Who are the members of Star Alliance?

The bulk of major global airlines have formed three alliances – oneworld (which includes British Airways), Star Alliance and SkyTeam.

Star Alliance is the largest of the three, both in terms of member airlines (26) and airports served (1,200).  This means that it can be handy to have access to miles in a Star Alliance frequent flyer programme in order to redeem across these carriers.

The full Star Alliance member list is: Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels, Copa, Croatia, EgyptAir, Ethopian, EVA, LOT, Lufthansa, SAS, Shenzen, Singapore, South African, SWISS, TAP, Thai, Turkish and United.

Our article on which Star Alliance frequent flyer programme is best for you can be found here.

Which UK credit cards earn Star Alliance miles?

One of the key determinants for me when joining a mileage programme is the ability to earn miles via a credit card. There is often a generous sign-up bonus to be had, and earning via a credit card lets you top up your mileage balance if your flying reduces. A credit card is also a good way to ‘top off’ a mileage programme you intend to abandon after one last redemption.

However, no Star Alliance airlines have their own UK credit card.

The only UK card which did allow you to earn Star Alliance miles directly was the Miles & More Global Traveller Card from Lufthansa. This card was closed in early 2021. There has been no sign of a replacement so far, although there are glimmers of hope as Star Alliance trialled an alliance-wide card in Australia in 2022. We may see some activity here in 2024.

Until / unless a new Lufthansa or joint Star Alliance card appears, you need to look for alternatives.

All of the cards we discuss below add a 3% foreign exchange fee so you might want to get a separate free credit card to use abroad.

Unfortunately there are no travel rewards cards without a foreign exchange fee, although the Virgin Atlantic credit cards have 0% FX fees in the Eurozone.  One option is to get a free card from Currensea. Currensea is a simple but clever idea. You pay abroad with your Currensea Mastercard debit card. Currensea translates the cost to Sterling with just a 0.5% fee (83% less than the usual rate) and withdraws the money from your bank account. You can find out more by clicking here. Currensea is free so there is no risk in giving it a try.

Option 1: Get an American Express card which earns Membership Rewards points

The easiest way of earning Star Alliance miles indirectly with a UK credit card is by transferring American Express Membership Rewards points.

You can earn American Express Membership Rewards points with, primarily, these five cards:

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

American Express Rewards

The only ‘free for life’ Amex card which earns Membership Rewards Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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

Looking at the Amex Membership Rewards catalogue you can see that the following Star Alliance airlines are transfer partners:

• SAS: 1 Membership Rewards points = 1 mile
• Singapore Airlines: 3 Membership Rewards points = 2 miles

(Handy hint: don’t assume from the transfer rates above that SAS is automatically ‘better’ than Singapore Airlines for any particular redemption. You need to compare how many miles each scheme wants for your preferred flight, and how much each adds for taxes and charges.)

Click the links to our reviews above to learn more about these five cards and their sign-up bonuses.

Important: SAS is due to leave Star Alliance to join SkyTeam if Air France KLM gets EU approval for its plan to take a partial shareholding in the airline. This is unlikely to happen until 2025 at the earliest.

Option 2: Get the Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card

Whilst American Express Membership Rewards points are easy to earn, SAS EuroBonus and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer are just a fraction of the many Star Alliance frequent flyer schemes.

A better answer may be the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card.

The Marriott Bonvoy American Express awards points in the Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty scheme, covering 31 hotel brands.  It comes with a sign-up bonus of 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Here are the full card details:

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

Bonus: 20,000 points

Read our full review • Apply here

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
• Earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per £1 spent
• Earn 6 points per £1 spent at Marriott hotels
• Points convert at 3:1 into Avios or other airline miles

Other information:

• 15 elite night credits per year to help you towards higher status
• Free night, up to 25,000 points, when you spend £25,000 per year.
• Upgrade to Gold Elite status when you spend £15,000 in a card year
• Annual fee: £95

Representative 54.8% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £95 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 20,000 points sign-up bonus: +

You will receive 20,000 points as a sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the 15 elite night credits per year, the free night (up to 25,000 points) for spending £25,000 and Gold Elite status for spending £15,000.

Learn more about the card benefits +

You will receive 15 elite night credits per year in Marriott Bonvoy.  The first batch will arrive within 60 days on applying and then in Spring in each subsequent year.

15 elite nights will automatically get you Silver Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy and put you nearer to Gold Elite and higher tiers.

If you spend £15,000 per card year, you will be upgraded to Gold Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.

If you spend £25,000 per card year, you will receive a free night voucher, valid at any hotel where reward nights cost up to 25,000 points.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

You can convert Marriott Bonvoy points to 40 airlines.  The transfer rate is nominally 3 : 1, with the credit card earning 2 point per £1. For most partners this is increased to 3 : 1.25 if you convert 60,000 Bonvoy points at once.

There is a preferential conversion rate to United Airlines – which is a Star Alliance member – of 2:1 if you convert 60,000 Bonvoy points at once.

These are the Star Alliance members which are Marriott Bonvoy airline partners.   The earning rates shown ignore the 25% bonus if you convert 60,000 Bonvoy points (20,000 miles) at once.

• Aegean: 0.66 miles per £1
• Air Canada: 0.66 miles per £1
• Air China: 0.66 miles per £1
• Air New Zealand: 0.66 points per £66
• ANA: 0.66 miles per £1
• Asiana Airlines: 0.66 miles per £1
• Avianca: 0.66 miles per £1
• Copa Airlines: 0.66 miles per £1
• Singapore Airlines: 0.66 miles per £1
• TAP Air Portugal: 0.66 miles per £1
• Thai Airways: 0.66 miles per £1
• Turkish Airlines: 0.66 miles per £1
• United Airlines: 0.66 miles per £1

In most cases, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card is your best option for earning Star Alliance miles from UK credit card spend.

Option 3: Get a HSBC Premier credit card

HSBC Premier is an option if you want Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal or EVA Air miles.  It has an excellent Visa / Mastercard rate (0.5 miles per £1 on the free card, double on the paid card).

You need a HSBC Premier current account, however, which has tough income and savings criteria. This means that it is out of reach for many readers.

We review the free HSBC Premier credit card here and review the £195 HSBC Premier World Elite credit card here.

Conclusion

There are plenty of options here for anyone wanting to earn Star Alliance miles from a credit card. As far as I can see, the only members with no earning ability are Lufthansa Miles & More (admittedly a big hole), EgyptAir and Ethiopian.  Shenzhen Airlines uses Air China’s PheonixMiles programme.

Want SAS or Singapore Airlines miles?

The free (in year one) American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is probably your best choice if you want SAS or Singapore Airlines miles.  You earn 1 point per £1 and the sign-up bonus is 20,000 Membership Rewards points. The points convert at 1:1 into SAS and 3:2 into Singapore Airlines. You can apply here.

Want miles with any other Star Alliance airline?

The £95 Marriott Bonvoy American Express is probably your best choice for Star Alliance miles with all other airlines. 

The Marriott Bonvoy Amex has a number of partners at a decent conversion rate of 0.825 miles per £1 (assuming you convert in 60,000 Bonvoy point chunks) and may be a good way to hedge your bets about which Star Alliance programme you want to redeem through.  

You can, of course, also redeem your points for Marriott hotel rooms if you change your mind about airline miles.  My full review of the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card is here. You can apply here.

At each, you will receive a £15 credit towards a meal or drinks. If your Priority Pass allows a free guest and you arrive with someone else, you will receive a £30 credit between you.

Unfortunately these deals are NOT available to anyone who gets their Priority Pass via American Express. It is available to anyone who gets their pass directly from Priority Pass or via another financial partner such as the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard or the brand new £15 per month Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.

We have run a few articles in recent weeks as new restaurants and bars have been added. In this article I wanted to bring everything together in one place.

The latest changes are:

• Cardiff – Beer House has replaced Caffe Ritazza
• Edinburgh – a deal has been agreed and will be announced soon – I know who it will be and it will be well received

London:

London City Airport

• Juniper & Co
• Soul & Grain
• Cabin Bar (temporarily closed)

London Heathrow

• Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen (Terminal 2)
• The Oceanic Pub & Kitchen (Terminal 3)
• The Globe Pub & Kitchen (Terminal 5)

You can also get free treatments at the two Be Relax Spa sites in Terminal 5.

London Gatwick

• Tortilla (North)
• Juniper & Co (North)
• The Breakfast Club (North)
• The Grain Store Cafe & Bar (South)

London Luton

• Avalon Crafted Coffee
• Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen
• Nolito

London Stansted

• The Camden Bar & Kitchen

Outside London:

Manchester International

• Starbucks (Terminal 1)
• The Grain Loft (Terminal 1)
• PizzaLuxe (Terminal 1)
• Upper Crust (Terminal 1)

Bristol International

• Starbucks
• Cabin Bar
• Tortilla
• Brigg & Stow

Cardiff

• Beer House

Glasgow International

• Bird & Signet

Edinburgh International

• Coming soon!

But if your Priority Pass is issued by American Express ….

There are a grand total of TWO restaurant experiences globally that Amex-issued Priority Pass customers can use.

One is The Grain Store at London Gatwick’s South Terminal. Given that this is the British Airways terminal, it is at least convenient for most HfP readers. The other is the Moevenpick Cafe in Berlin Brandenburg.

My best guess is that Priority Pass wants to charge American Express a higher fee for restaurant visits, as it pays out more than it pays a lounge operator, and that the two parties could not reach an agreement.

This is something that American Express may want to look at again given the frustration over being unable to access UK lounges with Priority Pass due to overcrowding. The fee differential cannot be more than £1-£2 per visit, given that no other bank or credit card provider has brought in a similar restriction.

You can find out more about these new Priority Pass options by searching for an airport via its website.

PS. Without wishing to state the obvious, you should not take part in any of these restaurant deals if you have a ‘pay per use’ or – if you’re not alone – a ‘pay for guests’ Priority Pass. The guest fee is now £24 and you are getting £15 of restaurant credit so you can see the problem here!

Keep up to date with the latest UK credit card bonuses by signing up for our free daily or weekly newsletters.

As time is running out, I wanted to remind you that American Express is currently offering an increased sign-up bonus on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card.

You will receive 30,000 Membership Rewards points, compared to the standard 20,000 points.

This is a special offer which only runs to Tuesday 9th January.

The bonus comes in two parts. If you meet the bonus criteria, you will receive 25,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within your first 90 days.

You will receive an additional 5,000 Membership Rewards points if you keep the card for 15 months and make a single purchase in month 15.

This package is an exceptionally generous deal for a card which is FREE for the first year.  Remember that 30,000 Membership Rewards points convert into 30,000 Avios, amongst other things.

You can apply here.

The legal bit ….. 

Let’s get the boring legal bits out of the way first.

The representative APR is 88.8% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 31.0% variable.

What is the Amex Gold sign-up bonus?

The sign-up bonus on Amex Gold is currently increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. You have until 9th January 2024 to apply.

You can convert 30,000 American Express Membership Rewards points into:

• 30,000 Avios
• 30,000 Virgin Points
• 60,000 Hilton Honors points
• 90,000 Radisson Rewards points
• 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
• 2,000 Club Eurostar points

…… amongst other things.

To earn the main chunk of 25,000 bonus Membership Rewards points, you need to spend £3,000 within three months of your application being accepted.

To earn the extra 5,000 bonus points, you need to keep the card for 15 months and make a single purchase in month 15. As there is a £195 fee for Amex Gold from Year 2 onwards (the first year is free), you need to consider more broadly whether the card benefit package justifies the cost.

Do you qualify for the Amex Gold sign-up bonus?

Before we go on, let’s look at whether you actually qualify for the 30,000 Membership Rewards points bonus.

A lot of HfP readers will NOT qualify.  This article explains which sign-up bonuses you are still eligible for, depending on the cards you hold/have held in the past 2 years, and I summarise it below.

However, think outside the box. Could your partner apply?  Perhaps your adult children?  Your parents?  If any of these people are in your British Airways Executive Club household account, you would still benefit if they transferred the sign-up bonus to Avios in the household account.

Remember that the cardholder could issue you with a free supplementary card on the account, so you could do the necessary spending to trigger the bonus.

What are the exact rules for getting the bonus?

If you have never held a personal American Express card before, you will definitely get the bonus.  You can skip the rest of this section.

For everyone else, here is the offical wording from the Amex website:

“This new Cardmember offer is only available if you have not held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months. If you have held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months, you will be entitled to all other Card benefits, excluding the welcome offer.”

You WILL receive the 25,000 bonus points if you have not held a personal American Express card in the previous 24 months.

You WILL receive the sign-up bonus if you have a Corporate or Business American Express card via your job, even if you receive Membership Rewards points from it.

You WILL receive the bonus if you are only a supplementary cardholder on someone else’s American Express card. As far as Amex is concerned, the card belongs to the primarily cardholder and does not make you an ‘existing cardholder’.

If you do not qualify for the bonus, you can still apply.  You still receive the other card benefits, including the four free airport lounge passes, £120 of annual Deliveroo credit and ‘no fee in the first year’.

You could also consider another Amex card. This article looks at which sign-up bonuses you could still be eligible for.

With that out of the way, let’s look at why we like the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card.

The Amex Gold card is free for the first year

Amex Gold has an annual fee of £195.  There is no fee for your first year so you have some time to see if it suits you or not.

You can cancel at any point and there is absolutely no obligation to keep the card beyond the first free year.

Of course, you would be missing out on the additional 5,000 bonus points – paid in month 15 – if you did cancel after the first free year.

The Amex Gold sign-up bonus is very generous

You get 25,000 American Express Membership Rewards points (worth 25,000 Avios) when you sign up and spend £3,000 within three months. This is a special offer which runs to 9th January 2024.

You get an extra 5,000 bonus points (worth 5,000 Avios) if you choose to renew the card for Year 2, at an annual fee of £195, and make a single purchase in Month 15.

The earning rate on your day to day spending is 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent. This is OK but not exceptional – although you should put some value on having a ‘convertible’ currency rather than being forced into taking Avios, Virgin Points etc via a dedicated airline credit card.

30,000 Membership Rewards points is a good deal because ….

The Amex Gold rewards scheme is a valuable convertible currency

You can transfer Membership Rewards points into MANY different things. Take a look at their website.

We tend to focus on airline schemes (1:1 into Avios, Virgin Flying Club, Flying Blue, Delta Skymiles, Etihad Guest, Emirates Skywards etc) or hotel schemes (1:2 into Hilton Honors, 1:3 into Radisson Rewards, 2:3 into Marrriott Bonvoy).

In reality there are lots of other options, including High Street gift cards.  I wrote this article on how to get the best value from Membership Rewards points. It is possible, if you are smart, to get over £250 of value from your 25,000 Membership Rewards points initial sign-up bonus.

‘Convertible currencies’ are worth more to you. It is better to have 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points than 25,000 Avios points. Why? Because your 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points would get you 25,000 Avios points if you needed them – but they could also get you points in a lot of other different schemes.

You get four free airport lounge visits per year

As an Amex Gold cardholder you receive free membership of Priority Pass, a global network of airport lounges.

You get four free airport lounge visits each year – either four visits for yourself or shared between you and any guests who are with you.

The Priority Pass website shows you which lounges you can use including many at Heathrow and Gatwick.  Additional visits after your four free ones are charged at £24 per person per visit. You receive four additional free passes each year if you renew your Amex Gold membership.

You get £120 of Deliveroo credit per year

Amex Gold comes with £120 of annual Deliveroo credit.

You receive 2 x £5 cashback credits each month. When a Deliveroo order for £5+ is charged to your card, you receive £5 back on your next American Express statement.

Get up to 12,500 bonus points per year based on your spending

As well as earning 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent, you will receive extra bonuses based on your total spending during each card year.

This is what you receive:

• 2,500 points when you hit £5,000 of annual spend
• 2,500 points when you hit £10,000 of annual spend (5,000 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £15,000 of annual spend (7,500 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £20,000 of annual spend (10,000 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £25,000 of annual spend (12,500 points cumulative)

The bonus is paid as soon as you hit each tier threshold.

What other benefits does Amex Gold have?

There are various other benefits attached to the card as well, including:

• double points for foreign spending (there is a 3% fee for FX charges, so this is only a good deal if you are spending money your employer will reimburse)

• double points on flight bookings when booked directly with airlines – this could be VERY valuable if you spend a lot on flight tickets

• triple points on bookings with Amex Travel

• 10% discount and a free additional driver on Hertz bookings

• $75 in-hotel credit and an upgrade (based on availability at check-in) when booking 350 4-5 star hotels worldwide

Conclusion

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card is a low cost (zero cost, actually, in Year 1) and high reward way to begin a relationship with Amex.

If you were thinking about applying, it makes sense to do so now whilst the sign-up bonus is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points.

Over time your card needs may change.  Many people move on to the British Airways Premium Plus American Express because of the hugely valuable 2-4-1 voucher – but American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is a good way to get started.  You will still qualify for the British Airways Premium Plus sign-up bonus of 25,000 Avios in the future despite already having an Amex Gold card.

Even if you eventually decide that the miles and points hobby is not for you, there are still plenty of other valuable ways to use your Membership Rewards points such as Amazon vouchers.  Your 30,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus converts into £200 of Nectar points if you route them Amex to Avios to Nectar.

You can apply for American Express Preferred Rewards Gold here. The offer ends on 9th January 2024.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

In return for taking out this card (FREE for the first year, cancel at any time) and hitting a £3,000 spending target, you will receive 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points.  These will convert into 20,000 Avios points.

Key legal information:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Bonus: 20,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Get up to 12,500 bonus points each year based on your total spending
• Earn double points on all airline and overseas spend
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes

Other information:

• Amex Gold is our recommended ‘first card’ for a miles and points beginner
• Get four free airport lounge passes when you sign up, and a further four each year
• After your four free passes, you can visit further lounges for a small fee
• You receive £120 of Deliveroo credit each year (24 x £5 credits)
• Annual fee: Free for the first year, £195 from Year 2

Representative 88.8% APR variable.  Annual fee applies after the first year.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 20,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible, which is why we recommend this as the best choice for your first miles and points card.  You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the four free airport lounge passes and the ‘no fee in Year 1’ offer.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold comes with four free airport lounge passes.  These allow either you and up to three friends, or yourself four times, to visit any of the 1,400 lounges in the Priority Pass network.  You make additional lounge visits for £24 per person.  You receive an additional four free passes each year.

You earn double Membership Rewards points on all airline spend (made directly on an airline website) and all spend made outside the UK.

You will receive up to 12,500 bonus Membership Rewards points each year, based on how much you spend.

You receive £120 of Deliveroo credit each year.  Amex will repay you £5 for the first two Deliveroo orders charged to your Gold card each month.

Other benefits include a 10% discount on Hertz car rentals, Avis Preferred Plus car rental status and special deals at 350 selected hotels worldwide, where Preferred Rewards Gold cardholders receive a $75 in-hotel credit per stay.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

How do I earn 20,000 free Avios points with Amex Gold?

American Express has its own loyalty currency called Membership Rewards points.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card offers 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within three months.

This is the most generous sign-up bonus available on any free (or free for the first year) UK loyalty credit card.

Membership Rewards points can be converted 1 to 1 into Avios points.  This means that the 20,000 points you receive for signing up to American Express Gold will become 20,000 Avios points.

You aren’t restricted to Avios points.  You can also convert to Virgin Points, Emirates Skywards, Hilton Honors (at 1:2), Radisson Rewards (at 1:3), Marriott Bonvoy (at 2:3) and many more programmes.  Click here to see what other reward programmes are Membership Rewards transfer partners.

Do I qualify for the sign-up bonus?

You qualify for the 20,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus as long as you have not had a personal American Express card in the past 24 months.

If you do NOT qualify for the sign-up bonus, you can still apply for the card.  You will still receive your first year for free, receive four airport lounge pass vouchers, receive £120 of Deliveroo credit and earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent.

It is not a problem if you have a Business or Corporate American Express card. This will not impact your ability to receive the bonus points.

Any other benefits?

Four free airport lounge passes:

You receive FOUR free airport lounge passes each year with Amex Gold, valid at any airport lounge in the Priority Pass network.

Heathrow (including Terminal 5), Gatwick, Luton and Stansted – amongst many others – have participating lounges as do most major airports worldwide. After your four free visits, you can make further lounge visits for a £20 charge.  You can see which airport lounges accept Priority Pass cards on their website.

£120 of Deliveroo credit:

You receive 2 x £5 Deliveroo credits each month.

American Express will refund you £5 when you make any £5+ purchase with Deliveroo and charge it to your Preferred Rewards Gold card. This is worth £120 per year if you make the most of it.

Other benefits:

You will receive a 10% discount and free additional driver on Hertz bookings.

You will receive Avis Preferred Plus status.

There are also 350 4-5 star hotels worldwide which offer a $75 in-hotel credit and an upgrade when booked by an Amex Gold cardholder via the American Express travel service.

Is there an annual fee on Amex Gold?

There is no fee for the first year of Amex Gold.

There is a £160 annual fee from Year 2 if you choose to continue after the first year. You receive four further airport lounge passes and another £120 of Deliveroo credit each year when you renew.

What do I earn per £1 spent on the card?

As well as receiving 20,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up, you will receive points for all of your spending.

You receive 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on the card.

Foreign currency transactions and airline transactions earn DOUBLE points – 2 points per £1 – as do travel bookings made via the American Express Travel website.

Is there an annual spend bonus?

Yes. On top of your standard earning rate of 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent, you will receive an additional 2,500 bonus points each time you spend £5,000.

There is a cap of 12,500 bonus points per membership year, which would require you to spend £25,000.

The bonus points are added to your Membership Rewards points account as soon as you hit each £5,000 target.

What are the criteria for getting Amex Gold?

There is a personal minimum income requirement of £20,000.

This applies to all American Express cards, except for The Platinum Card and the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card which require a £35,000 personal income.

Can my partner apply too so we can both get the sign-up bonus?

Yes.  American Express is happy to issue separate Gold cards to different people in the same household.  This means that, if your partner shares a British Airways Executive Club household account with you, you could both receive 20,000 points as a sign-up bonus and so earn 40,000 Avios points in your BA household account.

Conclusion

We recommend American Express Preferred Rewards Gold as a very low risk introduction to American Express.

You don’t pay any fee in the first year (and can cancel at any point), you get 20,000 points as a sign-up bonus and you get four free airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit. You can’t argue with that.

The application form for Amex Gold can be found here.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

In truth, virtually the only thing that Amex Gold and Amex Platinum have in common is the fact that you earn American Express Membership Rewards points from your spending and as a sign-up bonus.  Everything else varies.

To find out more, or to apply, the website for American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is here.  The website for The Platinum Card is here.

How does American Express Gold differ from American Express Platinum?

I am going to compare each key feature of the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum cards side by side.  If you want to see a dedicated article on either card, click here for our full review of American Express Preferred Rewards Gold and click here for our full review of The Platinum Card from American Express.

How do the cards differ legally?

They don’t, as of late 2022.

After decades as a charge card, The Platinum Card is now issued as a credit card.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold has been issued as a credit card for almost six years now.  As long as you meet the small minimum monthly payment, you can roll over what you owe from month to month – although you will be charged interest. 

Here is the current interest rate information:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold:

The representative APR is 88.8% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 31.0% variable.

The Platinum Card:

The representative APR is 704.6% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases is 31.0% variable.

How do the annual fees on Amex Gold and Amex Platinum differ?

Amex Gold has no annual fee in year 1 and is £195 per year thereafter.

Amex Platinum has an annual fee of £650 per year.

Annual fees are refunded pro-rata if you cancel during your membership year until at least 29th February 2024. At some point after this date the ability to get a pro-rata refund mid-year will be removed.

How do the minimum income requirements differ?

American Express brought back PERSONAL minimum income requirements during 2023. It previously looked at household income and did not have an official minimum.

Amex Gold requires a personal minimum income of £20,000.

Amex Platinum requires a personal minimum income of £35,000.

To put this into comparison, all other personal American Express cards have a minimum income requirement of £20,000 except for the British Airways Premium Plus American Express which is £35,000.

What are the sign-up bonuses?

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold offers 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days. This is the most generous sign-up bonus generally available on any free UK loyalty credit card – albeit that Amex Gold is only free for the first year.

The Platinum Card offers 40,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £6,000 within 90 days.

Membership Rewards points can be converted 1 to 1 into Avios or Virgin Points. Click here to see what other reward programmes are Membership Rewards transfer partners.

This means that you can receive 20,000 Avios points for free by applying for Amex Gold (no fee in Year 1), spending enough to trigger the sign-up bonus and then transferring the points to British Airways.  You would receive 40,000 points by applying for Platinum.

What are the rules for qualifying for the sign-up bonuses?

These differ by card. There are fewer restrictions for getting the Platinum bonus than the Gold bonus, perhaps unsurprising given the large fee difference.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold:

The Amex Gold sign-up bonus is only available to customers who have not held a personal American Express card in the previous 24 months. 

You will receive the sign-up bonus if you have a Corporate or Business American Express card via your job and you receive Membership Rewards points from it.

You will definitely receive the bonus if you are only a supplementary cardholder on someone else’s American Express card. As far as Amex is concerned, that card belongs to the primarily cardholder and does not make you an ‘existing cardholder’.

If you do not qualify for the Gold bonus, you can still apply.  You still receive the other card benefits, including the four free airport lounge passes, £120 of Deliveroo credit and ‘no fee in the first year’.

The Platinum Card:

The Amex Platinum sign-up bonus is only available to customers who have not held a personal American Express card which earns Membership Rewards points in the previous 24 months.  This would include Green, Gold, Platinum and the American Express Rewards credit card.

You are OK if you currently or recently only had a British Airways, Marriott or Nectar American Express card.  All that matters is that you have not held a personal card offering Membership Rewards points.

You will receive the sign-up bonus if you have a Corporate or Business American Express card via your job and you receive Membership Rewards points from it.

You will definitely receive the bonus if you are only a supplementary cardholder on someone else’s American Express card. As far as Amex is concerned, that card belongs to the primarily cardholder and does not make you an ‘existing cardholder’.

If you do not qualify for the bonus, you can still apply.  You still receive the other card benefits, which are substantial.

To summarise on bonuses ….

• You are blocked from the Gold bonus if you have had ANY personal American Express card in the last two years. 

• You are ONLY blocked from the Platinum bonus if you have had a Green, Gold, Platinum or any other MR-earning personal American Express in the last two years.

• There is no scenario under which you can get the bonus on both Gold and Platinum within a two year period, unless you have Gold and receive a targetted upgrade offer to Platinum

What other card benefits do you get?

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold:

You receive FOUR free airport lounge passes each membership year with Amex Gold, valid at any airport lounge in the Priority Pass network. Heathrow (including the Aspire and Plaza Premium lounges in Terminal 5), Gatwick, Luton and Stansted – amongst many others – have participating lounges as do most major airports worldwide. After your four free visits, you can make further lounge visits for a £24 charge.

You will receive 2,500 bonus Membership Rewards points for every £5,000 you spend, up to a maximum of 12,500 bonus points per membership year. You receive these as soon as you pass each £5,000 threshold.

You will receive a 10% discount and free additional driver on Hertz bookings. We looked at the American Express Gold / Hertz partnership in more detail in this article.

You receive Preferred Plus status with Avis.

There are also 600 4-5 star hotels worldwide which offer a $75 in-hotel credit and an upgrade when booked by an American Express Gold cardholder via the American Express travel service.

The Platinum Card:

The Platinum Card has substantial benefits – easily the best package of any UK loyalty card.

You receive travel insurance for yourself and your family. Some benefits require you to pay for your trip with an American Express card, but the core medical benefit is automatic. There is an age limit of 70 on the travel insurance. If you choose to give your free supplementary card to someone outside your family (eg your parents) they are covered too – my Mum had mine until she hit 70.

You receive full car hire insurance – with no requirement to pay with your card.

You and your main supplementary cardholder will each receive a Priority Pass card. This gets the cardholder plus a guest into 1,300 airport lounges across the world for free, including the Aspire lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5 reviewed here and the Plaza Premium lounge in Terminal 5. As you get two Priority Pass cards, each of which allows a free guest, you can get a family of four into a lounge – as I do on a regular basis.

You can also get into Amex’s own network of high quality ‘Centurion’ airport lounges for free. These are primarily in the US but are rolling out globally – the only UK site is in Heathrow Terminal 3, which we reviewed here.

You will also receive status in various hotel schemes for as long as you keep the card:

• Gold in Marriott Bonvoy
• Premium in Radisson Rewards
• Gold in Hilton Honors
• Gold in MeliaRewards

Other travel benefits include Eurostar lounge access in London, Brussels and Paris whatever your class of travel. You also receive lounge access when flying with Delta although any guests must pay $29.

There is an exclusive hotel booking scheme called ‘Fine Hotels & Resorts’ which offers valuable additional benefits on your stays. If you are a regular visitor at five star hotels then you can recoup your entire membership fee via FHR bookings. I wrote more about Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts here – for me, the guaranteed 4pm check-out on every stay is invaluable, especially for weekend breaks.

Non-travel benefits include:

• £100 per year to spend at Harvey Nichols, either instore or online. This is split into £50 to spend between January and June and £50 between July and December. There is no minimum spend – it is genuinely free stuff if you spend exactly £50.

• £150 to spend at 160 UK restaurants. This benefit renews on 1st January each year. There is no minimum spend required and you can use the £150 over multiple visits to different restaurants if you wish.

• £150 to spend at 1,400 international restaurants. Again, this benefit renews on 1st January each year.

What do you earn per £1 spent on the cards?

Both cards earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold has three special bonuses, however:

• foreign currency transactions earn 2 points per £1
• airline transactions earn 2 points per £1
• you receive a bonus of 2,500 points for every £5,000 you spend in a card year, up to a maximum of 12,500 points

What is best way to spend Membership Rewards points?  As it turns out, I wrote this lengthy article on how to best redeem Membership Rewards points.

Do Amex Gold and Amex Platinum impose foreign exchange fees?

Yes. Both card impose a 3% foreign exchange fee on transactions outside the UK.

American Express Gold is a better card to use abroad than Amex Platinum, because you earn double Membership Rewards points when spending in a foreign currency.

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped you realise that American Express Preferred Rewards Gold and The Platinum Card are two completely different beasts.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold gets you:

• a sign-up bonus of 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points
• a free first year (£195 thereafter)
• a generous offer of four free airport lounge passes per year
• £120 of Deliveroo credit (24 x £5) per year
• up to 12,500 bonus points per year based on spending

The Platinum Card has a very heavy fee – and is not free in the first year – but comes with an unmatched range of travel and non-travel benefits and a big sign-up bonus. 

Whether or not these benefits are worth the fee is up to you.  I make it work – I’ve had a Platinum card for over 20 years – but it depends entirely on your circumstances.

Where do I apply?

The application form for American Express Preferred Reward Gold (20,000 points sign-up bonus) can be found here.

The application form for The Platinum Card (40,000 points sign-up bonus) can be found here.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

If you are planning your credit card strategy for 2024, this article will help you decide which cards you can still go for.

It runs through the checklist of which UK American Express bonuses you can get based on the cards you have. This way I have written it below is, I think, the simplest way of looking at it.  It’s still not THAT simple however ….

Your American Express sign-up bonus decision tree

This is the decision tree you need to follow:

QUESTION:

Have you had ANY personal American Express cards in the previous 24 months?

If ‘no’:

You can apply for any personal American Express card and receive the full advertised bonus. 

This article outlines my recommended American Express application strategy to maximise your bonuses. A couple can earn 186,875 Avios relatively easily over the course of a year.

If ‘yes’:

You CANNOT get a sign-up bonus on the following cards:

• Platinum Cashback
• Platinum Cashback Everyday
• British Airways American Express (free card)
• Preferred Rewards Gold
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Nectar
• American Express Rewards

You MAY still qualify for a bonus NOW on:

• The Platinum Card (40,000 Membership Rewards points)
• British Airways Premium Plus (25,000 Avios)
• American Express Business Gold (20,000 Membership Rewards points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 Membership Rewards points)
• British Airways American Express Accelerating Business (30,000 Avios)

Keep reading to see if you do actually qualify for the cards I just mentioned.

Note the new minimum income requirements

American Express reintroduced minimum income requirements in 2023. These are PERSONAL income limits – Amex no longer looks at your income at a household level.

The Platinum Card and the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card require an income of £35,000 per year.

All other personal cards require an income of £20,000 per year.

This HfP article explains your options if you earn under £35,000.

The 2024 Amex sign-up bonus rules by card type

I’m assuming here that you answered ‘Yes’ to the question above, and that you have had a personal American Express card in the previous 24 months.

We now need to drill down more closely into which cards you have or had. Basically,  “if you have THIS card, you MIGHT still qualify for a bonus on THAT card ……”

Remember that supplementary cards do NOT count as having ‘had’ a card.  If you are a supplementary on your partner’s Amex Gold, for example, you can still apply in your own name and get a sign-up bonus as long as you meet the other criteria.

If you currently have the free British Airways or British Airways Premium Plus Amex credit card:

You would need to cancel and wait 24 months before you can get a bonus on Platinum Cashback, Platinum Cashback Everyday, British Airways, British Airways Premium Plus, Preferred Rewards Gold, Marriott Bonvoy, Nectar, American Express Rewards

You can get a bonus NOW on The Platinum Card IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green or American Express Rewards card in the previous 24 months

You can get a bonus NOW on American Express Business Gold or American Express Business Platinum IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green, American Express Rewards, American Express Business Gold or American Express Business Platinum card in the previous 13 months and meet the qualifying criteria for having a small business

You can get a bonus NOW on British Airways American Express Accelerating Business IF you have not held a American Express Business Gold, American Express Business Platinum card or British Airways American Express Accelerating Business card in the previous 12 months and meet the qualifying criteria for having a small business.

If you currently have Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green or American Express Rewards credit card:

You would need to cancel and wait 24 months before you can get a bonus on Platinum Cashback, Platinum Cashback Everyday, British Airways American Express, Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Marriott Bonvoy, Nectar, American Express Rewards

You can get a bonus NOW on British Airways Premium Plus IF you have not held a British Airways or British Airways Premium Plus card in the previous 24 months

You would need to cancel and wait 13 months before you can get a bonus on American Express Business Gold or American Express Business Platinum, assuming you meet the qualifying criteria for having a small business

You can get a bonus NOW on British Airways American Express Accelerating Business IF you have not held a American Express Business Gold, American Express Business Platinum card or British Airways American Express Accelerating Business card in the previous 12 months and meet the qualifying criteria for having a small business.

If you currently have a Nectar or Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card:

You would need to cancel and wait 24 months before you can get a bonus on Platinum Cashback, Platinum Cashback Everyday, British Airways American Express (free version), Preferred Rewards Gold, Marriott Bonvoy, Nectar, American Express Rewards

You can get a bonus NOW on The Platinum Card IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green or American Express Rewards card in the previous 24 months

You can get a bonus NOW on British Airways Premium Plus IF you have not held a British Airways or British Airways Premium Plus card in the previous 24 months

You can get a bonus NOW on American Express Business Gold or American Express Business Platinum IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green, American Express Rewards, American Express Business Gold or American Express Business Platinum card in the previous 13 months and meet the qualifying criteria for having a small business

You can get a bonus NOW on British Airways American Express Accelerating Business IF you have not held a American Express Business Gold, American Express Business Platinum card or British Airways American Express Accelerating Business card in the previous 12 months and meet the qualifying criteria for having a small business.

If you currently have a Platinum Cashback or Platinum Cashback Everyday Amex card:

You would need to cancel and wait 24 months before you can get a bonus on Platinum Cashback, Platinum Cashback Everyday, British Airways American Express, Preferred Rewards Gold, Marriott Bonvoy, Nectar, American Express Rewards

You can get a bonus NOW on The Platinum Card IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green or American Express Rewards card in the previous 24 months

You can get a bonus NOW on British Airways Premium Plus IF you have not held a British Airways or British Airways Premium Plus card in the previous 24 months

You can get a bonus NOW on American Express Business Gold or American Express Business Platinum IF you have not held a Preferred Rewards Gold, The Platinum Card, Green, American Express Rewards, American Express Business Gold or American Express Business Platinum card in the previous 13 months and meet the qualifying criteria for having a small business

You can get a bonus NOW on British Airways American Express Accelerating Business IF you have not held a American Express Business Gold, American Express Business Platinum card or British Airways American Express Accelerating Business card in the previous 12 months and meet the qualifying criteria for having a small business.

If you currently have a Business Platinum or Business Gold American Express card:

You would need to cancel and wait 13 months before you can get a bonus on American Express Business Platinum or American Express Business Gold

You would need to cancel and wait 12 months before you can get a bonus on British Airways Accelerating Business

You can get a bonus NOW on ANY personal American Express card IF you have not held a personal American Express card in the previous 24 months.

For clarity … the bonus rules on the personal Amex cards only look at what other personal Amex products you have had in the past 24 months.  Any small business Amex cards you have are not taken into account.

And if you’re starting from scratch ….

If you have not had ANY personal American Express cards in the last 24 months, the best route to optimise the number of sign-up bonuses you can get is:

• start with either a Marriott Bonvoy, Nectar or one of the (less generous) Amex cashback cards

• follow up with either The Platinum Card or British Airways Premium Plus

• follow up with either The Platinum Card or British Airways Premium Plus (depending on which one you didn’t get in stage two)

If you look at the rules above, you’ll see that you can still get three bonuses in a short space of time as long as you do it this way.

If you have any sort of small business, you can also run the Business Gold, Business Platinum or British Airways Accelerating Business alongside your personal cards.

And remember ….

The discussion in this article is only about sign-up bonuses.  Subject to credit etc, American Express is still happy to accept you for any of these cards at any time – you just won’t necessarily get a bonus.

This is particularly important in relation to Preferred Rewards Gold where repeat cardholders DO still get another ‘first year free’ and DO still get another set of four airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit.  You still get these, even if you don’t qualify for a sign-up bous.

NOTE:  If you hold, or have held in the past 24 months, a personal American Express card which is not discussed in this article, such as The Centurion Card or a card which is not currently available to new applicants, please do additional checks as to your eligibility for a new bonus.

The current policy on fee refunds

American Express is due to change its policy on pro-rata fee refunds in 2024.

The current situation is that nothing will change until at least 29th February 2024. Until that time, you can cancel any Amex card you hold for a pro-rata refund of the annual fee.

We will let you know via HfP when the firm date for ending pro-rata refunds is announced.

Confused?

If you are still not sure about your eligibility for a bonus after reading the article above, please ask in our forum.

Reference information

Here are links to our reviews on each of the cards, a link to the application website and the legally required interest rate information.  

Let me stress again – the bonus rules do NOT stop you applying for any of the cards.  They simply influence whether or not you will qualify for a sign-up bonus.

The Platinum Card from American Express

Bonus: 40,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 40,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £6,000 within three months
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes

Other information:

• Two Priority Pass cards, each allowing two people into 1,400 airport lounges
• Elite status in four major hotel loyalty programmes
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• £300 per year of restaurant credit
• £100 per year to spend at Harvey Nichols
• Annual fee: £650

Representative 704.6% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £650 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 40,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 40,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card if you spend £6,000 within three months of signing up.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible.  You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

This is the ONLY personal American Express card where you still qualify for the bonus if you already hold a British Airways American Express card.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card which earns Membership Rewards points.  This includes The Platinum Card and Preferred Rewards Gold.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held any other American Express card, including the British Airways, Marriott and Nectar cards.

For clarity, you can still apply for The Platinum Card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the long list of other benefits.

Learn more about the card benefits +

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with an unrivalled list of benefits for the keen traveller.

Your personal travel patterns will determine which of these is the most valuable.  The key benefits are:

Full comprehensive travel insurance for you, your family and the family of your supplementary cardholder, subject to enrolment

Two Priority Pass cards, each of which allows the holder and a guest unlimited free access to 1,400 airport lounges

Elite status in four major hotel loyalty schemes: Marriott Bonvoy (Gold), Hilton Honors (Gold), Radisson Rewards (Premium), MeliaRewards (Gold)

Access to Eurostar lounges, irrespective of travel class

£150 per year to spend in over 160 UK restaurants

£150 per year to spend in over 1,200 international restaurants

£100 per year to spend at Harvey Nichols, instore or online (no minimum spend required)

£300 per year of dining credit – £150 to be spent at 150+ UK restaurants and £150 to be spent at 1,200+ restaurants outside the UK

You need a minimum personal income of £35,000 to apply for the card.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Bonus: 20,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Get up to 12,500 bonus points each year based on your total spending
• Earn double points on all airline and overseas spend
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes

Other information:

• Amex Gold is our recommended ‘first card’ for a miles and points beginner
• Get four free airport lounge passes when you sign up, and a further four each year
• After your four free passes, you can visit further lounges for a small fee
• You receive £120 of Deliveroo credit each year (24 x £5 credits)
• Annual fee: Free for the first year, £195 from Year 2

Representative 88.8% APR variable.  Annual fee applies after the first year.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 20,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible, which is why we recommend this as the best choice for your first miles and points card.  You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the four free airport lounge passes and the ‘no fee in Year 1’ offer.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold comes with four free airport lounge passes.  These allow either you and up to three friends, or yourself four times, to visit any of the 1,400 lounges in the Priority Pass network.  You make additional lounge visits for £24 per person.  You receive an additional four free passes each year.

You earn double Membership Rewards points on all airline spend (made directly on an airline website) and all spend made outside the UK.

You will receive up to 12,500 bonus Membership Rewards points each year, based on how much you spend.

You receive £120 of Deliveroo credit each year.  Amex will repay you £5 for the first two Deliveroo orders charged to your Gold card each month.

Other benefits include a 10% discount on Hertz car rentals, Avis Preferred Plus car rental status and special deals at 350 selected hotels worldwide, where Preferred Rewards Gold cardholders receive a $75 in-hotel credit per stay.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

American Express Rewards

Bonus: 10,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 10,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £2,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes

Other information:

• Your best choice if you want a ‘free for life’ card which earns Membership Rewards points
• A good choice if you want to close a Gold or Platinum card but keep your points intact
• Annual fee: Free

Representative 31.0% APR variable

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 10,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Rewards card if you spend £2,000 within 90 days of signing up.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible. You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Rewards card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You may want to do this if you are thinking of swapping your Preferred Rewards Gold or Platinum card for a free alternative, and would prefer to keep your existing Membership Rewards points balance alive.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Rewards is the only ‘free for life’ American Express card which lets you collect Membership Rewards points.

We do NOT recommend this card if you would also qualify for the sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold.  The Gold card is free for the first year, comes with four free airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit and has a higher sign-up bonus of 20,000 points.

The best reason to get American Express Rewards is if you are coming to the end of your free first year with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold, or no longer want to pay the fee on The Platinum Card, but want to keep your Membership Rewards points intact.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

British Airways American Express

Bonus: 5,000 Avios

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 5,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Avios per £1 spent

Other information:

• Receive a companion voucher, letting you book two flights for the Avios of one, when you spend £12,000 in a card year
• The companion voucher is only valid on Economy flights
• It can be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus
• Annual fee: Free

Representative 31.0% APR variable

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 5,000 Avios sign-up bonus +

You will receive 5,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the free British Airways American Express card if you spend £1,000 within 90 days of signing up.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s British Airways American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the British Airways American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the companion voucher and the other card benefits.

Learn more about the card benefits +

When you spend £12,000 on the British Airways American Express card, you receive a companion voucher entitling you to book two Avios redemption flights for the miles of one.  This voucher is valid for one year.  (Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets.)

The voucher on the free British Airways American Express card can only be used on Economy flights.

The voucher can be used for Avios bookings on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus.

You receive your voucher within a few days of reaching the spending target.  You need to fly the outbound leg of your 2-4-1 flight before the expiry date of the voucher.

If you want more flexibility, the voucher issued with the British Airways Premium Plus American Express card is valid for two years, only requires £10,000 of annual card spend and is valid in ALL cabins including Business and First.  The Premium Plus card also has a higher earning rate of 1.5 Avios per £1 on general spend and 3 Avios per £1 on spend with British Airways and BA Holidays.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

Bonus: 25,000 Avios

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 25,000 Avios when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1.5 Avios per £1 spent
• Earn 3 Avios per £1 spent with British Airways and BA Holidays

Other information:

• Receive a companion voucher, letting you book two flights for the Avios of one, when you spend £10,000 in a card year
• A solo traveller can use it for a 50% discount on the Avios for one ticket
• The voucher is valid in any cabin
• It can be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus
• Annual fee: £250

Representative 113.1% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £250 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 25,000 Avios sign-up bonus +

You will receive 25,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.

To qualify for the bonus, you must not have held the British Airways Premium Plus or the free British Airways American Express cards in the previous 24 months.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s British Airways American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held any other American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the British Airways Premium Plus card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the companion voucher and all of the other card benefits.

Learn more about the card benefits +

When you spend £10,000 on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card, you receive a companion voucher entitling you to book two Avios redemption flights for the miles of one.

Alternatively, a solo traveller can use the voucher for a 50% reduction on the Avios required for one ticket,

This voucher is valid for two years.  Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets.

This voucher is the most valuable perk available in the UK airline and hotel credit card sector in my view. It could save you 150,000 or more Avios when used for a long-haul redemption in a premium cabin.

The voucher with the Premium Plus card is far more powerful than the voucher given with the free British Airways American Express card.  You only need to spend £10,000, instead of £20,000, in a card year to receive it.  More importantly, the Premium Plus voucher is valid for two years and is valid in ALL cabins.  The voucher on the free British Airways American Express card is only valid for one year and can only be used for Economy flights.

You receive your voucher within a few days of reaching the spending target.  You need to fly the outbound leg of your 2-4-1 flight before the expiry date of the voucher.

The voucher can be used for flights on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus.

You need a minimum personal income of £35,000 to apply for the card.

Nectar American Express

Bonus: 20,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 20,000 Nectar points when you spend £2,000 within 90 days
• Earn 2 Nectar points per £1 spent
• Points transfer at 400 : 250 into Avios
• Points are worth 0.5p each when spent at Sainsbury’s, Argos or eBay

Other information:

• You can convert Nectar points into Avios, and vice versa
• Annual fee: Free for the first year, £30 from Year 2

Representative 37.8% APR variable.  Annual fee applies after the first year.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 20,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 20,000 Nectar points as a sign-up bonus on the Nectar American Express credit card if you spend £2,000 within 90 days of signing up.

Nectar points are worth 0.5p each if spent in Sainsbury’s, Argos or eBay.  They can also be converted to Avios at the rate of 400 : 250.  1 Nectar point gets you 0.625 Avios.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the Nectar American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the ‘no fee in Year 1’ offer.

Learn more about the card benefits +

The Nectar American Express credit card comes lets you earn 2 Nectar points for every £1 you spend.  This is on top of any Nectar points you would usually earn at Sainsbury’s and other Nectar partners.

Converted to Avios, you would be earning 1.25 Avios per £1.  This makes the card better value than the free British Airways American Express credit card for your first year, as the Nectar American Express is ‘fee free’ for the first 12 months.  There is a £30 annual fee from Year 2.

The sign-up bonus of 20,000 Nectar points is worth £100 to spend in Sainsbury’s, Argos or eBay.

20,000 Nectar points can also be converted into 12,500 Avios.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

American Express Platinum Cashback

Bonus: 5% cashback (to £125) for three months

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 5% cashback on your spending for 90 days (£125 cap)
• Spend £0 to £10,000 per year and receive 0.75% cashback going forward
• Spend over £10,000 per year and receive 1.25% cashback going forward

Other information:

• Cashback paid in a lump sum after 12 months
• Annual fee: £25

Representative 36.7% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £25 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 5% cashback sign-up bonus +

You will receive 5% cashback on purchases on the American Express Platinum Cashback card within 90 days of signing up.  This is capped at £125.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Platinum Cashback card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You will receive the standard rate of cashback on your spending.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Platinum Cashback is the most generous cashback credit card in the UK.

After the first three months, during which the special bonus rate applies:

• Spend £0 to £10,000 and receive 0.75% cashback on purchases
• Spend over £10,000 and receive 1.25% cashback on purchases

Cashback is paid in a lump sum at the end of each 12 month period.  If you close the card mid-year you will lose any accumulated cashback.

As our review shows, this card is better value if you will spend over £10,000 per year.  If you will spend under £10,000 per year, you should apply for the free American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday credit card instead.  The cashback rate is lower but this is offset by the lack of any annual fee.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday

Bonus: 5% cashback (to £100) for three months

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 5% cashback on your spending for 90 days (£100 cap)
• Spend £0 to £10,000 per year and receive 0.5% cashback going forward
• Spend over £10,000 per year and receive 1% cashback going forward

Other information:

• Cashback paid in a lump sum after 12 months
• Minimum spend of £3,000 per year required to receive cashback
• Annual fee: Free

Representative 31.0% APR variable

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 5% cashback sign-up bonus +

You will receive 5% cashback on purchases on the American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday card within 90 days of signing up.  This is capped at £100.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You will receive the standard rate of cashback on your spending.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday is the most generous free cashback credit card in the UK.

After the first three months, during which the special bonus rate applies:

• Spend £0 to £10,000 and receive 0.5% cashback on purchases
• Spend over £10,000 and receive 1% cashback on purchases

You must spend at least £3,000 per year to receive cashback.

Cashback is paid in a lump sum at the end of each 12 month period.  If you close the card mid-year you will lose any accumulated cashback.

As our review shows, this card is better value if you will spend less than £10,000 per year.  If you will spend over £10,000 per year, you should apply for the £25 American Express Platinum Cashback credit card instead.  The cashback rate is higher and you are better off even after paying the annual fee.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

Bonus: 20,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
• Earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per £1 spent
• Earn 6 points per £1 spent at Marriott hotels
• Points convert at 3:1 into Avios or other airline miles

Other information:

• 15 elite night credits per year to help you towards higher status
• Free night, up to 25,000 points, when you spend £25,000 per year.
• Upgrade to Gold Elite status when you spend £15,000 in a card year
• Annual fee: £95

Representative 54.8% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £95 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 20,000 points sign-up bonus: +

You will receive 20,000 points as a sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the 15 elite night credits per year, the free night (up to 25,000 points) for spending £25,000 and Gold Elite status for spending £15,000.

Learn more about the card benefits +

You will receive 15 elite night credits per year in Marriott Bonvoy.  The first batch will arrive within 60 days on applying and then in Spring in each subsequent year.

15 elite nights will automatically get you Silver Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy and put you nearer to Gold Elite and higher tiers.

If you spend £15,000 per card year, you will be upgraded to Gold Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.

If you spend £25,000 per card year, you will receive a free night voucher, valid at any hotel where reward nights cost up to 25,000 points.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

American Express Business Gold

Bonus: 20,000 Membership Rewards points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
• Earn 10,000 additional bonus points whenever you spend £20,000 in a quarter
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent

Other information:

• Annual fee: Free for the first year, £195 from Year 2
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline schemes
• Get £100 per year to spend at Dell

This is a charge card, not a credit card. You must clear your balance in full each month.  Annual fee £195 from Year 2, free in Year 1.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 20,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Business Gold card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible.  You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 13 months, have held any other American Express card which earns Membership Rewards points.  This includes Business or personal Gold, Business or personal Platinum and the personal American Express Rewards credit card.

You are OK if you had a complimentary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if the only American Express card you have had in the previous 13 months was a British Airways, Marriott Bonvoy, Nectar, Platinum Cashback or Harrods American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Business Gold card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the ‘no fee in Year 1’ offer.

Learn more about the card benefits +

You receive £100 of Dell statement credit per calendar year.  This is made available in two parts.  You receive a £50 credit on Dell purchases made between January and June and a £50 credit on Dell purchases made between July and December.  There is no minimum spend requirement.

You can apply for complimentary Amex business cards for your employees.

You will receive one consolidated statement showing the spend on your card and all of the complimentary cards.  All of the Membership Rewards points earned on the complimentary cards will flow into your personal account.

Depending on when in your monthly cycle you make a payment, you will effectively receive up to 54 days free credit on your spending.

American Express statements provide more underlying transaction detail for flights and certain other transactions than Visa or Mastercard statements, making it easier to reconcile transactions.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

American Express Business Platinum

Bonus: 40,000 Membership Rewards points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 40,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £6,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Earn 10,000 bonus points in every month you spend £10,000+
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline schemes

Other information:

• Get £200 per year to spend at Amex Travel
• Two Priority Pass cards, each allowing two people into 1,400 airport lounges
• Elite status in four major hotel loyalty programmes
• Get £150 per year to spend at Dell
• Get £300 per year to spend at job ads site Indeed
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• Annual fee: £650

This is a charge card, not a credit card. You must clear your balance in full each month.  Annual fee £650.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 40,000 points bonus +

You will receive 40,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Business Platinum card if you spend £6,000 within 90 days.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible.  You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 13 months, have held any other American Express card which earns Membership Rewards points.  This includes Business or personal Gold, Business or personal Platinum and the personal American Express Rewards credit card.

You are OK if you had a complimentary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if the only American Express card you have had in the previous 13 months was a British Airways, Marriott Bonvoy, Nectar, Platinum Cashback or Harrods American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Business Platinum card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from all of the other card features including the £200 of annual Amex Travel credit.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Business Platinum comes with an unrivalled list of benefits for the keen traveller.

Your personal travel patterns will determine which of these is the most valuable.  The key benefits are:

£200 of Amex Travel credit per membership year

Full comprehensive travel insurance for you, your family and the family of up to five complimentary cardholders, subject to enrolment

Two Priority Pass cards, each of which allows the holder and a guest unlimited free access to 1,400 airport lounges

Elite status in four major hotel loyalty schemes: Marriott Bonvoy (Gold), Hilton Honors (Gold), Radisson Rewards (Premium), MeliaRewards (Gold)

You need a minimum personal income of £35,000 to apply for the card.

£150 of Dell statement credit per year – you receive £75 credit on Dell purchases betweeen January and June and £75 credit on purchases between July and December

Digital subscription to The Times and The Sunday Times, worth over £300

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

Bonus: 30,000 Avios

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 30,000 Avios when you spend £5,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1.5 Avios per £1 spent
• Receive 10,000 bonus Avios for every £20,000 you spend each year, up to £60,000

Other information:

• Get 1 bonus On Business point per £1 spent on BA flights
• Annual fee: £250

Representative 108.4% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £250 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 28.5% APR variable.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus +

You will qualify for the bonus as long as you have not held an American Express Business card, including Accelerating Business, Business Gold and Business Platinum, in the previous 12 months.

There are no restrictions if you only have personal American Express cards at the moment, including the personal British Airways cards.

You need to spend £5,000 in 90 days to earn the bonus.

Learn more about the card benefits +

The card comes with the typical American Express credit card benefits:

Up to 56 days to pay

Up to 20 complimentary cards for your employees

Travel inconvenience cover (with higher payouts if you or your baggage is delayed on a British Airways flight)

Travel accident protection

Purchase protection

Refund protection

(Want to earn more miles and points from credit cards?  Click here to visit our dedicated airline and hotel travel credit cards page or use the ‘Credit Cards’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

At each, you will receive a £15 credit towards a meal. If your Priority Pass allows a free guest and you arrive with someone else, you will receive a £30 credit between you.

Unfortunately these deals are NOT available to anyone who gets their Priority Pass via American Express. It is available to anyone who gets their pass directly from Priority Pass or via another financial partner such as the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard or the brand new £15 per month Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.

Two new options have just been added at London City Airport. These are:

London City Airport

• Juniper & Co (NEW)
• Soul & Grain (NEW)
• Cabin Bar (already in the programme, currently closed for refurbishment)

In order to keep all the information we’ve published in recent weeks in one place, here is a summary of all UK food and drink deals you can access via Priority Pass:

London Heathrow

• Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen (Terminal 2)
• The Oceanic Pub & Kitchen (Terminal 3)
• The Globe Pub & Kitchen (Terminal 5)

You can also get free treatments at the two Be Relax Spa sites in Terminal 5.

London Gatwick

• Tortilla (North)
• Juniper & Co (North)
• The Breakfast Club (North)
• The Grain Store Cafe & Bar (South)

London Luton

• Avalon Crafted Coffee
• Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen
• Nolito

London Stansted

• The Camden Bar & Kitchen

Outside London:

Manchester International

• Starbucks (Terminal 1)
• The Grain Loft (Terminal 1)
• PizzaLuxe (Terminal 1)
• Upper Crust (Terminal 1)

Bristol International

• Starbucks
• Cabin Bar
• Tortilla
• Brigg & Stow

Cardiff

• Caffe Ritazza

Glasgow International

• Bird & Signet

But if your Priority Pass is issued by American Express ….

There are a grand total of TWO restaurant experiences globally that Amex-issued Priority Pass customers can use.

One is The Grain Store at London Gatwick’s South Terminal. Given that this is the British Airways terminal, it is at least convenient for most HfP readers. The other is the Moevenpick Cafe in Berlin Brandenburg.

My best guess is that Priority Pass wants to charge American Express a higher fee for restaurant visits, as it pays out more than it pays a lounge operator, and that the two parties could not reach an agreement.

This is something that American Express may want to look at again given the frustration over being unable to access UK lounges with Priority Pass due to overcrowding. The fee differential cannot be more than £1-£2 per visit, given that no other bank or credit card provider has brought in a similar restriction.

It is also possible that, if it isn’t careful, American Express may find that people who value the Priority Pass benefit move to competing financial products which do allow full access.

You can find out more about these new Priority Pass options by searching for an airport via its website.

PS. Without wishing to state the obvious, you should not take part in any of these restaurant deals if you have a ‘pay per use’ or – if you’re not alone – a ‘pay for guests’ Priority Pass. The guest fee is now £24 and you are getting £15 of restaurant credit so you can see the problem here!

As a reminder:

• Business Platinum holders get £150 of Dell credit per year – £75 to spend between 1st January and 30th June and £75 to spend between 1st July and 31st December – apply here, review here

• Business Gold holders get £100 of Dell credit per year – £50 to spend between 1st January and 30th June and £50 to spend between 1st July and 31st December – apply here, review here (this card is FREE for the first year so it really is £100 of free money to spend at Dell)

You MUST opt-in via this page of the American Express website before making your first Dell purchase. Once you have opted in once, you don’t need to do it again for subsequent purchases.

The six month periods run from January to June and July to December. This means that if you place a Dell order now to use up your allowance, you can place another in two weeks when it is January and the credit resets.

If you are thinking of signing up for an American Express Business Gold or American Express Business Platinum card, there may still be time to sign up and make use of the current Dell credit before the end of December.

The American Express Business Gold card has an annual fee of £195 from Year 2, but is free in Year 1. The American Express Business Platinum card has an annual fee of £650 but has valuable benefits including a £200 annual Amex Travel credit.

How can you use your Dell credit?

Dell is best known for its XPS range of laptops. You can see details here. Rhys swears by his XPS 15 in the HfP office and I had an XPS 13 for many years.

If you don’t need a new computer at the moment, take a look here at the ‘Accessories’ section of the Dell site.

Dell sells a range of laptop bags, briefcases, messenger bags, laptop sleeves and backpacks – see this page of their website.

The picture below is what I bought with my January to June 2022 credit – an Alienware gaming mouse for my son. It is £70 which was handy for my £75 of Business Platinum credit.

Rhys benefitted from my WInter 2021 credit (a spare power cord for his XPS 15, to save him carrying it to and from the office). For Winter 2022, I offered it to Sinead and she chose this:

It’s a funky travel mouse (click here):

“Your on-the-go workday becomes more portable than ever with this lightweight twistable mouse featuring multi-device connectivity that easily stows in any bag or travel case.”

At the time I bought it for her, the price was a convenient £74 including free delivery so it made maximum use of the £75 credit from my Business Platinum card. The price is now down to £54 so it is a good option for Business Gold cardholders too.

For my Spring 2023 credit I bought a new laptop power cord, because my existing seven year old one was starting to play up.

For my Winter 2023, Katie – who is covering for Sinead’s maternity leave next year – wanted a slightly scary pink mouse (only because the black version was out of stock!) and a rucksack. No bother, I got both for under the £75 cashback cap.

If you’re happy with an end-of-line or refurbished item, the credit also works on purchases from the Dell Outlet site here.

You may get an extra 10% back ….

Many American Express Business accounts are currently targetted for a second Dell cashback offer – 10% back on purchases up to £1,000.

Based on previous experience, this will double up with the Dell £50 / £75 credit deal. This means that you will actually make a profit on your order if you spend under £50 (Business Gold) or under £75 (Business Platinum)!

Other benefits from Business Gold and Business Platinum

Of course, the Dell credit isn’t the only reason to get either the American Express Business Gold card and American Express Business Platinum cards.

Both cards come with attractive sign-up bonuses. Currently you’ll receive:

• 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within three months with the American Express Business Gold card

• 40,000 American Express Membership Rewards points when you spend £6,000 within three months with the American Express Business Platinum card

Whilst the American Express Business Platinum card does have a high annual fee (£650), it also comes with a number of travel benefits. These include:

• two Priority Pass cards for airport lounge access (each allowing two guests, so four people are covered)

• elite status in four major hotel loyalty programmes

• comprehensive travel insurance

• £300 per year of credit to spend on job advertisements with Indeed

• a free digital subscription to The Times and The Sunday Times, and

• £200 per year to spend at Amex Travel (which is basically free money for the sort of person who reads HfP!)

You can see the full list of benefits for the American Express Business Gold card here and the American Express Business Platinum card here.

Check the eligibility criteria for the sign-up bonuses carefully. You will still qualify for the Dell credit even if you don’t qualify for a new cardholder bonus.

Conclusion

If you can make good use of the Dell credit, either for yourself or for friends, family or charity, it offers a significant extra reason to get an American Express Business charge card. This is especially true with the American Express Business Gold card, which is free for the first year but still comes with £100 of Dell credit.

You can apply for American Express Business Gold here – the current sign-up bonus is 20,000 Membership Rewards points for spending £3,000 in three months. There is no annual fee for the first year.

You can apply for American Express Business Platinum here – the current sign-up bonus is 40,000 Membership Rewards points for spending £6,000 in three months.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

I searched through HfP to find an article to send him …. and it turned out we don’t have one.

I thought I’d correct that today by looking at ‘The Hotel Collection’.

The first thing to mention is that whilst ‘The Hotel Collection’ is promoted as a benefit for American Express Preferred Rewards Gold cardholders, it is also available to Platinum and Centurion cardholders.

In essence, it is a watered down version of the ‘Fine Hotels & Resorts’ benefit offered to holders of The Platinum Card. FHR gets you decent extra benefits (free breakfast, $100 hotel credit, guaranteed 4pm check-out) at a large number of luxury hotels.

‘The Hotel Collection’ offers lesser benefits at a (slightly) lesser quality of hotel, mainly in the four star market.

How does ‘The Hotel Collection’ work?

‘The Hotel Collection’ website is here. However, the deals will also pop up for qualifying cardholders when you search the main Amex Travel site, as long as you are logged in.

It’s a simple offer:

• there are 700 hotels globally which take part

• you must book for at least two nights

• you must book via the Amex Travel website

• you will receive a $100 credit to spend in the hotel (not valid off room rate)

• you will receive a room upgrade if available

‘If available’ can mean anything, of course, so I wouldn’t necessarily put any value on this benefit UNLESS the room is good value anyway.

Do the rates offer good value?

You need to do the sums.

For a start, many of the hotels in the programme are part of the big international chains. This means that they are likely to offer ‘member rates’ if you book via their own websites which may undercut ‘The Hotel Collection’.

Secondly, ‘The Hotel Collection’ only offers refundable rates. If you would be happy paying for a non-refundable room then, again, booking direct may be a better deal.

Here’s a pricing example

I picked The Ampersand Hotel in South Kensington as an example, because it isn’t part of a major chain – although it is in Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

For the weekend of 19th-21st January, ‘The Hotel Collection’ rate is £428 per night for a Deluxe Double.

This matches the Best Flexible Rate offered by the hotel. In fact, Amex is £10 cheaper – it charges £428 per night whilst the hotel wants £428 for Friday and £438 for Saturday.

However ….

The Ampersand Hotel offers VERY aggressive discounts for ‘members’, ie anyone who registers on its website. This brings the room rate down to £300 for Friday and £307 for Saturday – a saving of 30%. This rate is also fully flexible.

Clearly there is no value in using ‘The Hotel Collection’ here, even with the £100 credit.

Here’s a second example

I tried again with The Marylebone Hotel for the same dates.

A ‘Classic Room’ is £475 per night. Again, this matches the Best Flexible Rate online.

However, on the date I checked, the hotel had a ‘Cyber Week’ offer of £332 showing as well. This was also fully cancellable and included breakfast.

Do you get reward points if you book branded hotels via ‘The Hotel Collection’?

I don’t know, is the honest answer, but I suspect it works in the same way as ‘Fine Hotels & Resorts’:

• if you choose to pre-pay (and I don’t know why you would, as there is no cost saving) then you do NOT receive hotel loyalty points or any elite status benefits

• if you choose to pay at check-out, you WILL receive hotel loyalty points and any elite status benefits due

I know this approach makes little logical sense, but that’s how FHR works and I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘The Hotel Collection’ was the same.

Conclusion

‘The Hotel Collection’ is one of those card benefits which could come in handy but definitely isn’t something to rely on when deciding whether you should pay your American Express Preferred Rewards Gold annual fee for another year.

Basically ….. because it matches Best Flexible Rate, it IS worth using if you are booking a hotel where you need flexibility and where no special offers come with free cancellation. If you are happy with a non-refundable room or there is a good value flexible ‘member rate’ then ‘The Hotel Collection’ is unlikely to offer the best deal.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

‘Shop Small’ is an established Amex offer which incentivises you to shop at small independent retailers. In turn, of course, it encourages small independent retailers to accept American Express in order to participate.

You must register before making any purchases via the ‘Offers’ tab on the Amex website or in the app. Supplementary cards must be registered separately.

The winter 2023 version of ‘Shop Small’ will give you £5 back on a £15 transaction.

You are limited to one £5 payment per retailer per American Express card you register.

You are limited to THREE transactions in total per registered card over the three day promotional period, which means that your cashback is limited at £15 per card.

How will Shop Small winter 2023 work?

• The promotion will run from today until Sunday, ie 1st to 3rd December.

• You must register in advance via the ‘Offers’ section of the American Express app or website. Each card, and each supplementary card, must be registered separately.

• You will be restricted to £15 cashback per American Express card you register (old timers will remember that it used to be £50 ….)

• The standard rule of one payment per retailer per card will remain

For clarity … supplementary cards are treated separately from main cards. If you made 2 x £15 purchases in the same store, one on your main card and one on a supplementary card, you would receive £5 cashback on both purchases.

Whilst this is a much-reduced version of Shop Small compared to its heyday, you would be silly not to register. You never know when you might make a purchase this weekend which would trigger it.

For clarity, American Express funds 100% of the cashback. Your local independent shops are not paying to participate so don’t feel guilty about joining in.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

This is a special offer which only runs to 9th January 2024.

If you meet the bonus criteria, you will receive 25,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days.

You will receive an additional 5,000 Membership Rewards points if you keep the card for 15 months and make a single purchase in month 15.

This package is an exceptionally generous deal for a card which is FREE for the first year.  Remember that 30,000 Membership Rewards points convert into 30,000 Avios, amongst other things.

You can apply here.

The legal bit ….. 

Let’s get the boring legal bits out of the way first.

The representative APR is 88.8% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 31.0% variable.

What is the Amex Gold sign-up bonus?

The sign-up bonus on Amex Gold is currently increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. You have until 9th January 2024 to apply.

You can convert 30,000 American Express Membership Rewards points into:

• 30,000 Avios
• 30,000 Virgin Points
• 60,000 Hilton Honors points
• 90,000 Radisson Rewards points
• 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
• 2,000 Club Eurostar points

…… amongst other things.

To earn the main chunk of 25,000 bonus Membership Rewards points, you need to spend £3,000 within three months of your application being accepted.

To earn the extra 5,000 bonus points, you need to keep the card for 15 months and make a single purchase in month 15. As there is a £195 fee for Amex Gold from Year 2 onwards (the first year is free), you need to consider more broadly whether the card benefit package justifies the cost.

Do you qualify for the Amex Gold sign-up bonus?

Before we go on, let’s look at whether you actually qualify for the 30,000 Membership Rewards points bonus.

A lot of HfP readers will NOT qualify.  This article explains which sign-up bonuses you are still eligible for, depending on the cards you hold/have held in the past 2 years.

However, think outside the box. Could your partner apply?  Perhaps your adult children?  Your parents?  If any of these people are in your British Airways Executive Club household account, you would still benefit if they transferred the sign-up bonus to Avios in the household account.

Remember that the cardholder could issue you with a free supplementary card on the account, so you could do the necessary spending to trigger the bonus.

What are the exact rules for getting the bonus?

If you have never held a personal American Express card before, you will definitely get the bonus.  You can skip the rest of this section.

For everyone else, here is the offical wording from the Amex website:

“This new Cardmember offer is only available if you have not held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months. If you have held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months, you will be entitled to all other Card benefits, excluding the welcome offer.”

You WILL receive the 25,000 bonus points if you have not held a personal American Express card in the previous 24 months.

You WILL receive the sign-up bonus if you have a Corporate or Business American Express card via your job, even if you receive Membership Rewards points from it.

You WILL receive the bonus if you are only a supplementary cardholder on someone else’s American Express card. As far as Amex is concerned, the card belongs to the primarily cardholder and does not make you an ‘existing cardholder’.

If you do not qualify for the bonus, you can still apply.  You still receive the other card benefits, including the four free airport lounge passes, £120 of annual Deliveroo credit and ‘no fee in the first year’.

You could also consider another Amex card. This article looks at which sign-up bonuses you could still be eligible for.

With that out of the way, let’s look at why we like the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card.

The Amex Gold card is free for the first year

Amex Gold has an annual fee of £195.  There is no fee for your first year so you have some time to see if it suits you or not.

You can cancel at any point and there is absolutely no obligation to keep the card beyond the first free year.

Of course, you would be missing out on the additional 5,000 bonus points – paid in month 15 – if you did cancel after the first free year.

The Amex Gold sign-up bonus is very generous

You get 25,000 American Express Membership Rewards points (worth 25,000 Avios) when you sign up and spend £3,000 within three months. This is a special offer which runs to 9th January 2024.

You get an extra 5,000 bonus points (worth 5,000 Avios) if you choose to renew the card for Year 2, at an annual fee of £195, and make a single purchase in Month 15.

The earning rate on your day to day spending is 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent. This is OK but not exceptional – although you should put some value on having a ‘convertible’ currency rather than being forced into taking Avios, Virgin Points etc via a dedicated airline credit card.

30,000 Membership Rewards points is a good deal because ….

The Amex Gold rewards scheme is a valuable convertible currency

You can transfer Membership Rewards points into MANY different things. Take a look at their website.

We tend to focus on airline schemes (1:1 into Avios, Virgin Flying Club, Flying Blue, Delta Skymiles, Etihad Guest, Emirates Skywards etc) or hotel schemes (1:2 into Hilton Honors, 1:3 into Radisson Rewards, 2:3 into Marrriott Bonvoy).

In reality there are lots of other options, including High Street gift cards.  I wrote this article on how to get the best value from Membership Rewards points. It is possible, if you are smart, to get over £250 of value from your 25,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus.

‘Convertible currencies’ are worth more to you. It is better to have 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points than 25,000 Avios points. Why? Because your 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points would get you 25,000 Avios points if you needed them – but they could also get you points in a lot of other different schemes.

You get four free airport lounge visits per year

As an Amex Gold cardholder you receive free membership of Priority Pass, a global network of airport lounges.

You get four free airport lounge visits each year – either four visits for yourself or shared between you and any guests who are with you.

The Priority Pass website shows you which lounges you can use including many at Heathrow and Gatwick.  Additional visits after your four free ones are charged at £24 per person per visit. You receive four additional free passes each year if you renew your Amex Gold membership.

You get £120 of Deliveroo credit per year

Amex Gold comes with £120 of annual Deliveroo credit.

You receive 2 x £5 cashback credits each month. When a Deliveroo order for £5+ is charged to your card, you receive £5 back on your next American Express statement.

Get up to 12,500 bonus points per year based on your spending

As well as earning 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent, you will receive extra bonuses based on your total spending during each card year.

This is what you receive:

• 2,500 points when you hit £5,000 of annual spend
• 2,500 points when you hit £10,000 of annual spend (5,000 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £15,000 of annual spend (7,500 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £20,000 of annual spend (10,000 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £25,000 of annual spend (12,500 points cumulative)

The bonus is paid as soon as you hit each tier threshold.

What other benefits does Amex Gold have?

There are various other benefits attached to the card as well, including:

• double points for foreign spending (there is a 3% fee for FX charges, so this is only a good deal if you are spending money your employer will reimburse)

• double points on flight bookings when booked directly with airlines – this could be VERY valuable if you spend a lot on flight tickets

• triple points on bookings with Amex Travel

• 10% discount and a free additional driver on Hertz bookings

• $75 in-hotel credit and an upgrade (based on availability at check-in) when booking 350 4-5 star hotels worldwide

Conclusion

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card is a low cost (zero cost, actually, in Year 1) and high reward way to begin a relationship with Amex.

If you were thinking about applying, it makes sense to do so now whilst the sign-up bonus is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points.

Over time your card needs may change.  Many people move on to the British Airways Premium Plus American Express because of the hugely valuable 2-4-1 voucher – but American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is a good way to get started.  You will still qualify for the British Airways Premium Plus sign-up bonus of 25,000 Avios in the future despite already having an Amex Gold card.

Even if you eventually decide that the miles and points hobby is not for you, there are still plenty of other valuable ways to use your Membership Rewards points such as Amazon vouchers.  Your 30,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus converts into £200 of Nectar points if you route them Amex to Avios to Nectar.

You can apply for American Express Preferred Rewards Gold here. The offer ends on 9th January 2024.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

‘Shop Small’ is an established Amex offer which incentivises you to shop at small independent retailers. In turn, of course, it encourages small independent retailers to accept American Express in order to participate.

Registration is now open, although the offer does not start until 1st December.

The winter 2023 version of ‘Shop Small’ will give you £5 back on a £15 transaction.

You are limited to one £5 payment per retailer per American Express card you register.

You are limited to THREE transactions in total per registered card over the three day promotional period, which means that your cashback is limited at £15 per card.

How will Shop Small winter 2023 work?

• The promotion will run from 1st to 3rd December.

• You must register in advance via the ‘Offers’ section of the American Express app or website. Each card, and each supplementary card, must be registered separately. Registration will open today.

• You will be restricted to £15 cashback per American Express card you register (old timers will remember that it used to be £50 ….)

• The standard rule of one payment per retailer per card will remain

We will remind you when Shop Small winter 2023 is launching.

For clarity, American Express funds 100% of the cashback. Your local independent shops are not paying to participate so don’t feel guilty about joining in.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

At each, you will receive a £15 credit towards a meal. If your Priority Pass allows a free guest and you arrive with someone else, you will receive a £30 credit between you.

Unfortunately these deals are NOT available to anyone who gets their Priority Pass via American Express. It is available to anyone who gets their pass directly from Priority Pass or via another financial partner such as the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard or the brand new £15 per month Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.

(We ran a similar article to this last month to cover new restaurant deals across the London airports – click here to read it.)

Here is the list of restaurant benefits that you can now access at Manchester, Bristol and Cardiff airports:

Manchester International

• Starbucks (Terminal 1)
• The Grain Loft (Terminal 1)
• PizzaLuxe (Terminal 1)
• Upper Crust (Terminal 1)

Bristol International

• Starbucks
• Cabin Bar
• Tortilla
• Brigg & Stow

Cardiff

• Caffe Ritazza – EDIT, Cafe Ritazza is now closed
• Beer House

There may be specific reasons for some of these additions:

• at Bristol International, the Escape and 1903 lounges are due to be refurbished soon

• at Cardiff, the official lounge (reviewed here) does not accept Priority Pass, although it does accept DragonPass

But if your Priority Pass is issued by American Express ….

There are a grand total of TWO restaurant experiences globally that Amex-issued Priority Pass customers can use.

One is The Grain Store at London Gatwick’s South Terminal. Given that this is the British Airways terminal, it is at least convenient for most HfP readers. The other is the Moevenpick Cafe in Berlin Brandenburg.

My best guess is that Priority Pass wants to charge American Express a higher fee for restaurant visits, as it pays out more than it pays a lounge operator, and that the two parties could not reach an agreement.

This is something that American Express may want to look at again given the frustration over being unable to access UK lounges with Priority Pass due to overcrowding. The fee differential cannot be more than £1-£2 per visit, given that no other bank or credit card provider has brought in a similar restriction.

It is also possible that, if it isn’t careful, American Express may find that people who value the Priority Pass benefit move to competing financial products which do allow full access.

You can find out more about these new Priority Pass options by searching for an airport via its website.

PS. Without wishing to state the obvious, you should not take part in any of these restaurant deals if you have a ‘pay per use’ or – if you’re not alone – a ‘pay for guests’ Priority Pass. The guest fee is now £24 and you are getting £15 of restaurant credit so you can see the problem here!

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (January 2024)

Here are the four options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta Air Lines and Eurostar lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.

American Express has a little known but potentially lucrative statement credit offer with Dell Technologies.

It is worth £100 to £150 per year of statement credit on your future purchases from dell.co.uk.  Importantly, this is not a one-off promotion but an ongoing Cardmember benefit. 

There is a different offer for Business Platinum and Business Gold Cardmembers, and we will look at each in turn.

What do American Express Business Platinum Cardmembers receive?

As a reminder, American Express Business Platinum comes with a wide range of benefits for the small business owner.

You can find full details in our review of American Express Business Platinum.  Core cardmember benefits include:

• You will receive a free Priority Pass card.  You and a guest receive unlimited complementary access to 1300 airport lounges across the world.
• Your Supplementary Cardholder also gets a Priority Pass card.  If this is your partner or spouse, you would both be able to get into the lounge for free and each bring in a guest.
• You will receive comprehensive travel insurance.  This is a very valuable benefit because of the high level of coverage available – you can take a look at the policy document here (PDF). There is NO EXCESS payable on the worldwide travel insurance cover, although a £50 excess applies to purchase protection cover. Medical assistance and expenses are covered up to the age of 80.
• You receive £200 per year to spend at American Express Travel.
• You will receive Gold Elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty scheme.
• You will receive Premium status in the Radisson Rewards hotel loyalty scheme.  
• You will receive Gold Elite status in the Hilton Honors hotel loyalty scheme.  This is the best mid-tier hotel status to have, because you get free breakfast with it.
• You will receive Gold status in the MeliaRewards hotel loyalty scheme. 
• You receive £150 or equivalent cashback when you book a onefinestay home rental.
• You receive £300 per year to spend on job advertising with Indeed. 
• You receive a free digital subscription to The Times and The Sunday Times.  
• You can access the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts Programme.  This offers genuine added value benefits at a large number of luxury hotels across the world.

There is an annual fee of £650 per year.  American Express Business Platinum is a Charge Card and you must repay your balance in full each month.

There is a generous sign-up bonus of 40,000 American Express Membership Rewards® points if you spend £6,000 within 90 days and meet the criteria for receiving the bonus.

You will receive 1 Membership Rewards point for virtually every £1 spent on the Card. 

This HfP article looks at how you can use American Express Membership Rewards points to benefit your business.

What is the Dell offer for Business Platinum cardmembers?

American Express Business Platinum Cardmembers will receive £150 of annual statement credit for purchases with Dell.

The annual credit is split into two parts:

• up to £75 statement credit for purchases between 1st January and 30th June, and
• up to £75 of statement credit for purchases between 1st July and 31st December

There is no minimum spend required to receive the statement credit but it is capped at £75 in each period.  The spend can be made over multiple transactions.

The credit is valid for purchases on the Dell UK website or via the Dell contact centre.  Products may only be shipped to UK addresses.  You can also buy from the Dell Outlet site.

The offer is only available for the Basic Cardmember.  Spending by Additional Cardmembers will generate credit for the Basic Cardmember, up to their £75 limit.

Full terms and conditions are available on the American Express website.

What do American Express Business Gold Cardmembers receive?

As a reminder, American Express Business Gold has no annual fee for the first year.  From your second year, there is an annual fee of £195 per year.

There is a sign-up bonus of 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points if you spend £3,000 within 90 days and meet the criteria for receiving the bonus.

You will receive 1 Membership Rewards point for virtually every £1 spent on the Card. 

You can find details of the Card benefits in our American Express Business Gold review here.

What is the Dell offer for Business Gold Cardmembers?

American Express Business Gold Cardmembers will receive £100 of annual statement credit for purchases with Dell.

The credit is split into parts:

• up to £50 statement credit for purchases between 1st January and 31st June, and
• up to £50 of statement credit for purchases between 1st July and 31st December

There is no minimum spend required to receive the statement credit but it is capped at £50 in each period.  The spend can be made over multiple transactions.

The credit is valid for purchases on the Dell UK website or via the Dell contact centre.  Products may only be shipped to UK addresses.  You can also buy from the Dell Outlet site.

The offer is only available for the Basic Cardmember.  Spending by Additional Cardmembers will generate credit for the Basic Cardmember, up to their £50 limit.

Full terms and conditions are available on the American Express website.

Can new Cardmembers receive the Dell statement credit offer?

Yes.

New applicants for American Express Business Platinum or American Express Business Gold will be able to register for the Dell statement credit offer.

Conclusion

The addition of £150 of Dell statement credit is a generous extra offer for American Express Business Platinum Cardmembers. 

It is an especially good deal for American Express Business Gold Cardmembers, with the £100 of credit representing 50% of the annual fee from Year 2 onwards.

Whilst the credit would represent a good discount on a new computer, it is valid against any product bought from the Dell website.  You could purchase ink, toner, a docking station, a carry case, a mouse, a keyboard or a new monitor – amongst other things – and receive your statement credit.

You can find out more about, and apply for, American Express Business Platinum here.

You can find out more about, and apply for, American Express Business Gold here.

American Express Services Europe Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

I mention this card quite a bit on Head for Points but if you are new to this hobby then it might not be fully clear why I recommend it as your best ‘starter’ Amex card.

You can apply for American Express Preferred Rewards Gold here.

This article was updated on 1st January 2024, and all of the information is correct as of that date. Ignore the original publication date shown.

The representative APR is 88.8% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 31.0% variable.

Whilst you may think that Amex has a slightly lofty reputation if you have never had one before, the minimum personal income requirement is just £20,000.

Forget the idea that ‘no-one accepts Amex’. Every big chain takes it – B&Q was the last hold-out but finally signed up in May 2021. You will have issues in some smaller stores, and it is rare that you can pay a utility bill with an Amex (although you can pay your energy provider with an Amex card), but acceptance, as a % of your shopping bill, is good.

With that out of the way, let’s look at why I rate the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card.

The Amex Gold card is FREE for the first year

Amex Gold has an annual fee of £195. This is waived in your first year so you can have some time to see if it suits you or not. You can cancel at any point.

You will receive four new airport lounge passes and another £120 of Deliveroo credit when you renew.

The Amex Gold sign-up bonus is VERY generous

You get 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points (which convert to 20,000 Avios) when you sign up and spend £3,000 within three months.

20,000 points is a very good deal because ….

The Amex Gold rewards scheme is a valuable convertible currency

You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points into MANY different things. Take a look at their website.

20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points are worth, amongst other things:

• 20,000 Avios
• 20,000 Virgin Points
• 20,000 Delta SkyMiles
• 20,000 Etihad Guest miles
• 20,000 Emirates Skywards miles
• 40,000 Hilton Honors points
• 60,000 Radisson Rewards points
• 39,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

In reality there are lots of other options, including High Street gift cards.  I wrote this article on how to get the best value from Membership Rewards points. It is possible, if you are smart, to get over £200 of value from your 20,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus.

‘Convertible currencies’ are worth more to you.  It is better to have 20,000 Amex points than 20,000 Avios points. Why? Because your 20,000 Amex points would get you 20,000 Avios points if you needed them – but they could also get you a heck of a lot more besides.

Do you qualify for the Amex Gold sign-up bonus?

If you have never held an American Express card before, you will definitely get the bonus.  You can skip the rest of this section!

Here is the offical wording from the Amex website:

“This new Cardmember offer is only available if you have not held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months. If you have held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months, you will be entitled to all other Card benefits, excluding the welcome offer.”

You WILL receive the 20,000 bonus points if you have not held a personal American Express card in the previous 24 months.

You WILL receive the sign-up bonus if you have a Corporate or Business American Express card via your job, even if you receive Membership Rewards points from it.

You will WILL receive the bonus if you are only a supplementary cardholder on someone else’s American Express card. As far as Amex is concerned, that card belongs to the primarily cardholder and does not make you an ‘existing cardholder’.

If you do not qualify for the bonus, you can still apply.  You still receive the other card benefits, including the four free airport lounge passes and ‘no fee in the first year’.

You get four free airport lounge visits per year

As an Amex Gold cardholder you receive free membership of Priority Pass, a global network of airport lounges. Each year you get four free airport lounge visits – either four visits for yourself or one visit for yourself and up to three guests.

The Priority Pass website shows you which lounges you can use including many at Heathrow and Gatwick.  Additional visits after your four free ones are charged at £20 per person per visit. You receive four additional free passes each year if you renew your Amex Gold membership.

You get £120 of Deliveroo credit per year

Amex Gold comes with £120 of annual Deliveroo credit.

You receive 2 x £5 cashback credits each month. When a Deliveroo order is charged to your card, you receive £5 back.

Get up to 12,500 bonus points each year based on your spending

The earning rate on Amex Gold is 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent. This is OK but not exceptional – although you should put some value on having a ‘convertible’ currency.  It is more flexible than Avios, Virgin Flying Club miles etc via a dedicated airline credit card.

However, if you spend over £5,000 per year on your Amex Gold, the maths changes.

You receive 2,500 bonus points for hitting £5,000 on annual spending, and a further 2,500 points for every £5,000 you spend. The maximum bonus is 12,500 points for spending a total of £25,000.

These bonuses mean that you will average up to 1.5 points per £1 on your first £25,000 of spend per year. This is very good going.

Those are the key perks of American Express Preferred Rewards Gold as I see them. There are various other benefits attached to the card as well, including:

• double points for foreign spending

• double points on airline transactions – this can be very lucrative if you buy a lot of flights

• 10% discount and free additional driver on Hertz bookings

• free Avis Preferred Plus car rental status

• $75 in-hotel credit and an upgrade (based on availability at check-in) when booking 350 4-5 star hotels worldwide

Conclusion

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card is a low cost (zero cost, actually, in Year 1) and high reward way to begin a relationship with Amex.

The 20,000 Membership Rewards points bonus is certainly worth having, if you qualify.

The four airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit will come in handy too.

Over time your card needs may change.  Most people move on to the British Airways Premium Plus American Express because of the hugely valuable 2-4-1 companion voucher – but Amex Gold is a good way to get started. Even if you eventually decide that the miles and points hobby is not for you, there are still plenty of other valuable ways to use your Membership Rewards points.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold application page is here.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

At each, you will receive a £15 credit towards a meal. If your Priority Pass allows a free guest and you arrive with someone else, you will receive a £30 credit between you.

Unfortunately these deals are NOT available to anyone who gets their Priority Pass via American Express, with one exception. It is available to anyone who gets their pass directly from Priority Pass or via another financial partner such as the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard or the brand new £15 per month Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.

Here is the list of restaurant benefits that you can now access across the core London airports:

London Heathrow

• T2 – Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen
• T3 – The Oceanic Pub & Kitchen
• T5 – The Globe Pub & Kitchen

You can also get free treatments at the two Be Relax Spa sites in Terminal 5.

London Gatwick

North Terminal:

• Tortilla (NEW)
• Juniper & Co (NEW)
• The Breakfast Club (NEW)

South Terminal:

• The Grain Store Cafe & Bar

London Stansted

• The Camden Bar & Kitchen (NEW)

London Luton

• Avalon Crafted Coffee
• Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen
• Nolito

But if your Priority Pass is issued by American Express ….

There are a grand total of TWO restaurant experiences globally that Amex-issued Priority Pass customers can use.

One is The Grain Store at London Gatwick’s South Terminal. Given that this is the British Airways terminal, it is at least convenient for most HfP readers. The other is the Moevenpick Cafe in Berlin Brandenburg.

My best guess is that Priority Pass wants to charge American Express a higher fee for restaurant visits, as it pays out more than it pays a lounge operator, and that the two parties could not reach an agreement.

This is something that American Express may want to look at again given the frustration over being unable to access UK lounges with Priority Pass due to overcrowding. The fee differential cannot be more than £1-£2 per visit, given that no other bank or credit card provider has brought in a similar restriction.

It is also possible that, if it isn’t careful, American Express may find that people who value the Priority Pass benefit move to competing financial products which do allow full access.

You can find out more about these new Priority Pass options by searching for an airport via its website.

PS. Without wishing to state the obvious, you should not take part in any of these restaurant deals if you have a ‘pay per use’ or – if you’re not alone – a ‘pay for guests’ Priority Pass. The guest fee is now £24 and you are getting £15 of restaurant credit so you can see the problem here!

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (January 2024)

Here are the four options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta Air Lines and Eurostar lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.

Up to this point, the company had taken a more holistic view. It was interested in household income, and interested in the gap between income and expenditure. There were no stated minimums, which made sense in a world where someone on a low salary living at home has more disposable cash than a couple on average incomes with a mortgage and children.

For whatever reason, potentially linked to the new FCA ‘customer duty’ rules, this strategy was dropped in favour of a cruder minimum income one.

What are the UK American Express salary limits?

There are now two salary limits in place.

• the ‘high fee’ cards (British Airways Premium Plus, The Platinum Card) have a mininum income requirement of £35,000

• the remaining cards (in our universe these are Preferred Rewards Gold, Nectar, Marriott Bonvoy, free British Airways card, American Express Rewards Credit Card) have a minimum income requirement of £20,000

When it comes to getting bonuses on multiple cards, you MUST have a £35,000 income. This is because only the ‘high fee’ cards unlock the ability to earn multiple sign-up bonuses:

• you can get the bonus on The Platinum Card as long as you haven’t had a Membership Rewards card (Gold, Platinum, Amex Rewards Credit Card) in the last 24 months – you are totally OK if you’ve only had a British Airways, Marriott or Nectar card

• you can get the bonus on British Airways Premium Plus (currently 25,000 Avios) as long as you haven’t had a British Airways American Express in the last 24 months – you are totally OK if you’ve only had a Gold, Platinum, Marriott, Nectar or American Express Rewards Credit Card

Putting these rules together, someone who earns £35,000+ and hasn’t had any American Express cards for 24 months could get THREE bonuses back to back:

• Card 1 – Marriott or Nectar
• Card 2 – British Airways Premium Plus or The Platinum Card
• Card 3 – whichever of the Card 2 list is left

If you look at the rules above you’ll see that this works out.

But what if you earn under £35,000?

A reader recently asked me for American Express card suggestions for anyone earning between £20,000 and £35,000 per year. After all, the average UK salary falls squarely in the middle of this range.

Your options are limited, I’m afraid.

You can only apply for the following travel rewards cards, and you will only get a bonus on the first one you get (assuming you haven’t had an American Express card for 24 months):

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (free in year 1, £195 thereafter)
• Marriott Bonvoy American Express (£95 per year)
• Nectar American Express (free in year 1, £30 thereafter)
• free British Airways American Express (free)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (free)

There isn’t a lot to play with here.

However, there is one thing you can do.

Separate out the card you want a bonus on from the card you want to keep long term. These do not need to be the same card.

You then:

• apply for the card which has the most attractive bonus

• do the necessary spending to earn the bonus

• cancel the card and apply for the one you actually want to keep long term (but you won’t get a bonus on it)

Which card has the most attractive bonus?

It is usually Preferred Rewards Gold, reviewed here and apply here. You get 20,000 Membership Rewards points which, if transferred to airline miles (eg into 20,000 Avios), are arguably worth £200.

Even better, Preferred Rewards Gold is free for year 1 and comes with four airport lounge passes and 24 x £5 Deliveroo credits.

The value is debatable after year 1, but for the free first year you’re laughing, I think.

Of the others:

• the Marriott Bonvoy card has a bonus of 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (which we value at £100) but you have to pay a £95 annual fee

• the Nectar card has a bonus of 20,000 Nectar points, which are worth £100 to spend in-store or 12,500 Avios if converted. We’d value the Avios at £125 and the card has no fee in year 1.

• the free British Airways card has a bonus of 5,000 Avios, which is the weakest of the lot, although the card is free for life

• the American Express Rewards Credit Card has a bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points which convert to 10,000 Avios or other miles (which we value at £100) and is free for life

None of these cards has a bonus which beats Preferred Rewards Gold, in my view.

What should be your long term card?

This may not be the answer you are expecting.

The Marriott, Nectar and Preferred Rewards Gold cards carry annual fees from year 2 (the Marriott Bonvoy card has a fee from year 1). If you are earning under £35,000 I don’t think you will be spending enough on your card to justify the fee versus what you will get back.

This leaves two free options – the free British Airways card and the American Express Rewards Credit Card.

If you earn under £35,000 then you are unlikely to be spending £12,000 per year on the free British Airways American Express card. This means that you won’t trigger the annual 2-4-1 companion voucher, which in any event is only valid in Economy. The only value the card has for you is that it earns 1 Avios per £1 spent. You don’t even get an extra bonus for spending at ba.com.

You are better off with the American Express Rewards Credit Card. This is because you earn 1 Membership Rewards points per £1, which converts to 1 Avios. However, you also have the option to convert them to many other travel rewards schemes (airlines, hotels, Eurostar) or indeed for High Street gift cards or statement credit.

In summary ….

If you earn between £20,000 and £35,000 and asked me for advice on the best way to start with American Express, I would say:

• get American Express Preferred Rewards Gold, especially given the 20,000 Membership Rewards points bonus currently running (our full review is here, apply here)

• keep it for a year to maximise the 24 x £5 Deliveroo credits and the four free airport lounge passes

• move to the ‘free for life’ American Express Rewards Credit Card, earning 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 on your spending

However, someone who believes that their income will increase and exceed £35,000 in the next couple of years may want an alternative plan.

You could get either the Marriott Bonvoy or Nectar card initially, leaving yourself able to apply for BOTH The Platinum Card and British Airways Premium Plus – and get both bonuses – once you hit the £35,000 salary threshold.

Other reading:

This article looks at the best way to use American Express Membership Rewards points.

This article looks at the two American Express cashback credit cards which I haven’t considered here (as this is a travel rewards website) but which are also competitive for a long term card.

Interest rate information for the cards discussed above:

All of these cards carry high interest rates. You should only apply if you are certain that you will clear your balance each month and avoid any interest charges.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Bonus: 20,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Get up to 12,500 bonus points each year based on your total spending
• Earn double points on all airline and overseas spend
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes

Other information:

• Amex Gold is our recommended ‘first card’ for a miles and points beginner
• Get four free airport lounge passes when you sign up, and a further four each year
• After your four free passes, you can visit further lounges for a small fee
• You receive £120 of Deliveroo credit each year (24 x £5 credits)
• Annual fee: Free for the first year, £195 from Year 2

Representative 88.8% APR variable.  Annual fee applies after the first year.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 20,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible, which is why we recommend this as the best choice for your first miles and points card.  You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the four free airport lounge passes and the ‘no fee in Year 1’ offer.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold comes with four free airport lounge passes.  These allow either you and up to three friends, or yourself four times, to visit any of the 1,400 lounges in the Priority Pass network.  You make additional lounge visits for £24 per person.  You receive an additional four free passes each year.

You earn double Membership Rewards points on all airline spend (made directly on an airline website) and all spend made outside the UK.

You will receive up to 12,500 bonus Membership Rewards points each year, based on how much you spend.

You receive £120 of Deliveroo credit each year.  Amex will repay you £5 for the first two Deliveroo orders charged to your Gold card each month.

Other benefits include a 10% discount on Hertz car rentals, Avis Preferred Plus car rental status and special deals at 350 selected hotels worldwide, where Preferred Rewards Gold cardholders receive a $75 in-hotel credit per stay.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

The Platinum Card from American Express

Bonus: 40,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 40,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £6,000 within three months
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes

Other information:

• Two Priority Pass cards, each allowing two people into 1,400 airport lounges
• Elite status in four major hotel loyalty programmes
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• £300 per year of restaurant credit
• £100 per year to spend at Harvey Nichols
• Annual fee: £650

Representative 704.6% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £650 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 40,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 40,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card if you spend £6,000 within three months of signing up.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible.  You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

This is the ONLY personal American Express card where you still qualify for the bonus if you already hold a British Airways American Express card.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card which earns Membership Rewards points.  This includes The Platinum Card and Preferred Rewards Gold.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held any other American Express card, including the British Airways, Marriott and Nectar cards.

For clarity, you can still apply for The Platinum Card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the long list of other benefits.

Learn more about the card benefits +

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with an unrivalled list of benefits for the keen traveller.

Your personal travel patterns will determine which of these is the most valuable.  The key benefits are:

Full comprehensive travel insurance for you, your family and the family of your supplementary cardholder, subject to enrolment

Two Priority Pass cards, each of which allows the holder and a guest unlimited free access to 1,400 airport lounges

Elite status in four major hotel loyalty schemes: Marriott Bonvoy (Gold), Hilton Honors (Gold), Radisson Rewards (Premium), MeliaRewards (Gold)

Access to Eurostar lounges, irrespective of travel class

£150 per year to spend in over 160 UK restaurants

£150 per year to spend in over 1,200 international restaurants

£100 per year to spend at Harvey Nichols, instore or online (no minimum spend required)

£300 per year of dining credit – £150 to be spent at 150+ UK restaurants and £150 to be spent at 1,200+ restaurants outside the UK

You need a minimum personal income of £35,000 to apply for the card.

American Express Rewards

Bonus: 10,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 10,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £2,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes

Other information:

• Your best choice if you want a ‘free for life’ card which earns Membership Rewards points
• A good choice if you want to close a Gold or Platinum card but keep your points intact
• Annual fee: Free

Representative 31.0% APR variable

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 10,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Rewards card if you spend £2,000 within 90 days of signing up.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible. You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Rewards card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You may want to do this if you are thinking of swapping your Preferred Rewards Gold or Platinum card for a free alternative, and would prefer to keep your existing Membership Rewards points balance alive.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Rewards is the only ‘free for life’ American Express card which lets you collect Membership Rewards points.

We do NOT recommend this card if you would also qualify for the sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold.  The Gold card is free for the first year, comes with four free airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit and has a higher sign-up bonus of 20,000 points.

The best reason to get American Express Rewards is if you are coming to the end of your free first year with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold, or no longer want to pay the fee on The Platinum Card, but want to keep your Membership Rewards points intact.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

British Airways American Express

Bonus: 5,000 Avios

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 5,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Avios per £1 spent

Other information:

• Receive a companion voucher, letting you book two flights for the Avios of one, when you spend £12,000 in a card year
• The companion voucher is only valid on Economy flights
• It can be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus
• Annual fee: Free

Representative 31.0% APR variable

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 5,000 Avios sign-up bonus +

You will receive 5,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the free British Airways American Express card if you spend £1,000 within 90 days of signing up.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s British Airways American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the British Airways American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the companion voucher and the other card benefits.

Learn more about the card benefits +

When you spend £12,000 on the British Airways American Express card, you receive a companion voucher entitling you to book two Avios redemption flights for the miles of one.  This voucher is valid for one year.  (Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets.)

The voucher on the free British Airways American Express card can only be used on Economy flights.

The voucher can be used for Avios bookings on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus.

You receive your voucher within a few days of reaching the spending target.  You need to fly the outbound leg of your 2-4-1 flight before the expiry date of the voucher.

If you want more flexibility, the voucher issued with the British Airways Premium Plus American Express card is valid for two years, only requires £10,000 of annual card spend and is valid in ALL cabins including Business and First.  The Premium Plus card also has a higher earning rate of 1.5 Avios per £1 on general spend and 3 Avios per £1 on spend with British Airways and BA Holidays.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

Bonus: 25,000 Avios

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 25,000 Avios when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1.5 Avios per £1 spent
• Earn 3 Avios per £1 spent with British Airways and BA Holidays

Other information:

• Receive a companion voucher, letting you book two flights for the Avios of one, when you spend £10,000 in a card year
• A solo traveller can use it for a 50% discount on the Avios for one ticket
• The voucher is valid in any cabin
• It can be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus
• Annual fee: £250

Representative 113.1% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £250 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 25,000 Avios sign-up bonus +

You will receive 25,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.

To qualify for the bonus, you must not have held the British Airways Premium Plus or the free British Airways American Express cards in the previous 24 months.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s British Airways American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held any other American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the British Airways Premium Plus card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the companion voucher and all of the other card benefits.

Learn more about the card benefits +

When you spend £10,000 on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card, you receive a companion voucher entitling you to book two Avios redemption flights for the miles of one.

Alternatively, a solo traveller can use the voucher for a 50% reduction on the Avios required for one ticket,

This voucher is valid for two years.  Full taxes and charges need to be paid on both tickets.

This voucher is the most valuable perk available in the UK airline and hotel credit card sector in my view. It could save you 150,000 or more Avios when used for a long-haul redemption in a premium cabin.

The voucher with the Premium Plus card is far more powerful than the voucher given with the free British Airways American Express card.  You only need to spend £10,000, instead of £20,000, in a card year to receive it.  More importantly, the Premium Plus voucher is valid for two years and is valid in ALL cabins.  The voucher on the free British Airways American Express card is only valid for one year and can only be used for Economy flights.

You receive your voucher within a few days of reaching the spending target.  You need to fly the outbound leg of your 2-4-1 flight before the expiry date of the voucher.

The voucher can be used for flights on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus.

You need a minimum personal income of £35,000 to apply for the card.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

Bonus: 20,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
• Earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per £1 spent
• Earn 6 points per £1 spent at Marriott hotels
• Points convert at 3:1 into Avios or other airline miles

Other information:

• 15 elite night credits per year to help you towards higher status
• Free night, up to 25,000 points, when you spend £25,000 per year.
• Upgrade to Gold Elite status when you spend £15,000 in a card year
• Annual fee: £95

Representative 54.8% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £95 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 20,000 points sign-up bonus: +

You will receive 20,000 points as a sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the 15 elite night credits per year, the free night (up to 25,000 points) for spending £25,000 and Gold Elite status for spending £15,000.

Learn more about the card benefits +

You will receive 15 elite night credits per year in Marriott Bonvoy.  The first batch will arrive within 60 days on applying and then in Spring in each subsequent year.

15 elite nights will automatically get you Silver Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy and put you nearer to Gold Elite and higher tiers.

If you spend £15,000 per card year, you will be upgraded to Gold Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.

If you spend £25,000 per card year, you will receive a free night voucher, valid at any hotel where reward nights cost up to 25,000 points.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

Nectar American Express

Bonus: 20,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 20,000 Nectar points when you spend £2,000 within 90 days
• Earn 2 Nectar points per £1 spent
• Points transfer at 400 : 250 into Avios
• Points are worth 0.5p each when spent at Sainsbury’s, Argos or eBay

Other information:

• You can convert Nectar points into Avios, and vice versa
• Annual fee: Free for the first year, £30 from Year 2

Representative 37.8% APR variable.  Annual fee applies after the first year.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 20,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 20,000 Nectar points as a sign-up bonus on the Nectar American Express credit card if you spend £2,000 within 90 days of signing up.

Nectar points are worth 0.5p each if spent in Sainsbury’s, Argos or eBay.  They can also be converted to Avios at the rate of 400 : 250.  1 Nectar point gets you 0.625 Avios.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the Nectar American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the ‘no fee in Year 1’ offer.

Learn more about the card benefits +

The Nectar American Express credit card comes lets you earn 2 Nectar points for every £1 you spend.  This is on top of any Nectar points you would usually earn at Sainsbury’s and other Nectar partners.

Converted to Avios, you would be earning 1.25 Avios per £1.  This makes the card better value than the free British Airways American Express credit card for your first year, as the Nectar American Express is ‘fee free’ for the first 12 months.  There is a £30 annual fee from Year 2.

The sign-up bonus of 20,000 Nectar points is worth £100 to spend in Sainsbury’s, Argos or eBay.

20,000 Nectar points can also be converted into 12,500 Avios.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

If you targetted, you will see this deal under the ‘Offers’ tab for one or more of your Amex cards on the statement page. You need to opt-in. 70,000 registrations will be accepted which is almost triple what we saw when a similar deal ran earlier in the year.

I had it on my British Airways American Express Premium Plus card but not my Platinum card. My wife had it on her Preferred Rewards Gold card but not her British Airways card. Check whatever cards you have …. except Marriott Bonvoy ones, of course!

Here is the deal:

• receive £70 back when you spend £300 (cumulative)

• spend must be made by 31st December

• only valid at selected European hotels

The list of participating hotels is here (PDF).

Note that the list is actually two lists lumped together. The first page lists all of the luxury properties, and then restarts (with ‘A’ for ‘Austria’) for the mass market hotels. At least, this time, the luxury hotels are listed first and not put on the back page where no-one would have seen them.

Participating brands include Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, voco, Staybridge Suites, InterContinental, Regent and Kimpton.

voco St David’s Cardiff is pictured below. The slightly less enticing Holiday Inn Express London Wandsworth is pictured above and is included – whoever took that photograph deserves an award for making it look good ….

Don’t forget to register for IHG’s autumn bonus points offer too

You can also take part in IHG’s autumn bonus points promotion. It ends on the same day as this cashback offer – 31st December.

IHG One Rewards is offering 2,000 bonus points for every two cash nights you stay before 31st December.

Registration is required which you can do here. Existing bookings DO count. The nights do not need to be consecutive.

Let’s assume that an IHG One Rewards point is worth 0.4p (which we usually say it is). This means that you’d be averaging a £4 bonus per night – not worth getting too excited about, but throw in £70 of American Express cashback on top and you have a decent deal.

Our full article on the autumn IHG One Rewards offer is here. You can register for bonus points here.

The IHG home page for bookings is here.

Both the American Express cashback offer and the autumn bonus points offer run until 31st December. Register now because it will disappear from cards when the 70,000 registrations target is hit.

IHG One Rewards update – January 2024:

Get bonus points: Our article on IHG’s January 2024 bonus promotion is here. You will receive double base points on every cash stay between 1st January and 31st January 2024. Click here to register.

New to IHG One Rewards?  Read our overview of IHG One Rewards here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on ‘What are IHG One Rewards points worth?’ is here.

Buy points: If you need additional IHG One Rewards points, you can buy them here.

You get a 100% bonus when you buy IHG One Rewards points by 2nd February 2024. Click here.

Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from IHG and the other major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

If you meet the bonus criteria, you will receive 25,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days. This is a special offer which runs to 9th January 2024.

You will receive an additional 5,000 Membership Rewards points if you keep the card for 15 months and make a single purchase in month 15.

This package is an exceptionally generous deal for a card which is FREE for the first year.  Remember that 30,000 Membership Rewards points convert into 30,000 Avios, amongst other things.

You can apply here.

The legal bit ….. 

Let’s get the boring legal bits out of the way first.

The representative APR is 88.8% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 31.0% variable.

What is the Amex Gold sign-up bonus?

As of yeterday, the sign-up bonus on Amex Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. You have until 9th January 2024 to apply.

You can convert 30,000 American Express Membership Rewards points into:

• 30,000 Avios
• 30,000 Virgin Points
• 60,000 Hilton Honors points
• 90,000 Radisson Rewards points
• 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
• 2,000 Club Eurostar points

…… amongst other things.

To earn the main chunk of 25,000 bonus Membership Rewards points, you need to spend £3,000 within three months of your application being accepted.

To earn the extra 5,000 bonus points, you need to keep the card for 15 months and make a single purchase in month 15. As there is a £195 fee for Amex Gold from Year 2 onwards (the first year is free), you need to consider more broadly whether the card benefit package justifies the cost.

Do you qualify for the Amex Gold sign-up bonus?

Before we go on, let’s look at whether you actually qualify for the 30,000 Membership Rewards points bonus.

A lot of HfP readers will NOT qualify.  This article explains which sign-up bonuses you are still eligible for, depending on the cards you hold/have held in the past 2 years.

However, think outside the box. Could your partner apply?  Perhaps your adult children?  Your parents?  If any of these people are in your British Airways Executive Club household account, you would still benefit if they transferred the sign-up bonus to Avios in the household account.

Remember that the cardholder could issue you with a free supplementary card on the account, so you could do the necessary spending to trigger the bonus.

What are the exact rules for getting the bonus?

If you have never held a personal American Express card before, you will definitely get the bonus.  You can skip the rest of this section.

For everyone else, here is the offical wording from the Amex website:

“This new Cardmember offer is only available if you have not held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months. If you have held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months, you will be entitled to all other Card benefits, excluding the welcome offer.”

You WILL receive the 25,000 bonus points if you have not held a personal American Express card in the previous 24 months.

You WILL receive the sign-up bonus if you have a Corporate or Business American Express card via your job, even if you receive Membership Rewards points from it.

You WILL receive the bonus if you are only a supplementary cardholder on someone else’s American Express card. As far as Amex is concerned, the card belongs to the primarily cardholder and does not make you an ‘existing cardholder’.

If you do not qualify for the bonus, you can still apply.  You still receive the other card benefits, including the four free airport lounge passes, £120 of annual Deliveroo credit and ‘no fee in the first year’.

You could also consider another Amex card. This article looks at which sign-up bonuses you could still be eligible for.

With that out of the way, let’s look at why we like the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card.

The Amex Gold card is free for the first year

Amex Gold has an annual fee of £195.  There is no fee for your first year so you have some time to see if it suits you or not.

You can cancel at any point and there is absolutely no obligation to keep the card beyond the first free year.

Of course, you would be missing out on the additional 5,000 bonus points – paid in month 15 – if you did cancel after the first free year.

The Amex Gold sign-up bonus is very generous

You get 25,000 American Express Membership Rewards points (worth 25,000 Avios) when you sign up and spend £3,000 within three months. This is a special offer which runs to 9th January 2024.

You get an extra 5,000 bonus points (worth 5,000 Avios) if you choose to renew the card for Year 2, at an annual fee of £195, and make a single purchase in Month 15.

The earning rate on your day to day spending is 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent. This is OK but not exceptional – although you should put some value on having a ‘convertible’ currency rather than being forced into taking Avios, Virgin Points etc via a dedicated airline credit card.

30,000 Membership Rewards points is a good deal because ….

The Amex Gold rewards scheme is a valuable convertible currency

You can transfer Membership Rewards points into MANY different things. Take a look at their website.

We tend to focus on airline schemes (1:1 into Avios, Virgin Flying Club, Flying Blue, Delta Skymiles, Etihad Guest, Emirates Skywards etc) or hotel schemes (1:2 into Hilton Honors, 1:3 into Radisson Rewards, 2:3 into Marrriott Bonvoy).

In reality there are lots of other options, including High Street gift cards.  I wrote this article on how to get the best value from Membership Rewards points. It is possible, if you are smart, to get over £250 of value from your 25,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus.

‘Convertible currencies’ are worth more to you. It is better to have 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points than 25,000 Avios points. Why? Because your 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points would get you 25,000 Avios points if you needed them – but they could also get you points in a lot of other different schemes.

You get four free airport lounge visits per year

As an Amex Gold cardholder you receive free membership of Priority Pass, a global network of airport lounges.

You get four free airport lounge visits each year – either four visits for yourself or shared between you and any guests who are with you.

The Priority Pass website shows you which lounges you can use including many at Heathrow and Gatwick.  Additional visits after your four free ones are charged at £24 per person per visit. You receive four additional free passes each year if you renew your Amex Gold membership.

The problem, of course, is access. Getting access to Priority Pass lounges in the UK can be tricky at peak times, although there are 10 lounges which you can reserve in advance for a small fee. Outside the UK getting access is rarely an issue.

You get £120 of Deliveroo credit per year

Amex Gold comes with £120 of annual Deliveroo credit.

You receive 2 x £5 cashback credits each month. When a Deliveroo order for £5+ is charged to your card, you receive £5 back on your next American Express statement.

Get up to 12,500 bonus points per year based on your spending

As well as earning 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent, you will receive extra bonuses based on your total spending during each card year.

This is what you receive:

• 2,500 points when you hit £5,000 of annual spend
• 2,500 points when you hit £10,000 of annual spend (5,000 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £15,000 of annual spend (7,500 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £20,000 of annual spend (10,000 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £25,000 of annual spend (12,500 points cumulative)

The bonus is paid as soon as you hit each tier threshold.

What other benefits does Amex Gold have?

There are various other benefits attached to the card as well, including:

• double points for foreign spending (there is a 3% fee for FX charges, so this is only a good deal if you are spending money your employer will reimburse)

• double points on flight bookings when booked directly with airlines – this could be VERY valuable if you spend a lot on flight tickets

• triple points on bookings with Amex Travel

• 10% discount and a free additional driver on Hertz bookings

• $75 in-hotel credit and an upgrade (based on availability at check-in) when booking 350 4-5 star hotels worldwide

Conclusion

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card is a low cost (zero cost, actually, in Year 1) and high reward way to begin a relationship with Amex.

If you were thinking about applying, it makes sense to do so now whilst the sign-up bonus is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points.

Over time your card needs may change.  Many people move on to the British Airways Premium Plus American Express because of the hugely valuable 2-4-1 voucher – but American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is a good way to get started.  You will still qualify for the British Airways Premium Plus sign-up bonus of 25,000 Avios in the future despite already having an Amex Gold card.

Even if you eventually decide that the miles and points hobby is not for you, there are still plenty of other valuable ways to use your Membership Rewards points such as Amazon vouchers.  Your 30,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus converts into £200 of Nectar points if you route them Amex to Avios to Nectar.

You can apply for American Express Preferred Rewards Gold here. The offer ends on 9th January 2024.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

There will be no compensatory change in any of the benefit packages.

However, there will be some fantastic bonuses available from today to encourage new sign-ups. These cover The Platinum Card (covered today), Preferred Rewards Gold (covered tomorrow) and the Marriott card (covered this Friday).

Which American Express cards are getting fee increases?

Here are the changes which apply from today for new applications:

Personal cards:

• The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card increases from £160 to £195 per year (the first year remains free)

• The Platinum Card increases from £575 to £650 per year

• The Harrods American Express Card increases from £150 to £195 per year

• The Nectar Credit Card increases from £25 to £30 per year (the first year remains free)

• The Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card increases from £75 to £95 per year

Business cards:

• American Express Business Gold increases from £175 to £195 per year (the first year remains free)

Other cards remain unchanged.

What happens to existing cardholders?

If you currently have any of these cards, you will not pay the new fee immediately.

You pay the new fee from your first billing date after 29th February 2024.

This means that, for example, if your Platinum card renews on 1st January, you will still only pay £575 on 1st January 2024. The new fee will not kick in until 1st January 2025.

Why is Amex increasing fees?

To quote:

American Express strives to deliver industry-leading rewards, value and customer service to all our Cardmembers. In order to continue to provide the same level of benefits, and due to the rising costs of providing these benefits, rewards and services, we are increasing the annual fees on a handful of our Cards. We know that our Cardmembers value the wide range of benefits and services they receive, and are confident our Cards continue to provide great value for money relative to the annual fees.

What is happening with the end of partial fee refunds?

American Express still intends to push ahead with the abolition of pro-rata fee refunds when cards are cancelled mid-year.

The new plan is that pro-rata fee refunds will be available until at least 29th February 2024.

This replaces the original cut-off date of 1st October 2023.

This means there is some good news ….

With pro-rata refunds still available until at least 29th February 2024, you could take out one of the exceptionally good sign-up bonuses launched today and still benefit from a pro-rata refund if you cancel within the next four and a bit months. The exact date for the ending of refunds is still to be confirmed.

The deals are:

• The Platinum Card – 100,000 Membership Rewards points bonus (details and application form here, article today)

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold – 30,000 Membership Rewards points bonus (details and application form here, article tomorrow)

• Marriott Bonvoy American Express – 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points bonus (details and application form here, article on Friday)

To work out if you qualify for any of these bonuses, read this HfP article which breaks down Amex’s rules into bitesize chunks. If you have a BA Amex card, the only bonus you MAY qualify for is 100,000 points (=100,000 Avios) on The Platinum Card.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

I have written numerous articles before about using American Express Membership Rewards points and a few pieces on how I value airline miles and hotel points.

I have pulled together both of these strands in this article on how to make the best use of your Amex Membership Rewards points.  It does NOT cover every Membership Rewards redemption but it does cover the bulk of the pseudo-cash, cash and travel options.

Membership Rewards sensibly chose to discontinue ‘physical’ redemptions a few years ago.  You can no longer redeem your points for a toaster.  This is good news because the toaster was, unsurprisingly, poor value for your points.  If you still want a free toaster, redeem your points for an Amazon gift card.

The Amex Membership Rewards website is here if you want to look for yourself at what is available.

How can you earn Membership Rewards points?

The three main ways to earn Membership Rewards points in the UK from a personal American Express card are:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

American Express Rewards

The only ‘free for life’ Amex card which earns Membership Rewards Read our full review

The two most common business payment cards are:

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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

The complex rules on whether you qualify for an American Express sign-up bonus are explained in my article here. 

Fundamentally, it is fairly easy to qualify for the bonus on Business Gold and Business Platinum (you cannot have held any Membership Rewards card for 13 months) and personal Platinum (you cannot have held a personal Green, Gold or Platinum card for 24 months). 

It is harder to qualify for the bonus on personal Preferred Rewards Gold or the American Express Rewards Credit Card (you cannot have held ANY personal Amex card for 24 months).

How I value Amex Membership Rewards points:

0.75p – 1.5p per point (my target)

Airline miles.  My last piece on valuing Avios points is here and Amex points transfer into Avios at 1:1.  This is why the sign-up bonuses, such as 20,000 points for taking out the free (in Year 1) Americn Express Preferred Rewards Gold, are so valuable.

It is impossible to tie down a tighter range because of the number of different airline partners and the various ways (upgrade, long-haul, short-haul, economy, premium) you can redeem.  Membership Rewards points convert at 1:1 to Avios, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Etihad, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Finnair, Flying Blue, Qantas and SAS. The transfer rate to Singapore Airlines is 3:2.

My personal spreadsheet of the last 8.5m Avios I have redeemed shows that I got an average value of 1.2p.  This is based on what I would personally have been prepared to pay for the flights I took, however, which may be far different from what you would have been prepared to pay.  My best redemptions far exceeded this.

0.75p per point (my target)

Marriott Bonvoy hotel transfers.  Amex points convert at 2:3 into the Marriott Bonvoy programme.

This article explains why we value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.5p which has held firm despite the move to nearer revenue-based reward pricing.

0.5p per Marriott Bonvoy point means, at a 2:3 exchange rate from Membership Rewards, you should be getting 0.75p per Membership Rewards point.  You now have a whopping 30 hotel brands to redeem at, including Le Meridien, Sheraton, Westin, W, Marriott, Autograph, Design Hotels, The Luxury Collection, The Ritz-Carlton, St Regis etc etc.

I have had some exceptionally good redemptions in recent years which have got me far more than 0.5p per Bonvoy point as the valuation article above shows.

0.66p per point (guaranteed)

In 2021, the supermarket loyalty scheme Nectar become a partner with British Airways Avios points. You can convert 50,000 Avios per month to Nectar, at a rate of 300 : 400.

Because a Nectar point has a fixed value of 0.5p when spent at Sainsbury’s, eBay or Argos, it means that 1 Avios can be turned into 1.33 Nectar points worth 0.66p.

As long as you shop at Sainsbury’s, eBay or Argos, you can get 0.66p per Membership Rewards point, guaranteed.

To do this, you convert your American Express points to Avios and then transfer them to Nectar. This article explains how to link your accounts.

Before I go on ….

You are guaranteed 0.66p per Membership Rewards point if you convert American Express points to Avios to Nectar.

All of the options below earn you less than 0.66p per point. You need to have a good reason to use any of the options below instead of Nectar.

0.66p per point (my target)

Hilton Honors hotel transfers.  Hilton has moved closer to a revenue-based redemption model in recent years, although you can get still outsized value at times.  Over time I have come to believe that 0.33p per point is a fair valuation for a Hilton Honors point.  The conversion rate is 1:2 to Hilton which is how I get to 0.66p per Amex point.  Hilton brands include Conrad, Waldorf Astoria and Hampton.

You can beat 0.33p per point if you are strategic in how and when you redeem, so there are reasons why you may want to transfer to Hilton instead of cashing out via Nectar.

0.55p per point (my target)

Club Eurostar points.  Following the 2023 devaluation, I value a Club Eurostar point at 7p to 10p. The 15:1 transfer rate into Club Eurostar means you are getting 0.55p per point if you take a midpoint of 8.5p.

You should get slightly more than 0.55p if redeeming in Standard class and slightly less if redeeming in Standard Premier or upgrading from Standard to Standard Premier.

0.5p per point (guaranteed)

Retailer gift cards – Amazon, Harrods, Hotels.com, Marks & Spencer, Selfridges, Waterstones etc.  20,000 Amex points will get you a £100 shopping voucher, for example.

0.5p per point (guaranteed)

The value of a Nectar point if you don’t convert via Avios, given that you can redeem Amex points directly for Nectar points at a 1:1 ratio.  It is pointless to do this, however, given that you get 30% more value by transferring American Express to Avios to Nectar as I explained above.

0.45p per point (my target)

Radisson Rewards hotel transfers. Radisson Rewards in the UK covers Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson Edwardian, Park Inn and Park Plaza.

Until an October 2022 devaluation, Radisson Rewards points were a great use of American Express Membership points. Now they are not.

The average value has dropped from around 0.33p per Radisson Rewards point to around 0.15p as I show here. The conversion rate is 1 American Express Membership Rewards point to 3 Radisson Rewards points.

This means that you are getting around 0.45p per American Express point. You can’t do much better than this because Radisson Rewards pricing is now ‘dynamic’, with the points cost increasing if the cash price increases.

0.45p per point (guaranteed)

Linking your Amex account to amazon.co.uk and paying for your purchases directly with points (more in this article).  This is a slightly silly option, however, as you can also redeem for Amazon gift cards and get 0.5p per point.

0.45p per point (guaranteed)

Redeeming for American Express statement credit. The simplest and least worthwhile way of using your Membership Rewards points.

I hope this article gives you some ideas for using your American Express Membership Rewards points for maximum value.

Learn more about the credit cards mentioned above

Here is the legally required interest rate information on the credit cards mentioned above, together with links to our detailed reviews:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Bonus: 20,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Get up to 12,500 bonus points each year based on your total spending
• Earn double points on all airline and overseas spend
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes

Other information:

• Amex Gold is our recommended ‘first card’ for a miles and points beginner
• Get four free airport lounge passes when you sign up, and a further four each year
• After your four free passes, you can visit further lounges for a small fee
• You receive £120 of Deliveroo credit each year (24 x £5 credits)
• Annual fee: Free for the first year, £195 from Year 2

Representative 88.8% APR variable.  Annual fee applies after the first year.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 20,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible, which is why we recommend this as the best choice for your first miles and points card.  You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the four free airport lounge passes and the ‘no fee in Year 1’ offer.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold comes with four free airport lounge passes.  These allow either you and up to three friends, or yourself four times, to visit any of the 1,400 lounges in the Priority Pass network.  You make additional lounge visits for £24 per person.  You receive an additional four free passes each year.

You earn double Membership Rewards points on all airline spend (made directly on an airline website) and all spend made outside the UK.

You will receive up to 12,500 bonus Membership Rewards points each year, based on how much you spend.

You receive £120 of Deliveroo credit each year.  Amex will repay you £5 for the first two Deliveroo orders charged to your Gold card each month.

Other benefits include a 10% discount on Hertz car rentals, Avis Preferred Plus car rental status and special deals at 350 selected hotels worldwide, where Preferred Rewards Gold cardholders receive a $75 in-hotel credit per stay.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

The Platinum Card from American Express

Bonus: 40,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 40,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £6,000 within three months
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes

Other information:

• Two Priority Pass cards, each allowing two people into 1,400 airport lounges
• Elite status in four major hotel loyalty programmes
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• £300 per year of restaurant credit
• £100 per year to spend at Harvey Nichols
• Annual fee: £650

Representative 704.6% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £650 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 40,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 40,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card if you spend £6,000 within three months of signing up.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible.  You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

This is the ONLY personal American Express card where you still qualify for the bonus if you already hold a British Airways American Express card.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card which earns Membership Rewards points.  This includes The Platinum Card and Preferred Rewards Gold.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held any other American Express card, including the British Airways, Marriott and Nectar cards.

For clarity, you can still apply for The Platinum Card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the long list of other benefits.

Learn more about the card benefits +

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with an unrivalled list of benefits for the keen traveller.

Your personal travel patterns will determine which of these is the most valuable.  The key benefits are:

Full comprehensive travel insurance for you, your family and the family of your supplementary cardholder, subject to enrolment

Two Priority Pass cards, each of which allows the holder and a guest unlimited free access to 1,400 airport lounges

Elite status in four major hotel loyalty schemes: Marriott Bonvoy (Gold), Hilton Honors (Gold), Radisson Rewards (Premium), MeliaRewards (Gold)

Access to Eurostar lounges, irrespective of travel class

£150 per year to spend in over 160 UK restaurants

£150 per year to spend in over 1,200 international restaurants

£100 per year to spend at Harvey Nichols, instore or online (no minimum spend required)

£300 per year of dining credit – £150 to be spent at 150+ UK restaurants and £150 to be spent at 1,200+ restaurants outside the UK

You need a minimum personal income of £35,000 to apply for the card.

American Express Rewards

Bonus: 10,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 10,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £2,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes

Other information:

• Your best choice if you want a ‘free for life’ card which earns Membership Rewards points
• A good choice if you want to close a Gold or Platinum card but keep your points intact
• Annual fee: Free

Representative 31.0% APR variable

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 10,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Rewards card if you spend £2,000 within 90 days of signing up.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible. You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Rewards card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You may want to do this if you are thinking of swapping your Preferred Rewards Gold or Platinum card for a free alternative, and would prefer to keep your existing Membership Rewards points balance alive.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Rewards is the only ‘free for life’ American Express card which lets you collect Membership Rewards points.

We do NOT recommend this card if you would also qualify for the sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold.  The Gold card is free for the first year, comes with four free airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit and has a higher sign-up bonus of 20,000 points.

The best reason to get American Express Rewards is if you are coming to the end of your free first year with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold, or no longer want to pay the fee on The Platinum Card, but want to keep your Membership Rewards points intact.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

American Express Business Gold

Bonus: 20,000 Membership Rewards points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
• Earn 10,000 additional bonus points whenever you spend £20,000 in a quarter
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent

Other information:

• Annual fee: Free for the first year, £195 from Year 2
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline schemes
• Get £100 per year to spend at Dell

This is a charge card, not a credit card. You must clear your balance in full each month.  Annual fee £195 from Year 2, free in Year 1.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 20,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Business Gold card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible.  You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 13 months, have held any other American Express card which earns Membership Rewards points.  This includes Business or personal Gold, Business or personal Platinum and the personal American Express Rewards credit card.

You are OK if you had a complimentary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if the only American Express card you have had in the previous 13 months was a British Airways, Marriott Bonvoy, Nectar, Platinum Cashback or Harrods American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Business Gold card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from the ‘no fee in Year 1’ offer.

Learn more about the card benefits +

You receive £100 of Dell statement credit per calendar year.  This is made available in two parts.  You receive a £50 credit on Dell purchases made between January and June and a £50 credit on Dell purchases made between July and December.  There is no minimum spend requirement.

You can apply for complimentary Amex business cards for your employees.

You will receive one consolidated statement showing the spend on your card and all of the complimentary cards.  All of the Membership Rewards points earned on the complimentary cards will flow into your personal account.

Depending on when in your monthly cycle you make a payment, you will effectively receive up to 54 days free credit on your spending.

American Express statements provide more underlying transaction detail for flights and certain other transactions than Visa or Mastercard statements, making it easier to reconcile transactions.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

American Express Business Platinum

Bonus: 40,000 Membership Rewards points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 40,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £6,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Earn 10,000 bonus points in every month you spend £10,000+
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline schemes

Other information:

• Get £200 per year to spend at Amex Travel
• Two Priority Pass cards, each allowing two people into 1,400 airport lounges
• Elite status in four major hotel loyalty programmes
• Get £150 per year to spend at Dell
• Get £300 per year to spend at job ads site Indeed
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• Annual fee: £650

This is a charge card, not a credit card. You must clear your balance in full each month.  Annual fee £650.

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 40,000 points bonus +

You will receive 40,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Business Platinum card if you spend £6,000 within 90 days.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible.  You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 13 months, have held any other American Express card which earns Membership Rewards points.  This includes Business or personal Gold, Business or personal Platinum and the personal American Express Rewards credit card.

You are OK if you had a complimentary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if the only American Express card you have had in the previous 13 months was a British Airways, Marriott Bonvoy, Nectar, Platinum Cashback or Harrods American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Business Platinum card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You would still benefit from all of the other card features including the £200 of annual Amex Travel credit.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Business Platinum comes with an unrivalled list of benefits for the keen traveller.

Your personal travel patterns will determine which of these is the most valuable.  The key benefits are:

£200 of Amex Travel credit per membership year

Full comprehensive travel insurance for you, your family and the family of up to five complimentary cardholders, subject to enrolment

Two Priority Pass cards, each of which allows the holder and a guest unlimited free access to 1,400 airport lounges

Elite status in four major hotel loyalty schemes: Marriott Bonvoy (Gold), Hilton Honors (Gold), Radisson Rewards (Premium), MeliaRewards (Gold)

You need a minimum personal income of £35,000 to apply for the card.

£150 of Dell statement credit per year – you receive £75 credit on Dell purchases betweeen January and June and £75 credit on purchases between July and December

Digital subscription to The Times and The Sunday Times, worth over £300

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

This assumes that you are keen to push up your Amex spend to hit a bonus or voucher target.

Here is the payment page of the Decathlon website:

You will see that American Express is not accepted.  However, this doesn’t mean that you cannot use an Amex card.

Look elsewhere on the payment page and you will see the the Paypal logo.

PayPal DOES let you use American Express.

This is what comes up – it opens my Paypal account, which has a BA Amex card linked to it, and I can use it:

You do not even need a PayPal account to pay with PayPal. You can click on the ‘Pay with PayPal’ link and enter your card details directly.  That said, it makes sense to open an account and link your American Express card as you do not need to remember your card details when paying in the future.

There are no extra fees for using PayPal with retailers.

Note that some retailers manage to block PayPal from showing the American Express option if they do not accept Amex themselves so this is not always a solution.  In the majority of cases, as with Decathlon, it will work just fine.

The only thing worth noting is that you lose some of your consumer protection if the retailer goes bust if you pay with PayPal. This is because you do not have a direct contract with the retailer.  PayPal does have its own reimbursement scheme called PayPal Buyer Protection which may cover you but it is not legally enshrined.

Next time you pay a retailer who does not accept Amex but does take PayPal, click through to PayPal instead.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

You can read the This Is Money article here but I turned the key points into a HfP article at the time and thought it was worth updating today given the recent improvements to the card benefits.

What are the benefits of signing up for Amex Gold?

The package you get for the first year of holding this card is excellent.  You can’t deny that.  Among the benefits are:

• You don’t pay a fee for your first year

• You receive 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points after you spend £3,000 in your first three months.  These convert into 20,000 Avios, 20,000 Virgin / Emirates / Etihad / Flying Blue etc miles, 40,000 Hilton Honors points, 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, 90,000 Radisson Rewards points …. or many other things

• You get four free passes to get into selected airport lounges – the directory is here 

• You get £120 per year of Deliveroo credit (2 x £5 credits can be used each month)

Full details of the card, and the application form, are on the American Express website here.

In order to qualify for the sign up bonus, you cannot have held any personal American Express cards in the past 24 months.

The representative APR is 88.8% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 31.0% variable.

What happens after Year 1?

After the first year, you need to make a decision about whether to keep the card or not.

Many people baulk at the idea of paying the £19t fee, especially if they are not used to paying fees for credit or charge cards.  Whilst the easy answer to those readers who contact me would be ‘cancel’, it is worth looking objectively at the ongoing package – especially if you are not the sort of person who likes to churn his or her card portfolio regularly.

Good reasons to keep Amex Gold beyond Year 1

Reason 1:  the annual bonus of up to 12,500 Membership Rewards points

You can earn up to 12,500 bonus Membership Rewards points each year based on your spending.

You receive 2,500 points for hitting £5,000 on spend and a further 2,500 points for every additional £5,000. The maximum bonus you can earn is 12,500 points.

This means, assuming you spent an exact multiple of £5,000, your earning rate on the card 1.5 Membership Rewards points per £1. This is made up of the 1 point per £1 you get for your spending plus an average of 0.5 points per £1 as a bonus.

This is an impressive earning rate – in fact, it is equal to the best earning rate of ANY travel rewards credit card.

Reason 2:  four more free Priority Pass airport lounge passes

You receive another four airport lounge passes when you renew.  These are worth at least £100.

Reason 3: if you are making good use of the Deliveroo credits

When American Express added the £120 of annual Deliveroo credits as a card benefit in 2021, it hugely changed the economics of the card for many people.

Not everyone lives in a Deliveroo area, or uses it if they do. If it is available where you live and you use it, the £120 of annual credit basically covers the annual fee in one go. Remember that Deliveroo isn’t just food delivery these days – you can also order groceries via the app. You don’t even need to do delivery – many outlets now allow ‘pick up’ orders which save the delivery fee.

Reason 4:  you don’t need to empty your Membership Rewards points account

You keep your Membership Rewards points alive.  If you cancel your Amex Gold, you will need to transfer your Membership Rewards points out.  This gets rid of the main benefit of Membership Rewards points – flexibility.

Keeping your Gold card means you can keep your Membership Rewards points account open and so keep all of your options for the points open.  (One option to get around this is to open a FREE Amex Rewards Credit Card instead – I explain how to save your Membership Rewards points in this article.)

Reason 5:  you retain access to the Amex Gold hotel programme

You retain access to the other, often forgotten, Amex Gold benefits.  The most interesting is ‘The Hotel Collection’ programme – details here.

‘The Hotel Collection’ gives you an upgrade and up to $100 equivalent credit when booking a 2+ night stay at participating upscale hotels.  Chains taking part include Radisson Blu, Omni, Kimpton, Hilton, Sofitel and many more.  There is also a 10% Amex Gold Hertz discount, although I admit this can probably be matched by other deals you can access.

Reason 6:  if you have no other Amex, you retain access to Amex’s valuable cashback deals

If Preferred Rewards Gold is your only American Express card, you retain access to the wide range of Amex cashback deals which are permanently available.  Even if you do have other Amex cards, you can double up on deals which interest you if you have multiple cards available.

There are other smaller benefits too:

• You retain access to the refer-a-friend programme which earns you up to 90,000 Membership Rewards points each year for referring friends and family.  You will receive the referral bonus even if the person you refer does not qualify for a sign-up bonus.

• If you spend a lot on flights, the ‘double points on all airline spend’ benefit will add up.  You don’t need to book via Amex Travel to get this, it is automatic for spending on all airlines. Whilst I charge all of my British Airways flights to my British Airways Premium Plus American Express to earn 3 Avios per £1, all of our other family flights go on my wife’s Amex Gold.

• You receive double points on all foreign spend. This is not a great deal on personal spending due to the 3% fee on FX spend which is added by Amex. You can avoid this fee by getting a card which doesn’t charge FX fees. If your FX spend is repaid by your employer, however, this benefit is attractive.

There are other ways of accessing some of the benefits above, of course.  The Amex Rewards Credit Card ……

American Express Rewards

Bonus: 10,000 points

Read our full review

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:

• Get 10,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £2,000 within 90 days
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent
• Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel schemes

Other information:

• Your best choice if you want a ‘free for life’ card which earns Membership Rewards points
• A good choice if you want to close a Gold or Platinum card but keep your points intact
• Annual fee: Free

Representative 31.0% APR variable

Apply here

See if you qualify for the 10,000 points sign-up bonus +

You will receive 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on the American Express Rewards card if you spend £2,000 within 90 days of signing up.

Membership Rewards points are hugely flexible. You can transfer them into Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (at 1:1) or into various hotels schemes, into Club Eurostar or use them for shopping vouchers.

To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.

You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.

You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.

For clarity, you can still apply for the American Express Rewards card even if you do not qualify for the bonus.  You may want to do this if you are thinking of swapping your Preferred Rewards Gold or Platinum card for a free alternative, and would prefer to keep your existing Membership Rewards points balance alive.

Learn more about the card benefits +

American Express Rewards is the only ‘free for life’ American Express card which lets you collect Membership Rewards points.

We do NOT recommend this card if you would also qualify for the sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold.  The Gold card is free for the first year, comes with four free airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit and has a higher sign-up bonus of 20,000 points.

The best reason to get American Express Rewards is if you are coming to the end of your free first year with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold, or no longer want to pay the fee on The Platinum Card, but want to keep your Membership Rewards points intact.

You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.

…….. will keep your Membership Rewards points alive. 

I accept that, if are not triggering a decent chunk of the 12,500 annual bonus Membership Rewards points, the maths on keeping Amex Gold isn’t great. Unless you can use the full £120 of Deliveroo credit each year, you’d be relying on getting £195 of value from ‘The Hotel Collection’ programme, the airport lounge passes and getting double points on your flight spending.

If you earning between 2,500 and 12,500 bonus Membership Rewards points from your spending, however, the fee begins to look like it is worth paying.

You can apply for American Express Preferred Rewards Gold here.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

You may be thinking of cancelling your American Express Preferred Rewards Gold or The Platinum Card before the pro-rata fee refund option ends on 1st October.

One downside of this is that you are required to empty out your Membership Rewards points account. If you don’t, your points will be lost if you have no other Membership Rewards cards.

However ….. is there a free way to keep your Membership Rewards points alive when cancelling an American Express Gold or Platinum card?

Yes.  (OK, you probably guessed I was going to say that!)

You shouldn’t transfer Membership Rewards points until you are about to book a flight or hotel

Having to close your Membership Rewards points account can lead to a dilemma over when to cancel your Preferred Rewards Gold or Platinum card.  

You will be paying £160 per year after the free first year to keep an American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card active and £575 for The Platinum Card.  However, this allows you to keep your Membership Rewards points where they are.  If you are forced to transfer them because you close the account, you may regret it later.

Because American Express Membership Rewards points can be transferred to many different airline and hotel partners, they are more valuable than airline or hotel points.  You shouldn’t convert them until you need them.

Can you keep your Membership Rewards points when cancelling an American Express card?

There is a solution that:

• lets you keep your Membership Rewards points account open, and

• allows you to cancel your Gold or Platinum card this week before pro-rata fee refunds end on 1st October

This card is the answer:

You can apply for the little-known American Express Rewards Credit Card.  Full details are on the American Express website here.

This card has NO ANNUAL FEE and lets you collect Membership Rewards points.

For simplicity, I will occasionally refer to this card as ARCC as ‘American Express Rewards Credit Card’ is a  bit of a mouthful.

What is the American Express Rewards Credit Card?

ARCC is a standard Amex-branded credit card.

The representative APR is 31.0% variable.

It has no annual fee and no substantial benefits, except for the ability to collect Membership Rewards points at 1 point per £1 spent.

It is unlikely that many Head for Points readers will qualify for the 10,000 points sign-up bonus because you cannot have held any Membership Rewards cards in the previous 24 months.  That will exclude anyone who has, or has recently had, a Gold or Platinum Amex card.

Don’t worry about that.  You may still want to get this card even though you won’t get a bonus.

Get the ARCC card if you are planning to cancel Amex Gold or Platinum this week

If you have an Amex Gold or Platinum card and want to cancel this week whilst you can still get a pro-rata fee refund, but do not want to cash in your Membership Rewards points, this card is your answer.

Apply for the Amex Rewards Credit Card.  Once you are accepted, you can cancel your Preferred Rewards Gold card or The Platinum Card safe in the knowledge that your Membership Rewards points are safe.

(You get a window between cancelling your Membership Rewards cards and losing your points, so don’t worry about not receiving your new ARCC card before the 1st October cancellation deadline. As long as you’ve been accepted you’ll be fine, as long as you make sure your ARCC card is linked to your existing Membership Rewards account and not a brand new one.)

The only ‘snag’ is that you will not have reset the 24 month clock on being able to reapply for a new Gold or Platinum card and receive another sign-up bonus.  In order to do that you need to close down your Membership Rewards account entirely.

For a lot of people, though, being able to keep your existing Membership Rewards balance alive will be more important.

You can apply for the FREE American Express Rewards Credit Card here.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

American Express has traditionally offered one feature which other UK credit card companies did not.

If you took out a card with an upfront annual fee, you would receive a pro-rata fee refund if you cancelled your card part-way through the year.

This feature ends on Sunday 1st October for most cards.

You will still be allowed to cancel your card but you won’t get any portion of the annual fee back.

Does this change apply to all American Express cards?

No.

The change only impacts credit cards.

If you still hold a charge card – although all personal charge cards have been withdrawn from the market over the last couple of years for new applicants – then nothing changes. You will still be able to cancel it at any point for a pro-rata fee refund.

The two core small business cards – Business Gold and Business Platinum – are charge cards and will not be impacted by this change.

How will this change the card market?

That’s a good question, especially as you also need to factor in the appeal of competing products – the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard, for example, has a fee of £20 per month and so can be cancelled at any time without penalty.

Let’s look at a few of the cards:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is free for the first year, so the appeal of this card (you receive 20,000 Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus, £120 of Deliveroo credit and four airport lounge passes) is unchanged.

The Platinum Card from American Express

The Platinum Card is more complex, but at a non-refundable £575 for the first year it remains a good proposition. In year one you would get 30,000 Membership Rewards points bonus, up to £600 of dining credit, £150 of Harvey Nichols credit, two Priority Passes, travel insurance etc.

During special offers such as the recent ‘60,000 points + £200 of Amex Travel credit’ promotion it becomes exceptional value for the first year, even at the full £575.

British Airways Premium Plus American Express

The British Airways Premium Plus card becomes less attractive for a quick pump and dump, with the 25,000 Avios bonus equalling but not exceeding the £250 annual fee on our valuation.

However, because of the value of the annual 2-4-1 companion voucher, it is by far the most common card for HfP readers to keep for the long term. I doubt many people who read HfP cancel this card quickly.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

Most HfP readers who have the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card will have it because of the 15 free elite night credits you receive. This is an annual benefit, and anyone who gets the card purely for the elite nights is probably in it for the long haul.

The 15 elite nights even count towards lifetime status.

What am I doing?

I am not looking to cancel anything before next Sunday.

My wife and I both have a British Airways American Express Premium Plus card. These generate 2 x 2-4-1 companion vouchers annually, which is ideal for our family of four. I treat these as ‘long term holds’.

I also have The Platinum Card. I have held this for many years and I still feel I make a ‘profit’ from the annual fee. The £300 annual dining credit and £100 of Harvey Nichols credit is money I would spend anyway, and I easily get value from the travel insurance, car hire insurance, Fine Hotels & Resorts hotel benefits etc. Nothing will change here.

My Marriott Bonvoy American Express card is also a keeper. I am only about five years short of Lifetime Platinum status in Marriott Bonvoy, and the 15 elite night credits I receive each year from holding the card is a key part of achieving that. The £75 fee is also easily justified by the semi-regular Marriott Bonvoy cashback offers (the new one is £100 back on £250 of Marriott spend) and the six points per £1 I earn for UK Marriott spend.

The only card we could drop is my wife’s Preferred Rewards Gold card. However, as this is the old charge card version, we will retain the right to cancel this at any point for a pro-rata refund so there’s no rush to act here. I also feel that we get value from this via the Deliveroo credit and the fact that Amex Gold seems to have FAR more cashback offers than any of our other cards.

What should you think about before cancelling?

Here are the answers to a few common questions about card cancellations:

Preferred Rewards Gold / The Platinum Card:

• your Membership Rewards account will be closed shortly after you have closed your last Membership Rewards-earning card – you will need to transfer your points out. This may impact your willingness to cancel.

• your Priority Pass airport lounge card will be cancelled as soon as you cancel your card

• for Platinum, you will retain your hotel status cards until the end of the year and potentially longer

British Airways Premium Plus:

• if you downgrade to the free British Airways American Express, your card year remains the same and your ‘spend to date’ towards your next companion voucher is carried over

• irrespective of what you may be told by Amex, any unused 2-4-1 companion vouchers should remain in your British Airways Executive Club account (the card T&C contradict this and say they will be removed but in reality this is what has always happened for the past 20 years – although of course you do this at your own risk, and have no recourse if they are removed now or in the future. The risk free option is to downgrade to the free BA card.)

• you do not need a British Airways American Express card to pay the taxes when you redeem your 2-4-1 voucher (and the new T&C confirm this) but you will need AN American Express card of some sort. This does not necessarily need to be in your name as Amex does not do name verification as a security check.

Will this strategy work for Amex?

My gut feeling is that American Express will see an improvement in the ‘quality’ of cardholders who sign up for The Platinum Card and – for non-HfP readers who don’t understand the value of the 2-4-1 voucher – the British Airways Premium Plus American Express card.

The acceptance criteria for The Platinum Card has already been tightened up this year by bringing in a £35,000 minimum income criteria – presumably to meet new FCA rules on ensuring products are not missold – but this obviously goes further.

It remains to be seen if blocking British Airways Premium Plus refunds will make the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard more attractive for people looking for their first Avios credit card.

These changes probably won’t make much difference to the attractiveness of cards during special promotions. If Amex brought back the recent offer of ‘60,000 Membership Rewards points + £200’ which recently ran on The Platinum Card then it remains a no-brainer, especially with up to £750 of dining and Harvey Nichols credit thrown in during the first year, even at a sunk cost of £575.

What interests me is whether some people will still choose to cancel their cards quickly even when they don’t get a fee refund. This would make sense in some scenarios, since the quicker you cancel, the quicker the two year clock for reapplying comes around.

There is some upside too. It is possible that American Express will increase sign-up bonuses further on its paid cards because it knows that cardholders are committed to a full year. Let’s see what happens over the next few months.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

You will receive £120 per annum of Deliveroo credit. This is a permanent card benefit, not a one-off promotion.

This makes a real difference, I think, to whether you keep Gold after the first free year. It also makes the card a no-brainer for regular Deliveroo users for the first year, when Gold is free.

How does the new Deliveroo benefit work?

Preferred Rewards Gold Cardmembers receive 2 x £5 Deliveroo statement credits per calendar month.

You need to register for this benefit, but only once. After your initial registration, you will receive the 2 x £5 monthly Deliveroo credits without any further registration required.

Once registered, the £5 credits will be automatically applied to your account by American Express. You obviously need to make payment with your Preferred Rewards Gold card.

You can opt in to this new benefit via the ‘Offers’ tab of your online Amex statement page or in the American Express app.

Any small print?

Only one credit can be used per Deliveroo transaction so you cannot receive £10 back on one order.

You need to spend £5 to receive a credit.

The offer only applies to primary cards, not supplementary cards.

Credits do not roll over from month to month. If you don’t use your 2 x £5 credits in any particular month, they are lost.

What is this benefit worth?

If you are a regular Deliveroo user, you should have no trouble getting the full £120 of value from this offer.

As Preferred Rewards Gold is free for your first year, and £195 per year thereafter, I think this makes a real difference to the maths of whether you keep the card beyond the free first year.

For occasional users, it clearly has less value. That said, a £5 credit may tempt you to use Deliveroo more often.

You can order groceries too

Remember that you can order top-up groceries via Deliveroo in many areas, from stores from Aldi to Waitrose. The £5 credit is valid against this.

You also don’t need to have items delivered to use Deliveroo. Many restaurants and convenience stores allow you to order items via the app for collection, avoiding the delivery fee.

Conclusion

We recommend the Preferred Rewards Gold card as your ‘best first’ miles and points credit card. This is due to a combination of:

• no annual fee in Year 1

• a big sign-up bonus of 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points, convertible into Avios but also into many non-travel rewards if you decide later that Avios or hotel points are not for you (conditions apply as to who qualifies for the bonus)

• four free airport lounge passes each year, which gives you an early first experience of how miles and points can help you travel better, and

• you still qualify for the sign-up bonus on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card at a later date when you become confident that you can justify the annual fee

The Deliveroo benefit, worth up to £120 per year of statement credits, is a valuable addition. If you regularly order food for delivery then you shouldn’t struggle to get full value from it, whilst other people may value the ability to get £5 discounts on top-up grocery shopping.

Added to the 20,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus (if you qualify) and the two airport lounge passes, and you have an impressive package if you can make the most of it.

Don’t forget to opt in to the new Deliveroo benefit before placing your first order.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold application page is here if you are now tempted to sign up.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

For personal travel you might want to get a separate free credit card to use abroad.  There are no travel rewards card without a foreign exchange fee, although the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are fee-free in the Eurozone.

Another option is to get a free card from Currensea. Currensea is a simple but clever idea. You pay abroad with your Currensea Mastercard debit card. Currensea translates the cost to Sterling with just a 0.5% fee (83% less than most cards charge) and withdraws the money from your bank account.  Currensea also works off the spot rate, giving you an extra saving from the wholesale rate used by your card company.  You can find out more by clicking here. Currensea is free so there is no risk in giving it a try.

You can also look at debit cards from the like of Revolut. Curve Card is also an option although it has got increasingly confusing to use, with different FX rules applying based on your type of card, the day of the week and the currency you are spending in.

If you have a Limited Company, you DO have a credit card which has 0% FX fees and earns 1 Avios per £1 – the Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa. Our review is here.

You may choose to act differently when travelling for work

When you are travelling for work, however, your credit card bills will be reimbursed by your employer.  There is no incentive for you to get a separate 0% foreign exchange fee card.

I won’t focus on credit card spend bonuses here because those don’t change whether you are spending in the UK or abroad.  I just want to look at cards which increase your earning rate for FX transactions.

Here are your two options for reward cards which have extra bonuses for foreign spending but in return add on an FX fee of around 3%.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold offers double points when you spend abroad, which means 2 Membership Rewards points per £1.

This translates into two Avios or other airline miles, four Hilton Honors points, three Marriott Bonvoy points or six Radisson Rewards points amongst other things.  The card is free for the first year.

Interesting, The Platinum Card from American Express – which has a £575 annual fee – does not offer this benefit.

FX spend may also help you trigger another Amex Gold benefit. You receive 2,500 bonus Membership Rewards points for every cumulative £5,000 you spend, up to a maximum of 12,500 bonus points per year. This means that a £5,000 spend in a foreign currency would earn 12,500 Membership Rewards points – 5,000 base points, 5,000 FX spend bonus points and a 2,500 points bonus for hitting another £5,000 mileston.

Our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review is here. You can apply here.

HSBC Premier and Premier World Elite Mastercards

The two HSBC Premier cards offers double points abroad.

On the free card, this means you are earning 1 Avios or other airline mile instead of the standard 0.5 miles per £1.

On the World Elite card, which has a £195 annual fee, you would be earning 2 Avios or other airline miles instead of the standard 1 mile per £1.

You must have a HSBC Premier current account to apply for either of these cards which has strict eligibility criteria. HSBC Premier is free, however, so if you do meet the income criteria then it isn’t a bad option for your day to day banking and is (just) a step ahead of your average current account.

Our HSBC Premier credit card review is here and our HSBC Premier World Elite card review is here. You can apply here.

Conclusion

As you can see there are a couple of good options here that can get you a return of around 2% on your non-Sterling spending. This assumes that you value an Avios or airline mile at 1p.

That is less than the 3% foreign fee you are incurring, of course, which is why these are not attractive deals for personal use, just for business expenditure.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

Keep up to date with the latest UK credit card bonuses by signing up for our free daily or weekly newsletters.

American Express has increased the sign-up bonus on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card from 20,000 to 25,000 points.

This is the first special offer we’ve seen on this card since October 2022.

If you meet the bonus criteria, you now receive 25,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days. This is a special offer which runs to Tuesday 8th August so you need to move now if you want to get in.

This package is an exceptionally generous deal for a card which is FREE for the first year.  Remember that 25,000 Membership Rewards points convert into 25,000 Avios, amongst other things.

You can apply here.

The legal bit ….. 

Let’s get the boring legal bits out of the way first.

The representative APR is 88.8% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 31.0% variable.

What is the Amex Gold sign-up bonus?

The sign-up bonus on Amex Gold is increased to 25,000 Membership Rewards points.

You only have until next Tuesday, 8th August, to apply.

You can convert 25,000 American Express Membership Rewards points into:

• 25,000 Avios
• 25,000 Virgin Points
• 50,000 Hilton Honors points
• 75,000 Radisson Rewards points
• 37,500 Marriott Bonvoy points
• 1,666 Club Eurostar points

…… amongst other things.

You need to spend £3,000 to earn the sign-up bonus on Preferred Rewards Gold. This has to be done within three months of your application being accepted.

This article (clicks) looks at all of the most valuable UK credit card sign up bonuses and compares Amex Gold with other products, although it doesn’t reflect this special offer.

Do you qualify for the Amex Gold sign-up bonus?

Before we go on, let’s look at whether you actually qualify for the 25,000 Membership Rewards points bonus.

A lot of HfP readers will NOT qualify.  This article explains which sign-up bonuses you are still eligible for, depending on the cards you hold/have held in the past two years.

However, think outside the box. Could your partner apply?  Perhaps your adult children?  Your parents?  If any of these people are in your British Airways Executive Club household account, you would still benefit if they transferred the sign-up bonus to Avios in the household account.

Remember that the cardholder could issue you with a free supplementary card on the account, so you could do the necessary spending to trigger the bonus.

What are the exact rules for getting the bonus?

If you have never held a personal American Express card before, you will definitely get the bonus.  You can skip the rest of this section.

For everyone else, here is the offical wording from the Amex website:

“This new Cardmember offer is only available if you have not held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months. If you have held a personal American Express Card within the previous 24 months, you will be entitled to all other Card benefits, excluding the welcome offer.”

You WILL receive the 25,000 bonus points if you have not held a personal American Express card in the previous 24 months.

You WILL receive the sign-up bonus if you have a Corporate or Business American Express card via your job, even if you receive Membership Rewards points from it.

You WILL receive the bonus if you are only a supplementary cardholder on someone else’s American Express card. As far as Amex is concerned, the card belongs to the primarily cardholder and does not make you an ‘existing cardholder’.

If you do not qualify for the bonus and prize draw, you can still apply.  You still receive the other card benefits, including the four free airport lounge passes, £120 of annual Deliveroo credit and ‘no fee in the first year’.

You could also consider another Amex card. This article looks at which sign-up bonuses you could still be eligible for.

With that out of the way, let’s look at why we like the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card.

The Amex Gold card is free for the first year

Amex Gold has an annual fee of £160.  There is no fee for your first year so you have some time to see if it suits you or not.

You can cancel at any point.

The Amex Gold sign-up bonus is very generous

You get 25,000 American Express Membership Rewards points (worth 25,000 Avios) when you sign up and spend £3,000 within three months. This is a special offer which runs to next Tuesday 8th August.

The earning rate on your day to day spending is 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent. This is OK but not exceptional – although you should put some value on having a ‘convertible’ currency rather than being forced into taking Avios, Virgin Points etc via a dedicated airline credit card.

25,000 points is a good deal because ….

The Amex Gold rewards scheme is a valuable convertible currency

You can transfer Membership Rewards points into MANY different things. Take a look at their website.

We tend to focus on airline schemes (1:1 into Avios, Virgin Flying Club, Flying Blue, Delta Skymiles, Etihad Guest, Emirates Skywards etc) or hotel schemes (1:2 into Hilton Honors, 1:3 into Radisson Rewards, 2:3 into Marrriott Bonvoy).

In reality there are lots of other options, including High Street gift cards.  I wrote this article on how to get the best value from Membership Rewards points. It is possible, if you are smart, to get over £250 of value from your 25,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus.

‘Convertible currencies’ are worth more to you. It is better to have 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points than 25,000 Avios points. Why? Because your 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points would get you 25,000 Avios points if you needed them – but they could also get you points in a lot of other different schemes.

You get four free airport lounge visits per year

As an Amex Gold cardholder you receive free membership of Priority Pass, a global network of airport lounges.

You get four free airport lounge visits each year – either four visits for yourself or shared between you and any guests who are with you.

The Priority Pass website shows you which lounges you can use including many at Heathrow and Gatwick.  Additional visits after your four free ones are charged at £20 per person per visit. You receive four additional free passes each year if you renew your Amex Gold membership.

The problem, of course, is access. Getting access to Priority Pass lounges in the UK can be tricky at peak times, although there are 10 lounges which you can reserve in advance for a small fee. Outside the UK getting access is rarely an issue.

You get £120 of Deliveroo credit per year

Amex Gold comes with £120 of annual Deliveroo credit.

You receive 2 x £5 cashback credits each month. When a Deliveroo order for £5+ is charged to your card, you receive £5 back on your next American Express statement.

Get up to 12,500 bonus points per year based on your spending

As well as earning 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent, you will receive extra bonuses based on your total spending during each card year.

This is what you receive:

• 2,500 points when you hit £5,000 of annual spend
• 2,500 points when you hit £10,000 of annual spend (5,000 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £15,000 of annual spend (7,500 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £20,000 of annual spend (10,000 points cumulative)
• 2,500 points when you hit £25,000 of annual spend (12,500 points cumulative)

The bonus is paid as soon as you hit each tier threshold.

What other benefits does Amex Gold have?

There are various other benefits attached to the card as well, including:

• double points for foreign spending (there is a 3% fee for FX charges, so this is only a good deal if you are spending money your employer will reimburse)

• double points on flight bookings when booked directly with airlines – this could be VERY valuable if you spend a lot on flight tickets

• triple points on bookings with Amex Travel

• 10% discount and a free additional driver on Hertz bookings

• $75 in-hotel credit and an upgrade (based on availability at check-in) when booking 350 4-5 star hotels worldwide

Conclusion

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card is a low cost (zero cost, actually, in Year 1) and high reward way to begin a relationship with Amex.

If you were thinking about applying, it makes sense to do so now whilst the sign-up bonus is increased to 25,000 Membership Rewards points.

Over time your card needs may change.  Many people move on to the British Airways Premium Plus American Express because of the hugely valuable 2-4-1 voucher – but American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is a good way to get started.  You will still qualify for the British Airways Premium Plus sign-up bonus of 25,000 Avios in the future despite already having an Amex Gold card.

Even if you eventually decide that the miles and points hobby is not for you, there are still plenty of other valuable ways to use your Membership Rewards points such as Amazon vouchers.  The worse case scenario is that your 25,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus would convert into £166 of Nectar points if you route them Amex to Avios to Nectar.

You can apply for American Express Preferred Rewards Gold here.

Remember that you must apply by Tuesday 8th August to get this deal.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

The plan was to take a more holistic view of your finances. A single person living at home on a £25,000 salary has a totally different disposable income profile to someone who is married with two kids and a mortgage taking home £35,000.  Setting a strict cut-off level was seen as a blunt instrument.

For whatever reason, potentially linked to new FCA customer duty regulations, American Express has decided that this structure was no longer workable.

Minimum income requirements have now returned.

That said, they are not exactly tough. Someone on minimum wage doing 40 hours per week will still qualify for most cards. The real losers are the retired and non-working partners, as the requirement is based on your personal income. High savings or a high household income are no longer enough.

These are the new PERSONAL income requirements.

• Preferred Rewards Gold – £20,000

• British Airways (free card) – £20,000

• Platinum Cashback – £20,000

• Platinum Cashback Everyday – £20,000

• Nectar – £20,000

• Marriott Bonvoy – £20,000

• American Express Rewards – £20,000

• Business Gold – £20,000 (personal income, not company)

• The Platinum Card – £35,000

• British Airways Premium Plus – £35,000

• Business Platinum – £35,000 (personal income, not company)

It’s worth comparing these numbers to the 2016 levels, remembering that we’ve probably seen 25%+ wage inflation since then.

The Platinum Card was £40,000 in 2016 but is now £35,000. The Marriott Bonvoy American Express was £30,000 in 2016 but is now £20,000.

The only big jump is the British Airways Premium Plus card, which was available on a £20,000 income in 2016 but now requires £35,000.

The other personal cards were £20,000 in 2016 and remain at £20,000 now, so the income requirement is far lower in real terms.

For HfP readers, these limits are unlikely to make much difference to those in work but are likely to hit the retired or those applying on behalf on non-full time working partners or their student children.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review

The good news was that it was replaced by the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card.  This was a virtually identical product except that – as a credit card – you now had the option to not fully clear your balance each month. 

The representative APR is 88.8% variable, including the annual fee.  The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 31.0% variable.

Do you still have the old charge card version of Amex Gold?

Existing cardholders were NOT automatically switched to the Gold credit card.

If you still have the Preferred Rewards Gold charge card, you will be paying the £160 annual fee.  In my view, you should think about switching to the Gold credit card.  I explain why below.

Here are two reasons to switch to the Amex Gold credit card

There are two good reasons why you may want to get the Gold credit card if you already have the Gold charge card.  You can then cancel your Gold charge card.

But – and I want to be clear about this – you will NOT receive a sign-up bonus on the Gold credit card.  This is because you already have a Membership Rewards account via your Gold charge card.  If you want to receive a sign-up bonus, you would need to cancel your existing Gold charge card, close your Membership Rewards account and reapply after 24 months.

Here are the two good reasons to apply for the Gold credit card, given that you are paying £160 per year for Gold charge:

• You will still receive your first year on the Gold credit card for free.  This is important.  Instead of paying the £160 annual fee on your Gold charge card, you could apply for the Gold credit card and get a year of free membership.  You would save £160 over the next 12 months.  The fee on your existing Gold charge card will be refunded pro-rata when you cancel.

• You will receive another Priority Pass card with another four free airport lounge passes. Of course, your existing Priority Pass will be cancelled if you cancel your existing Gold charge card so you may want to wait until you’ve used up your four free lounge entries for your current year.

Timing is everything

As an Amex Gold cardholder, you receive a bonus of up to 12,500 Membership Rewards points for spending up to £25,000 each card year.

You trigger 2,500 points when you hit £5,000 of annual (card year) spending and another 2,500 points for every additional £5,000, up to a total of 12,500.

If you swap from Gold charge to Gold credit, your existing ‘year to date’ spend on Gold charge does NOT carry over.  You will be starting from scratch again towards your next 12,500 points bonus.

If you spend more than £25,000 on your Gold charge card each year, the best time to apply for Gold credit and later cancel Gold charge is shortly after you have maximised the annual 12,500 bonus points for the current card year.

What happens to your Membership Rewards points?

Your Membership Rewards account exists separately from any of your credit or charge cards.  If you apply for the Amex Gold credit card, having already got Amex Gold charge, the Membership Rewards points from both cards will flow into the same pot. 

You do NOT need to empty out your existing Membership Rewards account before you cancel Gold charge.

A quick summary of what Amex Gold offers you

All of the other benefits of the Preferred Rewards Gold charge card are retained when you swap to the Preferred Rewards Gold credit card.

This is as good a reason as any to run through them again and remind you why I think Amex Gold is the best miles and points card for the beginner.

Here are the core benefits of the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card:

The card is free for the first year

Amex Gold has an annual fee of £160 BUT this is waived in your first year.  A free first year means that you have some time to see if it suits you or not.

As I made clear above, anyone who switches from Gold charge to Gold credit will still get the ‘free first year’.  This saves you the £160 you would otherwise be paying to keep your Gold charge card.

The sign-up bonus is excellent

Assuming you qualify (and you won’t qualify if you are swapping an Amex Gold charge card for an Amex Gold credit card), you get 20,000 American Express Membership Rewards points (worth 20,000 Avios) when you sign up and spend £3,000 within three months.

This is a good deal because ….

The rewards scheme is a valuable convertible currency

You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points into MANY different things. Take a look at their website.

We tend to focus on airline schemes (1:1 into Avios, Virgin Flying Club, Flying Blue, Delta SkyMiles, Etihad Guest, Emirates Skywards etc) or hotel schemes (1:2 into Hilton Honors, 1:3 into Radisson Rewards, 2:3 into Marrriott Bonvoy.)

In reality there are lots of other options, including High Street gift cards. I wrote this article on how to get the best value from American Express Membership Rewards points.

It is possible, if you are smart, to get over £200 of value from your 20,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus.

‘Convertible currencies’ are worth more to you. It is better to have 50,000 Amex points than 50,000 Avios points. Why? Because your 50,000 Amex points would get you 50,000 Avios points if you needed them – but you have a lot of other options too.

You get £120 of Deliveroo credit per year

Amex Gold cardholders receive 2 x £5 Deliveroo credits each calendar month.

This will trigger, in the form of £5 cashback posted to your Amex Gold statement, when you make a Deliveroo purchase for £5+. It is valid against grocery deliveries as well as restaurant deliveries.

If you are a regular user of Deliveroo then this is a very valuable benefit.

You get four free airport lounge visits per year

As an Amex Gold cardholder you receive free membership to Priority Pass, a global network of airport lounges. Each year you get four free visits – either four visits for yourself or one visit for yourself and three guest (or, indeed, two visits for yourself and one guest!).

The Priority Pass website shows you which lounges you can use including at Heathrow and Gatwick.  Additional visits after your two free ones are charged at £20 per person per visit. You receive four additional free passes each year if you renew your Amex Gold membership.

As noted above, you will get a fresh Priority Pass card and a further four free lounge visits when you apply for Gold credit, even if you already have Gold charge.

You get up to 12,500 bonus Membership Rewards points for spending up to £25,000 per year

The earning rate on Amex Gold is 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent. This is OK but not exceptional – although you should put some value on having a ‘convertible’ currency rather than being forced into taking Avios, Virgin Points etc via a dedicated airline credit card.

However, for your first £25,000 of annual spending, the maths changes. For every £5,000 you spend, you receive 2,500 bonus points, up to a cap of 12,500 bonus points per card year.

If you spent an exact multiple of £5,000, you would have earned 1.5 points per £1 spent. This is very good going.

Other American Express Preferred Rewards Gold perks

Those are the key perks as I see them. There are various other benefits attached to the card as well, including:

• double points for foreign spending (but there is a 3% fee for FX charges, so this is only a good deal if you are spending money your employer will reimburse)

• double points on airline transactions

• 10% discount and free additional driver on Hertz bookings

• $75 in-hotel credit and an upgrade (based on availability at check-in) when booking 350 4-5 star hotels worldwide

It is worth highlighting the ‘double points for flights’ benefit as this can be very beneficial for heavy travellers.

If you charge £25,000-worth of flights – and literally nothing else – to your American Express Gold card each year, you would earn 62,500 Membership Rewards points.

Your 62,500 points comprises:

• 25,000 base points for spending £25,000
• 25,000 bonus points as airline spend counts double
• 12,500 bonus points for spending £25,000 in a card year

That’s a pretty decent return and you can divert the rest of your annual card spend to other cards if you wish.

If you bought your flights in a foreign currency then you may do even better. Whilst you are not meant to double up, Amex may give you double points for foreign spend and double points for airline spend on the same transaction. As you are paying a 3% foreign exchange fee, however, this is not necessarily worth it unless you are spending someone else’s money.

Conclusion

It was slightly surprising when Preferred Rewards Gold transformed from a charge card to a credit card overnight.

If you already have the Amex Gold charge card and are paying the £160 annual fee, you should seriously consider moving to the Gold credit card.  You get another ‘free first year’ and another two free airport lounge visits.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card application page is here.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – January 2024 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 February 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

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.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 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:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points bonus 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 Business Rewards Visa

Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.

Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card

2% cashback on all your business spend for 3 months (1% thereafter) and no annual fee Read our full review