American Express (Amex) offers & deals

The best referral offers, welcome deals and extra savings.

There are loads of ways you can get more from an American Express credit card other than the ongoing cashback rewards. And they start when you first apply.

First is either a referral bonus or cashback site bonus. These generally are worth between £10 and £25, depending on the card and where you get the link.

Next is the welcome bonus for those who haven’t had an Amex in 24 months. These come with cashback, reward and points based cards. These can easily be worth £100 or more, depending on the card.

Finally there are extra offers available every month on the card, with the Shop Small promotion among my favourites.

Here are some of the special deals running right now.

American Express deals

Standard welcome offers

If you’ve not had an American Express card in your name in 24 months you’ll be eligible for a welcome bonus when you sign up and meet specific spending thresholds.

You might be eligible for a bonus from the Platinum card and British Airways cards as an existing cardholder – it depends on which card or cards you have. I’ve explained more in this article.

The highest paying standard welcome promotions are:

CardBonusValueFee
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card20,000 Amex Membership points + 3,000 points for spending£153 in Nectar points£0 (£160 in year two)
American Express Platinum Cashback credit card5% on first £2,500 spent Up to £125£25
Nectar American Express credit card20,000 Nectar points + 2,000 points for spending£110 in Nectar points£0 (£25 in year two)
Includes points earned in bonus period / Assumes points are converted to Avios then Nectar

Boosted welcome offers

These offers are sometimes boosted and it’s often worth waiting for these deals to come along. Once to look out for include:

  • 30,000 rather than 20,000 for the Amex Preferred Reward Gold (usually Spring and Autumn each year)
  • 60,000 rather than 30,000 for the Amex Platinum (usually Spring and Autumn each year)
  • 70,000 rather than 25,000 for the BA Amex Premium Plus (ran Jan/Feb 2023)

When these and other deals are running I’ll share the details below.

BA Amex: Boosted 10,000 points refer-a-friend welcome

This short-term refer-a-friend offer gives you extra points on the free BA Amex.

CardReward typeNormal bonusBoosted bonusOffer ends
British Airways American Express credit cardAvios points6,00010,000Unknown

This might not be available via all refer-a-friend links, but it’s worth asking anyone you know with the card, or use the link below.

You’ll need to spend £1,000 in the first three months to trigger the 10,000 Avios point bonus. This is worth £66.67 in Nectar points.

If you spend £12,000 in total on the card you’ll get a BA Companion Voucher, effectively a 2-4-1 ticket in economy.

You cannot have had any Amex card in the last 24 months in your name to get the bonus.

Amex Platinum: Boosted 50,000 points refer-a-friend bonus (expired)

For a short time, the welcome bonus is increased on the American Express Platinum credit card via some refer a friend links.

CardReward typeNormal bonusBoosted bonusOffer ends
American Express Platinum credit cardMembership Rewards Points30,00050,000 Unknown

You need to spend £4,000 in three months, which will earn you another 4,000 points and a total of 54,000 points. That’s worth £360 in Nectar points (if converted via Avios).

This is only via some refer-a-friend links and make sure the increased offer is showing when you click through.

It might be worth waiting for the usual boost to 60,000 points – though that would likely require a £6,000 spend in six months, and there’s no guarantee if or when that promotion will return.

This card also comes with £100 of Harvey Nicholls credit and up to £300 of dining credit each calendar year. More on both of these further down the page. Here’s my full guide to how to stack these different deals together.

However the card does come with a £575 annual fee. You can get a partial refund if you cancel once you’ve got the bonus. So do this after three months and you’ll pay just £144. More details on this in my review.

You can’t get the bonus if you’ve had an Amex card that offers Amex Rewards in the last 24 months in your name.

Amex Preferred Reward Gold: Boosted welcome bonus (expired)

From 12 October to 8 November 2022 the welcome bonus is increased on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card.

CardReward typeNormal bonusBoosted bonusOffer ends
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit cardMembership Rewards Points20,00030,000 (32,000 if you go via a refer-a-friend link)8 November 2022

You need to spend £3,000 in three months, which will earn you another 3,000 points and a total of 33,000 or 35,000 points. That’s worth up to £240 in Nectar points (via Avios).

You’ll also trigger additional bonuses throughout the year, depending on your spending (details here).

The card is free in year one, but does come with a £160 annual fee after this, so you’ll probably want to cancel it after 12 months.

Extra welcome offers

Whether you’re eligible for a welcome bonus or not you should always apply for an Amex via a refer-a-friend link or cashback site. These can be worth anything from a fiver to more than £100, depending on the card.

It’s impossible to say which is best as the rates change per card and can sometimes be increased. So I’d check both options and go for the one that pays the most.

Cashback site welcome bonus

An alternative to referral bonuses which can sometimes pay better is to go via Quidco or TopCashback. It’s worth checking both sites to see which one pays more, and then comparing the rate to the referral bonuses.

If you’re not with either cashback site then you can also nab an extra welcome bonus on those too!

Refer-a-friend offers

Most Amex cards will give an extra bonus for signing up via a referral link. From time to time these are boosted,

Obviously you can ask your friends and family if they have a link they can share with you, which you can use for any Amex you like – not just the one they have. They’ll also get a kickback for sharing their link.

If you don’t have anyone then you can use this link here. I won’t get the money on this as there’s a limit to how much one person can earn in a year, but you’ll still get the increased offer.

To see all the different referral options click the “see all cards with a referral offer” button at the top of the page when it opens. You’ll get the rate shown for the card you select.

Upgrade offers

Very rarely there are promotions to get you to upgrade your card. The bonus won’t be as good as the welcome deals for newbies, but it’s worth taking a look.

Upgrade Gold credit to Platinum: 20,000 points

If you have the Preferred Rewards card then you won’t qualify for the welcome bonus on the Platinum card, so this upgrade offer is worth a look.

You can get 20,000 Amex Reward Points if you upgrade from the Preferred Rewards Gold credit card to the Platinum credit card. You’ll need to spend £4,000 in three months, so this is only for big spenders.

You’ll earn 1 point per £1 spent, so in total you’ll get 24,000 points if you achieve this. That’s worth £192 if converted to Avios, and then to Nectar points.

You’ll also get the £150 annual UK dining credit and twice yearly £50 Harvey Nicks credit. So sign up now and use both offers before and after Jan 1, and that’s an extra £400.

You won’t get the £200 travel credit that new customers get.

Bear in mind you’ll need to pay £575 as an annual fee, though as explained above in the Platinum welcome bonus deal, you can cancel once you’ve got the bonus and get a pro-rata refund.

Upgrade Gold charge to Platinum: 20,000 points

If you have the older Preferred Rewards Gold charge card (this is slightly different from the credit card) you can get 20,000 Amex Reward Points if you upgrade to the Platinum credit card. You’ll need to spend £4,000 in three months, so this is only for big spenders.

You’ll earn 1 point per £1 spent, so in total you’ll get 24,000 points if you achieve this. That’s worth £192 if converted to Avios, and then to Nectar points.

You’ll also get the £150 annual UK dining credit and twice yearly £50 Harvey Nicks credit. So sign up now and use both offers before and after Jan 1, and that’s an extra £400.

Bear in mind you’ll need to pay £575 as an annual fee, though as explained above in the Platinum welcome bonus deal, you can cancel once you’ve got the bonus and get a pro-rata refund.

Boost Amex and Avios points

Andy’s top tip

Nectar: Swap Amex and Avios points

It’s possible to swap Amex Reward points for a number of different options, including gift cards. But the most valuable option is going to be swapping them for Avios points and then swapping these points for Nectar points.

You’ll get the equivalent of 0.67p per point, so roughly 0.67% cashback. And you can do the same if your Amex card earns Avios points directly. Here’s more on how to convert your points.

Extra offers

Shop Small 2023: £5 credit with £15 spend

This is my favourite Amex offer and usually runs in June and December. In 2022 it ran 3 to 12 December and 20 to 26 June. You’ll get £5 back with each £15 spend at participating retailers, up to five times per card. More details of how to maximise your returns are in my full Shop Small guide here.

Deliveroo: 2 x £5 credit each month with Amex Gold

If you hold the Preferred Rewards Gold Amex then every month you can get £5 back on up to two Deliveroo orders. Make sure you save the offer to your card. There’s also a £5 minimum spend per order.

Harvey Nichols: £100 free credit a year with Amex Platinum card

If you have the Platinum American Express card (which comes with a huge £575 annual fee) you can now get £50 back twice a year from spending at Harvey Nichols.

The spend can be cumulative and there’s no minimum spend. So buy something for a tenner and you’ll get £10 back to your card. The offer resets on 1 July each year and you can earn up to £50 again for the second part of the year.

It’s only for primary card holders and you need to activate the offer in your account before spending. It’s due to run until December 2024.

Dining: Up to £300 free credit a year with Amex Platinum card

This offer is for people with the full Platinum Amex, not the cashback versions. Each year until 31 December 2024 you’ll get £150 dining credit to use at some top restaurants. Most do seem to be in London but there are a few around the country (mainly the Ivy chain) so you should be able to redeem the offer.

There’s also the same amount available overseas, though the locations are very limited. So I’d treat this as an extra rather than a certainty.

As with most Amex offers, you’ll need to add it to your card. It’s limited to the main cardholder only so can’t be added to supplementary cards.

The card comes with a massive £575 annual fee so I wouldn’t apply just for this offer (indeed there’s no guarantee it’ll be available to newbies) – but if you do go for it, the fee will be prorated if you cancel.

PayPal: Various money back deals (expired)

Check out the offers tab of your American Express app or online account to see if you’ve got a deal when you spend with your Amex via PayPal.

When I first looked nothing was showing on any of my three cards, but a few days later it appeared on two of them. I’ll be keeping an eye on my third card in case it shows there too.

I’ve got £20 back when I spend £100 on one card (one use), and £15 back on a £70 spend on the other (three uses). You might see a different offer.

You have to make the transactions before 31 October 2022.

My top deals

Here are a few ongoing and recent offers you might have missed:

Banking offers

Savings & investing offers

Cards and bills deals

Shopping vouchers and other deals

Entertainment deals

Food and drink offers

12 thoughts on “American Express (Amex) offers & deals

  1. Hi Andy, Let’s say I have cancelled my American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card after owing it for a year. May I know how long I need to wait so that I can reapply for the same card without being charged an annual fee?

    Many thanks!

  2. Hi Andy,

    Thanks for the great article.

    I was looking at applying for the BA Premium Plus Card (with the annual fee). However, when I look on the Amex website I can only see the sign up bonus boosted to 35,000 not 70,000.

    Am I missing something?

    1. Yep, it’s got to be via the British Airways Executive Club (it’s free and quick to join). All is explained above

  3. Hi there, I’m a bit confused by this bit

    The Premium Plus card comes with a £250 annual fee, so you’ll need to factor this in. Unless you want to keep spending on it to trigger the BA Companion Voucher (effectively 2-4-1 on flights), I’d suggest you downgrade to the free BA Amex after you’ve got the bonus. This will issue you with a pro-rata refund. So if that’s after three months, you’ll get around £187 back. That’s an overall profit of £463.

    How is it £463 profit please?

    Many thanks

    1. As explained, you’d convert the 70,000 bonus Avios, and the 4,500 points earned via spending into Nectar points. That’s worth just under £500. Three months of the charge will cost you £63 (give or take, depending when you cancel), so you’d end up with a profit of £430

      1. Hi Andy, with this 70k avios points offer do utility payments through energy providers such as octupus energy count towards the £3k spending in order to trigger the bonus? Or is there stricter criteria on what purchases and spending is counted towards the £3k?

        Thank you.

        1. There shouldn’t be

  4. Plus card : So can i just buy a car, get the point, cash them out and then cancel the card ?\

    433 pound profit on the plus card.

  5. Hi Andy, thanks for all the tips across the website

    I have a question though – do you not need to be FCA regulated to operate as an introducer to credit offers in the way you do in this article? It was always my understanding that linking to regulated products in this way wasn’t allowed without authorisation?

    1. Only if you have an affiliate (I.e paid advertising) agreement with them

  6. Hi Andy,

    Firstly, top quality content mate keep it up!

    Is there a way to obtain the £20 PayPal credit without actually spending (losing) the £100? A bit like how we can get £5 from the Halifax Rewards Account by just “spending” £500 on Revolut.

    1. Sadly I don’t think so – it needs to be an actual transaction

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