🚨 American Express Record-Breaking Bonuses End At Midnight Tonight - Your Final Hours
Hello and welcome to Smart With Points, the podcast that helps you travel smarter with miles and points. I'm your host Jack, and today I'm bringing you urgent breaking news that couldn't wait for our regular publishing schedule. If you've ever thought about applying for an American Express card, or if you've been eligible for months but haven't pulled the trigger, today is genuinely your last chance to capitalise on what I can only describe as the most aggressive welcome bonus campaign I've ever seen in the UK market. These record-breaking offers end at midnight tonight, so let me break down exactly what's on offer and whether you should be scrambling to apply before they disappear forever.
American Express has enhanced the welcome bonuses across their entire personal and business card lineup, and I'm talking about some truly exceptional numbers here. Starting with the personal cards, the American Express Gold is offering forty-five thousand Membership Rewards points, which is more than double the usual twenty-two thousand. You'll need to spend five thousand pounds within six months, there's zero annual fee in year one then one hundred and ninety-five pounds, and it includes one hundred and twenty pounds annual Deliveroo credit. There's an important eligibility catch though - you cannot have held any personal Membership Rewards earning Amex card in the past twenty-four months, though BA Amex or Marriott Amex cards don't count. You can get this card by clicking the link in our shownotes.
The Platinum Card is even more impressive, offering one hundred thousand Membership Rewards points compared to the usual fifty-five thousand. You'll need to spend ten thousand pounds within six months, there's a six hundred and fifty pound annual fee which is refundable pro-rata if you cancel, and you get access to Centurion Lounges globally, four hundred pounds annual restaurant credits, and hotel elite status with Marriott, Hilton, and Radisson. The same eligibility restriction applies - no personal Membership Rewards earning cards in the past twenty-four months. Again, you can get this card through our link in the shownotes.
Now here's where it gets really interesting with the business cards. Since two thousand and twenty-four, American Express removed all eligibility restrictions on their business cards. If you're approved, you get the bonus, regardless of what other Amex cards you currently hold or have recently held.
The American Express Business Gold is offering sixty-five thousand Membership Rewards points, up from the usual twenty-two thousand. You need to spend six thousand pounds within three months, zero annual fee in year one then one hundred and ninety-five pounds, and there are no eligibility restrictions whatsoever. The minimum personal income requirement is twenty thousand pounds. You can apply through our link in the shownotes.
The Business Platinum is the crown jewel here, offering one hundred and thirty thousand Membership Rewards points compared to the usual fifty-five thousand. You'll need to spend twelve thousand pounds within three months, there's a six hundred and fifty pound annual fee that's refundable pro-rata, you get two hundred pounds annual Amex Travel credit, the same lounge access as personal Platinum, no eligibility restrictions whatsoever, and a minimum personal income requirement of thirty-five thousand pounds. This card is also available through our link in the shownotes.
Now, what are these points actually worth? Membership Rewards points transfer at one-to-one to both Avios and Virgin Points, plus numerous other airline and hotel partners. To put this in perspective, one hundred and thirty thousand points could get you a one-way business class flight to Tokyo with British Airways at one hundred thousand Avios off-peak, plus a return Club Europe flight to Southern Europe at twenty thousand Avios, with ten thousand points left over. One hundred thousand points could get you return premium economy to New York at eighty-five thousand Avios off-peak with fifteen thousand left over, or two full return Club Europe flights to Southern Europe at eighty thousand Avios total.
Let me give you my honest take on which cards you should consider. For business card holders or those with self-employed income, this is a no-brainer category. The Business Gold card offers sixty-five thousand points with zero first-year fee and just six thousand pounds spend over three months. That's roughly two thousand pounds per month, which for many businesses is simply your normal operating expenses. I currently hold both the Business Gold and Business Platinum cards alongside my personal cards, and the spending requirements have never felt like a stretch.
For personal card applicants, the Gold card is the obvious choice if you're new to Amex or haven't held a personal card in twenty-four months. Five thousand pounds over six months is more achievable than the usual three months, especially with Christmas on the horizon, and with the Deliveroo credit effectively reducing the year-two fee to seventy-five pounds, it's excellent value even beyond the welcome bonus.
The Platinum is trickier. Yes, one hundred thousand points is extraordinary, but ten thousand pounds in six months is serious money. Unless you have large planned expenses coming up like home improvements, a wedding, or major travel bookings, I wouldn't stretch for this. However, if you can naturally meet the spend, this is the single best personal card offer I've ever seen in the UK market.
Now, the eligibility rules you must know. For personal cards, both the Gold and Platinum require that you cannot have held any personal Amex earning Membership Rewards in the past twenty-four months, though BA Amex doesn't count. For business cards, there are zero restrictions. It doesn't matter what personal or business cards you currently hold, and you can hold both Business Gold and Business Platinum simultaneously.
What happens after midnight tonight? These enhanced offers revert to their standard levels. Gold goes back to twenty-two thousand points, Platinum back to fifty-five thousand points, Business Gold back to twenty-two thousand points, and Business Platinum back to fifty-five thousand points. Will these enhanced offers return? Probably, as American Express typically runs major promotions every six to twelve months. However, I haven't seen bonuses this high since the legendary one hundred thousand point Platinum offer that ran briefly earlier this year.
Look, I'm not here to pressure anyone into applying for credit cards they don't need. But if you've been considering an Amex application anyway, and you can genuinely meet the spend requirements through your normal expenses, tonight is objectively the best time to pull the trigger. For business owners or self-employed readers who haven't yet grabbed the Business Gold card, I'd be applying before breakfast. It's essentially free money - sixty-five thousand points for spending you're making anyway, with zero first-year fee.
As a reference point, I personally hold the Business Gold, Business Platinum, and Barclaycard Avios Plus. The business cards have been fantastic for accumulating points through regular business expenses, and the flexibility of Membership Rewards points, being able to transfer to Avios, Virgin Points, or other partners, makes them incredibly useful.
Remember, all these offers end at midnight tonight, the fourteenth of October two thousand and twenty-five. You can find links to all these cards in our shownotes, and terms and conditions apply, eighteen plus, subject to status.
That's all for today's urgent update. Thanks for listening to Smart With Points. If you found this helpful, please subscribe to our podcast on all major platforms or visit our website at smartwithpoints.co.uk. Until next time, happy collecting!
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