How you can earn thousands of extra points with this limited-time Amex referral offer

Oct. 19, 2020

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6 min read

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Over the last several weeks, we've seen the launch of some stellar card sign-up bonuses. On the table are 80,000 points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (after spending $4,000 in the first three months) and up to 100,000 miles with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (after spending $20,000 in the first 12 months), two of the highest offers we've ever seen.

All of those points and miles will help you prepare for your next big trip, whenever that may be.

However, if you aren't interested in applying for a new card right now -- and have an Amex already in your wallet -- you can still benefit through Oct. 28.

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One of the most under-the-radar (yet incredibly lucrative) card offers this month is Amex's "3 for All" referral program. In addition to any current referral bonuses, Amex is sweetening the pot with a limited-time promotion.

With this offer, eligible cardmembers can earn 3x extra Membership Rewards points (or 3% extra cash back) per dollar for a three-month period. So just how lucrative is this? Let's take a closer look, along with the details of the offer.

How the Amex referral offer works

To get the 3x multiplier, you first have to refer a friend for an Amex card through this link.

Once approved, your friend will get their own increased welcome offer through the referral. Plus, you’ll get increased multipliers for three months on whichever Amex card you referred from.

If you have one of these Amex cards, you're eligible to refer friends and reap the rewards:

Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express
Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
American Express Cash Magnet® Card
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
The Platinum Card® from American Express
American Express® Gold Card
American Express® Green Card
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

Note that you can only earn the 3x multiplier once per card, although you can refer from multiple Amex cards.

The information for the Amex Cash Magnet, Amex EveryDay, Amex EveryDay Preferred and Amex Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Crunching the numbers

Let's take the Amex Gold card for instance. This is already a lucrative Membership Rewards-earning card, especially for dining at restaurants and supermarkets.

If you have this card, you could refer someone to any Amex credit card and if they apply before Oct. 28, 2020, that referrer would get up to a 25,000-point bonus after the person is approved.

Plus, the referrer will also get these elevated earnings rates for three months:

	Membership Rewards points earned per dollar	Membership Rewards points earned per dollar with referral	TPG Valuation, per dollar spent
U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000, then 1x)	4x	7x	14 cents
Worldwide dining	4x	7x	14 cents
Flight booked directly with the airline or Amex Travel	3x	6x	12 cents
Non-bonus purchases	1x	4x	8 cents

According to 2019 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average individual in the U.S. spent $2,042.25 on food per quarter (three months) last year.

If you were to spend that amount at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants with the Amex Gold card, you'd normally earn 8,169 points ($2,042.25 x 4x points per dollar).

However, let's say you spent that amount in a three-month period this year. With this referral bonus promotion, you'd earn 14,296 Membership Rewards points, thanks to the additional 3x points (that's an extra 6,127 points).

Coupled with the 25,000 referral bonus, you'd earn a whopping 31,127 Membership Rewards points in this hypothetical scenario, simply by referring a friend to the Amex Gold.

Redeeming points

There are so many ways to redeem Membership Rewards points for maximum value.

One of my favorite ways to redeem is by utilizing Amex's 19 airline and three hotel transfer partners. For instance, you can transfer Amex points to British Airways at a ratio of 1:1.

With British Airways Avios, you can book economy flights on American Airlines for just 9,000 Avios if you’re traveling no more than 1,151 miles.

Remember those 31,127 points from referring a friend? That's easily enough to earn you three one-way tickets (pending availability) from New York to Miami, for instance, with a bunch of Avios to spare.

Bottom line

The refer-a-friend promotion is a fantastic way to boost your rewards -- and get a friend to reap the benefits, too.

Keep in mind, your friend will still have the option to actually apply for any of the available Amex credit cards, not just the one you referred them from.

Meanwhile, this elevated referral bonus isn't going to be around forever. Make sure that you refer your friend and that they apply before Oct. 28, 2020, to qualify for this offer.

Featured image by Getty Images

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.