Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology.
Carissa served in the U.S. Air Force where she developed her love for travel and new cultures. She started her own blog and eventually joined The Points Guy. Since then, she’s contributed to Business ...
We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.
American Express has been known to offer generous bonuses from time to time, and it looks like another one has just come out. According to reports, Amex is handing out bonuses to cardholders who add an authorized user and complete a spend requirement. The amount of Membership Rewards points you’ll receive varies depending on which card you have. Let’s take a look.
Offer Details
You can find out if you’ve been targeted for these offers in a number of different ways: via email, in your account, or even by mail. It appears that there are 3 different cards offering these bonuses:
Amex Platinum cardholders can add an authorized user and receive 20,000 bonus points after the user spends $2,000 within the first 6 months of holding their card. Be aware that adding an authorized user to your Amex Platinum card comes with a fee — you’ll pay $195 per authorized user (rates & fees) — but includes plenty of benefits like airport lounge access, hotel and rental car elite status, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck reimbursement, and more.
Those who hold the Amex Gold card can earn 10,000 bonus points by adding an authorized user and having them spend $2,000 on their card within the first 6 months. Additional cardholders do not cost an authorized user fee for the first 5 cards. Your sixth card and up will set you back $35 per year per card (rates & fees).
Amex Membership Rewards is a flexible point currency. This means you can use the points in a number of ways, including redeeming them for travel, gift cards, and more. Most importantly, however, you can choose to transfer them to hotel and airline partners for awesome awards.
Well, you can get almost to Europe and back via British Airways, which will charge you 26,000 Avios for flights to London (LHR) and Dublin (DUB) from the East Coast. Amex transfers to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio, so earning this bonus will get you most of the way there.
If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can also use those same 26,000 British Airways Avios for a round-trip ticket from the West Coast to Hawaii. Aloha!
Final Thoughts
This is an excellent way to earn some easy Amex Membership Rewards. If you hold one of the above cards, check your accounts to see if you’re one of the lucky few who have been targeted with this offer.