What are the benefits of the free American Express Rewards credit card?
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Why should you get the free American Express Rewards Credit Card?
Today, I want to look at the top 10 card benefits you get if you apply for an American Express Rewards Credit Card.
You can apply for the card here.
Here is the legal information we need to tell you:
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 10,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £2,000 within 90 days
- Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
- Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes
Other information:
- Your best choice if you want a ‘free for life’ card which earns Membership Rewards points
- A good choice if you want to close a Gold or Platinum card but keep your points intact
- Annual fee: Free
Representative 31.0% APR variable
You will receive 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Rewards card if you spend £2,000 within 90 days of signing up.
Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible. You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.
To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Rewards card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You may want to do this if you are thinking of swapping your Preferred Rewards Gold or Platinum card for a free alternative, and would prefer to keep your existing Membership Rewards points balance alive.
American Express Rewards is the only ‘free for life’ American Express card which lets you collect Membership Rewards points.
We do NOT recommend this card if you would also qualify for the sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold. The Gold card is free for the first year, comes with four free airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit and has a higher sign-up bonus of 20,000 points.
The best reason to get American Express Rewards is if you are coming to the end of your free first year with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold, or no longer want to pay the fee on The Platinum Card, but want to keep your Membership Rewards points intact.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
The top 10 benefits of the Amex Rewards credit card:
1. You can receive 10,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up
The Amex Rewards Credit Card comes with a generous bonus of 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards points.
(If the information box above shows a higher bonus, you will receive this. The box is automatically updated with the best deal available on the date you are reading this.)
You qualify for the bonus as long as you haven’t had a personal American Express card in your name (supplementary cards do not count) in the previous 24 months.
You need to spend £2,000 in your first three months to receive the bonus points.
2. Those 10,000 Membership Rewards points convert into Avios at 1:1 – or into MANY other airline or hotel schemes
Membership Rewards are HUGELY flexible because you can convert them into lots of different things. You aren’t stuck with Avios, Virgin Points or whatever. You can keep them with Amex for as long as you want and only convert them when you need them.
Click here to see what other reward programmes are Membership Rewards transfer partners.
3. You receive one Membership Rewards point for every £1 you spend on the card
There are a few exceptions (cash withdrawals do not earn points) but in reality virtually every £1 you spend will earn another point.
4. The American Express Rewards credit card is FREE FOR LIFE
This is the only American Express card which earns Membership Rewards points and which is free for life.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold, for example, is only free in Year 1 – although the benefits are huge and it is arguably worth getting it for the free first year and then swapping it for the Amex Rewards Credit Card. American Express Platinum charges an annual fee immediately.
5. Your points have more value because you are keeping your options open
If you get an airline or hotel specific credit card, such as the British Airways American Express, your points are stuck in that particular scheme. With Membership Rewards points, you can keep your options open – Amex looks after your points until you decide where to send them.
With no annual fee ever, you won’t ever be under pressure to move your points in order to cancel your card.
6. You get Amex’s unique ‘Refund Protection’ guarantee
If you buy something from a UK retailer and the retailer refuses to refund you if you wish to return it, American Express will pay you back up to a maximum of £200.
7. Your purchases benefit from Amex’s ‘Purchase Protection’ guarantee
If you buy something with your Amex Rewards Credit Card and it is stolen or damaged within 90 days, American Express will replace or repair it, or refund you up to £2,500 per eligible item.
8. There is a low minimum income requirement
You can apply for the card with a minimum personal income of just £20,000.
9. American Express runs regular generous cashback offers
Once your account is up and running, you will receive generous cashback deals from American Express. These are typically on the lines of ‘Get a £10 statement credit when you spend £50 at Tesco’.
It is relatively easy to save over £100 per year with these offers.
10. American Express has excellent customer service including a UK call centre and a well-designed app
The core business of American Express is credit cards, and they know how to run them properly.
Conclusion
The American Express Rewards credit card has a lot to offer. It is the only Membership Rewards card which is free for life, and you will potentially get 1% back on your spending if you use your Membership Rewards points wisely.
You can sign up for the Amex Rewards credit card, or find out more information, on the official website here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 10,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £2,000 within 90 days
- Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
- Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes
Other information:
- Your best choice if you want a ‘free for life’ card which earns Membership Rewards points
- A good choice if you want to close a Gold or Platinum card but keep your points intact
- Annual fee: Free
Representative 31.0% APR variable
You will receive 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Rewards card if you spend £2,000 within 90 days of signing up.
Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible. You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.
To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Rewards card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You may want to do this if you are thinking of swapping your Preferred Rewards Gold or Platinum card for a free alternative, and would prefer to keep your existing Membership Rewards points balance alive.
American Express Rewards is the only ‘free for life’ American Express card which lets you collect Membership Rewards points.
We do NOT recommend this card if you would also qualify for the sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold. The Gold card is free for the first year, comes with four free airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit and has a higher sign-up bonus of 20,000 points.
The best reason to get American Express Rewards is if you are coming to the end of your free first year with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold, or no longer want to pay the fee on The Platinum Card, but want to keep your Membership Rewards points intact.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.
