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Editor's note: This post mentions referral offers that may or may not be available to you. This post also mentions historical referral offers that are currently unavailable.
American Express offers its Card Members the ability to refer friends to Amex cards. This refer a friend program (plus an equivalent refer a business program) is a bit unique, as you can refer friends and family for both the cards you already have and the ones you don't. As long as someone uses your link, you'll earn the bonus points as specified in the offer.
In this post, we dig into everything about Amex referral bonus offers, including how to find and generate referral links, promotional offers, and how many points you can earn from Amex referrals.
What Is the Amex Refer a Friend Program?
The Amex refer a friend program rewards American Express Card Members for referring friends and family to apply for an Amex card.
But before we dive deeper, here are the key things you need to understand:
- To earn points or miles from a referral, you must send your friend or family member a unique invitation link to apply for one or more cards.
- The person you refer must apply through the link you provided and be approved for you to earn the referral bonus points. If they do not apply through your unique link or aren't approved for the card, you won't earn the referral bonus. Using the unique link is critical.
- They do not have to apply for the exact card you have. The invitation link you provide may allow them to apply for multiple cards. Any card they apply for and are approved for through your link will qualify you for the referral bonus.
- Your specific referral offer may be targeted for both you and the person you send it to. The points or cash you earn, and the terms of the welcome offer available to the person you refer, may both be unique to your link.
- The welcome offer available to your friend or family member through your link may not match other publicly available offers. It could be higher or lower.
- If you earn referral bonuses, Amex may send you a 1099-MISC form, since these are considered taxable income.
- American Express now limits you to five referrals per card product per calendar year.
Most Amex cards that earn points or cash back are eligible for the Refer a Friend program. That includes both non-co-branded cards and co-branded options from brands like Hilton, Delta, and Marriott.
Related: American Express Card Offer History: Best-Ever Offers and When You Should Apply
Typical Amex referral offers
Most American Express cards have standard referral offers. In general, cards with lower annual fees offer fewer bonus points per referral. Conversely, cards with higher annual fees can have much better referral offers. However, American Express might value Membership Rewards differently than airline miles or hotel points.
I currently have three American Express cards in my wallet. Here's an example referral offer currently available for the American Express Platinum Card®. I can earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points, and my friend can earn as high as 175,000 points. This is in line with the welcome offer available to new cardholders at the time of writing.
And here is another example referral offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card. I can earn 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, and my friend can earn 175,000 Bonvoy points. Again, this is in line with the welcome offer on the card at the time of writing.
For Delta credit cards in particular, it is best to wait for an elevated promotional offer before sharing your referral link. An Amex referral bonus of 7,500 SkyMiles is rather unexciting, which is typical of the standard offer. But here is a current eligible referral offer for 17,500 SkyMiles on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, which is substantially better:
It might seem like the Platinum Card® offers the worst referral bonus of my three cards, but that all depends on how you value your points and miles. For instance, according to recent AwardWallet user redemptions:
- American Express Membership Rewards points are worth 1.99¢ apiece
- At this value, 15,000 points from a referral is worth roughly $299
- Marriott Bonvoy points are worth 0.93¢ apiece
- At this value, 20,000 points from a referral is worth roughly $224
- Delta SkyMiles are worth 1.34¢
- At this value, 17,500 points from a referral is worth roughly $236
So, although the Platinum Card® might offer the “lowest” referral bonus in terms of points, it still provides the best value. And the converse is also true — the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card appears to offer the best referral bonus, but it's actually the least valuable.
The bonus you earn is linked to the card account you use to generate the link, not to the card the person gets through your link. So, it's always best to use the card with the highest offer available, and your friend or family member can apply for the card they want.
Earn more points or miles with special referral offers
You can expect to see targeted referral bonus offers on your cards semi-regularly. These elevated offers can appear on any American Express card you refer, including Membership Rewards-earning and co-branded cards. Since American Express now limits referrals to just five per card product per calendar year, it may be worth waiting for a higher offer before referring a friend, assuming they don't need a new card urgently.
Amex will clearly show how the elevated “Special Offer” differs from the standard offer. You don't need to hunt for these; they'll simply appear in your account, where you usually see the refer a friend option. It's also worth noting that a promotional referral offer doesn't always coincide with a higher, limited-time welcome offer for your friend.
How to Generate an Amex Referral Link or Email
To refer someone to one of your Amex cards, log in to your account on the American Express Refer a Friend page. You can also find referral offers under the “Amex Offers & Benefits” section underneath your recent transactions on your card account.
When you click “Refer Now,” you'll be redirected to the same Refer a Friend webpage. You'll see how much you can earn when you refer friends, as well as the offer that the friend will see for that card (but not for other cards they may be able to apply for through your link). You can either send a referral via email from American Express or copy a referral link to send directly to friends. Whether they receive the link directly from you or from Amex's email, your friend will need to use it for you to receive a referral bonus.
What cards can recipients choose?
When your friend clicks on the link, they'll be taken to an offer page for the card you referred. However, by clicking “Personal Cards” or “Business Cards” in the top menu bar, they can select other card types.
As you can see in the screenshot below, the referee can browse all the credit cards offered by American Express. As long as someone applies for (and is approved for) a card through this page, I should still get my referral bonus. For instance, my friend could earn up to $200 in cash back as a new cardholder of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express — a card I don't have — by applying through my link.
To reiterate, the people you refer don't need to choose the same Amex card you have. For example, I hold the Platinum Card® as my only Membership Rewards-earning card. While I have friends or family who may be interested in this card, there are plenty of people who don't travel frequently enough to swallow an $895 annual fee (Rates & Fees). However, they can easily select the American Express® Gold Card instead, which is better for those who spend heavily on dining and grocery purchases, and comes with a much more palatable $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees).
In general, American Express sends its referrals by card family. If I send someone a referral through my Delta Gold Card, they can apply for any Delta American Express card, including business cards. The same applies to Hilton cards and Marriott cards. However, if you refer someone to a Membership Rewards-earning card, they can choose pretty much any Amex card, including co-branded options.
In other words, since the other person doesn't have to choose the exact card you refer, you can send them a referral link through the card with the highest referral offer. Then, they can pick the card that's best for them. This is how you maximize Amex referral bonus points.
Final Thoughts
I've been an American Express Card Member for roughly a decade now, and while I have referred my cards at times, I haven't earned a ton of bonus points that way. That being said, I have friends who have earned hundreds of thousands of Amex referral bonus points. So, referrals can be a great way to increase your rewards balances, whether that is Membership Rewards or another currency. Unfortunately, you're now limited to just five referrals per card product per calendar year, so make sure you make them count.
FAQ
Can you send someone the best offers through an Amex referral?
Most of the time, the offer your friend will receive will match the publicly available offer. Other times, it won't be as good. Rarely, there will be unique offers available only through referral. Some of these have been excellent.
My best practice is to wait until a good public offer is available before referring a card. Then, as long as my referral link offers the same deal, I'll send it. If there is a mismatch, I've sometimes still sent a link, but also sent the link to the better public offer. Consider it from the other side: Is your friend likely to apply through your link if they'll get 10,000 fewer points from the welcome bonus?
How many points can you earn through Amex referrals?
American Express recently changed the referral limit. Rather than limiting the amount of bonus points you can earn through referrals, you're now limited to five referrals per card product per calendar year. This can either be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your referral bonus.
For instance, American Express used to impose a limit of 100,000 points earned per card per year, except for Hilton cards. Now, if you receive a referral bonus of 25,000 Membership Rewards points, you could earn 125,000 points each year by referring that card. However, if you only earn 15,000 points per referral, you're capped at 75,000 points total, which is below the previous threshold.
Now that there's a limit on the number of referrals you can earn points on, it's worth waiting for a higher referral bonus before sharing your link.
How long do Amex referral bonus points take to post?
American Express states that you should allow 8–12 weeks for Amex referral bonus points to post. However, they have been known to post much sooner. Often, you'll receive the bonus points in just a few days after an approval using your link. American Express will send you an email regarding your successful referral as well.
Does American Express consider referrals taxable income?
Amex does consider referral bonuses taxable income, whether it's cash or points. It's unfortunate, but you'll receive a 1099-MISC or for your referrals. For tax purposes, American Express considers Membership Rewards points to be worth 1¢ each. Delta SkyMiles and Marriott Bonvoy points also are pegged at 1¢ apiece.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees), and American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees)
