Revolut Part 1: What is Revolut, and what are RevPoints?

Revolut is an interesting loyalty propositions in the UK, not as traditional credit card, but as a debit-based account used by millions of people across the country.

RevPoints, Revolut's own loyalty programme, launched in 2024 and has since grown into a rewards currency many people are utilising, with airline transfer partners now numbering over thirty programmes globally and a fast-expanding set of redemption options.

This guide explains what Rev Points are, what Revolut is, and an explanation to the different levels of membership. There will be two further parts to this series. Part 2 will be all about how to earn the Rev Points, and Part 3 will cover how to spend them on travel.

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What are RevPoints?

RevPoints are the loyalty currency of Revolut's rewards programme. Unlike most card based loyalty schemes, RevPoints are earned using a debit card. Points accumulate when you use your Revolut debit card for eligible everyday purchases, and they can be redeemed for airline miles, hotel stay discounts, experiences, gift cards, and discounts at participating retailers via Revolut Pay.

Points are valid for three years from the date they are issued, which is a good limitation to keep in mind if you are a lower-tier user accumulating slowly. Points earned through spare change round-ups are redeemed first when you make a redemption, and Revolut's system will also prioritise points expiring soonest to minimise wastage.

How RevPoints earn rates work

The earn rate on RevPoints is the single biggest variable across Revolut's plans, and it is where the difference between tiers becomes most apparent. The programme follows a tiered model: the more you pay for your Revolut plan, the more points you earn per pound spent.

One thing worth flagging early: if you're used to credit cards, where a sign-up bonus is often the whole reason you apply, RevPoints doesn't work that way. There's no points-based welcome bonus for opening an account. Revolut's welcome and referral offers pay out in cash or free plan trials instead, entirely separate from RevPoints.

The table below summarises how the plans compare at a glance before the detail on each:

Plan	Monthly Cost	Annual Cost	RevPoints per £1 Spent
Standard	Free	Free	0.10 (1 per £10)
Plus	£3.99	£40	0.20 (1 per £5)
Premium	£7.99	£80	0.25 (1 per £4)
Metal	£14.99	£140	0.50 (1 per £2)
Ultra	£55.00	£540	1.00 (1 per £1)

If you pay annually, you get a discount on the paid card fees.

Revolut plans: costs and what you get

Revolut operates five personal plans in the UK, and understanding the differences matters for anyone trying to maximise their RevPoints.

Standard - Free

The Standard plan has no monthly fee. You earn RevPoints at the low rate of 1 per £10 spent, have a £1,000 per month currency exchange limit (with a 1% fair usage fee above that), up to £200 in fee-free ATM withdrawals per month, and five free withdrawals. There are no airport lounge benefits and no travel insurance included. I personally feel this option isn't worth anyone's time as the earning rate is, quite frankly, diabolical.

Plus - £3.99 per month (or £40 annually)

Plus raises the exchange limit to £3,000 per month with a 0.5% fair usage fee above that. The earn rate improves to 1 point per £5 spent. The plan also includes purchase protection and ticket protection for eligible events. For light users wanting a small step up, Plus is a low-cost option, but I'm still not sure if the

Premium - £7.99 per month (or £80 annually)

Premium removes exchange limits entirely, meaning you can exchange unlimited amounts at Revolut's interbank rate at no extra charge, including on weekends. The earn rate improves to 1 point per £4 spent. Premium also includes worldwide travel insurance and overseas medical cover, priority customer support, and higher ATM withdrawal limits. For regular travellers who use Revolut primarily for overseas spending and currency exchange, Premium offers a clear step up in value.

Metal- £14.99 per month (or £140 annually)

The Metal plan earns 1 point per £2 spent, a meaningfully better rate that makes RevPoints a more serious consideration for day-to-day spending. Metal members receive the distinctive metal card, up to £800 per month in fee-free ATM withdrawals, and discounts on lounge passes and airport fast-track security at over 100 airports. Metal also includes cashback: 1% on spending outside Europe and 0.1% on spending within Europe, capped at the monthly subscription cost. The comprehensive insurance package includes purchase protection, car hire excess and overseas medical cover.

Ultra - £55 per month (or £540 annually)

Ultra is Revolut's flagship tier and where RevPoints becomes genuinely competitive. At 1 point per £1 spent, it matches the earn rate of many premium Membership Rewards credit cards, on a debit product. Beyond the earn rate, Ultra includes unlimited airport lounge access at over 1,000 lounges worldwide through Priority Pass (including food and drinks), 3GB of global eSIM data per month across 100+ countries, cancel-for-any-reason cover of up to £5,000 per year for trips and events booked with Revolut, global medical insurance, and a suite of included app subscriptions. Revolut estimates the annual value of Ultra benefits at over £9,000 for a customer who uses each benefit, though individual usage will vary considerably.

Earning RevPoints beyond card spend

Booking stays or experiences through the Revolut app earns well above your plan's standard rate, and shopping through Revolut Pay can be richer still, with boosted rates on selected merchants that come and go. Spare change round-ups quietly top up your balance in the background, and Revolut periodically runs transfer bonuses that give your existing points a temporary uplift when moving them to a specific airline.

For the full picture, from earn rates, the boosted merchant offers, buying points directly, and how to actually make the most of it, there will be a part 2 to this article, just on "How to earn RevPoints".

How RevPoints compares to traditional credit card programmes

The most important distinction between RevPoints and programmes like American Express Membership Rewards is that RevPoints is a debit-based programme. This means it is available to people who may not qualify for or wish to hold a credit card, and there is no impact on credit utilisation or borrowing. It also means the earn rate on lower plans is noticeably weaker as a free Standard user earns at a fraction of the rate of even a basic Amex Rewards cardholder.

For Ultra members, however, the comparison becomes much more interesting. At 1 point per £1 with a 1:1 transfer to British Airways Avios or other programmes, Ultra members earn at a rate comparable to the best everyday credit card earn rates. Add in unlimited lounge access, global insurance, eSIM data and the rest of the Ultra package, and the £55 monthly fee can be justified for heavy users, particularly those who are also avoiding foreign transaction fees and benefiting from the interbank exchange rate when spending abroad.

Is upgrading worth it?

The earn rate is the foundation, and upgrading your plan is the single most impactful lever available to you. If you're currently on Standard and spending £500 per month, you're earning just 50 RevPoints. On Ultra, that same spending would earn 500 points, ten times as many. At that rate, £500 a month would accumulate 6,000 points a year, enough for a short-haul Avios redemption.

But it's worth doing the maths against the fee before you upgrade. Standard costs nothing. Ultra costs £660 a year paid monthly, or £540 if you pay annually. Unless you're actually going to use the lounge access, insurance, and eSIM data that come with it, you'd be paying a lot for points alone, the RevPoints earn rate on its own rarely justifies Ultra; it's the whole package that does.

Ensure your name on Revolut matches your airline accounts precisely before attempting a transfer, as mismatches will cause failures. And keep track of expiry dates, especially if you're on a lower tier and accumulating slowly, points expire three years from issuance, and those bought via spare change round-ups expire first when redemptions are made.

The Verdict

RevPoints is one of the most compelling rewards programmes to have launched in the UK in recent years, primarily because it makes loyalty accessible without a credit card and offers genuine earning potential at the top end. The programme is particularly well suited to Ultra members who travel frequently, use Revolut for currency exchange, and want to consolidate their earning into a single account that also delivers lounge access, insurance, and global data.

For lower-tier users, RevPoints is a pleasant bonus rather than a core strategy — but the 1:1 transfer ratio to major airline programmes means even small balances can eventually be put to good use.

Helena

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