When I first started reading about Avios and points I knew that I had to have more means of collecting them. Only by travelling it will be very hard to do so, especially because I am price conscious and sticking to one loyalty programme can be very expensive.There are many credit cards out there, but as Muslims we have to be very careful how and what we use. Any card can be damaging if we use it in the wrong way, even our debits. We do not want to get involved with interest because as Muslims we know Islam prohibits this. And if we have a credit card we ALWAYS have to pay it off in FULL each month. It is very easy to get carried away and end up with bad debt. I certainly do not want this to happen to you or me. Don’t get me wrong credit cards are not all bad, they provide payment protection and I recommend you use a credit card when you buy something over £100. It is how we use the cards that can turn them into bad debt chasing us in this life and next.
When I started reading I got really disappointed, because as a Muslim I wanted to take advantage of what the travel world offers without getting into cards. Then I found out about the American express Gold charge card. This is not a credit card and you do not have a limit, you MUST pay every month in full and you do not get charge interest. It is free for the first year to use and has other great perks too, such as insurance, payment protection, travel insurance, double bonuses for daily essentials and more. American Express has been around for very long time and has excellent reputation and customer service. After reading for hours on blogs, small print and reviews I decided this card is an excellent offer.
My favourite benefits of Amex Gold:
- 20.000 points sign up bonus – 22.000 if I refer you which are enough for a flight for two in Europe even from regional airports
- Double points for supermarkets and petrol for the first year
- Points can be redeemed for travel with hotels and airlines – (Emirates, Etihad, BA, Virgin etc.)
- 2 complimentary airport lounge access- very useful if you are travelling with kids or night flights
- Travel and shopping protection
- Tickets and offers from American express-sometimes they have very good deals and money off
- Travel & inconvenience Insurance
- Global assist 24/7 if you need help while abroad
How we use this card
We use the card as a replacement of our debit cards. It gets paid every month in FULL from our debit card and we only spend within our budget and what we would normally have done. The good thing about this card is that you receive double points for your supermarket, travel, and petrol purchases for the first year. So we actually accumulate points faster as we need to eat and fill up the tank. 🙂
I find this card to be excellent value and for Muslims who do not want to get involved with interest this is a great card. There is no fee, no interest just use it as a debit card, pay it in FULL every month and you can travel the world in style. You can cancel anytime you want before your one year subscription runs out. To find more information about this card here. The sign up bonus is 20.000 points but if I refer you will receive 22.000 points (well worth it). If you want me to refer you please email me or comment below and I will be very happy to do so.
The Avios Habit