New year, new credit card? Learn which Amex cards you can get, based on the cards you have

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We don’t do very many ‘first principles’ articles on Head for Points. However, I ran a version of this article a year ago and it was very popular. More importantly, I’ve ended up emailing the link to at least one reader per day since then so I know it is a key topic.

Many of us will be taking advantage of the New Year to make a fresh start on their loyalty credit card strategy. A lot of people do not fully understand the rules on what American Express sign-up bonuses they can get, which might mean that you are missing out on some free points and miles.

IMPORTANT: Following changes to the American Express sign-up bonus rules in March 2019, this article is now out of date and you should not rely on it. Please click here to read an article outlining the new Amex bonus rules.

The question we are looking at is: what are the rules regarding earning a sign-up bonus when you take out an American Express credit or charge card?

The simple answer is: you will receive a bonus (subject to hitting the qualifying spend target) if you do not have, or have not had in the last six months, an Amex card which earns the same rewards currency.

Let’s look into this more closely.

The rule does not relate to just the card you are applying for. It also applies to cards which offer the same kind of reward.

For the cards we cover on Head for Points, the main rewards currencies are:

Cards which offer Membership Rewards points

Preferred Rewards Gold credit card Representative APR 57.6% variable inc fee (free in year 1)
Platinum charge card
Amex Rewards credit card Representative APR 22.9% variable
plus Green, Centurion, Gold Business and Platinum Business charge cards

Cards which offer Avios

British Airways credit card Representative APR 22.9% variable
British Airways Premium Plus credit card Representative APR 76.0% variable inc fee

Cards which offer Marriott Rewards points

Starwood Preferred Guest credit card Representative APR 39.7% variable inc fee

Cards which offer Nectar points

Nectar credit card Representative APR 28.2% variable inc fee (free in year 1)

Here are a few points you should note:

To clarify, you cannot get a sign-up bonus on a card if you have had another card in the same ‘family’ above in the last six months. If you have or recently had an Amex Platinum, you cannot get a bonus if you apply for an Amex Gold, for example. There are NO restrictions on you getting a British Airways, Starwood or Nectar card as they belong to a different ‘family’ on my list.

The six months rule only applies to cards on which you were the primary cardholder. Being a supplementary cardholder on someone else’s American Express card does not matter. If you are currently a supplementary cardholder on your partners BA Amex, for example, you WILL still get a bonus if you apply for your own BA or BA Premium Plus Amex.

Cards which are not issued directly by Amex have no impact on this discussion. If you only have the Lloyds Bank Avios credit card, you WILL still get the bonus on either of the two British Airways American Express cards or any other card listed above.

Just because you have previously converted Membership Rewards points into Avios, Starwood or Nectar does NOT block you from the bonus on the dedicated British Airways, Starwood or Nectar American Express cards. A lot of people are confused about this in my experience.

More importantly – and a common mistake – you cannot get a bonus on a Gold Business or Platinum Business card if you have or recently had a personal Gold, Green, Platinum etc. This is because a company cannot have a Membership Rewards account, only an individual. The Membership Rewards account for a Gold Business or Platinum Business is in the personal name of the individual who applies and so the standard rules apply.

You cannot have both the free British Airways credit card and the paid British Airways Premium Plus credit card. Upgrading or downgrading between the free and paid BA cards will not trigger a bonus because you will have had an Avios-earning card in the last six months.

Similarly, if you switch from Platinum to Gold or vice versa (although you can have both) you will not receive a bonus on the new card You should also note that you do not get your first year of Gold free if you downgrade from Platinum – the £140 kicks in immediately.

You can apply for the Starwood Preferred Guest Amex – and gets its generous sign-up bonus – irrespective of what other Amex cards you have. The only no-no would be if you have cancelled an SPG card in the last six months. The bonus is 30,000 Marriott / Starwood points which is worth roughly £150 of free hotel stays or 10,000 Avios or other airline miles.

Similarly, you can apply for the Nectar Amex – and gets its generous sign-up bonus of 20,000 Nectar points, worth at least £100 – irrespective of what other Amex cards you have. The only no-no would be if you have cancelled a Nectar Amex card in the last six months. This card is free for the first year.

I hope you found this helpful in clarifying any confusion. Please post any further questions in the comments – I will add the best ones back into this main article.

If you want to know more about any of the cards above, here are my reviews:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review, American Express Platinum review, American Express Rewards (ARCC) review, British Airways American Express (BA Amex) review, British Airways Premium Plus American Express (BAPP Amex) review, Nectar Amex review, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG Amex)

I also look at Amex Gold Business here and Amex Platinum Business here.

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 BA Amex American Express card

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 BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

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

Category

American Express Gold card, American Express Platinum card, British Airways American Express, Marriott Bonvoy American Express

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Dermot K says:

7 Jan7 January 08:51

Hi,
Iff you have the BA Amex card and get the 2-4-1 voucher, can you cancel the card (so that you can reapply in 6 months and get the sign up bonus) and keep the voucher?

Thanks,
- darth says:
  
  7 Jan7 January 09:16
  
  yes
darth says:

7 Jan7 January 09:05

worth bearing in mind that applying for 8+ credit cards per year is not great for your credit rating. Not a problem as such unless your rating is already a bit weak and/or you are likely to apply for other credit (new mortgage?) in the near future
Jody says:

7 Jan7 January 09:36

Two questions, apologies if either of them come across as a bit stupid!

Question 1) I’ve just got married, and both of us have changed our surnames to go double barreled. Currently I hold an Amex Gold, which is still in my maiden name and next week I want to refer my husband for the platinum card, then will be cancelled my card once I get the referral points. He has changed his surname with the bank, and driving licence was sent off last week. He is wondering if it will be a problem with using his new surname in terms of them credit checking him, I’ve said that as it is changed with our current account already, it will be fine, and I’m assuming there is a link of the amex application form to put any previous surnames. Does anyone envisage any problems with this? Or would I be best to refer using his old surname (think Jones, new surname is now Smith-Jones. Obviously not our actual name!!), then he can contact amex and send them a copy of marriage licence and get it changed over? Am probably just overthinking this a bit!

Question 2) Bit easier to answer I’m sure, when he get his plat card, am I right in thinking that a referral for any amex will get him 18000 referral points? Am thinking of getting him to refer me for an SPG, as cancelled my last one about a year ago.
- Anna says:
  
  7 Jan7 January 09:52
  
  Hi Jody, I use both my maiden and married names depending on the circumstances and hold credit cards in both names (this is perfectly legal before anyone starts!). Amex don’t seem to check the names on the cards against anything, so I have always assumed that credit checks are mostly done against your address. The application form does not ask for previous names. You can ask to be known by any name you like, there are no legal requirements in this country in respect of this.
  
  And yes, a referral from Platinum will get 18000 MR points as long as it’s a qualifying card and the other person is accepted.
  - Jody says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 11:07
    
    Awesome, that’s really helpful, thank you
  - John says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 12:00
    
    >> Amex don’t seem to check the names on the cards against anything
    
    That’s when you buy something online, with an Amex you already have. Obviously they check your name when you apply for a card! How else are they going to know that you aren’t somebody else who just lives at the same place?
    - Anna says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 16:12
      
      I don’t get what you mean, John. What are they going to check exactly? I’ve never been queried when applying in my married name even though it’s not on my passport, bank account or the electoral roll. They only have my word that I am who I say I am.
- Nick_C says:
  
  7 Jan7 January 09:54
  
  Hopefully this won’t affect you but the surname field for an on line application, and the change of name form, only allows 20 characters.
  
  Amex can print longer surnames on their cards, unlike Barclays who truncate long surnames!
  - Jody says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 11:07
    
    We bank with Barclays, and haven’t had any issues with the new surname on the card, and it is a fairly long one (well, longer than Jones-Smith anyway!)! Although just counted up, it’s 15 characters, plus the hyphen, so should hopefully be fine anyway as under the 20. Thanks though!
- Anna says:
  
  7 Jan7 January 10:19
  
  Also, someone else said this recently but it’s a good tip – don’t bother forking out for new passports till they actually expire; as long as the name on the passport matches the name on the ticket it will be fine. For example, I often travel with plane ticket and passport in my maiden name plus associated credit card and hotel booking in my married name. It’s never been an issue.
  - Jody says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 11:10
    
    Unfortunately husband isn’t happy having two names, he wants everything in his new one, and he only renewed his passport last year, so that is slightly annoying!
    
    Mine runs out next year, so am not losing too much by changing it over now. We need to wait until we are back from our next holiday, as that was booked in maiden names, so will be March time before we change them. We’ve just booked another holiday later on in the year in our married name, so are committed to changing them now!
    - Scallder says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 12:43
      
      Jody – do be aware that if changing with Amex, you’ll need to change the name on your points accounts to match. My wife changed her name last year when our daughter was born (her choice, I offered to double barrel!) although had kept it as her maiden name between marriage and daughter being born.
      
      Anyway, for BA to do redemption flights we needed to change her account as had changed passport, which meant also changing her BAPP to make sure names were the same. Had to go through and change the all her accounts which were linked to Amex, so just beware you’ll likely need to do that side of things too!
    - Anna says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 12:57
      
      Name on BAPP doesn’t need to be the same on passport or ticket, however as Scallder points out, if you are moving points between accounts these will need to match. Nothing to stop you just creating new accounts though, which is sometimes easier.
    - Jody says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 14:53
      
      Ah, I may have messed up then, as I have just put the request through to BA Executive club to change my surname, but wasn’t planning on changing my Amex gold card surname was was going to cancel soon (once I’ve referred husband and got referral points in my MR account). However, I guess I will have to change my name on my Amex now in order to send the points over to a matching account.
      
      Not flying on BA or using avios etc for our next holiday, which is why I thought I’d do the executive club stuff now. Right pain changing all these things over!
    - Dubs says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 15:13
      
      With regards to passports you can have an aka name (ie married or maiden name) printed in the observation page. It then can be used for photo I.d. for both names.
    - RussellH says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 16:45
      
      This all makes me think that my siblings had it at least half right. Neither my sister nor my sisters-in-law have ever changed their family names.
      
      The double-barrelling has come in with the nephews and nieces, all of whom have birth certs in the form mum’s name-dad’s name. But some of my sister’s kids are now dropping one of the two family names…
      
      Only one of them has got got married, but again, neither partner has adopted some or all of the other’s name (fortunately!)
Robman says:

7 Jan7 January 09:49

Off-topic but Amex related and hoping someone might know the answer?
Which is the best Amex card to pay for international flights with in order to get the best travel insurance benefits and maximise points? I have an Amex Platinum, an Amex Gold (supplementary) and a BA PP card. Can I pay with either of the Gold or BAPP cards and still retain all Platinum travel and medical insurance benefits. If not, what parts of the insurance would I not be entitled to?
- Genghis says:
  
  7 Jan7 January 10:10
  
  You just need to pay with any Amex issued Amex to get all benefits of Plat insurance.
  - Anna says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 10:20
    
    I’m assuming BAPP is Amex-issued because you can refer to MR etc from it? I don’t actually know for sure though!
    - Genghis says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 10:26
      
      Yes. I.e. not Lloyds Amex.
  - Robman says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 10:21
    
    Thanks Genghis, would this include all medical travel insurance too?
    - Genghis says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 10:26
      
      Yes. Medical covered regardless how you pay. Have a read of the terms.
    - Rob says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 11:59
      
      You get all the medical coverage irrespective of how you pay. It is little stuff, eg flight delay payments, which require original payment on a personal Amex (not necessarily Plat).
Andy Morgan says:

7 Jan7 January 09:59

I have an Amex personal gold credit card, and would like to apply for Amex business platinum charge card for the great sign up bonus. However, I assumed I wouldn’t get the bonus due to having the gold card. Have just spoken to Amex and they said technically as my business will be applying for the platinum card, rather than me as an individual, then the sign up bonus should still apply. Can anyone else confirm or deny this before I apply?
Nick_C says:

7 Jan7 January 10:26

One for Genghis perhaps?

I got Amex Gold in 3/18 and upgraded to Plat in 10/18. I’ve not been charged the fee for Plat. I’m guessing it will be charged in 3/19 if I don’t cancel? Or might it not kick in until 10/19?
- Genghis says:
  
  7 Jan7 January 10:28
  
  On 3/19 if at all…
  - Nick_C says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 10:29
    
    Thanks. Think it’s time to churn then.
    - TGLoyalty says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 11:46
      
      Personally I’m keeping mine until I’m charged a fee(2nd year) or I hit 90k for referrals
    - RakishDriver says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 12:44
      
      On same upgrade schedule as you, Nick_C – might be worth keeping until 3/19; worst case, cancel as soon as the fee hits. Sounds like past examples of fee not hitting reading Genghis’ comment.
  - fitz says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 19:06
    
    FYI – 2 weeks since my Amex Gold anniversary (I upgraded mid-year) but still not charged the £450!
- Chaz says:
  
  7 Jan7 January 12:31
  
  If I’m reading this correctly you managed to upgrade to platinum without paying the fee? Is this a known trick or just a lucky error?
  - Mark2 says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 12:44
    
    Often the fee does not get charges, but not guaranteed.
  - Darren says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 13:04
    
    I upgraded and was never charged, a few referrals later I cancelled in prep for a churn.
  - Rob says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 14:24
    
    Sometimes Amex does not charge a free until the anniversary of your Gold date. However it is irrelevant now that you cannot upgrade Gold Credit to Plat Charge.
    - Genghis says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 14:32
      
      Still relevant if you have a Gold charge card (change happened in Apr 18 so some will still be in their free first year).
- Grant says:
  
  7 Jan7 January 13:06
  
  What is the thinking behind taking Gold and then upgrading to Platinum?
  - Darren says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 13:44
    
    The upgrade was worth 20,000 MR, I had a gold charge already (no fee in the first year) but this doesn’t exist anymore. Plus all of the Platinum benefits – 18000 per referral, FHR benefits, travel insurances etc etc.
    
    To go Platinum first there’s the fee to get your head around but it can work out if you use the card benefits to their potential.
    - Grant says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 14:11
      
      Excellent, thanks. I did not know about the 20k MR bonus.
    - Nick_C says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 15:34
      
      If you have the Gold Charge Card (NOT the Credit Card), then Google “amex uk upgrade platinum” for the link to apply and get the bonus.
      
      You only need to spend £1K in 3 months to get the 20k point bonus. The bonus should hit as soon as you spend £1k.
      
      If they charge a fee, you can cancel once you have the bonus (and cash out your points) to get a pro rata refund.
    - Darren says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 16:42
      
      @DavidM there are reports of the bonus not being applied as the upgrade was targeted, mine wasn’t and I got it. You may incur the Platinum fee? The benefits of Platinum may work for you, but as stated before they are good if you travel a lot. I haven’t seen any recent reports of the upgrade and whether it works now.
  - Rob says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 14:23
    
    No reason to do this now, because there is no bonus for upgrading Gold Credit to Platinum Charge. It used to work when Gold was a charge card.
    - Grant says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 14:53
      
      ‘Was’ being the operative word in Darren’s note which I overlooked first time around.
    - DavidM says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 16:02
      
      I have the Gold Charge card. Does the 20K bonus still apply to charge card upgrades to Platinum? The Amex web page to do this still exists, and it says that the bonus is available.
      - Rob says:
        
        7 Jan7 January 16:39
        
        You can try if you still have Gold Charge. Note that some readers did not get the bonus and when challenged Amex (correctly) said that they had not receive the email invite. Many others have got the bonus without the invite, however.
- Tom Cook says:
  
  7 Jan7 January 19:06
  
  Same – I got charged the fee a year after I’d taken out the gold card so I see it as two years for one fee. Plus I’ve just had two referrals hit today so the 36k referrals bonus is worth doing.
Grant says:

7 Jan7 January 10:49

OT but Amex related – I’d appreciate some advice on strategy / card choices to assist with paying for hotel accommodation in NYC in May this year. I am sitting on c. 55k Avois in a HH account and 30k MR having done Gold card – I’m ~ £10k in spend (and 11 months) from hitting the additional 10k anniversary bonus.

I was thinking of referring myself for SPG for an additional 9k MRs and the 30k SPG points and then transferring all of the MRs to SPG (roughly 90k SPG points after the transfer and sign up bonus) and seeing what that can get me.

Presumably I can’t make use of the Avios in conjunction with the MR or SPG points?
- Grant says:
  
  7 Jan7 January 10:52
  
  Sorry I should have added that monthly Amex spend is ~ £2k
  - Genghis says:
    
    7 Jan7 January 11:04
    
    I don’t fully understand the question.
    
    With Amex spend at £2k a month, £24k a year, that’s almost sufficient for 1 BAPP 241 and another for bonus (£13k), 4 Plats (£8k), 4 SPGs (4k) = £25k.
    
    As such, I wouldn’t spend 3% FX fees on your NYC hotel spend (I presume in $) in order to hit any sign up.
    
    The question is then what you want to do with your points. Your current level of points isn’t going to get you too far in NYC.
    - Genghis says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 11:04
      
      Is the Melia points package still for sale on Amazon ES?
    - Grant says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 11:15
      
      Apologies – it was more of question of what to do with the points I currently have and whether I should switch card now to collect sign up bonus points that can be used to part pay for hotel accommodation.
      
      For reference I (we) have already done BAPP and have used one 241 with another one in the ‘bank’ – I’m about 3 months away from being able to apply again.
      
      The other option is that I just pay cash for the hotel and continue to churn cards for the avois and the 241s which will come in handy for other trips.
    - Grant says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 11:21
      
      Meila rewards are still available on Amazon.es – 55k points for E214.50 or 35K points for E136.50
      - Rob says:
        
        7 Jan7 January 11:55
        
        And a good deal it is – see https://headforpoints.com/2018/12/29/meliarewards-amazon-deal/
    - Nick_C says:
      
      7 Jan7 January 17:10
      
      The Melia Points offer is now €264 on the ES site or £205 on the UK site, so cheaper from the UK.
- Sean says:
  
  7 Jan7 January 12:57
  
  Melia is only a good deal if there is availability – sadly for me no basic rooms when I want in August.
  
  Don’t forget you can refer yourself and “other half” for the SPG card and collect 2 lots of referral MRs and 2 lots of SPG/Marriot bonuses on the spend. You can transfer between accounts with a phone call.
Antony says:

7 Jan7 January 11:22

Is there any trick to lower flight ticket booked via AMEX Travel?

Trying to use AMEX Travel offer on Platinum Charge Card but when booked via other OTAs the savings are almost wiped out.