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Amex Platinum makes a permanent increase to its sign-up bonus – now 50,000 points

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American Express Platinum quietly snuck out a change to its sign-up bonus yesterday.

The standard sign-up bonus has permanently increased from 40,000 Membership Rewards to 50,000 Membership Rewards points.

This would convert to 50,000 Avios amongst other things.

You could qualify for this bonus even if you have a British Airways American Express card.

Amex Platinum increases sign-up bonus to 40,000 points

The minimum spend required to trigger the bonus remains at £6,000 in your first three months.

The representative APR is 694.9% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases is 30.0% variable.

Can you still get a pro-rata fee refund?

Yes, for now.

American Express continues to say (unofficially) that it will stop pro-rata fee refunds in ‘late 2024’. Given that we have been told that we will get a decent period of notice, it is possible that it doesn’t happen now – but I genuinely don’t know.

Would The Platinum Card still make sense without a pro-rata fee refund?

With the new 50,000 Membership Rewards points bonus, yes. Even if you have no intention of keeping the card beyond the first year, and even if pro-rata fee refunds do go away, you’d still get value for your £650.

In terms of hard ‘pseudo cash’ benefits, in year 1 you’d get:

  • 50,000 Membership Rewards points (converts to 50,000 Avios) – which I’d value at £500 if you know how maximise your airline miles
  • £150 UK dining credit to use by 31st December
  • £150 international dining credit to use by 31st December
  • £50 of Harvey Nichols credit to use by 31st December
Amex Platinum increases sign-up bonus to 40,000 points

…. plus whatever value you place on the other core benefits:

  • the two Priority Pass airport lounge passes (valid for a group of four for unlimited visits)
  • Hilton Honors Gold status
  • Melia Rewards Gold status
  • Marriott Bonvoy Gold status
  • Radisson Rewards Premium status
  • Eurostar lounge access
  • the Fine Hotels & Resorts hotel booking scheme
  • the travel insurance etc etc

What we DON’T know is if the £300 of annual dining credits and the £50 per half-year of Harvey Nichols credit will roll over into 2025. If they did, you’d be able to claim another £400 of credits in 2025 before your renewal came due.

I have my own opinion on what might happen but as this is a regulated credit product it’s best that I say nothing! You will definitely receive £150 of UK dining credit to use by 31st December, £150 of international dining credit to use by 31st December and £50 of Harvey Nichols credit to use by 31st December. This is guaranteed.

Our comprehensive review of The Platinum Card is here if you want to see the full list of benefits.

You can apply here.

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earns points from credit cards

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – May 2025 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 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 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 card

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card

30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 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:

The American Express Business Platinum Card

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

The American Express Business Gold Card

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Category

American Express Membership Rewards, American Express Platinum card

Comments (69)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Thaliasilje says:
    10 Oct10 October 09:22

    How can HfP promote a credit card with an annual fee when its benefits and core offerings are only guaranteed for less than three months, and there’s uncertainty about what will happen in 2025?

    • Rob says:
      10 Oct10 October 09:25

      Not easily … but we are more open than the Amex website about what may or may not happen on 1st January.

      There is a reason that the sign-up bonus was 30k in January, then 40k and now 50k ….

  • pauline Lavington says:
    10 Oct10 October 09:22

    If I have had a BA Amex premium plus card in the last year will I still get the bonus points?

    • Rob says:
      10 Oct10 October 09:25

      Yes

      You are fine unless you’ve had a Platinum or Gold in the last 2 years.

      • Ash says:
        10 Oct10 October 12:33

        Hi Rob, don’t think this is correct? ‘This new Cardmember offer is only available if you have not held a personal Membership Rewards enrolled American Express® Card within the previous 24 months.’ – so anyone who had the Rewards Credit Card in the last 2 years would be ineligible for the points?

  • Alex says:
    10 Oct10 October 10:09

    Is there any sense as to whether what eventually happens will be a full relaunch of the card (as seen in the US and other jurisdictions) or just tinkering round the edges?

  • Stu_N says:
    10 Oct10 October 10:34

    Almost defies belief that we are in mid-October and Amex aren’t saying what status of key benefits will be for 2025.

    If dining credit isn’t rolled forward, I’m definitely out. That’s money I would be spending anyway so really is an offset against the fee. Other benefits are worth £350 to me, but not £650.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      10 Oct10 October 10:48

      Why do you think they are offering new cardholders 50k points and saying the benefit ends at the end of the year?

      • LittleNick says:
        10 Oct10 October 11:10

        Surely, that just encourages people to cancel after the first year/2025 because you can only get the sign up bonus once so value is eroded in subsequent years?

        • Stu_N says:
          10 Oct10 October 11:19

          Quite – sign-up bonus doesn’t help retain cardholders, dining credit does.

          In absence of an explicit announcement I’d take a spike of promotional activity on other benefits as tell-tale it’s not continuing.

          • Qrfan says:
            10 Oct10 October 11:24

            I’d take it as compensation for the risk that they haven’t confirmed, and nothing more. They need to keep a steady stream of signups throughout q4 and in the absence of confirmed benefits, this is how they do it. They will have to come up with something for existing card holders if the dining benefit doesn’t continue. The US package suggests they have plenty of imagination.

          • JDB says:
            10 Oct10 October 11:25

            The sign up bonus this time last year was 75k (and another 25k at month 15) with 2023 and 2024 dining credits + HN and pro-rata cancellation guaranteed until Feb. That was to soften the blow of the price rise to £650. The current enhanced 50k offer seems rather paltry in comparison!

          • TGLoyalty says:
            10 Oct10 October 12:30

            @JDB I’m guessing that thought that would guarantee them £1300 of fees because pro rata refunds were ending but it instead it only guaranteed c£900. Still not bad for 100k points, £600 dining credits (I didn’t even use my international one last year and haven’t this year so don’t assume everyone does) and possibly £150 of HN they also don’t fund 100% of these credits.

        • TGLoyalty says:
          10 Oct10 October 12:27

          Does Amex look like they’re really serious about retaining customers on it?

          It’s the worst card to spend your money on

          I’m not saying it will all go but pretty sure it won’t be the way it is now and HN will go for sure

          • LittleNick says:
            10 Oct10 October 12:37

            Would accept the loss of HN if they could improve the MR earning rate to match gold but I doubt that. Or replace HN with Selfridges or Fortnum & Mason, possibly even Harrods but not great if nothing comes in it’s place

  • jannis says:
    10 Oct10 October 11:42

    holding my US amex plat right now for a bonus offer from UK amex plat. The perk of UK amex is very disappointing, 3% currency charge, no FHR credit, lack of entertainment monthly credit etc, albeit charging more than US peer.

  • Flying says:
    10 Oct10 October 11:45

    Amazing bonus. Just FYI 55K sign up bonus via referral link (I checked mine but could be different for others).

  • Flying says:
    10 Oct10 October 12:32

    Hi HFP team, I was speaking to amex support agent on chat, and they said the offer to get 8 points per £1 spend up to 80K for the person referring is now gone and instead 18K bonus? Can you please confirm. Annoyingly my refer link is not working for me to check myself.

    • Rob says:
      10 Oct10 October 12:34

      It is whatever your Amex login page shows you get for referring. Doesn’t matter if the link works or not.

      • Flying says:
        10 Oct10 October 12:38

        Thanks Rob. Currently not showing anything so waiting for refresh. I had the offer literally last week if I referred someone for biz plat I also get 8 points per £1 spend but now the agent says its 18K only and the person applying still gets the 8 point per £1 spend offer. Will update once I can see it on my amex login page.

      • Flying says:
        10 Oct10 October 12:40

        Funnily enough, originally I got in touch with them to ask if someone applies for platinum person (to take advantage of this new sign up offer), via my referral link of business platinum (and click top left to see cards with other offers and select personal platinum), then what would be my own bonus for referring since it doesn’t say. First agent said 80K points, second agent said 18K points..

        • TGLoyalty says:
          10 Oct10 October 15:59

          it doesn’t matter what card the person chooses the referrer always gets the advertised bonus. So if it was showing 8 MR/£ that’s exactly what you’d get … personal or business case

  • Michael Gell says:
    10 Oct10 October 13:37

    50k offered 10 mins ago

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