How to pay your car tax with an American Express card

Reader Dan dropped me a note to say that he had just renewed his car tax, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the DVLA website is now accepting American Express for payment. This is quite rare for a Government department.

I had a dig around, and it seems that this has been possible for at least six months.  However, as you only renew your tax once a year you might not have come across it yet.

There is a £2.50 fee for paying by Amex.  If you have a low-emission car then you might find that the £2.50 fee is not worth it, unless you have a spend target to meet on a new American Express card.  Once you get into the £200 range, though, it is tempting to pay the fee – especially with a BA Premium Plus Amex, at 1.5 Avios per £1.

You may also want to think about timing your next Amex card application to fit in with your next car tax payment.  After all, a £200 charge makes a big dint in the minimum spend required to hit a sign-up bonus.

As a reminder, the spend targets on the main Amex-issued cards are:

Amex Preferred Rewards Gold – £2,000 spend in 3 months, current bonus 20,000 Amex points (=20,000 Avios) 

Amex Platinum – £2,000 spend in 3 months, current bonus 30,000 Amex points (=30,000 Avios)

BA Amex – £500 spend in 3 months, current bonus 3,000 Avios points 

BA Premium Plus Amex – £3,000 spend in 3 months, current bonus 18,000 Avios points

Starwood Preferred Guest Amex – £1,000 spend in 3 months, current bonus 10,000 SPG points (=10,000 Avios)

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2025 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

In 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review