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Hey everyone, welcome to Smart With Points. I'm Jack, and today I'm coming at you with what I'm calling a 'friendly alarm clock' episode. You know those offers you've been eyeing up, thinking 'yeah yeah, I'll get to it eventually'? Well, eventually is now. Specifically, it's Monday the thirteenth of January, two thousand and twenty-six. That's when some rather excellent American Express bonuses disappear into the points and miles history books. So grab a coffee, and let's talk about what's on the table and whether you should be clicking that apply button this weekend.
Right, let's get straight into what we're actually talking about here. American Express UK has been running enhanced welcome bonuses since November, and they're ending on Monday the thirteenth of January, two thousand and twenty-six. That's just two days away from when this newsletter was published. Now, I've been watching these offers pretty closely, and whilst Amex does run promotions fairly regularly, we don't always see bonuses this generous. So if you're eligible, and I'll explain exactly how to check that in a moment, this could genuinely be worth tens of thousands of points.
Let's break down what's actually on offer for personal cards. First up, the big one: The Platinum Card. The enhanced offer, which you get via referral, is eighty-five thousand Membership Rewards points plus two hundred and fifty pounds in Amex Travel credit when you spend six thousand pounds in your first three months. Now, the public offer sits at seventy-five thousand points, but after this promotion ends, the standard offer drops back to just fifty thousand points with no travel credit. So you'd genuinely be leaving thirty-five thousand points and two hundred and fifty pounds on the table if you miss this.
The annual fee is six hundred and fifty pounds, which I know sounds steep. But let me tell you what you actually get for that. Unlimited Priority Pass lounge access for you and a guest, Marriott Gold and Hilton Gold status, four hundred pounds in dining credits annually, comprehensive travel insurance, and Eurostar lounge access. As someone who uses the Business Platinum regularly, I can confirm these benefits genuinely add up. The Priority Pass access alone has saved me hundreds over the course of a year.
Then there's The Gold Card. The enhanced offer via referral is forty-five thousand Membership Rewards points when you spend five thousand pounds in your first six months. The public offer is forty thousand points. Now here's the thing: the first year is completely free, then it's one hundred and ninety-five pounds annually. You get four Priority Pass lounge visits per year and one hundred and twenty pounds in Deliveroo credit, which comes as ten pounds per month. This is often considered the best starter Amex for points collectors. The spending requirement is very achievable and you've got six months to hit it. But here's the kicker: the standard offer after January thirteenth? Just twenty thousand points. That's a massive difference. You'd be getting less than half the points.
Now, what about business cards? I need to be upfront here: the enhanced business card offers that ran last autumn have now ended. Those were sixty thousand points for Business Gold and one hundred and twenty thousand for Business Platinum. The current offers are back to standard: Business Gold gives you twenty thousand points when you spend three thousand pounds in three months, with the first year free then one hundred and ninety-five pounds per year. Business Platinum is fifty thousand points when you spend six thousand pounds in three months, with an annual fee of six hundred and fifty pounds.
These are the standard offers, so not enhanced. However, there's still a compelling reason to consider business cards. The eligibility rules changed in two thousand and twenty-four, and you're now guaranteed the welcome bonus if you're approved and you meet the spend target. No restrictions based on other Amex cards you hold. This is actually a really important change that flew under the radar for a lot of people.
Right, let's talk about the all-important eligibility rules, because this is where people often get caught out. For personal Membership Rewards cards, that's Platinum, Gold, Green, and the Rewards Credit Card, you cannot receive the welcome bonus if you've held any personal Membership Rewards card in the previous twenty-four months. However, and this is important, you are eligible if you've only held the BA Amex, whether that's the free or Premium Plus version, the Marriott Bonvoy Amex, the Nectar Amex, any Amex business card, or if you've only been a supplementary cardholder.
There's also an important exception: The Platinum Card bonus is available even if you currently hold a BA Amex. This is specifically stated in Amex's terms and is a nice loophole for BA cardholders. If you're not sure if you're eligible, we have an Amex Welcome Bonus Eligibility Tool on our website that you can use to check.
Amex also has minimum income requirements. For the Platinum, Business Platinum, and BA Premium Plus, you need a minimum income of thirty-five thousand pounds. For the Gold, Business Gold, and most other cards, it's twenty thousand pounds.
So what can you actually do with these points? Membership Rewards points transfer one-to-one to Avios for British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. They also transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and numerous other airline partners. Eighty-five thousand points from the Platinum would get you a one-way business class flight to New York, or two off-peak return flights to Europe in economy. We have an Avios flight pricing guide on the website if you want to see exactly what destinations you could unlock with these points.
One important note: Emirates Skywards transfer rates are changing from four-to-three to two-to-one in February two thousand and twenty-six. So if you're planning Emirates redemptions, you'll want to factor this in.
Whilst we're talking credit card deadlines, there's another one you should know about. The enhanced Barclaycard Avios Plus offer also ends soon, on Wednesday the fifteenth of January. The current offer is thirty-five thousand Avios when you spend six thousand pounds in six months. The standard offer is twenty-five thousand Avios. You also get a twelve-month Apple TV subscription and a cabin upgrade voucher when you spend ten thousand pounds in your card year.
The monthly fee is twenty pounds, or fifteen pounds if you have Barclays Premier with Avios Rewards. The card earns one point five Avios per pound spent, making it one of the best ongoing earn rates available in the UK. For eligibility, you must not have held any Barclaycard in the previous six months, or specifically a Barclaycard Avios or Avios Plus in the previous twenty-four months. Holding a BA Amex is absolutely fine.
So here's my take on all of this. If you're eligible for the Amex Gold and can comfortably spend five thousand pounds over six months, it's almost a no-brainer. First year free, forty-five thousand points via referral, and you can always downgrade or cancel before the fee kicks in. Those forty-five thousand points could get you to destinations like Dubai or the Maldives in economy, or provide significant value towards premium cabin redemptions.
The Platinum is a bigger commitment at six hundred and fifty pounds per year, but if you travel regularly and can use the lounge access, hotel statuses, and dining credits, the benefits genuinely stack up. I've had my Business Platinum for a while now and the Priority Pass access alone has saved me hundreds.
Whatever you decide, don't let the deadline sneak up on you. Monday the thirteenth of January is the cutoff for Amex enhanced offers, and Wednesday the fifteenth of January for Barclaycard. You can get all the application links in the shownotes for this episode. Just look for the Amex Platinum for up to eighty-five thousand points, the Amex Gold for up to forty-five thousand points, and you can also find links to the Amex Business Cards and our eligibility checker tool.
Right, that's it for today's episode. Thanks so much for listening. If you found this useful, please do subscribe to Smart With Points. You can find us on all major podcast platforms, or head over to our website at smartwithpoints.co.uk. We've got guides, tools, and plenty more content to help you maximize your points and miles.
Before you go, a quick word about one of our favourite tools. Looking for the best award flights? Use AwardTravelFinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and more. Try it for free with our link in the shownotes.
Thanks again for listening, and happy points earning!