Affinity cards

Affinity cards are credit or charge cards that offer extra benefits as a result of being issued by banks in partnership with other organisations. Affinity credit cards come in two types:

Reward affinity credit cards

By spending on an affinity card you earn points which you can redeem for rewards, vouchers or air miles. For instance with American Express Nectar, you can earn extra Nectar points at a number of retailers and with the Sainsbury’s bank credit card, you can earn air miles.

Charity affinity credit cards

When you use an affinity charity card, the partner receives money from the bank, at no cost to you. Partners can include charities such as Breakthrough Breast Cancer, RSPB and football clubs such as Manchester United, which typically receive a payment when you first use your affinity card, plus ongoing payments linked to your future spend - all paid by the bank!