Got Amex Gold / Plat? Get 3,000 free Membership Rewards points with the companion credit card

If you currently have an American Express Preferred Rewards Gold or American Express Platinum charge card, you should be eligible for a special offer for five days only.

If you add the (free) Platinum credit card or (free) Gold credit card to your account, you will receive 3,000 Membership Rewards points.

To see this offer, you need to log in to the statement page on the American Express website, desktop or mobile version.  It is not on the American Express app.

You should see a banner ad at the top of the statement page together with a link to click to apply.  Most people appear to have it although I doubt everyone will see it.

The representative APR on both credit cards is 14.9% variable.

Why would you want this? Well, there is one good reason – you receive 3,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up.  As the Amex Gold or Amex Plat credit cards are free, you are getting points for literally nothing (except for, presumably, a ding on your credit report).

There isn’t much else to add:

You need to spend £500 in three months to receive the 3,000 Membership Rewards points

You will earn 1 Membership Rewards points for each £1 spent

There is no annual fee

In theory you must cancel your credit card if you cancel your Gold or Platinum charge card.

However, some people report that they are allowed to keep their credit card when cancelling the charge card.  There is no pattern as to why, but if Amex allows you to do this then you do not need to empty out your Membership Rewards account – although you won’t reset the six month clock on when you can reapply for a charge card until you do.

Is there much point to having this card for the long term?  No.

Fundamentally, Amex is encouraging you to run up debt that you cannot afford to instantly repay, otherwise you would use your charge card instead.  It will make your wallet thicker without adding any extra flexibility to how you spend, since it can’t be used anywhere where your Amex Gold or Platinum charge card isn’t already accepted.

If you DO pay interest on your credit card bill every month, then you do NOT want to be doing it on this card given the 14.9% interest rate.  There is only one low rate credit card which also offer points and that is the Tesco Clubcard Low Rate Mastercard.  This lets you earn Avios points or Virgin Flying Club miles, if you convert the Clubcard points, and has a market leading low interest rate of 5.9% variable.  You can apply for the Tesco Low Rate Mastercard here.

3,000 Membership Rewards points is worth having – that is 3,000 Avios or Virgin Flying Club miles.  Just don’t start running a balance on the card and paying 14.9% interest.

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