American Express currently giving new applicants SIX months to hit their sign-up bonus spend
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Since the start of May, American Express has been giving new applicants six months – rather than the usual three months – to hit the spending target required to earn the sign-up bonus on a new card.
It is now a lot easier to earn an American Express sign-up bonus
A six month period to hit your bonus spend changes the game massively. Cards which you might have thought were out of reach, because you could never hit the target spending, might now be easily within your grasp.
Taking the free British Airways American Express as an example, you currently have 26 weeks to spend £1,000. This is just £38.50 per week.
At the top end, with The Platinum Card, you now have 26 weeks to spend £4,000. This is £154 per week. Even if you are not currently spending at this level, you will have until February – if you apply today – to hit the spending target, which would take in Christmas and any travel you may be planning for later in the year.
What are the American Express sign-up bonuses?
For personal cards:
The Platinum Card: 30,000 Membership Rewards points (=30,000 Avios) when you spend £4,000 in six months
Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card: 10,000 bonus Membership Rewards points (=20,000 Avios) when you spend £3,000 in six months
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card: 25,000 Avios when you spend £3,000 in six months
British Airways American Express Credit Card: 5,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 in six months
Nectar Credit Card: 20,000 Nectar points (= £100) when you spend £2,000 in six months
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card: 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (= 6,666 Avios) when you spend £3,000 in six months
The American Express Rewards Credit Card: 5,000 Membership Rewards points (=5,000 Avios) when you spend £2,000 in six months
Platinum Cashback Everyday Credit Card: 5% cashback on your purchases for six months (up to £100)
Platinum Cashback Credit Card: 5% cashback on your purchases for six months (up to £125)
IMPORTANT: interest rate and fee information is at the bottom of this article, along with links to our detailed reviews of each card.
Which bonuses can I still get?
Probably not many.
If you have had ANY card on the list in the last 24 months as a primary cardholder (not a supplementary) then the only personal bonuses you MIGHT be able to get are British Airways Premium Plus and The Platinum Card. You are blocked from the bonus on all the others.
You could get the bonus on British Airways Premium Plus if you’ve not had either of the British Airways cards in the last 24 months.
You could get the bonus on The Platinum Card if you’ve not had any personal Membership Rewards cards (Gold, Platinum, Centurion, Green, Amex Rewards Credit Card) in the last 24 months.
If you’ve only had Business Gold or Business Platinum in the last 24 months, you are free to get the bonus on ANY of the cards above, as Amex ignores any Business cards you’ve had when applying for personal cards.
Does your partner qualify for a bonus, if you don’t?
Whilst you may be disqualified from a bonus, would your partner, adult children etc qualify? It doesn’t matter if they have previously had supplementary cards on your account as long as they haven’t had cards of their own.
They can issue you a supplementary card, allowing you to do the bulk of the spending if required.
How about the Business cards?
This offer also applies to the Business cards:
The Gold Business Card: 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 in six months
The Platinum Business Card: 40,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £6,000 in six months
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card: 2,200 On Business Points when you spend £3,000 in six months
Again, links to our reviews of these cards and the important interest rate information are at the bottom of this article.
The bonus rules here are a lot more flexible.
You can have the Business Gold or Business Platinum bonus as long as you haven’t had a Membership Rewards card (personal or business) in the previous SIX (not 24) months.
There are NO RESTRICTIONS AT ALL on getting the bonus on the British Airways Accelerating Business card, as long as your business qualifies.
Conclusion
Given that six months takes you to early February, when you should hopefully be back to something close to your normal spending as long as your job is secure, there are some good opportunities here.
It is very possible that people who have not previously applied for Amex cards due to concerns over hitting the bonus spending target can now jump in.
Want to earn more points from credit cards? – March 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 Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
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
15,000 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: You receive a huge 120,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Platinum by 9th April 2024. You receive 80,000 points for spending £12,000 within 90 days and a further 40,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Gold by 9th April 2024. Remember that the card is FREE for the first year. You receive 40,000 points for spending £6,000 within 90 days and a further 20,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. 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
Crazy 120,000 points bonus (to 9th April) and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
Huge 60,000 points sign-up bonus (until 9th April) and free for a year Read our full review
Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa
Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers 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 credit card
2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review
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