santander Cycles app or head to a bike docking station to pick up your ride on the selected date,

Download the app

Train deals and discounts

Train & railcard discounts

From £5 off through to flash sales, we’ve listed the best train ticket savings in a separate deals page here.

Our top train offers and deals

Flight deals and discounts

We’ll update here with any decent sales when they happen. Also, read our guide to saving money when booking flights.

British Airways: Up to £200 off last-minute holidays (ended)

People booking Spring holidays before midnight on Tuesday 26 May can get up to £200 off thanks to a British Airways sale.

Savings apply to new Flight + Hotel or Flight + Car Holiday Package bookings from for travel between 26 May 2026 and 24 July 2026 inclusive.

You need to depart from London Gatwick, London Heathrow or London City airports to destination in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Malta, Morocco, Portugal and the Canary Islands where holiday packages are offered to qualify.

See the deals

EasyJet: Spring Sale – Thousands of seats for less than £40 (ended)

EasyJet has launched its spring event – offering thousands of tickets for less than £40 and some for under £20. The deals run for flights in May and June.

A quick check showed flights at £19.99 to Amsterdam, Malta or Milan for £25.99, Berlin for £31.99 and Copenhagen for £28.99.

There are limited seats on these flights but there are a few options per destination, for example the £19.99 Amsterdam flight takes off on June 9 from Gatwick airport at 6am and 5pm, but there’s also two £19.99 flights on June 16 for the same price. Other dates or times of day could cost you as much as £69.99 for the same trip.

You also need to watch out for add-ons, with that £19.99 flight price soaring to as much as £105.96 if you want hold luggage, speedy boarding, and a large cabin bag too.

But if you’re flexible about destinations and timings, there are some great bargains to be found.

See the deals

Wizz Air: All You Can Fly subscription (ended)

If you travel a lot, then this new membership from Wizz might appeal. You’ll pay £599 a year for unlimited flights.

In sounds good, but there are a number of catches:

Booking only starts in September 2024
There’s an extra 9.99 Euro fee on each flight
You can only book seats on flights that depart in the next three days, making return trips a little risky
It doesn’t include handheld or checked bags (so they’re extra)
Only one personal item is included (max. size 40 x 30 x 20 cm)
If you miss three flights your membership will be cancelled without a refund
It’ll automatically renew each year unless you cancel

Overall it sounds like more hassle than it’s worth, especially when you consider there are cheap tickets available in advance from Wizz and other airlines.

However, if you’re retired or have the flexibility to travel regularly and at the drop of a hat, it could be worth a look.

Get Wizz Air’s subscription

Ryanair: Flash sale – Flights from £19.99 or less (ended)

Ryanair has slashed the price of hundreds of flights to just £19.99 or less – but only until the end of Thursday, May 14. The sale covers flights from now until the end of June.

A quick check showed flights at or under £19.99 to destinations in Italy, Spain, France, Croatia; Portugal and more from London Stansted; people flying from Manchester can also pick form destinations including Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Croatia; Poland and Belgium; while those taking off from Edinburgh can pick between places like Denmark, Italy, Sweden and Spain.

There are limited dates for the deal, which only covers flights between now and the end of June 30th, but it could be perfect for a last-minute getaway. It’s also worth saying these flights are one way, although there are also deals for similar prices on return flights – if you can find one that suits you.

At the time of writing, for example, there was a £15 flight from Edinburgh to Copenhagen available on June 16, and a return flight on June 17 for £15 too. Or, if you want more than a few hours in the Danish capital and are willing to spend £4 more, you could pick up a flight out to Copenhagen on June 14 for £19 and have three days until you have to fly back.

See the deals

Taxi and minicab deals

Money off your first Uber journey

Use the code 5ngkw on the Uber app to get a discount on your first ride. This is for first-time users only.

Get Uber

Featured investing offer

eToro Free £50 in fractional shares

Customer rating 3.8/5

Offer
free £50 in fractional shares*
Annual fee
£0
Investment styles
Shares, funds or ready-made portfolios
Minimum deposit
$50

Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

FSCS Protected? Yes
Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional shares Yes
Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

View Deal

Updated August 5, 2026 | Articles

Get 2 for 1 cinema tickets all year with Meerkat Movies

James Andrews | Updated by James Andrews

This hack will get you cheap tickets every Tuesday and Wednesday with no fee attached – giving massive savings to film fans

It’s been a big year for film – with billion-dollar movies from massive franchises dropping alongside excellent originals. On top of that, the releases have run the gamut of genres, from superhero sequels (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) to comedy fashion films (The Devil Wears Prada 2) as well as historical epics (The Odyssey), biography (Michael), animation (Toy Story 5), video game tie-ins (The Super Mario Galaxy Movie) and sci-fi (Project Hail Mary).

And you could have seen it all for half price, via the Meerkat Movies 2 for 1 cinema tickets deal – or even cheaper by stacking it with other deals.

In this guide, I’ll explain how it works, how to get the Meerkat Movies code, and whether you can use it at ODEON, Vue, Cineworld, Picturehouse and other cinemas.

What are Meerkat Rewards

Meerkat Movies is just one perk offered by comparison site Compare the Market. Anyone who’s taken out a qualifying product via the site also gets Meerkat Meals, which offers money off at restaurants and cafes.

But there’s a key difference from the other rewards – Meerkat Movies doesn’t need a qualifying purchase. You can bag two-for-one tickets just by downloading the app.

How Meerkat Movies works

Once a week you can access a Meerkat Movies code on the app to get “buy-one-get-one-free” tickets at most UK cinemas all year.

You can then use this code on either Tuesday or Wednesday for standard cinema seats – not all cinemas allow you to use it for 3D or premium screens, or they might charge extra to do so.

All the big chains let you use the code to book online a week ahead – though watch out for online booking fees.

You have to use the code for the same film, so you can’t do a solo double bill, and you can only use one code each week.

And it’s the cheapest ticket that is free. So if you’re one adult and one child, you’ll pay just for the adult ticket.

If you add in a qualifying purchase, Meerkat Rewards might also let you bag two for one discounts or 25% off meals at restaurants to make a full night of it.

How to get Meerkat Movies membership

To get your membership you simply need to download the Meerkat App. Currently the film rewards are free until 19 July 2027.

Once you have it, and are signed in, head to the “Rewards” section to find the code – a new cinema code arrives every week.

To get more rewards than just two-for-one cinema tickets you need to make a qualifying purchase on CompareTheMarket. The good news is there’s a trick to get you access for just a few quid. Prices vary and normally sit around the £5 point – but it can be possible to get deals for even less.

All you need to do is get a quote for travel insurance and choose the following options.

UK
Single trip
One night
One person
No extra cover
No pre-existing medical conditions (so long as that’s true)

Follow this and you should be offered a range of policies – just go for the cheapest one. You’re not going to use this insurance so you don’t need to read into any of the terms and conditions. Buy this and you’re now eligible for 25% off coffee, pizza deals and 25% off when dining out at selected restaurants.

Which cinemas allow Meerkat Movies codes

You can search for cinemas in the app, there’s a search bar at the top of the home screen. If your chosen cinema has a golden 2 for 1 ticket then it is participating in Meerkat Movies.

It’s less likely to find an independent cinema that accepts the codes, however the following big chains all let you use Meerkat Movies codes:

ODEON
Vue
Cineworld
Picturehouse
Empire
The Light (some locations)
Reel

Cinema chains that don’t allow Meerkat Movies include:

Curzon
Everyman (though you can get 2-4-1 via a Times subscription)
The Light (some locations)

All the latest cinema ticket offers

Find out more ways to save at the cinema.

How to get your 2-4-1 code

The easiest way to get your weekly Meerkat Movies code is via the Meerkat app. If you don’t have a smartphone you can log into comparethemarket.com and print your voucher from there, or just write down the code.

You need a new code every week, and these are released on a Thursday.

Stacking other savings with Meerkat Movies

Two for one is already a great deal, but you can often save even more by combining the Meerkat Movies code with other promotions.

One way to stack is to pay with a discounted gift card. These aren’t that common, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for deals such as 10% off the likes of ODEON, Vue and Cineworld.

Meerkat Movies by cinema

Meerkat Movies at ODEON

ODEON seems to let you use Meerkat Movies with any type of ticket. Look out for discounted locations, with some cinemas charging just £5 a ticket midweek – meaning you’ll pay £2.50 per person with your Meerkat Movies code.

Meerkat Movies is also a great way to save money at the posher Luxe screens, or the refurbished ODEON Leicester Square. You’ll still pay more for these locations though.

Officially the ODEON Limitless card doesn’t work with your Meerkat Movies code, but it’s worth a try. These let you go to as many films as you like, potentially bringing the cost of two people to see a movie every week down to as low as £2.30 per ticket – IF you go every week, and only on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

Meerkat Movies at Cineworld

Again, some Cineworld locations are really cheap mid-week – so check the prices near you. You can use Meerkat movies with child, student and senior tickets alongside normal adult ones.

Though it’s not an official policy, regular Cineworld goers with an Unlimited Card seem to have no problems with combining their membership with the code to get 2 for 1 cinema tickets. To save even more, Tesco Clubcard points can be used to save you money on the annual price.

Featured investing offer

eToro Free £50 in fractional shares

Customer rating 3.8/5

Offer
free £50 in fractional shares*
Annual fee
£0
Investment styles
Shares, funds or ready-made portfolios
Minimum deposit
$50

Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

FSCS Protected? Yes
Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional shares Yes
Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

View Deal

Meerkat Movies at Vue

The supercheap Vue day is now on Mondays, so you can’t combine it with Meerkat anymore.

Meerkat Movies at Picturehouse Cinemas

In my experience, you can use your reduced membership price with a Meerkat Movies code – though officially the chain says you can’t.

I’m a big fan of Picturehouse memberships. You get free tickets to cover around half the fee, then you save around £2 or £3 per ticket on top of that and get 10% off at the bar, plus most will have a cheap ticket day and member previews.

Updated August 5, 2026 | Deals

Pub & bar deals

James Andrews | Updated by Zoe Roddy

Save on drink and food at your local

Here are some offers for when you’re heading out to the pub.

Pub promotions

All Bar One: free Hendricks G&T

If you have the All Bar One app, there’s a free G&T waiting in the “rewards” section for you.

You can redeem it until 31 August. There’s a non-alcoholic version available, too.

Get the All Bar One app

Hungry Horse: Spin to Win main, pudding or pint

If you download Greene King’s new app and register for it, then you can spin the wheel to win a main, dessert or drink.

You get 30 days to claim the freebie.

Prizes include:

A free drink — you can choose from Peroni Nastro Azzuro, Peroni Natro Azzuro 0% bottle, Birra Moretti, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Schweppes Lemonade, Madri, Cruz Campo, Rekorderlig, Aspall, GK IPA, Abbot Ale, Old Speckled Hen, Hazy Day, Level Head. Only Soft Drinks and Peroni Nastro Azzuro 0% bottle will be available in Scotland
A free dessert — up to the value of £7.99
A main meal — up to the value of £18.99. This excludes sharers or any meal priced higher than £18.99, only selected from the main menu, and does not include any breakfast, brunch, lunch, seniors, specials, children’s menus or timed menus.

Download the app

Brewdog: two free pints

Sign up to Brewdog’s loyalty scheme, Brewdog Treats, and get two free pints of any Brewdog draught beer as well as discounts and rewards to spend at the bar. If you’re already a member, you can also get two free pints to celebrate England getting so far in the World Cup.

You’ll need to redeem the pint within 30 days and you can use it in all UK BrewDog bars apart from: Hull, Upminster, Edinburgh Waverley, Edinburgh Airport, Gatwick Airport, Belfast Grand Central.

Get two free Brewdog pints

Nicholson’s: free Hendricks G&T (expired)

Registered app members can get a free G&T from Mondays to Thursdays until the end of July.

You also get a complimentary drink for signing up, and an offer for £2 pints when you buy a pie. Plus, you get access to the pub chain’s loyalty scheme – offering a free drink on your fourth visit, £5 off £15 at visit 6 and a mighty final reward of 20% to use on every purchase that is valid for 30 days.

Brewdog: buy one, get one for £1 for pizzas and burgers (ended)

Now extended until February 13, the deal from Brewdog lets you get a pizza or burger for £1 when you buy another one.

You can grab the offer at any UK locations except Belfast Grand Central, Edinburgh Airport, Edinburgh Waverley, Gatwick Airport, Waterloo Arms and Hull.

The offer is for pre-book only, not walk in customers, and sees the cheaper of the two burgers or pizzas charged at £1. Takeaway and delivery are also excluded.

If you’re in a big party, you can order up to eight pairs of £1 deals per booking, and your Equity for Punks discounts still apply to the bill.

See the deal

Heineken: free pints nationwide (ended)

You can get a free pint of Heineken or Heineken 0.0 from a participating pub until 29 July 2026, or 10,750 free drinks have been claimed.

To get it, head to the promotional website and enter your details. Then, use your current location or search for locations to find a pub near you that’s taking part. You have to buy your pint, but if you get the receipt, you can claim back up to £7.50.

Get a free pint of Heineken

Greene King: free Hazy Day pint (ended)

From 10 September to 17 October, you can get a free pint of Hazy Day IPA when you download the Greene King App and register. If you’re already signed up, it should be waiting in there for you. Once you have the voucher, you only have until 31 October to redeem it!

Download the Greene King app

Wetherspoon: 99p pint and £4.99 pizzas (ended)

Forget dry January, Wetherspoon is having a sale.

Running from January 2 to January 15 there are deals to be had across a range of drinks and food for people looking to save a bit of cash at one of its 600 locations across the UK.

Here are some of the highlights:

99p – pint of Worthington’s beer
£2.99 – 250ml glass of Coldwater Creek wine – including Chardonnay, pinot grigio, rosé and merlot
£1.99 – 25ml of Johnnie Walker Black Label or Tanqueray gin – mixer included
£1.69 – Guinness 0.0, Corona Cero, BrewDog Punk AF, Stella Artois Alcohol Free, Erdinger Isotonic, Thatchers Zero, Kopparberg Alcohol Free, Gordon’s 0.0 pink gin
£4.99 – 11″ Margherita pizza plus free soft drink (or £6.52 with alcoholic drink)
£4.99 – crunchy chicken burger served with chips or side salad plus free soft drink (or £6.52 with alcoholic drink)
£4.99 – jacket potato with one filling (choose from tuna mayo, coleslaw, chilli bean non-carne, cheese, baked beans and roasted vegetables) plus free soft drink (or £6.52 with alcoholic drink)

Find your nearest pub here

Poretti: free print or 330ml bottle (ended)

You can currently get a free pint or 330ml bottle of Poretti from participating venues. To get it, you need to:

Go to one of the venues listed – there’s a search function to find ones near you
Purchase a pint or a 330ml bottle of Birrificio Angelo Poretti and get a receipt
Take a photo of your receipt
Go to the website and fill in the form — you’ll need to provide your name, email address and mobile number, as well as the value of the purchase. It’ll also ask for bank details or PayPal details to receive the cashback.

The promotion ends at 23:59 on 31st August 2025 and you can claim back a maximum of £6.50

Get a free pint

Nicholson’s: free drink when you register for the app (ended)

When you register for news and offer updates on the Nicholson’s app they will send you a voucher for a complimentary drink in any of its pubs.

It also gives you access to the pub chain’s loyalty scheme – offering a free drink on your fourth visit, £5 off £15 at visit 6 and a mighty final reward of 20% to use on every purchase that is valid for 30 days.

Birra Moretti: BOGOF pints (ended)

Until 28 September 2025, you can get buy one, get one free pints at pubs across the country. To get it, you need to go to the promotional site and enter your details, you’ll then be able to choose a location. You will get an email with a voucher to use at the venue.

You need to redeem the voucher while at the venue, as you only get 30 minutes to use it. You’ll have to pay for one pint of Birra Moretti, then you’ll get another for free. There needs to be two of you to redeem it.

Get BOGOF Birra Moretti

Free drinks via apps

These apps often have free drinks to claim.

Free drinks every day with Dusk

The app Dusk gives you a free drink each day at selected bars.

Just download the app and look for the bars participating. If you use the referral code AWEBB5 you’ll earn 500 reward points. I’m not sure they actually do anything right now, but there’s no harm in adding it to your account.

Download Dusk

El Tab: £9.99 a week for free drinks

Smartphone app El Tab offers Londoners up to four free drinks every night of the week in different bars across the city. It usually costs £9.99 a week or £24.99 a month.

We’ve done a full analysis of the app to find out whether it can cut cut the cost of boozing in London.

Our El Tab review

Free drink with Mixr

Mixr is an app that lets you search for, view menus at and book at any pubs and bars owned by Stonegate Pubs. You can also pay in the app and earn points.

There are often free drinks and other discounts.

Download Mixr

10% off with Green King Sport app

Download the Green King Sport app to get 10% off orders during live sport. There’s also the chance to win more free drinks and prizes such as tickets to gigs, festivals and sporting events.

Watch out too for free drink promotions.

The full list of pubs can be found here.

Download Green King Sport app

Updated August 3, 2026 | Articles

American Express card hacks: boost your cashback and rewards

Andy Webb | Updated by Andy Webb

How to get more money back from cashback cards including Amex

Cashback and reward cards are one of my favourite ways to make some easy money. As long as you stick to planned spending and clear the total balance each month (on credit cards), the points and cashback you earn are effectively free money.

Here I’ve shared ways to get more money and more points when you apply and use your card. I’ve focussed on American Express, but some of the hacks will work across other cards too.

1. Wait for boosted welcome offers

The top earning cashback cards all come with welcome promotions, which can sound pretty appealing. But they’re even better when they’re increased.

You’ll see this happen with most American Express cards and the Amazon Barclaycard. It’s rare, but not impossible, to find increased welcome deals for the Avios Barclaycards and Virgin Atlantic cards too.

Sadly, deals come and go, so if you have a big expenditure planned now that can’t wait, it’s worth choosing a card which won’t rule you out of other offers later on. When it comes to American Express that means going for the Nectar or Cashback cards.

The best deals are listed in our credit card offers page.

2. Hack everyday spending

These welcome offers are great, but you will have to spend a fair whack to qualify, especially on some of the boosted Amex Platinum card deals. These can sometimes require a £10,000 spend in six months or £6,000 in three months. Likewise the PayPal+ Gold tier is only triggered once you spend £25,000 (more or less) in a calendar year.

I’m pretty strict here when I say only spend on everyday things with these cards. If you spend more than you can afford just to get some extra points and perks, you’ll probably wipe out your savings.

However, there are some ways to hack this. The first is to use your cashback card to buy gift vouchers. But, these should only be for retailers you will 100% use in a short time frame and know you won’t be making any returns. For me, that is a pretty small list: supermarkets, and at a push, streaming services (e.g. Netflix). Buying these now will help you reach your bonus thresholds within your time frame. You’re effectively pay now for things you’ll use later. Of course, you still need to be able to clear the credit card balance before interest is added, so this only really gives you an extension of at most six weeks, probably less.

3. Pay bills with Amex

You can also look to use your reward card for bills that you’d normally pay by direct debit. Not all will take credit cards, and even fewer will take Amex. So this is particularly good if you’re trying to reach a bonus threshold.

However, bear in mind that with some bills you’ll lose a direct debit discount if you swap how you pay, though you might be able to keep a nominal direct debit active to keep the saving. You’ll also lose other bill cashback from the likes of Santander Edge.

Still, if you want to try it, here are a few options

Council Tax, TV Licence and other bills with Amex via PayPoint at Co-op stores
Octopus Energy and EDF accept Amex (you could load up in advance as well as pay a monthly bill)

4. Get a referral when you apply

If you’re looking for an Amex card, then make sure you find a friend with a referral link. It doesn’t matter if they have a different card to the one you want as you’re able to get a boost on all the options.

I’ve listed below the standard welcome and referral offers. As you can see we’re not talking huge amounts, but an extra £10 to £25 is better than nothing.

Of course, it still makes sense to wait for when welcome offers are boosted, as shared in our Amex deals page. I’ve seen as many as 20,000 extra Amex points via refer-a-friend on the Platinum card – that’s worth £100.

Card	Standard welcome offer	Standard referral offer
American Express Platinum	50,000 Amex points	55,000 Amex points
American Express Cashback	5% cashback (up to £125)	£25 + 5% cashback
American Express Cashback Everyday	5% cashback (up to £125)	£10 + 5% cashback
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold	20,000 Amex points	22,000 Amex points
American Express Rewards	10,000 Amex points	12,000 Amex points
American Express Nectar	20,000 Nectar points	21,000 Nectar points
British Airways American Express Premium Plus	30,000 Avios points	31,000 Avios points

Correct as of 3 August 2026

5. Get a supplementary card

Earning cashback on your card is great. But you can earn more if you have a partner. You can get a supplementary card in their name so they can earn cashback too.

Though they’ll have their name on it, it won’t be their card. This means you’ll be liable for all their spending! So make sure you trust them – though you’ll see all their transactions in your account so it’s easy to make sure it’s not being abused.

Amex can offer extra points for you to add your first supplementary card, so don’t ask for this in your initial application unless you urgently need it. Instead wait, and see if there’s an offer in your account. This is often increased for Gold and Platinum card holders in March and April.

Supplementary cards are also handy when it comes to joining bonuses. Since these offers usually have a spending threshold to hit in a set time, having two people spending towards it will help you reach it in time.

You’ll also be able to activate additional card offers, increasing your access to these offers which are usually limited to one redemption per card. In the past we’ve used these to get £300 of two lots of United flights, and the sadly now finished Shop Small. This doesn’t count for all offers though, such as the Amex Dining credit on the Platinum card.

With some cards there are also perks that are shared with supplementary card holders too. Primarily this is the Amex Platinum card where the other cardholder gets their own airport lounge access. Or, if you give the card to someone outside your immediate family (as long as you trust them) then the travel insurance for the supplementary card holder covers that extra person’s spouse and children.

6. Get a pro-rata refund

A few years ago, Amex announced it was going to end pro-rata refunds. This is where, for the cards that charge an annual fee, you could get a partial refund if you cancelled part way through the year. However, the rule change has never been implemented, so you’re still good to take advantage. Other brands might also let you do this, but check the terms and conditions.

Personally I’ve used this hack on cards when I’ve triggered the welcome bonus and used other credits and benefits before a year has gone by. With the Amex Platinum card costing £650 a year, you could get a fair whack of that back with careful timing.

7. Use PayPal

Not all retailers take American Express, which is frustrating when you’re trying to earn cashback. But there is one workaround for online purchases, and it’s to use PayPal.

Since you can connect your Amex to PayPal you’re able to still earn money on your purchase. This is only via the PayPal checkout, not the PayPal+ debit card,

However, it’s worth noting that using PayPal can affect your consumer rights if something was to go wrong. This is important for anything that costs more than £100.

Featured investing offer

eToro Free £50 in fractional shares

Customer rating 3.8/5

Offer
free £50 in fractional shares*
Annual fee
£0
Investment styles
Shares, funds or ready-made portfolios
Minimum deposit
$50

Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

FSCS Protected? Yes
Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional shares Yes
Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

View Deal

8. Check for extra offers

Something I love about American Express are the bonus offers you can activate to your card. You’ll need to add the to your card and some of the best ones go fast. So make sure you check on a regular basis to see what deals are on there.

If you have a supplementary card and want to take advantage on there too it will also need to be added by whoever has the card in their app/account.

9. Have more than one type of Amex

Sometimes the extra offers mentioned above are specific to a type of card. So a free Membership Rewards card might have a deal that’s not on a Platinum card. And the Cashback Everyday card the other way.

However it’s worth noting that at times offers are user specific so you might not see them in your account no matter how many cards you have.

10. The multiple welcome bonus trick

In most cases you can only get an Amex welcome deal if you haven’t been an Amex cardholder in two years (so that doesn’t include supplementary card holders).

But there are two exceptions. If you start with the Amex Cashback or Amex Nectar, then you’ll also be eligible for welcome offer for the Amex Platinum card. And you can get the bonus on the BA Amex Premium Plus as long as you haven’t had the free BA Amex in the last two years. Here’s how to get multiple Amex welcome bonuses.

11. Cancel every two years

To really rinse and repeat the welcome bonus deals, you’ll actually want to cancel all your American Express cards at some point. This starts the clock ticking on the 24 months you need to wait before you’re eligible again for new deals.

Be careful here that you don’t have any Reward points sitting unused – you’ll lose them if you don’t move them first.

In this gap you can focus your spending on other cashback and reward cards from different brands, such as my current top cashback debit card from PayPal+ or the one from Trading 212.

12. Rotate with your parner

However, if you have a partner, you don’t need to be without an Amex for two years. If they were to apply for a new card themselves, and take advantage of the welcome offer, you could be added as a supplementary card holder, and you could share the benefits.

Once your two year deadline has passed, your partner can cancel their card and start their own exile before they’re once again eligible for welcome deals.

13. Call up to cancel

If you decide you don’t want your Amex card anymore, then it’s worth seeing if you can get a retention offer before you go. If they don’t offer you one outright, you could just ask – you never know. With American Express, it’s more likely to apply to the cards with a fee, such as the Platinum or BA Amex Premium Plus.

14. Keep your points active

If you’re looking to cancel the Gold or Platinum Amex cards to avoid the fee for another year, but still have active points you don’t want to use yet, then opening up the free Amex Reward card will keep them active.

15. Upgrade from Gold or Reward

If you already have the Gold card, you might still be able to get a Platinum card welcome. Look out for special upgrade offers that’ll give you a decent number of points if you meet the spending threshold in a set time.

These won’t be as generous as the boosted Platinum welcome deal, but they’re certainly better than getting nothing at all. Just make sure it makes sense against the annual fee you’ll pay.

The latest Amex offers

Check out this article with details of boosted referral bonuses and other extra offers with your American Express card.