Since 2012, the average household has spent about £800 in preparation for Christmas Day so there isn’t a better time to be savvy about how you pay for this additional seasonal cost.

According to independent research firm Defaqto, a fifth of cards now have some form of loyalty or reward scheme.

And 2016 has also seen a large range of cashback deals available with 11% of all cards now offering cashback deals at an average of 0.8% for spends of up to £1,000 a month.

While many of the cards are available to customers with better credit scores, so you should check your eligibility before applying, here are the top loyalty, reward and cashback credit cards:

Sponsored

Wellness and wellbeing holidays: Travel insurance is essential for your peace of mind

Out of the pandemic lockdowns, there’s a greater emphasis on wellbeing and wellness, with

Sponsored by Post Office

Brian Brown, head of insight at Defaqto, said the golden rule of taking out any form of credit is to only borrow what you can afford to pay back and budget to settle the debt as soon as you can.

Customers may also need to factor in any annual fees, be aware of the interest rates when applying for credit, check the duration of any introductory bonuses and see if there are any minimum spend thresholds for advanced cashback rates.