American Express (Amex) offers & deals

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.