50% Higher Sign-up Bonus

I usually recommend the Platinum card, whose sign-up bonus was 60,000 points until June 13. But that has now reverted to the standard 30,000 points (or 35,000 with a referral link).

This could be a good time to get the Gold card instead, which is free for the first year and provides until August 8 a sign-up bonus of 30,000 points (roughly equivalent to £300). That’s 50% more than the standard 20,000 points bonus. To qualify for the bonus you need to spend £3,000 in the first 3 months and need to have not owned a personal Amex points-earning card in the past 2 years. The Amex site has the full details.

Gold or Platinum?

If you’re undecided between the Amex Gold and Platinum, here are some pros and cons. There are two Amex Gold benefits which the Platinum does not include: two £5 Deliveroo statement credits per month and 2x points on money spent in a foreign currency and with airlines. The former gives you back £120/year and is good value if you already use Deliveroo consistently (also see how to get 6% off all Deliveroo orders). The value of the airline spend bonus varies according to personal circumstances, while spending abroad on the Amex could be a good idea if you’re travelling for business and you get your expenses reimbursed. Otherwise the foreign exchange fees outweigh any bonus points.

The Gold is not nearly as generous as the Platinum when it comes to on travel benefits. It offers only 4 airport lounge entries per year and does not include Centurion lounge access or travel insurance. That being said, 4 lounge entries per year might be all you need.

And after all, the Gold card is free for the first year and that’s nothing to sneeze at. If you’re not ready to shell out £575 for the Platinum but can take advantage of benefits above, there’s little reason to hesitate. The benefits add up to over £500 in value. If you decide to cancel after the first year, you can do it in the app.

The link below takes you to 30,000 points for the Gold card offer. If you’re looking for the 35,000 points for the Platinum card, there’s a “View all Cards with a Referral Offer” button at the top of the page the link takes you to.