Credit Card Rewards Get flights, points, cashback & more

The top credit card rewards schemes pay you �3 for every �100 spent on them, an easy way to make �100s or �1,000s a year just by changing plastic. Yet some use impenetrable points systems to disguise poor payouts.

This guide intensively analyses every major scheme to calculate the best buys for frequent flyers, cash, and more. It includes our RewardsChecker tool, which compares all the schemes.

For more ways to make money from credit cards,
read Cashback Credit Cards and Credit Card Freebies guides

How rewards cards work

The premise is simple. Spend on one of these cards and they pay you - some of these cards even pay you cashback. Do it right and you can earn �100s or even �1,000s a year worth of goodies, at no cost. Everyone should consider it.

It sounds great, everyone loves something for nothing. But unless you're careful, cards will actually deliver nothing for something, as there are a couple of major holes to watch for.

The reason cards give rewards is to encourage spending, as do that and they can charge us 18% APR or more and retailers up to 1%. So always follow�

Getting charged interest almost always dwarfs even the very best rewards schemes, so quite simply�

If you want rewards, always set up a direct debit to repay the card in full each month, so there's NO interest.

Sadly some card providers deliberately miss the 'repay in full' option off their direct debit forms. If so, just write 'pay off in full' and send it in. They should honour it, though phone up to check.

It's also worth watching for any 'annual fee'. These are now rare, and everyone except very high spenders should avoid any card with one. The cost isn't usually recovered by the extra rewards.

Can't repay in full every month?

If you're not sure you can always repay the card in full, then DON'T pick a card for rewards. Instead focus on a card with a lower interest rate; see the 0% Credit Cards guide.

As applying for any financial product has a minor credit score impact (see the Credit Rating guide), if you have existing credit card debts it's also worth prioritising making them cheap before going for rewards by doing a Balance Transfer.

Don't believe the hype

Some schemes are focused on making people think they're earning large, when actually payouts are pretty paltry. To what extent depends on the type of scheme.

• Rewards schemes

  Here you earn days out, flights, holidays, CDs or more by getting points, and that's where the problems start.

  For a TV programme stunt I was once asked to design a credit card that looked good, but with hidden, abysmally anti-consumer traps. Many signed up to my fake MACS card (SCAM backwards), which promised TWELVE points per pound spent.

  Most people didn't ask what the points were worth. In fact it was 0.0001p, in other words, nothing, and 12 nothings� is nothing.

  It's this lack of transparency that allows reward schemes to create a magical 'something for nothing' mystique. A Sainsbury's Nectar point is worth 0.5p compared to a Tesco Clubcard point worth up to 4p, so one Clubcard point is worth almost eight times more than the Nectar points.

  That's what this guide focuses on; a mathematical evaluation of every scheme to pick the real winners.

• Cashback or cash-lite cards

  Here you earn cash each time you spend, and it's then usually paid once a year as a lump sum (see the Top Cashback Cards guide). The main advantages are you know exactly what you're getting and can spend the rewards anywhere.

  Cash-lite schemes are where money earned can be converted into gift vouchers or can only be spent in a specific store, eg, M&S.;

Grab credit card freebies

Many credit cards offer incentives like free flights or electronic goods for you to sign up to the card. Therefore if you've a good credit score, just take advantage by signing up even if you don't want the card. A full list of what's available is in the Credit Card Freebies guide.

Best buy credit card reward schemes

These results are based on evaluating over 40 schemes, calculating the actual value of the rewards for spending. This is done by first number-crunching what an individual point's really worth, then how many points you get when you spend.

Read more about the valuation process

The rewards are measured in percentages. So a 1.5% reward means you get an average �1.50 worth of points for each �100 spent.

Unless stated, all cards were judged on annual spend of �10,000; very achievable if you lump all your normal spending on it. Plus it incorporates annual fees and unless noted, introductory bonus points. We've separated the top deals into categories.

Best cash returns

This is the top cashback card currently available. This card has a big intro bonus. For full options see the Top Cashback Cards guide.

Flights

There' a variety of different schemes, but part of the choice depends on which airlines you prefer and their availability as often the big gain comes from using credit card points along with points from frequent flying.

Do watch out for taxes and charges though; all reward schemes make you pay these on top. In some cases you may find it cheaper to use the Cheap Flights guide instead or for dedicated flyers see the Airline Credit Cards guide.

Cash-lite

Some cards only give rewards, vouchers or cash for certain retailers or when spending in a particular store. They can be useful if you like to shop at certain places.

The RewardsChecker

Those are the top picks in each category; however we fully valued all the top rewards schemes, to reveal the best payers and the true return you get from any major rewards credit card.

All that data has been compiled into the RewardsChecker. Just enter your estimated spend over a year, and it'll tell you what you'll earn.

Use the free calculator at www.RewardsChecker.com

Boost the value of your points

Do remember, all these valuations are on average. For example, 1,500 Nectar points are worth �7.50 if redeemed in Sainsbury, but only �5.40 if used to buy one of the digital cameras on offer.

By correctly targeting the right rewards to redeem your points on, it is possible to substantially increase the amount. To find out how to do this for all schemes and specific info for Nectar, Avios and Tesco, read the Boost Your Loyalty Points guide.

Use the card for all spending

Once you set up a credit card, every time you use it you get paid. While this isn't an excuse to 'spend more', it does mean from now on�

Use the rewards card for ALL normal spending, replacing cash, cheques, and other debit, credit and charge cards.

For those who have work expenses they need to reclaim, this can be a powerful way to earn more, at no cost to you, provided you can cope with paying the bill in full each month.

There's extra protection on all spending too�

There's another big bonus to using a rewards card. You actually have far more consumer protection. This all comes about due to what's called Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. It says�

75. - (1) If the debtor under a debtor-creditor-supplier agreement falling within section 12(b) or (c) has, in relation to a transaction financed by the agreement, any claim against the supplier in respect of a misrepresentation or breach of contract, he shall have a like claim against the creditor, who, with the supplier, shall accordingly be jointly and severally liable to the debtor.

Which of course, reads like gobbleydegook� yet in a nutshell means:

Buy something costing over �100, here or abroad, and pay on a credit card, and the card issuer's equally liable if something goes wrong.

Now this protection only applies to credit cards, not debit cards or any other plastic and it's hugely important, especially in the current credit crunch climate. It means order something and if the retailer went kaput, you'd still be able to claim your money back from the card company. Read a full guide on Section 75 Refunds.

Avoid balance transferring to a reward card

In most cases, rewards are only earned when spending; balance transferring or cash withdrawals almost never count. From the beginning of 2011 the rules on where your credit card repayments are allocated changed.

Banks must now put any repayments towards the most expensive debts first. This means transferring a balance to a reward card isn't as bad as it used to be, but can still cost you if you're not careful.

• Avoid balance transferring on a rewards card

  Many reward credit cards try to tempt you with competitive balance transfer offers, they want you to both spend and shift debts to the card. It'll end up costing you as you're unlikely to be able to afford to repay the card in full. Instead use a separate card for Balance Transfers.

• Never use credit cards for withdrawing cash

  Withdraw cash and you'll often be charged a fee and you'll get penalised with heavy interest if you're unable to pay it off in full. The rule's simple: never, ever, ever use credit cards for cash withdrawals.

Think before adding the 'insurance'

Payment protection insurance is commonly sold with credit cards - the idea is it'll make some payments for you, usually for a year, if you are unable to (eg, if you lose your job).

There have been a myriad of cases where it has been mis-sold. Some borrowers didn't realise they were signing up for it, or it was totally unsuitable for them. Some big lenders have been fined.

The protection isn't always bad, though policies sold with cards are often overpriced (you pay a monthly amount depending on the size of your balance). If you want it, compare the lender's cover with standalone providers such as Paymentcare or Best Insurance.

Always be vigilant to check you aren't getting more than you bargained for when you fill in the application, then check your statement each month to check you aren't inadvertently paying for extras if you didn't ask for them.

Reward cards Q&A;