Amex Launches Enhanced Referral Bonuses – Up to 90,000 Points Available

American Express has launched a new round of enhanced “Invite a Friend” offers, giving both existing cardholders and new applicants the chance to earn boosted bonuses until 21 July 2026.

The biggest offers are available on the premium cards. New applicants referred for The Platinum Card can earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points when they spend £6,000 in the first three months, while existing cardholders receive 25,000 points for a successful referral.

Meanwhile, the popular Preferred Rewards Gold Card is offering 35,000 Membership Rewards points for new cardholders who spend £3,000 in the first three months, with the referrer receiving 20,000 points.

There are also enhanced bonuses available across a range of other American Express cards, including the British Airways American Express Card, Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card, Nectar Card and the cashback cards.

For Avios collectors, the British Airways American Express Credit Card is offering 15,000 Avios for referred new cardholders who spend £2,000 in the first three months, while the existing cardholder receives 10,000 Avios.

The Business Platinum Card is offering a substantial 90,000 Membership Rewards points for new cardholders who spend £6,000 within three months, while the Business Gold Card comes with a 50,000-point welcome bonus.

While these aren’t the highest American Express welcome offers we’ve ever seen, the Platinum and Gold bonuses are certainly towards the stronger end of the range and could be attractive if you’ve been considering applying anyway.

As always, it’s worth checking your eligibility carefully before applying. Remember that American Express applies rules around receiving welcome bonuses, and not everyone will qualify.

If you’re planning to apply for an Amex card in the next couple of months, it may be worth asking a friend or family member for a referral link. Not only will you receive an enhanced welcome offer, but they’ll also pick up a healthy bonus for referring you.

Earn Virgin Points from Your Business Spending with Apron

Virgin Red has teamed up with Apron, giving small business owners a new way to earn Virgin Points from everyday business spending.

If you haven’t come across it before, Apron is a business payments platform that helps companies manage supplier payments, invoices, payroll and expenses in one place. The fintech was recently named the UK’s fastest-growing start-up by Sifted.

Apron customers can now convert their Apron points into Virgin Points at a 1:1 rate. Points can be earned on payments you’re already making, such as supplier invoices, payroll, HMRC payments and team expenses.

There are two ways to earn:

• Choose “Rewards” when making a payment through Apron and earn:
  • 1 point per £1 spent for a 1.6% fee, or
  • 2 points per £1 spent for a 2.9% fee
• Earn points fee-free when spending on an Apron Card

Once transferred, Virgin Points can be used for Virgin Atlantic flights, SkyTeam partner flights, Virgin Hotels stays, Virgin Voyages cruises and hundreds of rewards through Virgin Red.

It’s an interesting new option for small business owners who spend heavily each month and collect Virgin Points. Whether the paid earning rates make sense will depend on your spending and how much value you get from your points, but it’s always good to see another way to boost your balance.

Could the 90-Day Rule for Spain Finally Be Relaxed?

One of the biggest annoyances for British second-home owners since Brexit has been the introduction of the 90/180-day rule, which limits how long we can spend in much of Europe without a visa or residency permit.

Now, Spain is reportedly pushing once again for the rules to be relaxed for UK visitors, which will be welcome news for many readers who own property there or like to spend extended periods in the Spanish sunshine.

At the moment, Brits can only spend 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen Area. That’s usually fine for a couple of holidays a year, but it’s much less helpful if you’re hoping to spend the winter in Spain or make the most of a holiday home.

According to reports, Spanish officials would like to see British visitors allowed to stay for up to six months. The argument is fairly simple: Spaniards can already spend up to six months in the UK, so why not offer something similar in return?

However, the 90-day rule isn’t actually Spain’s rule to change. It’s part of the wider Schengen agreement, so any major change would likely need support from the EU or a special arrangement for UK visitors.

We’ve seen similar suggestions before and, so far at least, nothing has come of them. So while it’s an interesting development, I wouldn’t be basing any long term plans around it. That said, it’s encouraging that Spain continues to raise the issue. 

For now, nothing has changed and the 90/180-day rule still applies. But if Spain can keep the conversation going, there may yet be hope for some positive change.