The best rewards credit card in Britain!

by Rachel Wait on 02 February 2010  |  12 comments
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We reveal which credit card provider you voted the best for rewards in our recent poll...

I don't know about you, but I like to be rewarded for my efforts. So it's no surprise that many of you enjoy being rewarded every time you spend on a credit card.

These days there's an array of reward credit cards to choose from - and as a result, deciding which one to go for can be tricky. So we decided to ask you, our readers, which credit card provider you think is the best when it comes to rewards.

Here are the results from the 1,293 lovemoney.com users we polled.

Runners up

Taking the third spot is Sainsbury's which offers the Sainsbury's Finance MasterCard, and rewards you, funnily enough, for shopping in Sainsbury's!

Why you gave this card a Cheer award

For anyone who regularly shops in Sainsbury's, the Sainsbury's Finance MasterCard is an obvious choice. That's because every time you shop in the store with this card, you'll receive two Nectar points for every pound you spend in the first two years. So you'll double your Nectar points on every Sainsbury's shop!

These Nectar points can then be put towards all sorts of treats - whether it's your next Sainsbury's shop, a holiday, a spa day, theme park tickets, or a trip to the cinema.

Of course, you will need a Nectar card to benefit from this deal, so if you don't have one, you'll need to apply for one - this can easily be done by picking up a registration form at Sainsbury's or applying at the Nectar website.

What's more, as an added bonus, this fabulous piece of plastic is great for both purchases and balance transfers, because it offers a market-leading 10 month interest-free period on both. Additionally, you'll get an extra two-months interest-free on any purchases you make in the supermarket.

And because the interest-free period on balance transfers and purchases is identical, this means you'll also side-step a nasty trick called negative payment hierarchy, as my colleague John Fitzsimons explains in this video.

Bear in mind that if you don't pay off your balance transfer in full once the 10 months is up, and you continue to use the card to benefit from the extra two months of interest-free spending at Sainsbury's supermarkets, you could get caught out. Just make sure you've cleared everything off that balance before those 10 months are up.

In second place

At number two is John Lewis, which offers the John Lewis/Waitrose Partnership credit card - a card which rewards your shopping in both stores.

Why you gave this card a Cheer award

The Partnership card is a handy credit card to have in your wallet if you regularly shop in John Lewis, Waitrose (and their websites) and Greenbee.com.

Every time you spend in one of these stores, you'll get one point for every pound you spend. On top of that, you'll also get one point for every £2 you spend elsewhere. And for every 500 points you earn, you'll receive a £5 voucher to spend at John Lewis or Waitrose. These vouchers are dispatched three times a year.

What's more, if you have this card, you'll also get access to exclusive partnership events and special offers - for example, at the moment, you can save 25% on a subscription to Lonely Planet Magazine, as well as save money on trips to the movies.

And, as an extra bonus for the first six months, all purchases you make will be interest-free. (Just bear in mind that if you don't pay off your balance in full before the six-month period is up, you'll be hit with an interest rate of 16.9%.)

And the winner is...

Overall, the credit card provider that you voted as the very best in terms of the rewards it offers is... Tesco, with its Tesco Clubcard Credit Card.

Why this card is best

So yet another supermarket has got it right, and this time it's Tesco. With the Tesco Clubcard Credit Card, for every £4 you spend anywhere in the world, you'll earn one Clubcard point. What's more, when you use your card in Tesco itself, you'll receive an even better five Clubcard points for every £4 you spend.

You can then use your Clubcard points to save money on holidays, airmiles, the cinema, breakdown cover and much more.

But the benefits don't end there. This credit card is also the market-leader for new purchases, offering 12 months interest-free on all purchases you make! Just remember to pay off your balance in full before the 12 months comes to an end, otherwise you'll be hit with an interest rate of 16.9%.

It's worth noting this card also comes with 0% interest on balance transfers for six months - but be warned, if you're planning to make new purchases with this card, you're better off not using it for a balance transfer. That's because, if you do, you'll be caught out by negative payment hierarchy again. Find out more in 99% of credit cards use this dire trick.

Rewards vs cashback

Of course, reward credit cards can be really handy to have, providing you know the rewards will definitely be of benefit to you. However, personally, I think you can usually get more money for your efforts with a cashback credit card.

And that's simply because every time you spend on a cashback credit card, you'll earn money back, rather than points. So this can really help to reduce your credit card bill, and free up cash for spending elsewhere. Reward cards, on the other hand, focus more on points which can then only be redeemed for specific rewards.

If you're not convinced, it's well worth having a read of Earn £200+ while you shop. Here, my colleague Jane Baker compares the American Express Rewards Credit Card with the American Express Platinum Cashback Credit Card, and reveals that although you could earn up to £200 with the rewards card, you'll earn an even better £279 with the cashback card.

Do you agree?

So now you've read the results from our poll, but do you agree? Or is there an even better reward credit card on the market? You can share your experiences with other lovemoney.com readers in the comment boxes below.

Finally, don't forget that if you need any help paying off your credit card debts, lovemoney.com can help. First, adopt this goal: Pay off credit card debts. Next, watch this video: The cost of credit card debt. And then, why not have a wander over to Q&A and ask other lovemoney.com members for advice?

More: The best credit card in Britain | Top reward and cashback cards

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