Is the Amex refer a friend offer worth it in 2026?
Yes, whenever The Platinum Card® is the card you want. An invitation link turns Amex's 50,000-point public welcome offer into 55,000 points for the same £6,000 spend, fee and approval. It suits UK applicants earning £35,000+ who have not held a personal Membership Rewards card in 24 months; apply through https://topreferrals.co.uk/go/amex.
Key takeaways
- Referral welcome offer on The Platinum Card®: 55,000 Membership Rewards points for £6,000 of spend in three months; the public page offers 50,000.
- No Amex promo code exists for applications; the uplift comes from applying through https://topreferrals.co.uk/go/amex.
- By Amex's own redemption figures, 55,000 points are worth roughly £247.50 in statement credit or £275 in gift cards.
- The same invitation reaches Preferred Rewards Gold (22,000 points, £3,000 spend, no fee in year one) and Amex's other referral cards.
Our pick here: Amex pays 55,000 bonus points, verified against its own terms.
The short answer
The referral never makes the card more expensive and always makes the welcome bonus bigger. An applicant who goes straight to americanexpress.com sees 50,000 points; one who arrives through https://topreferrals.co.uk/go/amex sees 55,000 for the same card, the same £650 fee and the same £6,000 spend within three months. If The Platinum Card® is already the plan, applying any other way leaves 5,000 points behind.
Valuing the bonus properly
Points are only worth what they redeem for, so the useful figures are Amex's own. It values 50,000 points at £225 of statement credit, £225 of flights through Amex Travel, £225 at Amazon.co.uk or £250 of gift cards. That puts the referral bonus at roughly £247.50 to £275, and the extra 5,000 points from using a referral at roughly £22.50 to £25. The £6,000 of spend adds at least 6,000 standard points, or double on amextravel.co.uk bookings.
Is the card itself the right one?
The welcome bonus sweetens a decision; it should not be the decision. Platinum is a travel and dining card:
- Global Dining Credit: up to £200 a year at home and £200 abroad, once enrolled.
- Lounges: over 1,550 airports in more than 140 countries.
- Insurance: worldwide travel insurance for trips up to 90 days, covering the family.
- Status: hotel and car-rental benefits.
Amex sets the bar at £35,000 of income, a UK address and bank account and a clean credit history. Its representative example is a 29.1% variable purchase rate and a 685.3% variable representative APR, a figure that folds the £650 fee into an assumed £1,200 limit.
If Platinum is more card than you need
The invitation page lists all of Amex's referral cards, and the referral counts on whichever is approved:
- Preferred Rewards Gold: 22,000 points for £3,000 of spend, with the first year's fee waived.
- British Airways Premium Plus: 60,000 Avios, an offer that ends on 6 October 2026.
- Cashback Credit Card: £25 bonus cashback plus 5% cashback up to £125 in the first five months.
The verdict
Worth it. For any eligible applicant set on Platinum, the referral is a free 5,000-point upgrade on Amex's own offer, and the same link leaves the door open to Gold, BA Premium Plus or Cashback. Apply through https://topreferrals.co.uk/go/amex.
How it compares
| Through a referral link | Amex's public page | |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum welcome points | 55,000 | 50,000 |
| Spend and window | £6,000 in 3 months | £6,000 in 3 months |
| Annual fee | £650 | £650 |
| Code to enter | None, link only | None |
| Other cards reachable | Gold, BA Premium Plus, Cashback and more | Each applied for separately |
Frequently asked questions
Is Amex's refer a friend worth it for a new applicant?
Yes, if you were going to apply for Platinum anyway: the referral adds 5,000 points to the welcome offer (55,000 against 50,000) at no cost. Use https://topreferrals.co.uk/go/amex.
How do I get 55,000 Amex points?
Apply for The Platinum Card® through a Cardmember's referral link such as https://topreferrals.co.uk/go/amex, get approved, and spend £6,000 on the card in your first three months.
What is the cheapest Amex card on the referral link?
Of the cards listed on 1 October 2026, Preferred Rewards Gold has no annual fee in its first year (£195 after) and pays 22,000 points after £3,000 of spend. The Amex Cashback Credit Card costs £25 a year.
Who misses out on the Amex welcome bonus?
Anyone who holds, or held in the past 24 months, a personal American Express Card enrolled in Membership Rewards, and existing Platinum Charge Cardmembers taking the new Platinum Credit Card.
Is the Amex Platinum fee worth paying?
For frequent travellers who use the benefits, the package is built to cover it: up to £400 a year of Global Dining credit, lounge access at more than 1,550 airports and worldwide travel insurance, before the 55,000-point welcome bonus.
Compared, verified and link-tested — here's where to go next.
Last checked 1 October 2026 by Behzad Hosseini, Editor-in-Chief. Figures verified against each brand's own terms. How we check.