Get 3,000 free Amex Membership Rewards points with the companion credit card

If you currently have an American Express Preferred Rewards Gold or American Express Platinum charge card, you should be eligible for a special offer for five days only.

If you add the (free) Platinum credit card or (free) Gold credit card to your account, you will receive 3,000 Membership Rewards points.

To see this offer, you need to log in to the statement page on the American Express website, desktop or mobile version.  It is not on the American Express app.

You should see a banner ad at the top of the statement page together with a link to click to apply.  Most people appear to have it although I doubt everyone will see it.

The representative APR on both credit cards 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 or Amex Plat credit cards are free, you are getting points for literally nothing (except for, presumably, 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 credit card if you cancel your Gold or Platinum charge card.

However, some people report that they are allowed to keep their credit card when cancelling the charge 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 – although you won’t reset the six month clock on when you can reapply for a charge card until you do.

Is there much point to having this card for the long term?  No.

Fundamentally, Amex is encouraging you to run up debt that you cannot afford to instantly repay, otherwise you would use your charge card instead.  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 or Platinum charge card isn’t already accepted.

If you DO pay interest on your credit card bill every month, then you do NOT want to be doing it on this card given the 14.9% interest rate.  There is only one low rate credit card which also offer points and that is the Tesco Clubcard Low Rate Mastercard.  This lets you earn Avios points or Virgin Flying Club miles, if you convert the Clubcard points, and has a market leading low interest rate of 5.9% variable.  You can apply for the Tesco Low Rate Mastercard here.

3,000 Membership Rewards points is worth having – that is 3,000 Avios or Virgin Flying Club miles.  Just don’t start running a balance on the card and paying 14.9% interest.

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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