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BIG NEWS: American Express blocks multiple sign-up bonuses, starting immediately

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American Express unveiled massive changes to its UK card sign-up bonuses last night.

This will effectively end card churning for most people.

Before I go on, I want to stress one thing.  The new rules on bonuses do NOT stop you applying for any of these cards.  They simply influence whether or not you will qualify for a sign-up bonus when you do.

It is also worth remembering that, even if YOU no longer qualify for a particular bonus, your partner or other adult family members might.

What is changing?

Until today, American Express sign-up bonuses followed two basic rules:

Cards were grouped into families based on reward type (Membership Rewards points, Avios, Starwood points, Nectar points) and your eligibility for a bonus depended on whether you had recently had a card in the same ‘family’

There was a six month restriction in place between cancelling an American Express card and being able to re-apply – with a new bonus – for a card in the same ‘family’

This is what is changing for the personal American Express cards:

The concept of ‘families’ has gone for most products.  The eligibility rules now span ALL personal American Express cards in most cases.

The look-back period increases from six months to 24 months

Whilst there are two exceptions, in simple terms you cannot get a sign-up bonus on a personal American Express card if you have held ANY personal American Express card in the last 24 months.

Are there any exceptions to these new rules?

Yes.  There are a few exceptions to the above:

The British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card is only impacted by the change in the look-back period to 24 months.   The old rules on eligibility remain – you cannot have had either of the two British Airways American Express cards in the previous 24 months BUT American Express does not count any other card you may have had.

(In plain English: if you’ve had a Platinum / Gold / Starwood / Nectar / Platinum Cashback card in the last two years, but NOT either of the BA Amex cards, you are eligible for the bonus on the Premium Plus card – but not the free BA Amex)

The Platinum Card is only impacted by the change in the look-back period to 24 months.   The old rules on eligibility remain – you cannot have had a Preferred Rewards Gold, Green, Platinum or American Express Rewards card (all of which earn Membership Rewards points) in the previous 24 months BUT American Express does not count any other card you may have had.

(In plain English: if you’ve had a BA / Starwood / Nectar / Platinum Cashback card in the last two years but NOT a card offering Membership Rewards points, you are eligible for the bonus on the The Platinum Card – but not Preferred Rewards Gold)

Small Business and Corporate products are not impacted at all.  The existing rules apply for those.  Importantly, the six month rule continues to apply for these cards.

(In plain English: if you’ve not had any personal or business card offering Membership Rewards points in the past six months, you are eligible for the bonus on the American Express Gold Business and American Express Platinum Business, assuming you own a qualifying small business)

Can you summarise this by card?

Here you go:

If you currently have the free British Airways or British Airways Premium Plus credit card ….

You would need to cancel and wait 24 months before you can get a bonus on Platinum Cashback, Platinum Cashback Everyday, British Airways, British Airways Premium Plus, Preferred Rewards Gold, Starwood Preferred Guest, Nectar, American Express Rewards

You can get a bonus NOW on The Platinum Card IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green or American Express Rewards card in the previous 24 months

You can get a bonus NOW on American Express Gold Business or American Express Platinum Business IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green, American Express Rewards, American Express Gold Business or American Express Platinum Business card in the previous six months and meet the qualifying criteria for having a small business

If you currently have Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card or American Express Rewards credit card ….

You would need to cancel and wait 24 months before you can get a bonus on Platinum Cashback, Platinum Cashback Everyday, British Airways American Express, Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green, Starwood Preferred Guest, Nectar, American Express Rewards

You can get a bonus NOW on British Airways Premium Plus IF you have not held a British Airways or British Airways Premium Plus card in the previous 24 months

You would need to cancel and wait six months before you can get a bonus on American Express Gold Business or American Express Platinum Business, assuming you meet the qualifying criteria for having a small business

If you currently have a Nectar or Starwood Preferred Guest credit card ….

You would need to cancel and wait 24 months before you can get a bonus on Platinum Cashback, Platinum Cashback Everyday, British Airways American Express (free version), Preferred Rewards Gold, Starwood Preferred Guest, Nectar, American Express Rewards

You can get a bonus NOW on The Platinum Card IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green or American Express Rewards card in the previous 24 months

You can get a bonus NOW on British Airways Premium Plus IF you have not held a British Airways or British Airways Premium Plus card in the previous 24 months

You can get a bonus NOW on American Express Gold Business or American Express Platinum Business IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green, American Express Rewards, American Express Gold Business or American Express Platinum Business card in the previous six months and meet the qualifying criteria for having a small business

If you currently have a Platinum Cashback or Platinum Cashback Everyday card ….

You would need to cancel and wait 24 months before you can get a bonus on Platinum Cashback, Platinum Cashback Everyday, British Airways American Express, Preferred Rewards Gold, Green, Starwood Preferred Guest, Nectar, American Express Rewards

You can get a bonus NOW on The Platinum Card IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green or American Express Rewards card in the previous 24 months

You can get a bonus NOW on British Airways Premium Plus IF you have not held a British Airways or British Airways Premium Plus card in the previous 24 months

You can get a bonus NOW on American Express Gold Business or American Express Platinum Business IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green or American Express Rewards card in the previous six months

Discussion of the American Express sign-up bonuses changes continue in a further articles here.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2024 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 February 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 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 card

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a 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:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit Card

1% cashback uncapped* on all your business spending (T&C apply) Read our full review

Category

American Express Gold card, American Express Membership Rewards, American Express Platinum card, Amex Rewards Credit Card, British Airways American Express, Marriott Bonvoy American Express

Comments (1171)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Louise says:
    22 Mar22 March 13:18

    A button so people can go back to page one of the comments would be useful!

    • riku2 says:
      22 Mar22 March 14:13

      when looking at the previous page of comments edit the hyperlink – you can choose any page of the comments you want including page 1 because the page number is contained in the address.

      • Nick_C says:
        22 Mar22 March 14:17

        And we need a “thank you” button for posts like that. I had never noticed. Took me quite a while to page back to page one last night and read 1000 comments – 900 of which added nothing useful!

        • Mr Dee says:
          22 Mar22 March 14:26

          This is just Wordpress comments not a forum, doesn’t look like anything will change either.

          A login, account and message management system would be nice one day and better than nothing.

      • Louise says:
        22 Mar22 March 15:40

        Thanks!

    • Lady London says:
      22 Mar22 March 23:42

      2 clicks will do it.
      just click on the Headforpoints logo.
      Then click on which ever article headline.
      If you’re really refined, you’ll click straight on the “Comments” button of whichever article.

      Bingo you are now at page 1 of the comments of your chosen article in two clicks.
      (removes tongue from cheek).
      And no need to scroll down 11 pages of comments to get back to the start, like today.

  • Russ says:
    22 Mar22 March 14:49

    There seems to be a lot of pointing of fingers and blame directed at people who regularly churn, but I’ve seen nothing to suggest that this is the reason why Amex have bought this in. Could be a case they were going to bring the UK book in line with other countries. Amex have been happy for people to churn, something has changed their end not ours so let’s stop beating ourselves up eh. It’s Friday, have a great weekend everyone!

    • bazza says:
      22 Mar22 March 14:59

      Happy for people to MASS churn? so they lose money? (there are many cost in running a call centre and card cancelation and applications)
      I doubt it!

      • PaulC says:
        22 Mar22 March 15:27

        They set the rules not us, we just played to them.
        Would you put money in an ISA to avoid Capital Gains Tax? Yes.
        Would you avoid going into higher rate tax if you could? Yes.
        None of it is illegal or wrong its just using your limits and working to the rules.
        They have now changed the rules so we change our strategy, simple.

      • Craig says:
        22 Mar22 March 15:28

        I’d be really interested to see some actual analysis on this from Amex in terms of how much they actually lose due to churners.

        people that churn are also likely to attempt to refer the max number of people as this is an excellent way of accumulating points. Lets say churners do refer 10 people a year and some of them stay for the long term – the profitable customers which have been introduced due to churners should be offset against the cost of the churners themselves

        This is coming from someone that has done relatively little churning

        I’m not saying it is a net win for Amex but i would be interested to see some numbers (which of course they will never produce)

        • SimonW says:
          22 Mar22 March 15:35

          Or Craig… Churners create Churners…… Many referrals will be to themselves, many of the referrals will be to people they implore to churn…. Why would they refer people then not tell them the full story of the upside potential ?? But agreed, would love to know the numbers behind it all.

        • Craig says:
          22 Mar22 March 15:48

          agree Simon that is why i said “some of them” stay for the long term – my mum can’t be bothered to continue churning for example.

          unfortunately we will never know the net cost/benefit to amex

        • Rob says:
          22 Mar22 March 16:40

          Amex pays Avios close to 1p per point. Obviously it is a broader deal (they share the BAPP annual fee, for example, and I’m not sure if the 241 gets an extra payment) but they don’t get a generous deal on Avios.

        • Leo says:
          22 Mar22 March 17:02

          Hmmmm are you sure it’s that easy to find 10 people to refer to? My O/H and I might refer to each other but that’s it. I wouldn’t dream of asking my friends or family if they would apply for a credit card in order to benefit me. I’m not saying one shouldn’t do it – but I don’t think most people would feel that comfortable.

        • Bazza says:
          22 Mar22 March 18:39

          And then people carry on with a credit card they have absolutely no need for? Sounds odd to me

        • Craig says:
          22 Mar22 March 19:02

          What is odd? They just use it as a credit card and collect the points as and when they use it rather than churning it. Which is apparently what you do according to your other posts?

          Leo – agreed I’d have to be close to people to ask them. I have a group of friends and colleagues that are fairly into this stuff so generally they know whenever one of us wants to open a card it would be socially unacceptable if they were not referred by someone else 😉 Generally enough referrals go around to get at least 6/7+ a year when combined with other friend/family referrals

    • Asha says:
      22 Mar22 March 16:46

      American Express has only stayed relevant in the UK because of churners; without them they’d have gone the way of Diners. Furthermore Amex has supported this by spending their own money adverting with outlets like HfP. It’s been commented here that his is a change of strategy for Amex; and that they have chosen not to increase sign up bonuses. Perhaps they simply aren’t interested in doing business in the UK anymore? I believe this has something to do with it, just look how the UK Plat has been criminally neglected.

      • Mike Wilson says:
        22 Mar22 March 19:09

        Are you joking? What data do you have to support your view?

    • Symon says:
      22 Mar22 March 17:06

      @Leo Take a look at eBay. People sell their referral codes, it’s been going on for years but Amex has never done anything to stop it.

      • Vinz says:
        22 Mar22 March 18:48

        Is that technically illegal? The sellers say what they get go into charity…

  • Lloyd says:
    22 Mar22 March 18:34

    Can I check I am correct in my thinking? My wife and I both currently hold platinum and SPG cards. I have the free BA card. Additionally I have a 241 voucher expiring in May 2020 which I earnt from a BAPP. Wife needs to cancel platinum anyway next month to avoid the annual charge. She has never held a BA card. We are both self employed as sole traders.
    Wife cancels platinum, in 6 months time I can refer her for gold business card and I get the referral points, she gets the sign up bonus. As she has never held the BA card, I can refer her at any point for the BAPP and also get the referral bonus and she gets the sign up bonus.
    In order for me to get a sign up bonus I have to cancel platinum, wait 6 months and then sign up for gold business card.
    I can use my 241 voucher before May 2020 as long as I pay taxes using my BA card; assuming they don’t decide I must use a BAPP card to pay them as that was the card I earned the voucher with (which I no longer have!)
    All correct?!

  • Mike Wilson says:
    22 Mar22 March 19:07

    …and a filter so you can get rid of OT comments.

  • Qwerty Bertie says:
    22 Mar22 March 19:21

    In addition to these welcome bonus changes, have they also stopped mastercard debit card payments? I made one a couple of days ago, only a few hundred pounds, which at the time showed up in the processed transactions list, but I noticed the card balance wasn’t adjusted. Then yesterday, I could see no trace of it at all on the Amex account, only in the app for the debit card where it still shows…so at the moment, I’m down by that amount.

    • Anna says:
      22 Mar22 March 19:34

      Worked for me this morning. It has been mentioned on here that sometimes a payment can bounce back if it’s close to your statement date so you just need to try again in a day or so. It won’t come out of your “debit card” account.

    • Rob says:
      22 Mar22 March 20:08

      This has happened to me twice recently. Don’t worry, in a few hours it corrects. It is weird though.

  • Bazza says:
    22 Mar22 March 19:49

    you can say you are using the curve debit card to pay your Amex bill on here, no one cares right?
    Don’t be shy about it!
    it’s not like Amex doesn’t know?

    We all got council taxes yo pay
    but do it properly, link to IHG, then back track to Virgin then pay the virgin balance with IHG sweet!

    • Qwerty Bertie says:
      22 Mar22 March 19:57

      Ok thanks, well in the interests of being candid, I also use Curve to shape out lines of the sherbet I bought with my Nectar card. The local dealer was signed up for Shop Small, so I got a fiver back on a load of Bertie Bassetts.

      • Bazza says:
        22 Mar22 March 23:30

        Little tip for you, you can whip a grand a day out the atm with curve, it’d against curve t & c but they know about it so don’t worry.

  • Grimz says:
    22 Mar22 March 20:05

    Folks, how do I get all my cancellation dates for my Amex cards? Is it by calling Amex?

    • Rob says:
      22 Mar22 March 20:06

      Yes

    • Shoestring says:
      22 Mar22 March 20:08

      1. yes – or
      2. keep your cancellation letters
      3. make a note

      just as guilty as you probs (in the past!) – changed man, now I’m diarising important stuff like that 🙂

      not a big deal with 6 months as was in no rush to get new card on 6 months +1 day, but with 24 months I think I’ll get a bit tighter!

      • Grimz says:
        22 Mar22 March 20:11

        I doubt they will be happy to do this right now?

        • Shoestring says:
          22 Mar22 March 20:16

          they’ll be fine with it, Amex CS team were always very good previously and despite a few changes in rules etc I think they tend to recruit & train pretty good/ helpful/ polite CS agents

        • Shoestring says:
          22 Mar22 March 20:20

          in fact – and I sort of grade them in my head, which is only natural but a bit illogical if you are ascribing the virtues of 1 CS agent to the whole organisation! – Amex CS agents pretty much come second only to the delightful Laithwaites girls.

      • Grimz says:
        22 Mar22 March 20:25

        How do you get in touch if you don’t have an active Amex card right now? I’m lucky I was on a 6month break so I need to continue that strategy for a while longer now!

        • Shoestring says:
          22 Mar22 March 20:29

          ring them on 0800 917 8050 or 01273 69 69 33 and I guess they should trace your card with name & address

    • Craig says:
      22 Mar22 March 22:11

      It is on your credit report which is the easiest way if you have access

  • Shoestring says:
    22 Mar22 March 20:40

    O/T £250 Amex credit for £1000 spend @Microsoft Store

    • Dominic says:
      22 Mar22 March 22:24

      Damn, not on either of mine – that’s one that I could actually use!

    • Graham Walsh says:
      23 Mar23 March 23:18

      Typical. Had to buy a laptop 2 weeks ago. However did the spend target on Amex Plat in a day of activation for bonus points.

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