The Avios collector’s Mastercard: 1.5 Avios per £1, no foreign-transaction fees and a cabin-upgrade voucher at £10,000 spend. Here is our honest take on whether the £20-a-month fee earns its keep in 2026.
The Barclaycard Avios Plus is the strongest non-Amex Avios card in the UK. Its 1.5 Avios per £1 matches the BA Premium Plus, it charges nothing to spend abroad, and being a Mastercard it goes where Amex will not. The catch is a flat £20-a-month fee you pay whether you use the card heavily or not.
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| Annual fee | £20 per month (£240 a year) |
| Earn rate | 1.5 Avios per £1 spent |
| Network | Mastercard |
| Voucher | Cabin upgrade (or 7,000 Avios) at £10,000 spend, valid 24 months |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
| Protection | Section 75 on purchases £100–£30,000 |
Fees and terms change — confirm the current offer on Barclaycard’s own site. This is general information, not financial advice.
The upgrade voucher only helps if there is Reward availability in the higher cabin, and it cannot take you into First. It is powerful for Premium Economy and Club World, but check availability before you count on it.
Pros
Cons
If a monthly fee feels like too much of a commitment, the fee-free Barclaycard Avios earns 1 Avios per £1 with no voucher — a tidy no-cost Mastercard backup. Barclays also offers an Avios Rewards add-on on its current accounts that earns monthly Avios and its own upgrade voucher; confirm current terms before relying on it.
The Barclaycard Avios Plus is the best card for spending Avios earns abroad and the natural partner to an Amex, filling the gaps where Amex is refused. If you spend enough to clear the £240 annual cost in Avios and put your foreign spend on it, it pays for itself. Lighter spenders should start with the fee-free options and revisit the Plus once their spending justifies it. See how it compares in our Barclaycard vs Amex breakdown.
See how the Avios Plus stacks up against the British Airways Amex cards.
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The AviosArcana Editorial Team
We decode the British Airways loyalty programme in plain English, cross-checking every figure against published card terms. We are not a lender and this is general information, not financial advice.