What Amex sign-up bonuses are you still eligible for?
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This is our beginners guide to whether you qualify for an American Express sign-up bonus or not.
If you are planning your credit card strategy for 2023, 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 ….
This article was updated on 1st February 2023, and all of the information is correct as of that date. Ignore the original publication date shown.
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 card 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 (30,000 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.
The 2023 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, Green, 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, Green, 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.
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.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 30,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £4,000 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: £575
Representative 454.1% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £575 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 28.1% APR variable.
You will receive 30,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card if you spend £4,000 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.
If you cancel The Platinum Card at any point, you will receive a pro-rata refund of your membership fee. You will not lose your sign-up bonus.
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.
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
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, £160 from Year 2
Representative 71.5% APR variable. Annual fee applies after the first year.
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.
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 £20 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.
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 28.1% APR variable
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.
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 two free airport lounge passes 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.
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 28.1% APR variable
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.
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.
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 35,000 Avios when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
- This is a special offer to 21st February 2023
- 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 107.7% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £250 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 28.1% APR variable.
You will receive 35,000 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.
35,000 Avios is a special offer which is only available to 21st February 2023. The standard offer is 25,000 Avios.
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.
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.
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, £25 from Year 2
Representative 33.6% APR variable. Annual fee applies after the first year.
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.
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 £25 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.
American Express Platinum Cashback
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 33.6% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £25 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 28.1% APR variable.
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.
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.
American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday
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 28.1% APR variable
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.
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.
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: £75
Representative 45.9% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £75 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 28.1% APR variable.
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.
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.
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, £175 from Year 2
- Points transfer at 1:1 into Avios, Virgin Points and other airline schemes
This is a charge card, not a credit card. You must clear your balance in full each month. Annual fee £175 from Year 2, free in Year 1.
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 supplementary 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.
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 supplementary Amex business cards for your employees at no extra cost.
You will receive one consolidated statement showing the spend on your card and all of the supplementary cards. All of the Membership Rewards points earned on the supplementary 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.
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
- 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.
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 supplementary 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.
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 supplementary 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)
£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
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 103.2% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £250 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 25.7% APR variable.
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.
The card comes with the typical American Express credit card benefits:
Up to 56 days to pay
Up to 99 FREE supplementary 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.
Lemeng 
Rob 
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