Targeted: Up to 45,000 points by referring friends to this Amex card — they'll get up to 350,000 points, too
Editor's Note
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
One of the best ways to quickly earn points and miles is through credit card welcome offers and sign-up bonuses. However, even if you're not in the market for a new card, you can help your friends and family out — and earn some rewards for yourself, to boot.
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Chase and American Express make it easy for you to refer friends or family members for select cards. And now, we're seeing the single most generous combination of referral and welcome offers on a single card.
Here's how you and a friend can generate up to a show-stopping 395,000 Membership Rewards points — worth $7,900 according to TPG valuations — on The Platinum Card® from American Express.
45,000 points for you
If you have the Amex Platinum Card, you may be eligible for 45,000 Membership Rewards points for each approved referral. Those points are worth $900, according to TPG valuations.
We're also seeing targeted offers for 30,000 points -- still a stunning bonus, considering refer-a-friend offers are usually for 15,000 points.
Up to 350,000 points for your friend
What makes this offer even more noteworthy is that whoever you refer can earn up to 350,000 points on the Amex Platinum. Here's how that's broken down.
First, the person who is referred will receive 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 in the first six months of card membership. Additionally, they'll receive 10x points on up to $25,000 in combined purchases at restaurants worldwide and when you Shop Small within the U.S. during the same first six months of card membership. If you do the math, the earning potential — if fully maximized — is a whopping 350,000 points.
Combine that with your 45,000-point referral bonus and the windfall from this offer is 395,000 points between the referred and referrer.
You may also want to check the CardMatch Tool to see if you’re targeted for an up to 150k-point Platinum Card® from American Express. These offers are subject to change at any time. While you won't earn any referral points this way, you may score hundreds of dollars more worth of points if targeted for these elevated offers.
Related: Who should (and who shouldn’t) get the American Express Platinum?
Check to see if you're eligible
To see if your Platinum card is eligible, log in to your account from Amex’s referral page to see if your card has an eligible referral offer. While I was not targeted for this referral bonus on my personal Platinum card, some TPG staffers received the 45,000-point offer along with the enhanced welcome bonus that you see above.
Sure enough, if you click through to eligible referral links, the referred individual will see this landing page for 100,000 Membership Rewards points and the 10x multiplier.
Keep in mind, whoever you refer will still have the option to apply for any available Amex cards, not just the Amex Platinum. That means if you have the 30,000-point referral offer in your account, you'll still get this bonus if they're approved for another Amex card when using your link.
However, Amex limits your referral bonus to 55,000 points per calendar year on a specific card so you won't earn any more than that.
Between the 100,000-point bonus and 10x on dining worldwide and when you Shop Small within the U.S. -- along with the 45,000-point referral — this Amex Platinum offer is a win-win for those who are targeted.
Official application link: The Platinum Card from American Express