# 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.

Last checked: 2026-10-01. Page: https://topreferrals.co.uk/compare/is-amex-referral-worth-it

## 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.

## Compared offers
- **[Amex](https://topreferrals.co.uk/referrals/amex)** — you get 55,000 bonus points (55,000 Membership Rewards points).
  - Link: https://topreferrals.co.uk/go/amex

## 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.

## Side by side

|  | 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 |

## FAQ

### 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.