CHANGED: You now only have three months to trigger American Express sign-up bonuses

Since the start of May, American Express had been giving people six months – rather than the usual three months – to hit the spending target required to earn the sign-up bonus on a new card.

This offer has now ended.

As of today, you will need to hit your spend target within three months. 

This returns the rule to how it was before the start of the coronavirus lockdown.  With consumer spending almost back to normal – Barclaycard data for July 2020 shows card spending was just 2.9% lower than July 2019 – American Express presumably feels that it no longer needs to make concessions.

Existing Amex cardholders are not impacted

If you have applied for an American Express card recently, you will still have six months to trigger your sign-up bonus.

The three month rule will only apply to new applications from today.

What are the American Express sign-up bonuses?

As a reminder, here are bonuses available on American Express personal cards:

The Platinum Card: 30,000 Membership Rewards points (=30,000 Avios) when you spend £4,000 in three months

Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card: 10,000 bonus Membership Rewards points (=10,000 Avios) when you spend £3,000 in three months 

British Airways American Express Premium Plus Credit Card: 25,000 Avios when you spend £3,000 in three months

British Airways American Express Credit Card: 5,000 Avios when you spend £1,000 in three months

Nectar Credit Card: 20,000 Nectar points (= £100) when you spend £2,000 in three months 

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Credit Card: 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (= 6,666 Avios) when you spend £3,000 in three months

The American Express Rewards Credit Card: 5,000 Membership Rewards points (=5,000 Avios) when you spend £2,000 in three months

Platinum Cashback Everyday Credit Card: 5% cashback on your purchases for three months (up to £100) 

Platinum Cashback Credit Card: 5% cashback on your purchases for three months (up to £125) 

On the Business cards:

The Gold Business Card: 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 in three months

The Platinum Business Card: 40,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £6,000 in three months

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Credit Card: 2,200 On Business Points when you spend £3,000 in three months

We wrote a detailed article on ‘Which American Express sign-up bonuses do I qualify for?’ which you can find 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 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