Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Revolut. Compare fees, cashback, Section 75 protections and find the ideal card for you.
This comparison examines 11 cards in the United Kingdom, among them Barclaycard Rewards (Visa), Barclaycard Avios (Mastercard), Revolut Standard, Barclaycard Avios Plus (Mastercard), across the Visa, Mastercard, Revolut, American Express networks. Three things genuinely separate one card from another, and the annual fee is only the first: next come the bundled insurances, trip cancellation, medical cover abroad, baggage, purchase protection, whose value often exceeds the fee as soon as you travel, and foreign exchange charges, which quietly cost 2 to 3 per cent of every purchase in another currency with traditional issuers and nothing at all with the neobanks. Payment and withdrawal limits matter too, and they are negotiable. The table compares them line by line, without an overall score: the right card for a frequent traveller is not the right card for someone who rarely leaves home. Anyone going abroad twice a year usually saves more with a no-foreign-fee card than a premium card's insurance ever returns in claims.
Select 2 to 4 cards to compare side by side.
Visa
Mastercard
Amex
Revolut
| Criteria | Barclaycard Rewards (Visa) Standard | Revolut Standard Standard | Amex Preferred Rewards Gold Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
Annual Fee | Free | Free | £195/year (£0 in year 1) |
Spending Limit | Within credit limit | Up to balance (debit card) | Within credit limit |
Cash Withdrawals | Within credit limit | £200/month or 5 free withdrawals | Within credit limit |
Travel Medical Insurance | Not stated | Not included | Not stated |
Trip Cancellation Insurance | Not stated | Not included | Not stated |
Baggage Insurance | Not stated | Not included | Not stated |
Purchase Protection | Section 75 (£100 to £30,000) | No Section 75 (debit) | Purchase and Refund Protection (90 days) + Section 75 |
Rental Car Insurance | Not stated | Not included | Not stated |
Concierge Service | Not stated | Not available | Not stated |
Airport Lounge Access | Not stated | Not included | 4 Priority Pass visits a year |
Cashback / Rewards | 0.25% on purchases | RevPoints: 1 point per £10 | 1 point per £1 (2 abroad and with airlines), 20,000 welcome points |
International Acceptance | Excellent (Visa) | Very good (Visa/MC) | Good (Amex) |
Overview of all cards. Scroll horizontally on mobile.
| Criteria | Barclaycard Rewards (Visa) Standard | Barclaycard Avios (Mastercard) Standard | Revolut Standard Standard | Barclaycard Avios Plus (Mastercard) Premium | Amex Preferred Rewards Gold Premium | Santander World Elite Mastercard Premium | Revolut Premium Premium | HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard High-end | Amex Platinum High-end | Revolut Metal High-end | Revolut Ultra High-end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Fee | Free | Free | Free | £20/month | £195/year (£0 in year 1) | £15/month | £7.99/month | £290/year | £650/year | £14.99/month | £55/month |
Spending Limit | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | Up to balance (debit card) | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | Up to balance (debit card) | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | Up to balance (debit card) | Up to balance (debit card) |
Cash Withdrawals | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | £200/month or 5 free withdrawals | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | £400/month free | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | £800/month free | £2,000/month free |
Travel Medical Insurance | Not stated | Not stated | Not included | Not stated | Not stated | 40% off Santander Travel Insurance | Not stated | Not stated | Worldwide travel insurance (trips up to 90 days, family) | Medical up to £10m/year | Medical up to £10m/year |
Trip Cancellation Insurance | Not stated | Not stated | Not included | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Included in travel insurance | Not stated | Cancel for any reason, up to 70% back |
Baggage Insurance | Not stated | Not stated | Not included | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Included in travel insurance | Delay, lost luggage: £1,000/year | Delay, lost luggage: £1,000/year |
Purchase Protection | Section 75 (£100 to £30,000) | Section 75 (£100 to £30,000) | No Section 75 (debit) | Section 75 (£100 to £30,000) | Purchase and Refund Protection (90 days) + Section 75 | Section 75 (£100 to £30,000) | No Section 75 (debit) | Section 75 (£100 to £30,000) | Purchase and Refund Protection + Section 75 | No Section 75 (debit) | No Section 75 (debit) |
Rental Car Insurance | Not stated | Not stated | Not included | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Car hire excess: £2,000/year | Car hire excess: £2,000/year |
Concierge Service | Not stated | Not stated | Not available | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not available | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Airport Lounge Access | Not stated | Not stated | Not included | 1,000+ lounges at £24 per visit | 4 Priority Pass visits a year | LoungeKey, 1,400+ lounges, free entry | Not stated | Unlimited Priority Pass, 1,700+ lounges | Global Lounge Collection, 1,550+ lounges | Not stated | Unlimited lounge access |
Cashback / Rewards | 0.25% on purchases | 1 Avios per £1, 5,000 Avios welcome (£1,000 in 3 months) | RevPoints: 1 point per £10 | 1.5 Avios per £1, 25,000 Avios welcome (£3,000 in 3 months) | 1 point per £1 (2 abroad and with airlines), 20,000 welcome points | 0.5% (up to £15/month) | RevPoints: 1 point per £4 | 3 points per £1 (4 abroad), 70,000 welcome points until 1/12/2026 | Membership Rewards, 50,000 welcome points (£6,000 in 3 months), £200 + £200 dining credits | RevPoints: 1 point per £2 | RevPoints: 1 point per £1 |
International Acceptance | Excellent (Visa) | Excellent (Mastercard) | Very good (Visa/MC) | Excellent (Mastercard) | Good (Amex) | Excellent (Mastercard) | Very good (Visa/MC) | Excellent (Mastercard) | Good (Amex) | Very good (Visa/MC) | Very good (Visa/MC) |
Our recommendations based on your usage profile.
You travel frequently from the UK and want airport lounge access and solid travel insurance.
Amex Platinum (£650/year): 1,550+ lounges, worldwide family travel insurance, dining credits. Revolut Ultra (£55/month): fee-free exchange, unlimited lounge access, £2,000/month free cash.
You want a no-fee card for everyday spending with good overseas benefits.
Revolut Standard: free, fee-free exchange up to £1,000/month on weekdays, £200/month free cash. Barclaycard Rewards: no-fee Visa credit card, 0.25% cashback, no fees abroad, Section 75.
You make significant purchases and want strong purchase protection and cashback.
Amex Gold: Purchase and Refund Protection (90 days), 1 Membership Rewards point per £1, £195/year after a free first year. Santander World Elite: 0.5% cashback (up to £15/month), LoungeKey lounges, Section 75.
You travel with family and need insurance covering spouse and children.
Amex Platinum: worldwide travel insurance extended to supplementary cardholders, partners and children under 25. Revolut Metal (£14.99/month): medical up to £10m, car hire excess £2,000, luggage £1,000.
Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes the credit card issuer jointly liable with the retailer for any purchase between £100 and £30,000. It is a free protection unique to the UK, even if you only paid part of the amount with the credit card.
In the UK, cashback is very common. Barclaycard Rewards pays 0.25% on purchases, Santander World Elite 0.5% (up to £15/month). Amex offers convertible Membership Rewards points, and Barclaycard Avios cards earn Avios. On the current account side, Chase UK pays 2% on some everyday spending, up to £20 a month.
Amex acceptance in the UK has improved significantly. Most major retailers, supermarkets and restaurants accept it. However, small independent shops and some pubs still do not. It is advisable to carry a Visa or Mastercard as backup. Refusals still occur at small independents and market stalls, where the merchant fee deters acceptance, so it is wise to keep a Visa or Mastercard as a second means of payment.
The contactless payment limit in the UK is £100 per transaction since 2021. For payments via Apple Pay or Google Pay, there is generally no fixed limit (the terminal may request a PIN above a cumulative threshold). Payment by phone is not subject to that cap, since biometric authentication counts as verification, which is why many holders use a wallet for larger purchases.
In the UK, debit cards draw directly from your current account. Credit cards offer revolving credit with Section 75 protection, cashback and insurance. It is advisable to use a credit card for large purchases (Section 75 protection) and pay off the full balance monthly to avoid interest.
Revolut excels for overseas spending (fee-free exchange within your plan's allowance). However, Revolut cards are debit cards and do not benefit from Section 75 protection. The ideal approach is to combine Revolut for overseas payments and a credit card for significant purchases.
Revolut lets you exchange fee-free (up to £1,000/month on weekdays with Standard, no fair-usage limit from Premium). Among credit cards, Barclaycard Rewards and Santander World Elite charge no exchange fee; Amex and HSBC charge 2.99%. Also decline the conversion into pounds offered by terminals abroad: paying in the local currency avoids a markup charged by the merchant.
Yes, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protects your deposits up to £120,000 per person per authorised institution. Revolut is an authorised UK bank, so it is covered by the FSCS. The limit applies per depositor and per banking licence, so several brands under the same authorised firm share a single layer of cover, worth checking before spreading large savings.
The UK credit card market is one of the most dynamic in the world. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes credit cards particularly valuable for purchases between £100 and £30,000. Cashback and points programmes (Avios, Membership Rewards) are widely available.
The UK is one of the most advanced markets for contactless payments in the world. The FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) regulates all card issuers and ensures fair treatment of consumers. Open Banking, launched in 2018, has enabled fintech apps like Monzo, Starling and Revolut to offer card products that rival traditional high street banks. The UK credit card market features strong consumer protections, including Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, which makes card issuers jointly liable for purchases between £100 and £30,000.
UK cards fall into several categories: cashback cards (0.25% at Barclaycard Rewards, 0.5% at Santander World Elite), rewards cards (Avios for British Airways, Amex Membership Rewards), balance transfer cards (0% interest for an introductory period) and travel credit cards (no foreign transaction fees). Debit cards from Monzo, Starling and Chase UK offer fee-free spending abroad. Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless payments are universally accepted, with a £100 contactless limit on cards.
The FCA enforces strict rules on credit card providers, including minimum repayment warnings, persistent debt notifications (for balances not decreasing after 18 months) and a ban on credit limit increases without consent. Purchase rates are typically between 18.9% and 29.9% on the cards compared here, but a monthly or annual fee pushes the representative APR much higher (80.1% for Barclaycard Avios Plus, 685.3% for Amex Platinum). Foreign transaction fees are 2.99% at Amex and HSBC and 0% on travel-oriented cards. The FSCS protects deposits up to £120,000 per institution.
To choose the best card in the UK, assess your priorities: for everyday cashback, Santander World Elite (0.5%, for £15 a month) or the no-fee Barclaycard Rewards. For travel, Barclaycard Avios cards earn Avios, while Barclaycard Rewards and Santander World Elite charge no exchange fee. If you carry a balance, a 0% balance transfer card can save a lot of interest. Always compare using the representative APR and check your eligibility with soft-search tools before applying, as multiple hard searches can impact your credit score.
Visa and Mastercard are accepted everywhere in the UK. American Express offers strong points programmes but remains less accepted at smaller merchants and charges 2.99% on foreign currency transactions. Revolut and a few credit cards (Barclaycard Rewards, Santander World Elite) let you pay abroad with no exchange fee.
* Rates checked in October 2026; they may vary. Representative APRs are based on a £1,200 credit limit. This comparison is for informational purposes only.