New American Express Gold card holders can get 30,000 bonus points as part of an enhanced offer.
The credit card giant has increased the sign-up bonus on its Preferred Rewards Gold credit card from 20,000 to 25,000 points.
New Amex Gold cardholders can earn 25,000 points, a boost from the usual 20,000, when they spend £3,000 in the first three months of having the card.
Additionally, Gold cardholders can also earn an additional 5,000 points if they make a transaction of any amount in the 15th month of having a Gold card, although one expert – see below – says that this element is not worth lingering.
Bonus boost: American Express has launched a 10,000 points bonus for new Amex Gold cardholders (the US card giant sponsors Brighton & Hove Albion, pictured)
It means that new members who sign up for an Amex Gold Card starting today can earn up to 30,000 points.
To take advantage of this offer, customers must sign up for an Amex Gold Card by July 16.
The 30,000 points are worth £150 worth of gift cards across a range of retail, travel and lifestyle partners, which are used to offset purchases made on the card, or can be redeemed for flights and hotels with Amex Travel.
They can also be converted into Avios.
Additionally, existing Amex Gold cardholders can earn additional membership rewards points when they refer a friend as part of the limited-time offer.
This means that a referral will now earn 14,000 reward points per referral, up from 9,000. The referrer also earns 2 extra points for every €1 spent over three months, up to a maximum of €6,000.
Meanwhile, the referred person will get 30,000, up from 22,000, when they spend £3,000 in the first three months of having the card.
The referred person also earns an additional 5,000 points if they complete a transaction of any amount within the fifteenth month of getting the card.
The referral income limit is set at 90,000 points per year.
The referral bonus runs until July 16. It’s worth noting that you benefit from either the standard sign-up bonus or the referral bonus; you can’t have both.
Is it worth getting an Amex Gold card for the bonus?
The Amex Gold card is free for the first year and has a hefty annual fee of £195 in subsequent years.
You can cancel before you are charged and there is no obligation to keep the card beyond the first year.
Those who fail to pay off their balance each month face a 31 percent repurchase rate.
Rob Burgess, editor of frequent flyer and loyalty points website Head for Points, said: ‘This was always an exceptionally generous card in its first year and that is even more so now.
‘But after the first year it’s hard to see the value in paying £195 unless you get the full value of the Deliveroo credit and airport lounge passes.
‘You can get the Amex Rewards credit card, which is free for life and has the same rate of 1 point per £1.
‘Given that you have to pay £195 for the second year to get the second part of the bonus (5,000 points), I would still find it difficult to see the value in this and would recommend people set aside the first 25,000 points and think about it seriously at the end of the month. the first year whether the math is correct.’
Membership Rewards points can be transferred to airline programs such as Avios and Virgin Flying Club, hotel programs and retail gift cards.
The enhanced bonus could be a battle against Barclaycard, which has a free Avios Mastercard.
It comes with a new customer sign-up bonus of 5,000 Avios points when you spend £1,000 in the first three months.
There’s also a paid version, the Barclaycard Avios Mastercard plus, which comes with a sign-up bonus of 25,000 Avios points when you spend £3,000 in the first three months.
The fee is £20 per month, which works out to £240 per year, slightly more than Amex Gold’s £195 annual fee.
> Find out more about how to increase your Avios points
Who is eligible for the points bump?
If you have never had a personal Amex card and are accepted after a credit check, you will receive the bonus.
If you have had a personal Amex card in the last 24 months you will be disqualified from the offer.
You will receive the 30,000 bonus points if you have not had a personal Amex card in the past 24 months.
If you have a Corporate or Business Amex card through work, even though you receive Membership Rewards points from it, you will still receive the sign-up bonus
Additional cardholders on someone else’s Amex card who apply for this offer can also get it.
For American Express, the card is owned by the primary cardholder and does not make you an ‘existing cardholder’.
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