Maximising the Amex Gold Bonus

Whilst earning points through Amex bonuses just got a lot harder for existing, or previous, cardmembers, the American Express Gold Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card is still an attractive proposition for those who are new to Amex. A new cardmember now effectively means someone who has not held an American Express card in the previous 24 months. One of the most attractive perks on the Amex Gold card is the 10,000 points bonus which is awarded after £3,000 spend in the first 3 months. As highlighted in, by far our most popular post (here), this can easily be worth £200 if used for travel benefits.

*For full details on the card, see my review here.

Amex Gold Take me to the Points

With points becoming harder to secure after this period, I thought I’d highlight how new cardmembers can increase their points earning to at least 18,000 in their first 3 months on the gold card. To illustrate the value of this, a zone one off peak British Airways reward saver return flight (Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, etc.) costs 8,000 Avios + £35 taxes, and you can exchange Amex to Avios at 1:1. So 18,000 points would buy you two return flights to these destinations, with 2,000 points to spare!

Here’s how to make sure you get the full 17,000 points:

  1. Apply for the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card using a referral link. Ours in here if you need one! This will increase the spend bonus to 12,000 points.
  2. Once your card is active, add a partner, spouse or (trusted!) friend as a supplementary cardholder. The first supplementary cardholder is free, and whether this is advertised on your account or not, you should receive an instant 3,000 points bonus when you add them.
  3. Spend £2,000 on the card in the first three months, by putting your everyday spending through the card. If you need tips for meeting the minimum spend, see our post here. This will trigger the 12,000 points bonus, and you will also earn at least 3,000 points on the spend itself (the card earns 1 point per £1 spent).

12,000+3,000+3,000 = 18,000 points.

Sometimes there may even be opportunities to increase this even further through ‘save to card’ offers, which carry further small bonuses, so keep an eye on these.

Unfortunately, once you’ve done that you’ll have to wait at least 24 months to repeat it, so use those points wisely (no wasting them on Amazon vouchers or statement credits!!)

Take me to the Points

Read Next:

– Should I get an American Express card?

– What can I get with 10,000 American Express points?

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