Best Credit Card For Rewards or Cashback?

theroomisonfire

Hi

I always pay off my credit card when due and I know that some companies offer different types of rewards based on your spending with them.

I'm just wondering what type of rewards are on offer and are there any such rewards that people have found particularly useful. Any type of cash back on purchases would be great.

I would consider taking out such a card a d using it for all my normal expense transactions in order increased the rewards.

Any thoughts on the above would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Mezcita

This is one area where we get barely anything compared to what the UK card companies offer their customers.

Anyway, check here:

http://creditcard.ie/find_card/card_type.html?id=12

Then select "Reward Credit Cards" on the left hand side.

Dubliniensis

I've got an Amex charge card. You get 1 Membership Reward point for every euro you spend. You can transfer the points to multiple airline frequent flyer programmes and hotel frequent stay programmes. You can also redeem them for gift cards too.

It works out well for me.

The Irish Amex website is at www.americanexpress.com/ireland

cookie1977

Aib platinum card is great. Otherwise the tesco card is a good one too

byrnefm

Curious - what rewards do you get with AIB Platinum?

cookie1977

http://www.aib.ie/personal/credit-cards/Platinum-Credit-Card

Cash back rewards.

0.5% cash back, on purchase spends over EUR5,000 (refunds excluded) (maximum EUR50,000) in a 12 month period. The cash back awards are calculated on a monthly basis and credited to your account.

dublin daz

Dubliniensis wrote: »

I've got an Amex charge card. You get 1 Membership Reward point for every euro you spend. You can transfer the points to multiple airline frequent flyer programmes and hotel frequent stay programmes. You can also redeem them for gift cards too.

It works out well for me.

The Irish Amex website is at www.americanexpress.com/ireland

Limited acceptance in Ireland with AmEx. Unless you have high throughput the reward is largely negated with the annual fee.

JTMan

One of the best reward cards in Ireland is the Tesco Bank Credit Card with cash back via clubcard points.

JTMan

Mezcita wrote: »

This is one area where we get barely anything compared to what the UK card companies offer their customers.

Anyway, check here:

http://creditcard.ie/find_card/card_type.html?id=12

Then select "Reward Credit Cards" on the left hand side.

The list is out of date. For example, the Pigsback credit card is in the process of closing down.

Dubliniensis

dublin daz wrote: »

Limited acceptance in Ireland with AmEx. Unless you have high throughput the reward is largely negated with the annual fee.

Acceptance is not as bad as you think!

Most hotels and airlines (you can take a guess which of them does not!) take it - which is where the majority of my spend is.

Most petrol stations. Superquinn, M+S, O2. Along with most department stores.

Decent restaurants usually take it too - although this is where acceptance is very hit and miss.

If you put a decent amount through it, it can work out very well. I flew to JFK return in BA Club World at Christmas on Amex points - it's better than a poke in the eye with a stick.

Cyrus

cookie1977 wrote: »

Aib platinum card is great. Otherwise the tesco card is a good one too

agree with this recommendation

Unab24

I have an Ulster Bank credit card & for every €1 I spend I get an ulster bank your point which can be converted to flight, hotel stays, voucher for agros, debehams, mp3 devices etc.

https://www.yourpoints.ulsterbank.ie/

I don't knw if this for new customers or not but you can find out when applying.

JTMan

Unab24 wrote: »

I have an Ulster Bank credit card & for every €1 I spend I get an ulster bank your point which can be converted to flight, hotel stays, voucher for agros, debehams, mp3 devices etc.

https://www.yourpoints.ulsterbank.ie/

I don't knw if this for new customers or not but you can find out when applying.

Ulster Bank recently closed this account for new customers. It is still offered, for now, for existing customers.

redzil

I'm looking for an update on this thread...

I've always used Tesco Credit Card and found the rewards great, however they have just changed their rewards from 1 point for every €2 spend to 1 point for every €8 spend excluding usage in Tesco's(points stay the same as before).

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a cc card that offers good rewards? (Always pay off card in full every month so not interested in APR rates)

Thanks for any feedback!

dennyk

I've only been able to find two other rewards credit cards currently available in Ireland:

- AIB's Platinum Visa seems to be the best deal if you do a lot of spending with the card; they offer 0.5% cash back on all purchases and you can get up to €225 a year in cash back. However, you have to spend a minimum of €5000 a year to qualify for the cash back award, and you also need a minimum salary of €40k a year to be eligible for the card (no idea how strict they are on any other factors considered, either).

- KBC's MasterCard gives you 1% cash back, but only on groceries and online purchases, and you can only earn a maximum of €10 a month in cash back awards (€120 a year).

Neither card has an annual fee, at least. Don't shop at Tesco and I don't know the value of their club points, so I don't know exactly how they compare to the Tesco card, but neither one seems very good, really. Unless you do a lot of credit card spending, they probably aren't worth the bother over your current Tesco card...

paddyjoe183

redzil wrote: »

I'm looking for an update on this thread...

I've always used Tesco Credit Card and found the rewards great, however they have just changed their rewards from 1 point for every €2 spend to 1 point for every €8 spend excluding usage in Tesco's(points stay the same as before).

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a cc card that offers good rewards? (Always pay off card in full every month so not interested in APR rates)

Thanks for any feedback!

Hey i'm in the same boat as you at the minute, looking into it, AIB seem to be the best with 0.5% cash back. I used to think Tesco was great but since they changed their points structure, its not that great anymore. The vouchers used to pay the Bord Gais every few months, its nice the rewards but that wont be much good any more. I've ordered my new AIB card, so will keep you posted!

alexlyons

redzil wrote: »

I'm looking for an update on this thread...

I've always used Tesco Credit Card and found the rewards great, however they have just changed their rewards from 1 point for every €2 spend to 1 point for every €8 spend excluding usage in Tesco's(points stay the same as before).

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a cc card that offers good rewards? (Always pay off card in full every month so not interested in APR rates)

Thanks for any feedback!

BOI now let you link their classic, affinity or platinum card to supervalu real rewards.
You get a point for every euro and can convert them to certain things, most notably aer club avios, which you can then move into avios.com and on to other airlines and hotels etc.
Basically you can earn avios on a BOI mastercard with a bit of a hop skip and jump, not very hard at all and avios are used on BA etc.

dennyk

alexlyons wrote: »

Basically you can earn avios on a BOI mastercard with a bit of a hop skip and jump, not very hard at all and avios are used on BA etc.

Sadly, it appears it is not possible to sign up for this program without giving BoI permission to share your contact details and bank account transaction details with third parties so they can call, email, and text you.

NIMAN

Is this all not false economics?

You have to spend money on credit cards to get any of these tiny 'rewards', and of course many who spend on these cards will not clear the amount at the end of each month, end up paying crazy APR rates which will dwarf any so-called rewards.

JTMan

Reward cards are only suitable for those that clear their balances every month. If you do not clear your balance ever month, then you should focus on the rate and personal loan options rather than rewards.

dennyk

JTMan wrote: »

If you do not clear your balance ever month, then you should focus on the rate and personal loan options rather than rewards.

If you don't clear your balance every month, you really shouldn't be using a credit card at all; it's just costing you a significant amount of money at that point no matter how much you shop around for the "best" interest rate.

bk

NIMAN wrote: »

Is this all not false economics?

You have to spend money on credit cards to get any of these tiny 'rewards', and of course many who spend on these cards will not clear the amount at the end of each month, end up paying crazy APR rates which will dwarf any so-called rewards.

Well in fairness the AIB Platinum card has the second lowest APR in the market. Only the AIB Click card has a lower APR.

But then you are mad not to pay off your credit card in full every month. I've had multiple credit cards for 20 years and never once not paid it in full.

Credit cards are handy for online purchasing, as I believe they give a higher level of protection against fraud then debit cards. Also you can't rent a card with a debit card, etc.

I've you are a careful sort of person with your spending and keep an eye on your balance (easier now with banking apps), then they can be a very handy tool.

JTMan

dennyk wrote: »

If you don't clear your balance every month, you really shouldn't be using a credit card at all; it's just costing you a significant amount of money at that point no matter how much you shop around for the "best" interest rate.

Yes, absolutely 100% agree that people who cannot clear their balance should not be using a credit card. However, the reality is that 50% of people who have a credit card do not clear their balance each month. This 50%, who should never have got a credit card balance in the first place, should ideally focus on clearing the balance, but if they can't then they need to focus on rates or obtaining a personal loan instead of a credit card.

28064212

bk wrote: »

Credit cards are handy for online purchasing, as I believe they give a higher level of protection against fraud then debit cards

Not true in Ireland: http://www.moneyguideireland.com/protection-when-buying-with-debit-or-credit-cards.html

The level of consumer protection in Ireland is the same for both credit and debit cards.

bk

28064212 wrote: »

Not true in Ireland: http://www.moneyguideireland.com/protection-when-buying-with-debit-or-credit-cards.html

Yes, I'm aware of that, I meant more on a practical level.

If fraud happens on your credit card, you haven't actually lost any money and you have 2 months to notice and challenge the charges.

With a debit card, the money comes straight out of your current account and it may take a few days for the balance to be returned. This may cause difficulties with your ability to pay direct debits etc. from your current account, for instance mortgage and might result in pushing you into an overdraft fees, etc.

Also it might effect your day to day access to cash until the bank sorts it, issues you another debit card, etc.

I think using a credit card can give you an extra layer of practical security and separation between your accounts.

For this reason, I use my credit card for all online and in person purchases. I never use my debit card online or in person, I only use it at ATM's. In fact I've thought about taking this a step further, to leave the Debit Card at home and use only my Revolut card from ATM withdrawals. Unfortunately their new fee structure puts an end to that idea.

Also if you read the article you link to, you will find that there is no legal requirement for your bank to reverse your charges. They may do it voluntarily, but no guarantee. I'd rather be arguing with my bank about an unpaid credit card bill, then trying to get back money to my current account.

dpboard

No extra consumer protection on the credit cards?

Oh man, that's annoying, thank you for highlighting that. I have also only learned today about the €30 tax on credit cards.

I'm a recent immigrant from England, and I have to say I think the Irish consumer gets completely ripped off by their financial institutions, with all the charges and taxes etc. There are much better rewards available on the credit cards in the UK also, but hey ho.

cmadden

just read the fine print on the AIB platinum card.
The maximum award for each 12-month period is EUR225.
better then nothing i suppose but they advertise 0.5% of a max of 50,000. my maths works that out to be 250
ah well

paddyjoe183

I've been with AIB platinum since tesco changed their points system. I'm earning much more cash back with them now than I was with Tesco since the points went very bad.

When you calculate it up, AIB is also better than KBC.

AIB now have another rewards programme on top of the cash back offer of 0.5%.

i.e. Spend 40EUR in Topaz and get 5 EUR cash back. Only downfall is you only get to use the extra reward once.

Some of the other offers are:

Lidls - €10 back on your next purchase of €35 or more
H&M - €10 back on your next purchase of €40 or more
Easons - €5 back on your next purchase of €25 or more
Apache Pizza - €10 back on your next purchase of €35 or more
Smyths Toys - 3% back on your next purchase

g0g

paddyjoe183 wrote: »

I've been with AIB platinum since tesco changed their points system. I'm earning much more cash back with them now than I was with Tesco since the points went very bad.

When you calculate it up, AIB is also better than KBC.

AIB now have another rewards programme on top of the cash back offer of 0.5%.

i.e. Spend 40EUR in Topaz and get 5 EUR cash back. Only downfall is you only get to use the extra reward once.

Some of the other offers are:

Lidls - €10 back on your next purchase of €35 or more
H&M - €10 back on your next purchase of €40 or more
Easons - €5 back on your next purchase of €25 or more
Apache Pizza - €10 back on your next purchase of €35 or more
Smyths Toys - 3% back on your next purchase

Did Smyth's drop to 3%? I used my reward there a month ago and I'm sure it was 8, 10 or maybe even 12% for an online order.

Also a good tip from the BA thread is to create two separate accounts and put your credit card against one and debit card against the other. This assumes you also have current account with AIB.

Boots is another one of the good offers people are likely to use.

I put as much as I can through the platinum card and have found the rewards reasonable enough over the past number of years

RicardoVerdi

Hey it's almost 5 years since the last post on this thread. Does anyone have up-to-date info? I was also using Tesco cc, great for the points especially if you used them for the boost offers, much better value than spending the vouchers in store; I used for a few ferry trips to GB as well as phone top-up & bord gais. Over the year it used to pay me a bit more than the €30 card tax. Avantcard took over, I'm still with them at the moment but although at first they continued giving Tesco points (only 1 for every €8 spent) a few months ago they cancelled that altogether. There are a few "avantages" - but nothing much really catches my eye. I've recently got Revolut which is nice & easy to use but I must check to see if AIB credit card still offers worthwhile rewards.

RicardoVerdi

I just came across this, it looks useful; it's from 2021: https://www.finder.com/ie/credit-cards/rewards-credit-cards