I’m now three months into my Yonder Card membership. For many, it’s a decision point in deciding whether the card makes sense long term.
I’ve had many feelings about the card from the day I unboxed it to this week when my latest statement hit, and at this point, I feel that I have real clarity about what it is, what it isn’t, and why it makes so much sense for me, that I’ll absolutely be holding onto it for a long time to come. I’ve also thought plenty about who it doesn’t make sense for.
Here’s a play by play of my rewards earning, the benefits I found valuable, and where this card fits into my diverse wallet.
Why I’m Keeping Yonder Card
A lot of my points earning strategy has centered around solving for the once a year style getaways. Points for upgrades, or “free flights” really come in handy and anything that makes a vacation better, is great.
But I’m already “pretty good” at that, and I already have cards that solve for travel. I do however really adore Yonder’s no hassle, no drama, travel insurance which the app proactively reminds me of, whenever I make a travel purchase. Anyway.
Yonder matters to me because it’s made every day in between my long haul journeys all the more exciting. I’m finding great new restaurants and bars, and earning up to 5X points in the process, with great every day redemptions too.
I’m loving Yonder for making the “every day” fun, not just the special days. Like right now, in celebration of the World Cup, Yonder has “Yonder Pints, where just 250 points gets you £7 at one of 50 independent bars in London. 250 points is the equivalent of spending £50 at a restaurant where Yonder offer 5X. That’s a big return.
A similar offer for coffee is currently brewing, with 200 points covering £5 of coffee.
I also really love being able to redeem small amounts of points to offset my every day ways that still manage to feel aspirational. Using 7,500 Yonder Points will give me £180 off an upcoming dinner at London hotspot ‘Fallow’, which makes trying new things a lot easier — and more rewarding.
I’m Earning Far More Than The Fee
A key metric for whether a card is “worth it” is a very simple one.
Am I getting more value from the card than its costing me? At £15 a month (after the first three months free offer) it’s a fair question. It deserves a bit of napkin math.
I spend enough, and at places where earning is at an elevated rate — think 3-5X, that I’m earning around 5,000 points a month. Used towards a Yonder curated experience, 5,000 points is typically worth more than £125. So for a £15 fee, I’m getting circa £125 of monthly value.
If you’re not spending much at all, the London restaurant and experience curation still has value, but it may not be enough to justify. You basically need to be earning more than £15 in rewards every month, if you don’t really value the other key Yonder Card benefits. I really do, which makes things all the easier.
I find additional monthly value above the £15 fee, from…
- Yonder Card International Travel Insurance Coverage
- No Foreign Exchange Fees On Purchases Abroad (with rate transparency)
- MasterCard World Elite Discounts & Access On Fashion, Sports, Events
I recently completed a holiday purchase at Farfetch, where very few items qualify as “cheap”. Having a 10% standing discount thanks to Yonder Card being a Mastercard World Elite Card made that a lot better. It saved me £100, which covers quite a few months on its own.
Another one? I made a large purchase for a hotel in Morocco. Immediately after purchase I received a push notification from Yonder reminding me of the travel insurance benefit I automatically enjoy for doing so. Pretty cool.
That’s worth quite a bit these days.
Filling An Earning Void
I have cards that earn well on travel purchases. In the US, there are cards that earn well on dining too. In the UK, there are not — except Yonder. With 3-5X earning on dining at Yonder’s curated spots, that’s up to 5X the earning other cards offer.
I’m a big believer in getting the best return possible on your purchases, and Yonder is the only card currently solving for my biggest daily spend category at home, which is dining and drinking.
As long as this is the case, this is the card I’ll always pull out for dining purchases. And since it’s top of wallet for that, it’s often top of wallet for other purchases too.
Easiest Points To Redeem
Another thing to note is that this card — for now — is very London centric. I live just outside of Central London but find myself in town frequently enough to benefit as if I live centrally. If none of these apply to you, it’s probably not all that logical, for now.
The theme here though, is that I’m regularly able to earn and burn points. A lot of that is down to the design of the rewards experience. For my upcoming dinner at Fallow, I won’t need to use a special reservation link or tell them I’m paying with points.
I simply make a reservation, go, dine and enjoy, and when the bill comes I mention nothing about points. I present my card and the transaction goes through. But in an instant fashion, I get a pop up in the Yonder app asking if I’d like to use 7,200 points to wipe £180 off the bill. I’ll tap yes, and then the rest is history.
All points redemptions work like this, which makes things discrete, seamless and a whole lot of fun. Restaurants and bars don’t get grumpy about people paying with points because they don’t even know. You just get the benefit of redeeming them in an incredible seamless way, at places all over London.
My “Everyday Made Better” Card
London is a wildly exciting city for dining and drinking and Yonder’s monthly curation of the newest and best experiences, all of which have additional earn and burn options for Yonder members is an amazing feature. I’ve benefited greatly.
I can’t turn down up to 5X earning on dining. I can’t turn down easy travel coverage and I love a UK credit card with no FX fees on travel. There just aren’t enough of them. I almost want Yonder Card to succeed on that basis alone. This card will be in my wallet for a long time to come.
What’s your experience with Yonder Card?
