Lloyds Bank cashback credit card review

Earn up to 0.5% back with this Mastercard

This brand new cashback card from Lloyds Bank offers the highest cashback rate on non-American Express cards.

Here’s what you need to know about the card and whether you should get it.

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How the Lloyd’s Cashback credit card works

This latest addition to the reward credit card world can earn you up to 0.5% cashback. For the first £4,000 spent every calendar year you’ll earn 0.25%. Any spending on the card above this will earn 0.5%.

There’s also a welcome bonus if you spend £1,000 in the first 90 days. This is worth £20.

The card is a Mastercard, meaning it’ll be accepted by most retailers.

Here are the essential details:

How Lloyds’ cashback card compares

Lloyds Cashback card vs American Express cards

Even at the top rate of 0.5% on the larger spend, this cashback card is easily beaten by a number of Amex credit cards.

The Nectar Amex earns two Nectar points per pound, worth 1%. Cards which earn Membership Reward points can be worth 0.8% if converted to Avios points and then Nectar points. The free Platinum Cashback Everyday card earns 0.5% on the first £10,000 spent, then 1%.

Here’s more on the top American Express reward and cashback credit cards.

Lloyds Cashback card vs other Visa and Mastercard cards

The best everyday spending rate on other credit cards matches Lloyd’s basic 0.25%. None go higher on general spending, so if you do get into the 0.5% tier you’ll earn more.

However, there are higher rates available with specific retailers. John Lewis’s Partnership card offers 1.25% back at John Lewis and Waitrose, while the Amazon Platinum card gives Prime members 1.5% back at Amazon.

The big difference between the Lloyds card and these store credit cards is that you earn actual cashback, paid yearly. The other cards earn points which are transferred into vouchers when you hit certain thresholds. This could mean you are waiting a while before getting the payout, or never even reach those levels.

Another card worth mentioning is the Barclaycard Rewards credit card. Though this is a flat 0.25% back everywhere you can use it abroad fee-free, and still earn cashback.

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How much could you earn?

Not including the £20 bonus, here are some examples of spending and the value of the cashback earned in a calendar year.

Spend	Cashback
£4,000	£10
£5,000	£15
£7,500	£27.50
£10,000	£40

Technically though you need to compare this return to what you’re already earning if you have a card that pays 0.25%.

For every £100 over £4,000 you’ll earn 50p rather than 25p. So each grand spent is worth £2.50 more than sticking with a card that only pays 0.25%.

Not to be sniffed at, but it’s not going to change your life. And obviously the more you spend above £4,000 the more you’ll make.

Is the Lloyds Cashback credit card any good?

Broadly, it’s a decent card – especially if you don’t currently have a non-Amex rewards credit card. It’s worth looking at the bonus and ongoing cashback separately.

Is the bonus worth it?

The £20 bonus for a £1,000 spend in 90 days is the equivalent of 2%, and that’s on top of the 0.25% you’d earn on those purchases too. The actual return on that grand spent will be £22.25, or 2.225%.

So this makes it better than all the other cashback and reward credit cards – unless you could also qualify for an American Express welcome bonus.

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Is the ongoing cashback worth it?

At first the extra tier of cashback makes this card appear to be an obvious top choice after the higher paying American Express cards. But I’m not actually sure most users will spend enough on the card to achieve that higher rate of 0.5%.

To jump above the £4,000 bracket you need to spend £333.33 a month on average over a year. Though this might sound easy to hit if you put all your spending on the card – don’t forget you’ll want to put as much spending as possible on the American Express. So you’re only going to use this card at a handful of retailers which only accept Visa or Mastercard.

I’ve had a look back at my non-Amex credit card statements to see just how much I spent with different cards. Excluding the Waitrose purchases (where I get 1.25%), my spend totals £225 in last quarter.

Over a year that would be £900. In total I’d make just £2.25 over 12 months with the Lloyds card and stay at the basic 0.25%. That’s no different from what I’d earn with my existing John Lewis & Partners reward card.

Yes, we’re still in the midst of the pandemic so spending isn’t back to normal, and I’d expect to put more on a non-Amex. But another £3,100? I think that’s unlikely.

And even a large purchase from a retailer not accepting Amex might not be possible as it all depends on the credit limit.

Plus, you need to reach this threshold in a calendar year. If you opened the card up when it launched in late July 2021, you’d only have five months to hit £4,000 which is £800 a month.

Should you get the Lloyds Cashback credit card?

First of all, getting an American Express reward credit card will earn you much more money. So prioritise that.

Then it all comes down to how much you think you’ll spend on the card, where you shop and if you already have a Visa/Mastercard reward card.

No, don’t get the card

• If you shop at a retailer which offers a higher rate for spending with them
• If you already have one of the other Visa or Mastercard reward cards and don’t think you’ll spend more than £4,000
• If you’re going to spend overseas then the Barclaycard Rewards is a better option

Yes, do get the card

• If you are confident you will spend more than £4,000 between January and December each year with shops and businesses that don’t accept American Express and don’t have their own enhanced reward credit cards