Limited time: American Express boosts referral bonuses for both you and your friends

This article is sponsored by American Express

An easy way of earning a large bonus of Membership Rewards points or Avios is by inviting your friends and family to take out an American Express^® Card.

For a limited period, from 7th April to 12th May 2021, American Express has SUBSTANTIALLY increased the bonuses on their ‘invite a friend’ referral programme.

Not only will your friends receive an increased bonus if they’re approved by 12th May 2021, but you will receive an even bigger bonus for inviting them.

You and a friend could share up to 74,000 Membership Rewards points or 42,000 Avios between you from just ONE successful referral (depending on the Card they choose).

How does the American Express invite a friend programme work?

It’s very simple.

Log in to the American Express Referral Hub or the American Express^® App and you should see a box.

The website and app allow you to generate your own unique referral link. You can pass it on to your friend and it will track your referral and allow American Express to award your bonus if they are approved.

How many points will my friend and I receive?

These are the special referral bonuses on offer until 12th May 2021. You will only receive the bonus if your friend applies and is approved for an eligible Card by this date.

For Membership Rewards Cards:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card – you will receive 12,000* Membership Rewards points and your friend receives and increased bonus of 32,000 points, if they spend at least £3,000 in the first 3 months of Cardmembership

• The Platinum Card^®: you will receive 24,000* Membership Rewards points and your friend receives an increased bonus of 50,000 points if they spend at least £4,000 in the first 3 months of Cardmembership.

For British Airways cards:

• British Airways American Express Credit Card: you will receive 6,000* Avios and your friend receives an enhanced bonus of 9,000 Avios if they spend at least £1,000 in the first 3 months of Cardmembership.

• British Airways American Express Premium Plus Credit Card: you will receive 12,000* Avios and your friend receives an enhanced bonus of 30,000 Avios if they spend at least £3,000 in the first 3 months of Cardmembership.

Whilst not part of our core card coverage on Head for Points, this offer is also running on the following cashback Cards:

• Platinum Cashback Everyday Credit Card: you will receive £30 cashback and your friend receives an enhanced bonus of £20 cashback if they spend at least £1 on the Card.

• Platinum Cashback Credit Card: you will receive £40 cashback and your friend receives an enhanced bonus of £35 cashback if they spend at least £1 on the Card.

*Terms and Eligibility Apply. Log in to your Online American Express Referral Hub or American Express^® App to see the latest referral offer available.

There is NOT an enhanced bonus for referring from The American Express Card, The American Express Rewards Credit Card, The Nectar Credit Card, or the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card.

The offer does not apply to small business cards, although these cards do have their own refer-a-friend programme which you can read about here.

Do I still get the bonus if my friend fails to hit their qualifying spend, or does not qualify for a bonus?

Yes.

Your bonus as the referrer is not dependent on the person you referred achieving the qualifying spend required to receive their own bonus.

Your friend must, however, be accepted by American Express by 12th May to be eligible for this limited time offer, otherwise they will receive the standard amount for being referred. You will not receive a bonus if their application is declined.

Can I invite a family member?

Yes, as long as the person is over 18.

Can I invite someone who already has a Supplementary Card on my account?

Yes.

If you have a friend or partner who has a Supplementary Card on your American Express Account, why not see if they want to take out their own Card instead? You would receive a referral bonus and they would receive the higher sign-up bonus, subject to approval.

Can I invite someone for a different Card to the one I own?

Yes.

When you send your friend the referral link it will default to the Card you own, but your friend can toggle to any other Card via the ‘View our other Cards’ button and choose the Card that best suits them.

This means, for example, that if you have The Platinum Card^®, your friend could apply for the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card, or vice versa.

If you do this:

• you will receive the reward shown in the list above for the Card you own, and

• your friend receives the reward shown in the list above for the Card they apply for, if accepted

For example, if you have The Platinum Card and you successfully invite a friend to the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card, you receive 24,000 Membership Rewards points and your friend receives 32,000 Membership Rewards points as part of this limited time offer.

What is the most I can earn from referral bonuses?

Each Card has its own limits. These are, depending on the reward offered by your Card:

• 90,000 Membership Rewards points, or
• 90,000 Avios, or
• £150 cashback

Here is an example of how it works.

If a holder of The Platinum Card^® referred four people during this promotion, and had made no other referrals in 2021 so far, they would receive 24,000 Membership Rewards points for the first three successful referrals.

The fourth successful referral would earn 18,000 Membership Rewards points to reach the 90,000 points annual cap.

Subsequent successful referrals will not receive a bonus, although the recipient of the referral would still receive the higher bonus.

The limits are per calendar year and reset on 1st January.

Conclusion

The American Express invite-a-friend programme was always a good way of boosting your Membership Rewards points or Avios.

This new offer is far more generous than anything we have seen before. Have a think about who you could invite by 12th May ….

Please note these offers are correct at the time of writing, and available to eligible American Express® Cardmembers for a limited time. From 7 April 2021 to 12 May 2021, Cardmembers holding select products will receive this limited time offer if their friend applies for an eligible American Express® Card and is approved by 12 May 2021. Cardmembers should allow up to 8 weeks to receive additional referral bonuses once their friend is approved.

Login to your American Express Account or American Express® App to read the full Terms and Conditions and see the latest referral offers available.

If you are eligible to participate in the Referral Programme, you may refer as many friends or family members as you wish but there are annual limits on the rewards you can earn through referrals. Please visit https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/referral to find out more. Please only refer friends and family who are happy to receive information from American Express. You can earn up to a maximum of 90,000 bonus points or a maximum of £150 cashback per calendar year if you hold a cashback product. Your friend must apply via the link you share with them to ensure you both receive your bonus. All introductory offers are subject to change and can be withdrawn at any time. Your friend will receive rewards depending on the Card they choose and their spend on this Card. Your Card Account’s eligibility to participate in the Referral Programme is based on your overall credit rating and other factors including your Account history with American Express. If payments to your American Express® Card Account are not kept up to date, you could lose your bonus points.