Save on flights and hotels with a new £50 American Express Travel cashback credit

American Express Travel has launched a new cashback credit promotion.

When this offer has run in the past there have often been two versions:

£50 back on a £200 spend

£200 back on a £600 spend

This time ….. at least so far ….. the only one available is £50 back on £200 spent.

I recommend looking at the ‘Offers’ tab on your Amex online statement pages and signing up, if it is there.

In our house, it is showing on my Platinum charge card but not my Marriott Bonvoy Amex or British Airways Premium Plus.  It is not on my Business Platinum. My wife has it on her Preferred Rewards Gold but not on her supplementary Platinum.

The offer is valid for the first 30,000 people to register:

You have until 31st May to do the necessary spend.

Cumulative spend HAS counted in the past.  It is not mentioned either way in the offer rules.

What Amex Travel bookings qualify for cashback?

This offer is only valid for pre-paid products.  It is best used for a flight because – assuming the price is the same – a flight booked via Amex Travel is the same as a flight booked via ba.com.  You should get the same Avios and tier points.

The downside with booking hotel rooms this way is that Amex Travel is counted as a third party booking site.  You won’t receive hotel points or status benefits which – if this meant you lost out on free breakfast or a good upgrade – may leave you worse off than booking direct.  For hotels where you don’t have status, of course, it is more attractive.

Note that you can’t use it for Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings (the exclusive ‘added benefits’ scheme for holders of The Platinum Card) or The Hotel Collection bookings (the equivalent scheme for Amex Gold) as these are not pre-paid.

Should you be using a travel agent at the moment?

One thing you should consider before booking is whether you want to use a third-party agent at all at the moment.  Using an agent makes it harder to get a refund or make changes if your plans change, or if the airline or hotel change your plans for you.

Given that Amex Travel is very reputable, I would be less concerned than I would be with some other agents.  It is still likely to be harder work getting your hands on your money in the event of an issue than it would be if you had booked direct.

I may take the risk for £50 back on £200 spend.  If I was planning on spending £1,000, I’m not sure if £50 cashback is worth the risk of potentially not seeing my £1,000 again for a long time in the event of problems.

Conclusion

Even if you don’t see a window to use this offer at the moment, I recommend visiting americanexpress.co.uk and saving it to your card just in case.  It would be a shame if something came up but the target of 30,000 registrations had already been reached.

Remember that you have until 31st May to do the required £200 of spending although your travel can be for a future date.

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