In this guide

  • Our verdict
  • Details
    • Product overview
    • Fees and charges
    • Application requirements
  • Your reviews

AIB Gold Charge review

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AIB Gold Charge
3.0
★★★★★
Finder score
Minimum credit limit
£5,000

Our verdict

If you're looking for a no-frills card to offer you flexibility with your spending, the Visa Gold Card from AIB (formerly First Trust Bank) could fit the bill.

Available to existing customers only, AIB's Visa Gold Card is a charge card. That means you're expected to clear your balance in full every month. As such, these cards don't charge interest, although there are usually harsh fees if you fail to clear your balance.

The primary benefit of a charge card is flexibility over payments – purchases at the start of the billing cycle are paid for at the end of the billing cycle, so you can enjoy up to 56 days interest-free. If you do expect to carry a balance month to month, then this isn't the card for you.

Similarly, if you're are looking to spread the cost of an upcoming purchase or earn rewards as you spend, there are better deals out there.

Pros

    Cons

    • £75 annual account fee
    • Applicants with low credit scores are unlikely to be eligible
    • Each additional card incurs a fee (£35)
    • Only available to existing customers

    In this guide

    • Our verdict
    • Details
      • Product overview
      • Fees and charges
      • Application requirements
    • Your reviews

    Details

    Product overview

    Issuer AIB (NI)
    Network Visa
    Annual/monthly fees £75 per annum
    Purchases N/A (this product is a charge card).
    Minimum credit limit £5,000
    Maximum credit limit Subject to status
    Additional cards available 1
    Potential costs 3.0 ★★★★★
    Doing its job 3.5 ★★★★★
    Extras 2.5 ★★★★★
    Overall Finder Score 3.0 ★★★★★

    Fees and charges

    Minimum monthly payment Full outstanding balance
    Annual/monthly fees £75 per annum
    Foreign usage charge (EU) 2.75%
    Foreign usage charge (rest of world) 2.75%
    Cash advance fee 1.5% (min. £3)
    Late payment fee £12
    Exceeding limit fee £12
    Additional card fee £35
    Dormancy fee £0

    Application requirements

    Minimum Age 18
    Availability Available to existing customers

    The AIB Gold Charge is issued on the Visa network (used by a whopping 4.2 billion cards), so you'll be able to use it at more than 100 million merchant locations across more than 200 countries and territories.

    How does this card compare with other popular cards on the market?

    Table: sorted by representative APR, promoted deals first
    1 - 6 of 30
    Name Product UKCCF Finder Score Purchases Balance transfers Annual/monthly fees Representative APR Incentive Link
    M&S Bank Credit Card Purchase Plus Offer Mastercard
    4.1
    ★★★★★
    0% for 20 months reverting to 24.9%
    0% for 12 months
    (3.49% fee)
    £0
    24.9% APR (variable)
    1 point per £1 spent with M&S and 1 point per £5 spent elsewhere. Enjoy 55 days interest free, preferential rates plus no cash advance fee when buying M&S travel money with the card.
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 24.9% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 24.9% APR (variable).
    Check eligibility
    HSBC Purchase Plus Credit Card
    3.8
    ★★★★★
    0% for 20 months reverting to 24.9%
    0% for 17 months
    (3.49%, min £5 fee)
    £0
    24.9% APR (variable)
    Discounts and exclusive offers for dining experiences, leisure activities and shopping available through HSBC Home and Away.
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 24.9% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 24.9% APR (variable). You might get different interest rates and promotional periods to those shown here, because these depend on your circumstances.
    Check eligibility
    Santander All in One Credit Card
    4.4
    ★★★★★
    0% for 15 months reverting to 23.9%
    0% for 15 months
    (0% fee)
    £3 per month
    29.8% APR (variable)
    0.5% after £1 of monthly spend. Maximum of £10 cashback paid per month. Cashback paid Monthly into Card Account. Maximum spend for cashback purposes is limited to credit limit.
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 23.9% (variable) p.a. with a fee of £3 per month, your representative rate is 29.8% APR (variable).
    Check eligibility
    first direct Gold Credit Card
    3.3
    ★★★★★
    0% for 12 months reverting to 24.9%
    24.9%
    (0% fee)
    £0
    24.9% APR (variable)
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 24.9% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 24.9% APR (variable).
    Check eligibility
    John Lewis Partnership Credit Card
    3.9
    ★★★★★
    28.94%
    28.94%
    (5% fee)
    £0
    28.9% APR (variable)
    Earn 2.5% back as points towards gift vouchers on eligible spend at John Lewis and Waitrose in the first 60 days from account opening. Earn 5 points for every £4 spent on eligible purchases at John Lewis and Waitrose and 1 point for every £4 spent elsewhere. 1 point = 1p (min 500pts)
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 28.94% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 28.9% APR (variable).
    Check eligibility
    Tesco Bank Clubcard Plus Credit Card Mastercard
    4.6
    ★★★★★
    0% for 24 months reverting to 19.94%
    21.81%
    (3.99% fee)
    £7.99 per month
    37.7% APR (variable)
    5 points per £4 spent (£4 minimum) in Tesco and 1 point per £8 spent (£8 minimum) outside Tesco. Must have available credit to earn points. Points are converted to Tesco vouchers or can be exchanged for Partner rewards to receive money off a variety of restaurants, entertainment or Avios points.
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 19.94% (variable) p.a. with a fee of £7.99 per month, your representative rate is 37.7% APR (variable).
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    1 - 6 of 35
    Name Product UKCCF Purchases Annual/monthly fees Representative APR Link Incentive Representative example
    M&S Bank Credit Card Transfer Plus Offer Mastercard
    0% for 3 months reverting to 24.9%
    £0
    24.9% APR (variable)
    Check eligibility
    1 point per £1 spent with M&S and 1 point per £5 spent elsewhere. Enjoy 55 days interest free, preferential rates plus no cash advance fee when buying M&S travel money with the card.
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 24.9% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 24.9% APR (variable).
    M&S Bank Credit Card Purchase Plus Offer Mastercard
    0% for 20 months reverting to 24.9%
    £0
    24.9% APR (variable)
    Check eligibility
    1 point per £1 spent with M&S and 1 point per £5 spent elsewhere. Enjoy 55 days interest free, preferential rates plus no cash advance fee when buying M&S travel money with the card.
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 24.9% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 24.9% APR (variable).
    John Lewis Partnership Credit Card
    28.94%
    £0
    28.9% APR (variable)
    Check eligibility
    Earn 2.5% back as points towards gift vouchers on eligible spend at John Lewis and Waitrose in the first 60 days from account opening. Earn 5 points for every £4 spent on eligible purchases at John Lewis and Waitrose and 1 point for every £4 spent elsewhere. 1 point = 1p (min 500pts)
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 28.94% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 28.9% APR (variable).
    American Express® Rewards Credit Card
    31%
    £0
    31% APR (variable)
    Check eligibility
    Earn 1 Membership Rewards® point for every £1 spent thereafter. Earn up to 90,000 bonus points per year through refer a friend, 4,000 points awarded for every friend approved. 1 point = 0.45p (min 1,000 points) to shop, other rewards have differing conversions.
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 31% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 31% APR (variable).
    British Airways American Express® Credit Card
    31%
    £0
    31% APR (variable)
    Check eligibility
    New Cardmembers collect 5,000 bonus Avios when you spend £2,000 in the first 3 months of your Cardmembership. T&Cs Apply, 18+, subject to status.
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 31% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 31% APR (variable).
    Yonder 'No Fee' Credit Card
    32.9%
    £0
    32.9% APR (variable)
    Check eligibility
    Representative example: When you spend £1,200 at a purchase rate of 32.9% (variable) p.a., your representative rate is 32.9% APR (variable).
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    1 - 6 of 18
    Name Product UKCCF Finder Score Purchases Balance transfers Annual/monthly fees Representative APR Incentive Link
    Finder Award
    OFFER
    American Express Business Gold Card
    3.8
    ★★★★★
    N/A (this product is a charge card).
    N/A
    Year 1 - £0, Year 2 onwards - £195
    N/A (this product is a charge card).
    Get up to 40,000 Membership Rewards® points by earning 4 points per £1 in the first 3 months. Offer ends 22 October 2024. No minimum spend required. Terms apply.

    Go to site
    Finder Award
    OFFER
    American Express Business Platinum Card
    3.8
    ★★★★★
    N/A (this product is a charge card).
    N/A
    £650
    N/A (this product is a charge card).
    Get up to 80,000 Membership Rewards® points by earning 8 points per £1 in the first 3 months. Offer ends 22 October 2024. No minimum spend required. Terms apply.

    Go to site
    Barclaycard Select Charge Card
    3.9
    ★★★★★
    N/A (this product is a charge card).
    N/A
    £42 per annum
    3.6% APR (variable)
    Control spend and manage business expenses. Access to business rewards with discounts and offers from leading retailers and suppliers. T&Cs apply.

    Go to site
    CASHBACK
    Juni Business Card (only for ecommerce companies)
    4.0
    ★★★★★
    N/A (this product is a charge card).
    0%
    (0 fee)
    £0
    N/A (this product is a charge card).
    Made for ecommerce companies only. Earn up to 1% cashback on all eligible Juni card spend.

    CASHBACK
    Jeeves Business card
    3.6
    ★★★★★
    N/A (this product is a charge card).
    0%
    (0 fee)
    £0
    N/A (this product is a charge card).
    Earn up to 2% cashback on all your advertising spending in the first 90 days, up to 1% cashback thereafter, and 1.5% cashback on spend with Google, Amazon, Meta. Terms apply.

    American Express Basic Charge Card
    3.5
    ★★★★★
    N/A (this product is a charge card).
    N/A
    £0
    N/A (this product is a charge card).
    Access to tickets for must-see music, theatre and film events, often before they go on sale to the general public with American Express Experiences.

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    How to apply for the AIB Visa Gold Card

    To apply for a Visa Gold card, you'll need to call in to any AIB branch. You'll need to show proof of your identity and address (such as your passport, driving licence and a gas or electricity bill) if AIB doesn't already hold this information.

    Frequently asked questions

    What credit limit will I get with the AIB Gold Charge?

    If AIB (NI) offers you this deal, it will specify a personalised credit limit based on AIB (NI)'s assessment of your situation. The minimum limit offered on this card is £5,000, and AIB (NI) does not specify a maximum. Once you've had the card for a while and shown AIB (NI) you're reliable, you may wish to apply for a credit limit increase.

    How much does it cost to use the AIB Gold Charge abroad?

    Non-sterling transactions are subject to a 2.75% charge. For example, if you spend 200 euros (£167.57), it'll cost you around £4.61 in fees.

    Finder credit card scores

    ★★★★★ — Excellent
    ★★★★★ — Good
    ★★★★★ — Average
    ★★★★★ — Subpar
    ★★★★★ — Poor

    Our experts score credit cards to determine their value against similar products on the market. We look at a number of important factors, like its suitability for its intended purpose, any perks/extras it brings to the table, plus the potential costs involved with running the card both in the short and longer term.

    You can read more about our scoring criteria on our credit card methodology page.

    We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.

    Your reviews

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