The best Amex Platinum and Gold welcome offers ranked

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Update 9/20/22 – The Platinum, Gold and Business Gold referral offers are all back, so I’ve added those and re-ranked accordingly.

Over the last couple of years, American Express has been barraging us with unprecedented welcome offers for both the personal and business versions of their Gold and Platinum charge cards.

For years, these cards all had a “once-in-a-lifetime rule,” meaning that you were only eligible for the welcome offer for each card once per lifetime (in practice, this actually meant 5-7 years, then Amex would “forget” that you had the card). Occasionally, a link would come around without the lifetime language (NLL or “No Lifetime Language”), allowing those who’d already had the card to get another one. Historically, these were infrequent, coming around maybe once or twice per year.

That all changed in 2020.

a man standing in front of a stack of money
Greg getting buried by Business Platinum Benjamins

Suddenly, people were getting targeted to “expand their membership” or “bundle their Gold/Platinum cards,” Amex’s spin on “we know that you already have this card, but we want you to sign-up again and we’ll pay you for it.” These were especially common with Business versions of these cards and some people were being targeted mere weeks after completing the spend on the same card. It was madness.

At the same time, Amex started drastically increasing the value of these targeted offers. We used to get excited about seeing 100,000 point offers but now we started seeing 150,000, 180,000…even 250,000 point offers. We developed back issues from constantly picking our jaws off the floor. We’ve unofficially branded it the “points parade,” because these offers just keep on marching past with no end in sight.

But it can be confusing (and exhausting) as well. Keeping track of the offers and which ones have lifetime language while trying to sort through the best options has been difficult for many and we’ve had several folks reach out, asking us to compile them in one spot and give our impressions on which is best.

Here it is.

As an aside, none of the business card offers below are featured on our best offers page. That’s because the offers on that page are the best publicly available ones that we know of. We don’t put targeted offers there, as we want anyone to be able to look at the offers listed and be able to click through. The business offers below are all targeted. Some require trying different browsers and a couple even require calling-in to find out if you’re eligible. Not everyone will be able to get them. That’s why they’re not on the best offers page.

The personal card links ARE on the best offers page, but that’s because they are available via the reservations website Resy or via reader referral links that we collect and cycle through the application page. None of the consumer card offers below are affiliate links.

a close up of some cards

Amex
App
Tips
1 welcome bonus per lifetime Better offers may be available. Click for details. Hard inquiries are combined into 1 when approved same day You can have max 5 Amex credit cards and 10 Pay Over Time cards
Amex is the safest bank for trying your luck at earning a new welcome bonus offer. They don’t usually issue a hard pull when denying your application (and they don’t usually issue a hard pull when approved if you’re an existing Amex cardholder).  Plus, they’ll warn you during the application process if you’re not eligible for the bonus.
Max 2 credit cards in 90 days, but no known limit for Pay Over Time (charge) cards
Check application status here.
If denied, call reconsideration: 877-399-3083 (new accountholders); 866-314-0237 (current accountholders)

 

The Offers

NLL – “No Lifetime Language,” TGT – “Targeted,” Fresh Browser – in order to make the offer appear, it will probably be necessary to try different browser configurations.

  1. Personal Platinum Referral – 150,000 Membership Rewards after $6K spend in 3 months
  2. Personal Gold Referral  – 90,0000 points after $4K in purchases in the first 6 months
  3. Business Gold Referral – 130,000 Membership Rewards after $10K spend in 3 months (fresh browser, TGT)
  4. Business Gold – 95,000 Membership Rewards after $10K spend in 3 months, including $1K on authorized user card (NLL, TGT)
  5. Business Platinum – 155,000 Membership Rewards after $15,000 spend in 3 months, including $1K on authorized user card (NLL, TGT)
  6. Business Platinum Referral – 150,000 Membership Rewards after $15,000 spend in 3 months.

If you see the message below or see a screen with no offer listed, it means you’re not targeted. If you get a pop-up telling you that you are not eligible for the welcome offer, you aren’t.

a screen shot of a computer

Key Card Details

Card Name w Details & Review (no offer)
FM Mini Review: This card is absolutely loaded with high end perks. Depending upon your situation, those perks may be worth the annual fee or much more.

$695 Annual Fee
Earning rate: 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel ✦ 5X points for prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
Base: 1X (1.55%)
Travel: 5X (7.75%)
Card Info: Amex Pay Over Time Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees.
Noteworthy perks: Up to $200 a year in statement credits for incidental fees at one qualifying airline per calendar year ✦ $200 prepaid hotel credit per calendar year valid on Fine Hotels & Resorts and The Hotel Collection bookings ✦ Up to $20 per month rebate for Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, SiriusXM, and/or The Wall Street Journal ✦ $15 monthly Uber or Uber Eats credit ($20 in December, use it or lose it each month) ✦ $189 CLEAR fee reimbursement per calendar year ✦ $12.95 (+tax) monthly credit for Walmart+ monthly membership subscription credit when you pay with Platinum card ✦ Up to $100 in credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue (up to $50 in credits semi-annually) ✦ Priority Pass membership (Lounges only) with 2 guests and other airport lounge benefits (Centurion and Delta) ✦ Rental car elite status ✦ Marriott Gold status ✦ Hilton Honors Gold status Enrollement required for some benefits. Terms Apply. (Rates & Fees)
Card Name w Details & Review (no offer)
FM Mini Review: This card offers an awesome return on US supermarket and worldwide dining spend, putting it at or near the top-of-class in both categories. Dining credits and Uber / Uber Eats credits go a long way towards reducing the sting of this card's annual fee.

$250 Annual Fee
Earning rate: 3X points for flights booked with airlines or on amextravel.com ✦ 4x points at US Supermarkets (up to $25K in purchases, then 1x) ✦ 4x at restaurants worldwide ✦ 1X points on other purchases. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees)
Base: 1X (1.55%)
Travel: 3X (4.65%)
Dine: 4X (6.2%)
Grocery: 4X (6.2%)
Card Info: Amex Pay Over Time Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees.
Noteworthy perks: Up to $10 in statement credits monthly with participating dining partners (Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, Shake Shack, Seamless/Grubhub, Cheesecake Factory) ✦ $10 monthly Uber or Uber Eats credit (use it or lose it each month) ✦ $100 hotel credit on qualifying charges on stays of 2 nights or longer, plus a room upgrade upon arrival, if available with The Hotel Collection at americanexpress.com/hc ✦ Enrollment required for select benefits.
Card Name w Details & Review (no offer)
FM Mini Review: This card is absolutely loaded with high end perks. Depending upon your situation, those perks may be worth the annual fee or much more. Click here for our complete card review

$695 Annual Fee
Earning rate: 5X flights and prepaid hotels at AmexTravel.com ✦ 1.5X points per dollar on eligible purchases of $5000 or more (on up to $2 million of those purchases per year) ✦ 1.5x on US construction/hardware stores, US electronic goods, and US shipping ✦ 1X elsewhere ✦ Terms apply.
Base: 1X (1.55%)
Travel: 5X (7.75%)
Other: 1.5X (2.33%)
Card Info: Amex Pay Over Time Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees.
Noteworthy perks: Select one qualifying airline and receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for qualifying charges ✦ Up to $400 a year in statement credits for Dell purchases ($200, twice-yearly) ✦ Up to $120 in wireless services credits per year ($10 per month) ✦ $100 Global Entry fee reimbursement.✦ Priority Pass membership (Lounges only) with 2 guests and other airport lounge benefits (Centurion and Delta) ✦ Rental car elite status ✦ Marriott Gold status ✦ Hilton Gold status. ✦ $189 CLEAR fee reimbursement annually ✦ 35% Airline Bonus: Get 35% points back after you Pay With Points for flights with your selected airline (or premium cabin with any airline). Enrollment required for select benefits
Card Name w Details & Review (no offer)
FM Mini Review: This card may be a keeper for those who use the monthly credits, but keep only if you also make good use of one or two 4X categories. Click here for our complete card review

$375 Annual Fee
Earning rate: Earn 4X in combined eligible purchases in the two categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle (capped at $150K spend per calendar year, then 1x): Electronic goods retailers or software and cloud system providers in the U.S. ✦U.S. purchases at restaurants ✦Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S. ✦ U.S. purchases for advertising in select media ✦ U.S. purchases at gas stations ✦ Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways. ✦ 3x on eligible purchases through AmexTravel.com ✦ 1x on all other purchases. Terms apply.
Base: 1X (1.55%)
Travel: 3X (4.65%)
Dine: 4X (6.2%)
Gas: 4X (6.2%)
Shop: 4X (6.2%)
Phone: 4X (6.2%)
Biz: 4X (6.2%)
Card Info: Amex Pay Over Time Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees.
Noteworthy perks: Earn up to $20 in statement credits each month for eligible purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores. Enrollment required. ✦ Monthly Walmart+ Membership credit when you use the card to pay for monthly Walmart+ membership ✦ Terms Apply. (Rates & Fees)

Quick Thoughts

The top two positions are all lifetime language offers, meaning that they aren’t available to folks who have had the card within the last 4-7 years. If that’s NOT you, then these should be the place to start. The consumer Platinum offer is terrific and would qualify as the best offer available on a personal card right now.

The 150K referral offer is the current standard, in my opinion. Although it’s a referral offer, this is what you’ll find listed on the Best Offers page as we collect working reader referrals via our Frequent Miler Insiders Facebook page and cycle them through. Membership Rewards are valued at 1.55 cents per point in our most recent reasonable redemption values (RRV), making this welcome offer worth $2400, including the 6,000 points from the minimum spend. That’s a whopping 40% return. If you haven’t gotten this card and are eligible, why haven’t you gotten this card?

The consumer Gold referral offer of 90,000 MR after $4K spend is another bell-ringer, yielding a minimum return of 94,000 MR. This would be valued at about ~$1500 according to RRV, a 38% return on spend. Wowza. This can go up even more though, as the Gold has the best spending categories of all these cards, with 4x on groceries and dining. If you can do even half of the spend in those two categories, you’ll end up with 100,000 MR on only $4K spend. This is another instance where we curate working reader links, so you can find it on our Best Offers page.

After that, we head into the NLL business card offers, which are the wild west right now. My wife and I have been getting new cards every 1-2 months and just keep getting targeted for more. My favorite right now (and the one I used a couple of days ago) is the 155K offer. It’s simple and it seems to be almost universally accessible with a great ratio of points/spend, at ~10.3/1, effectively giving you a 16% rate of return on $15,000.

a man wearing a crown holding money

Keep in mind that both the Business Platinum Dell and the various airline credits reset on the calendar year.  This means that in the first year of card membership, you can get at least 3x Dell credits and 2x airline incidentals, adding an additional ~$200-400 in first year value if you only pay the annual fee once and cancel after the first year. While the various perks and credits on Amex cards can feel a little “coupon booky,” I find it pretty easy to get full advantage of these two without much effort.

Let us know if you see a better offer that’s not included here, if you’ve signed-up for one (or more) of these offers and, most importantly, if you agree or disagree with the rankings!

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