Got Amex Gold? Get 3,000 free Membership Rewards points by adding the Gold credit card

I know that a lot of Head for Points readers have taken out an American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card in the last few weeks as they try to top-up their Avios before the April 28th devaluation.

As a reminder, Amex Gold is free for the first year and comes with 20,000 or more Membership Rewards points (full details in my review).  These can be converted into 20,000 Avios points or a whole load of other things.

If you’ve already got one, you are eligible for a further 3,000 Membership Rewards points for free.

Take a look here. You can apply for the Amex Gold credit card, to sit in your wallet alongside your Amex Gold charge card.

The representative APR is 14.9% variable.

Why would you want this? Well, there is one good reason – you receive 3,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up!  As the Amex Gold credit card is free, you are getting points for literally nothing (except for possibly a ding on your credit report).

There isn’t much else to add:

You need to spend £500 in three months to receive the 3,000 Membership Rewards points

You will earn 1 Membership Rewards points for each £1 spent

There is no annual fee

In theory you must cancel your Gold credit card if you cancel your Gold charge card. The Gold credit card is not available as a stand-alone product. (This is important, as otherwise it would be an easy way of keeping your Membership Rewards account active if you chose to cancel your charge card.)

However, some people report that they are allowed to keep the Gold credit card.  There is no pattern as to why, but if Amex allows you to do this then you do not need to empty out your Membership Rewards account.

Is there much point to having this card? Fundamentally, Amex is encouraging you to run up debt that you cannot afford to instantly repay (otherwise you would use your charge card). It will make your wallet thicker without adding any extra flexibility to how you spend, since it can’t be used anywhere where your Amex Gold isn’t accepted.

That said, 3,000 Membership Rewards points is worth having – that is 3,000 Avios or Virgin Flying Club miles.

Got a Platinum charge card?

Don’t worry, there is a similar deal for you too.  A while ago I wrote about the ‘private’ Platinum Credit Card from American Express which also offers 3,000 Membership Rewards points.  Not to be confused with the Amex Platinum cashback cards, this card is ONLY available to Platinum charge card holders.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 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 Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

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

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

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 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:

American Express Business Platinum

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

American Express Business Gold

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

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