An evening at Berry Bros courtesy of American Express Platinum

When American Express relaunched its Platinum Card earlier this year, there was a page in the glossy brochure they sent out about the range of exciting free events they organise for cardmembers. 

This came as a huge surprise to me (who has had a Platinum card since 1998) and other Plats I spoke with, since we had never been invited to anything of consequence!

I was obviously not alone in having this view, since Amex has suddenly pulled its finger out.  It is laying on more events for cardmembers in the next 3 months than I have seen in the last decade.

The first one was three weeks ago, when about 100 of us visited the historic cellars of famous London wine merchant Berry Brothers in St James’s.  A very pleasant evening was had by all, starting with a champagne reception and moving on to canapes and a tasting of a selection of Berry’s own brand wines and a (very) soft sell for their monthly ‘cellar plan’ subscription scheme.

(The most interesting aspect of all, though, is that of the 100 other people present, I knew 4 of them from various Flyertalk events!  The appeal of Amex Platinum to the hard core flyer is strong.)

You need to jump on these events quickly if Amex emails you about them.  Places, especially for free events, will disappear within an hour or so of the emails going out.  Details of events for Platinum cardholders can be found at americanexpress.co.uk/platinum as well.  For clarity, I got my place by ringing up just like everybody else!

Remember that American Express still offers excellent sign-up bonuses for both its Platinum and Gold cards, and that both currently feature in my top bonuses list on the Credit Card Offers page of the site.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus. 

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

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

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee 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.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

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

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company 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

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review