CHANGED: You now only have three months to trigger American Express sign-up bonuses

Since the start of May, American Express had been giving people six months – rather than the usual three months – to hit the spending target required to earn the sign-up bonus on a new card.

This offer has now ended.

As of today, you will need to hit your spend target within three months. 

This returns the rule to how it was before the start of the coronavirus lockdown.  With consumer spending almost back to normal – Barclaycard data for July 2020 shows card spending was just 2.9% lower than July 2019 – American Express presumably feels that it no longer needs to make concessions.

Existing Amex cardholders are not impacted

If you have applied for an American Express card recently, you will still have six months to trigger your sign-up bonus.

The three month rule will only apply to new applications from today.

What are the American Express sign-up bonuses?

As a reminder, here are bonuses available on American Express personal cards:

The Platinum Card: 30,000 Membership Rewards points (=30,000 Avios) when you spend £4,000 in three months

Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card: 10,000 bonus Membership Rewards points (=10,000 Avios) when you spend £3,000 in three months 

British Airways American Express Premium Plus Credit Card: 25,000 Avios when you spend £3,000 in three months

British Airways American Express Credit Card: 5,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 in three months

Nectar Credit Card: 20,000 Nectar points (= £100) when you spend £2,000 in three months 

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Credit Card: 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (= 6,666 Avios) when you spend £3,000 in three months

The American Express Rewards Credit Card: 5,000 Membership Rewards points (=5,000 Avios) when you spend £2,000 in three months

Platinum Cashback Everyday Credit Card: 5% cashback on your purchases for three months (up to £100) 

Platinum Cashback Credit Card: 5% cashback on your purchases for three months (up to £125) 

On the Business cards:

The Gold Business Card: 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 in three months

The Platinum Business Card: 40,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £6,000 in three months

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Credit Card: 2,200 On Business Points when you spend £3,000 in three months

We wrote a detailed article on ‘Which American Express sign-up bonuses do I qualify for?’ which you can find here.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – March 2023 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Successfully apply for either of the Barclaycard Avios credit cards by 2nd April 2023 and you will be entered into a free draw to win ONE MILLION AVIOS! Full details are on the application forms here (free) and here (paid). This competition is exclusive to Head for Points readers. T&C apply.

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

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.

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:

Until 30th March 2023, the sign up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. The bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to 60,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. T&C apply, see the application forms for details.

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.