REMINDER: Share up to 74,000 points per card referring your friends to American Express

For a limited period, from 7th April to 12th May 2021, American Express has SUBSTANTIALLY increased the bonuses on their ‘invite a friend’ referral programme.

Not only will your friends receive an increased bonus if they’re approved by 12th May 2021, but you will receive an even bigger bonus for inviting them.

You and a friend could share up to 74,000 Membership Rewards points or 42,000 Avios between you from just ONE successful referral.

74,000 points would require a Platinum cardholder to refer someone for the same card. 42,000 Avios would require a British Airways Premium Plus cardholder to refer someone for the same card.

How does the American Express invite a friend programme work?

It’s very simple.

Log in to the American Express referral site or the Amex app and you should see a box.

The website and app allow you to generate your own unique referral link. You can pass it on to your friend and it will track your referral and allow American Express to award your bonus if they are approved.

How many points will my friend and I receive?

These are the special referral bonuses on travel cards which are on offer until 12th May 2021.

You will only receive the bonus if your friend applies and is approved by this date. You should apply 24-48 hours earlier than the deadline if you can just in case Amex needs more time to consider the application.

For Membership Rewards cards:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card – you will receive 12,000 Membership Rewards points and your friend receives an increased bonus of 32,000 points, if they spend at least £3,000 in the first three months

• The Platinum Card: you will receive 24,000 Membership Rewards points and your friend receives an increased bonus of 50,000 points if they spend at least £4,000 in the first three months

For British Airways cards:

• British Airways American Express Credit Card: you will receive 6,000 Avios and your friend receives an enhanced bonus of 9,000 Avios if they spend at least £1,000 in the first three months

• British Airways American Express Premium Plus Credit Card: you will receive 12,000 Avios and your friend receives an enhanced bonus of 30,000 Avios if they spend at least £3,000 in the first three months

What can I do if I want to apply but don’t know anyone with an American Express card?

Don’t worry. Drop us an email at hello@headforpoints.com and we will sort you out with a link. You will benefit from a bigger bonus that if you applied directly.

Do I still get the bonus if my friend fails to hit their qualifying spend, or does not qualify for a bonus?

Yes.

Your bonus as the referrer is not dependent on the person you referred achieving the qualifying spend required to receive their own bonus. As long as your friend is accepted, you will receive your part of the bonus.

Can I invite a family member?

Yes, as long as the person is over 18.

Can I invite someone who already has a supplementary card on my account?

Yes.

If you have a friend or partner who has a supplementary card on your American Express account, why not see if they want to take out their own card instead? You would receive a referral bonus and they would receive the higher sign-up bonus, subject to approval.

Can I invite someone for a different card to the one I own?

Yes.

When you send your friend the referral link it will default to the card you own, but your friend can toggle to any other card via the ‘View our other cards’ button and choose the card that best suits them.

This means, for example, that if you have The Platinum Card, your friend could apply for the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card, or vice versa.

If you do this:

• you will receive the reward shown in the list above for the card you own, and

• your friend receives the reward shown in the list above for the card they apply for, if accepted

For example, if you have The Platinum Card and you successfully invite a friend to the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card, you receive 24,000 Membership Rewards points and your friend receives 32,000 Membership Rewards points as part of this limited time offer.

What is the most I can earn from referral bonuses?

Each card has its own limits. These are, depending on the reward offered by your card:

• 90,000 Membership Rewards points, or
• 90,000 Avios

Here is an example of how it works.

If a holder of The Platinum Card referred four people during this promotion, and had made no other referrals in 2021 so far, they would receive 24,000 Membership Rewards points for the first three successful referrals.

The fourth successful referral would earn 18,000 Membership Rewards points to reach the 90,000 points annual cap.

Subsequent successful referrals will not receive a bonus, although the recipient of the referral would still receive the higher bonus.

The limits are per calendar year and reset on 1st January.

Conclusion

The American Express invite-a-friend programme was always a good way of boosting your Membership Rewards points or Avios.

This new offer is far more generous than anything we have seen before. Have a think about who you could invite by 12th May …..

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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:

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.

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: