Amex Platinum sign-up bonus massacred (and other sign-up bonus changes)

A massacre!  Is there any other way to describe what has happened to the sign-up bonus on the American Express Platinum card which has plunged overnight from 50,000 Membership Rewards points (=50,000 Avios) to NOTHING.

When I ran my post last week suggesting that you should jump in before the advertised bonus cut on March 3rd, I wasn’t expecting anything as bad as this.  Perhaps a drop from 50,000 to 40,000 points.  But not 50,000 points to zero …..

The bonuses on the British Airways American Express cards have also been reduced as well.  However, these are still acceptable and have been worse (and, of course, have been better).

I have updated the ‘Credit Cards Update‘ page for March to reflect these changes.  I left this a couple of days later than usual, because of the changes to the Amex Platinum and BA Amex bonuses which were due yesterday.

Here are all the changes to the list:

The bonus on the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express dropped from 20,000 points back to its usual 10,000 points on February 15th.

Tesco has extended the referral bonus on its credit cards until 30th June.  If you refer a new cardholder, both the referrer and the person being referred will receive 1,000 Clubcard points (2,400 Avios or 2,500 Flying Club miles).

The bonus on the American Express Platinum charge card was reduced from 50,000 points to nothing

The bonus on the free British Airways American Express card was reduced from 9,000 Avios to 3,000 Avios

The bonus on the British Airways Premium Plus card was reduced from 25,000 Avios to 18,000 Avios

The bonus on the Flybe card has improved from two lounge passes to one free flight and one lounge pass

Annoyingly, the current deal on the Lloyds Avios card – which requires you to book hotel nights via Avios in order to redeem your ‘free’ Avios – still has another month to run before something (hopefully) better turns up.

What are the best deals currently available?

Given the downgrades to the various bonuses above, there are only three cards that I currently recommend as offering ‘best in class’ bonuses.  Other cards do other acceptable bonuses, but you are likely to find that a better deal comes along if you are willing to wait a few months.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

This is currently an outstanding deal, which is showing no signs of going away. No fee for the first year and 20,000 Membership Rewards points  (see here for what 20,000 Membership Rewards points can get you – 20,000 Avios points for a start!)

Hilton HHonors Platinum Visa

If you’re looking for a Visa or Mastercard, this card remains a great deal purely for the sign-up deal. You get a free night in any Hilton Group property for spending £750. That could be worth £250 if spent wisely at a Conrad or Waldorf-Astoria branded property.

Priority Club Black Visa

If you are used to having Platinum status for your Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn Express, Indigo, InterContinental etc stays, you will probably have noticed by now that you are very unlikely to requalify in 2013.  The incredibly harsh new regime – which means only base points and not bonuses count for status – will see 80%+ of Platinum cardholders drop away, I imagine.

The Priority Club Black Visa comes with Platinum status as a free (and not publicised) perk.   There is an annual fee of £99 but if you do enough stays at Priority Club hotels then it is a decent deal.  Last month I also found a new link which gives you 40,000 points for signing up (worth 8,000 Avios or other airline miles, or 80% of an InterContinental free night) which more than covers your first year fee.

Full details, including links to the application forms, are on the ‘Credit Card Offers‘ page.

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