Why should you get the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card?

This is an advertising feature by American Express

Today, I want to look at the top 10 Card benefits you get if you get the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (Amex Gold) Credit Card in the UK.

We promote this Card as ‘the best card for the miles and points beginner’. You get a free first year, free airport lounge passes, Deliveroo credit and – importantly – a large sign-up bonus which can be converted into multiple airline and hotel programmes when you decide where you want to focus your points collecting.

The representative APR is 88.8% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 31.0% variable.

The top 10 benefits of American Express Gold:

1.  You receive 20,000 Membership Rewards® points for signing up

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card comes with a very generous sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points.  You won’t find a free (in the first year) UK travel rewards credit card with a more valuable bonus.

You qualify for the bonus as long as you haven’t had a personal American Express Card in your name in the previous 24 months.

You need to spend £3,000 within three months to receive the bonus.

You may be able to get a sign-up bonus on other American Express Cards even if you don’t qualify for one on Amex Gold. This article looks at what American Express sign-up bonuses you are still eligible for, based on the Cards you have.

2.  Those 20,000 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 just one loyalty current but could convert your Membership Rewards to Avios, Virgin Points or another of the many partners Amex have.  You can keep them with Amex for as long as you want and only convert them when you need them.

Click here to see the full list of American Express Membership Rewards travel 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 on your Amex Gold Card will earn another point.

4.  You receive DOUBLE points on all airline spending

Airline spend, as long as it is made on an airline website and not via a travel agent, earns double points – 2 per £1.

5.  You receive four FREE passes to get into an airport lounge

These can be used at any airport lounge in the ‘Priority Pass’ network. There are over 1,200 globally, including most Heathrow terminals, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.  Additional visits after your four free ones are charged at £24.

6.  You receive ANOTHER four free airport lounge passes each year when you renew the card benefits of the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card

7.  American Express Gold is FREE for the first year

Trying out the Card for a year won’t cost you a penny – and you will receive the sign-up bonus and the four free airport lounge passes.

From Year 2, there is an annual fee of £195.  However, if you use Deliveroo on a monthly basis, you could get a large proportion of this fee back because…

8. You get £120 of Deliveroo credit

Last summer American Express launched a new permanent card benefit – £120 per annum of Deliveroo credit.

Preferred Rewards Gold Cardmembers receive 2 x £5 Deliveroo statement credits per calendar month, starting as soon as you have registered for this benefit. If you think you’ll use them, these vouchers are an attractive reason to keep the card, even after the fee-free first year.

9.  You get up to 12,500 bonus Membership Rewards points if you spend up to £25,000 in a Card year

In addition to the sign-up bonus you can get an extra bonuses based on your spending.

You receive 2,500 bonus points when you spend £5,000 in a card year. You reveive an additional 2,500 bonus points for every additional £5,000 spent, up to a total annual bonus of 12,500 points.

If you spend exactly £25,000 and qualify for the sign up bonus, you will have earned 57,500 Membership Rewards points in your first year:

• 20,000 points from the sign up bonus
• 25,000 base points for your spending – 1 point per £1
• 12,500 point bonus for spending £25,000 in one year

10.  You receive various special travel benefits

These include a 10% discount and a free additional driver on Hertz car rentals, and special Amex rates at 600 4-5 star hotels worldwide.  These hotel bookings come with a $100 in-hotel credit and an upgrade when booked by an Amex Gold Cardmember.

Conclusion

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is a very generous travel rewards credit card.  You can’t beat a package of ‘first year free’, 20,000 Membership Rewards points, £120 Deliveroo credit AND four free airport lounge passes.

You can sign up for Amex Gold, or find out more information, on the official website here.

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.