With the American Express Refer A Friend programme, you can earn up to 90,000 Membership Rewards points or £150 cashback a year for recommending an Amex card to your friends and family. You need to share your referral link with them, and if they apply and are approved, you’ll both be rewarded.
We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to the programme, including which cards are eligible and what rewards you can get.
What cards can I refer and what are the potential benefits?
The rewards you and your friend can earn depend on the card you hold and specific offers available at the time of the referral. Also, your friends can either apply for the same card you have or for a different one – you’ll both get a referral bonus anyway (unless they apply for a Basic Card).
Some examples of these cards and the rewards available are as follows:
British Airways American Express Card
If you hold a British Airways American Express Card, you’ll earn 4,000 Avios points when your friend is approved. Your friend will earn 6,000 Avios Points when they apply for the British Airways American Express Card, are approved and spend £1,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card
If you hold a British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card, you’ll earn 9,000 Avios Points when your friend is approved. Your friend will earn 26,000 Avios Points when they apply for the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card, are approved and spend £3,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.
Preferred Rewards Gold Card
If you hold an American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card, you will earn 6,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points when your friend is approved. Your friend will earn 12,000 Membership Rewards points when they apply for the Preferred Rewards Gold Card, are approved and spend £3,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.
Platinum Card
If you hold an American Express Platinum Card, you will earn 12,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points when your friend is approved. Your friend will earn 35,000 Membership Rewards points when they apply for the Platinum Card, are approved and spend £4,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.
Platinum Cashback Everyday Credit Card
If you hold an American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday Credit Card, you will earn £20 cashback when your friend is approved. Your friend will earn £10 cashback when they apply for the Platinum Cashback Everyday Credit Card, are approved and spend the first £1 on the card.
Platinum Cashback Credit Card
If you hold an American Express Platinum Cashback Credit Card, you will earn £30 cashback when your friend is approved. Your friend will earn £25 cashback when they apply for the Platinum Cashback Credit Card, are approved and spend the first £1 on the card.
Nectar Credit Card
If you hold an American Express Nectar Credit Card, you’ll earn 5,000 Nectar points when your friend is approved. Your friend will earn 21,000 Nectar points when they apply for the Nectar Credit Card, are approved and spend £2,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.
How can I refer a friend?
It’s a pretty straightforward process, and you can do it from your browser or the Amex app.
Step 1: Head to the American Express referral page and log in with your user ID and password or credit card information.
Step 2: You will see the bonus offers you can earn when referring a friend. Select the card you wish to refer. The website will then generate your own personal referral link.
Step 3: Share this referral link with your friends and family via email, text message, LinkedIn or Facebook. Once they open the link, they’ll see their deal and can apply. It is very important to make sure they use your generated personal link because you will not receive your referral bonus if they sign up directly with American Express or use a different link.
Terms and conditions to note
No spam. American Express has strong anti-spam sentiments and states that you can only send referral messages to close friends and family who have already consented to receiving this information. You should not market this offer via paid advertising or public forums.
Referral cap. You may refer as many friends as you wish, but you can only earn up to a maximum 90,000 Membership Rewards points (or £150 cashback, or 90,000 Nectar points) through this programme each year.
Contingent on approval. The bonus rewards points are subject to your friend’s application being approved and to any other specific conditions for the specific referral offer you use. Note that American Express will not inform you about your friend’s application status (whether it has been approved or declined) for reasons of privacy and confidentiality.
New membership. This programme is only open to friends or family considered new American Express members. The people you refer cannot hold a current Amex card and cannot have held an American Express card in the last 24 months.
Crediting process. It may take up to 10 weeks to receive your earned points if your friend’s membership application is successful.
Bottom line
Inviting friends and family can be highly rewarding as an Amex cardholder. Just remember, the bonus points you can earn are subject to your friend’s application approval, and offers are only available for a limited time. Make sure you check for updates and follow the steps above when you find an offer that works for you and your friend.
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Izzy Thomas is a senior associate publisher at Finder specialising in credit-based products including credit cards, business loans and personal loans. Izzy has a Masters in Publishing and a Bachelor of Arts in International Business Management. See full bio
Izzy's expertise
Izzy has written 25 Finder guides across topics including:
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