Jan 7, 2017, 4:18 pm
Last edit by: mia
Referrals and self-referrals are an important part of maximizing rewards from Canadian-issued American Express cards. It is appropriate to discuss how the referral process works in this thread. However, please do not offer or request referrals here. Use only this thread, and do read the Wikipost carefully before posting: Referral Offers (post only in this thread, no referral links, read Wiki post first).
This thread is a continuation of: Churning Amex in Canada (2016). All the listed offers below are still valid as of January 2017.
Jerry: Aug 2017 latest update, all-in-one summary
New as of Mar 23, 2017, minimum spend up to $3000 now
AMEX Platinum Rewards - $699/year, 60K MR (via referral) after $3000 spending in 3 months vs. 50K non-referral
New as of March 23 2016.
AMEX Business Platinum Rewards - $399/year, 75K MR (via referral) after $5000 spending in 3 months vs. 40K non-referral
Updated as of July 21, 2017
AMEX Gold Rewards - $150/year, FYF, 25K MR after $1500 spending + $50/$60 cashback from GCR. New as of Jan 15, 2017, on a referred signup: and an additional 5,000 Membership Rewards points for one approved Supplementary Card added to your account at time of online application. That’s a total of 30,000 Membership Rewards points.
AMEX Business Gold Rewards - $250/year, FYF, 30K MR after $5000 spending (or 40K via referral)
AMEX Air Miles Platinum - $65/year, 2000 Air Miles after $1500 spending + $30 GCR cashback
July 18-Oct 18, 2017 - welcome offer increased 5K to 25K.
Sep 28, 2017 - Personal and Business SPG bonus drops from 10K to 5K per approved referral.
AMEX SPG - $120/year, 25K SPG after $1500 spending + $30 GCR cashback
- if you applied recently for the SPG card at the 20K welcome level, try contacting Amex by Secured Message to ask if they can match the current 25K offer. Several successful datapoints have surfaced with manual addition of 5K at next statement. YMMV.
New as of July 2016
AMEX Aeroplan Plus Platinum - $499/year, 50K Aeroplans after $1000 spending in 3 months (or 51K via referral). The 50K/51K, extra 10K promo expired on April 01, 2016, but started up again July - Sep 30th, 2016.
New card as of Sep 25 2017
AMEX Cobalt CREDIT card - $10/month ($120 annually)
Apply through GCR for $50 Rebate https://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/...s/Amex-Cobalt/
This is not an all-inclusive list, only the "good" offers, so feel free to add new offers.
AMEX Platinum Rewards
- Earn 15K MR for each referral you make
(Note: from Mar 23 - Jun 29 the bonuses were 75K welcome and 25K referral points)
AMEX Business Platinum Rewards
- Earn 25K MR for each referral you make
AMEX Gold Rewards
- Earn 10k MR for each referal you make.
This thread is a continuation of: Churning Amex in Canada (2016). All the listed offers below are still valid as of January 2017.
Jerry: Aug 2017 latest update, all-in-one summary
New as of Mar 23, 2017, minimum spend up to $3000 now
AMEX Platinum Rewards - $699/year, 60K MR (via referral) after $3000 spending in 3 months vs. 50K non-referral
New as of March 23 2016.
AMEX Business Platinum Rewards - $399/year, 75K MR (via referral) after $5000 spending in 3 months vs. 40K non-referral
Updated as of July 21, 2017
AMEX Gold Rewards - $150/year, FYF, 25K MR after $1500 spending + $50/$60 cashback from GCR. New as of Jan 15, 2017, on a referred signup: and an additional 5,000 Membership Rewards points for one approved Supplementary Card added to your account at time of online application. That’s a total of 30,000 Membership Rewards points.
- July 11, 2017, Amex Gold MR will no longer earn referral points.
- July 21, 2017, no other Amex MR card can refer to Gold MR
AMEX Business Gold Rewards - $250/year, FYF, 30K MR after $5000 spending (or 40K via referral)
AMEX Air Miles Platinum - $65/year, 2000 Air Miles after $1500 spending + $30 GCR cashback
July 18-Oct 18, 2017 - welcome offer increased 5K to 25K.
Sep 28, 2017 - Personal and Business SPG bonus drops from 10K to 5K per approved referral.
AMEX SPG - $120/year, 25K SPG after $1500 spending + $30 GCR cashback
- if you applied recently for the SPG card at the 20K welcome level, try contacting Amex by Secured Message to ask if they can match the current 25K offer. Several successful datapoints have surfaced with manual addition of 5K at next statement. YMMV.
New as of July 2016
AMEX Aeroplan Plus Platinum - $499/year, 50K Aeroplans after $1000 spending in 3 months (or 51K via referral). The 50K/51K, extra 10K promo expired on April 01, 2016, but started up again July - Sep 30th, 2016.
New card as of Sep 25 2017
AMEX Cobalt CREDIT card - $10/month ($120 annually)
Apply through GCR for $50 Rebate https://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/...s/Amex-Cobalt/
- Earn 2,500 Membership Tiered Rewards points for each month where you spend $500 (up to 30,000/year).
- Limited Time Offer: Apply by Jan 30, 2018 and you can earn a Welcome Bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $3K in 3 months.
- See discussion thread for more details: 2017 American Express Cobalt (Canada)
This is not an all-inclusive list, only the "good" offers, so feel free to add new offers.
Referral Difference Between Cards:
Please note there is a maximum annual referral bonus you can make per card.
AMEX Platinum Rewards
- Earn 15K MR for each referral you make
(Note: from Mar 23 - Jun 29 the bonuses were 75K welcome and 25K referral points)
AMEX Business Platinum Rewards
- Earn 25K MR for each referral you make
AMEX Gold Rewards
- July 11, 2017, Amex Gold MR will no longer earn referral points.
- July 21, 2017, no other Amex MR card can refer to Gold MR
- mid-May 2016, increased from $500 to $1500 required spending.
- Jan 11 to mid-May 2016, the Gold card earned 0 referral points.
- Earn 10k MR for each referal you make.
American Express Canada application and reward strategies (2017)
Mar 22, 2017, 11:59 pm
#391
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Montreal
Posts: 247
Head's up guys: you might want to verify your referral links for the Biz Plat.
With the rumors of changes planned for March 23, I wanted to double check that the ref bonus stayed the same. And so far so good!
But for some reason clicking on my old ref link yielded this error message: "Sorry, there was an error in accessing the application. Please try again using the link provided in your original offer."
Always possible it was human error on my part and nothing at all to do with Amex. But figured I'd mention it all the same!
With the rumors of changes planned for March 23, I wanted to double check that the ref bonus stayed the same. And so far so good!
But for some reason clicking on my old ref link yielded this error message: "Sorry, there was an error in accessing the application. Please try again using the link provided in your original offer."
Always possible it was human error on my part and nothing at all to do with Amex. But figured I'd mention it all the same!
Mar 23, 2017, 3:26 am
#392
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: *void
Posts: 2,408
Head's up guys: you might want to verify your referral links for the Biz Plat.
With the rumors of changes planned for March 23, I wanted to double check that the ref bonus stayed the same. And so far so good!
But for some reason clicking on my old ref link yielded this error message: "Sorry, there was an error in accessing the application. Please try again using the link provided in your original offer."
Always possible it was human error on my part and nothing at all to do with Amex. But figured I'd mention it all the same!
With the rumors of changes planned for March 23, I wanted to double check that the ref bonus stayed the same. And so far so good!
But for some reason clicking on my old ref link yielded this error message: "Sorry, there was an error in accessing the application. Please try again using the link provided in your original offer."
Always possible it was human error on my part and nothing at all to do with Amex. But figured I'd mention it all the same!
However I do see the Platinum has indeed changed to $3000 spending requirement as leaked by RewardsCanada. Unfortunately with same 60K welcome bonus. Wishing it would have increased to the 75K level to keep up with the Biz Plat offer.
From the referring side, still see the Plat will continue to earn 15K, and Biz Plat still earning 25K for making successful referrals to other MR cards.
Last edited by JJonahJ; Mar 23, 2017 at 3:34 am
Mar 23, 2017, 6:17 am
#393
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,784
AMEX Platinum Canada, as of 3/23, as expected/warned
I think AMEX is done for a while now, there's no low ($500-$1000) spending anymore for churn'ers
Earn our Platinum Card points offer of 60,000 bonus Membership Rewards points through this referral offer when you make $3,000 in purchases in the first three months of Cardmembership6 - that's enough to redeem for two roundtrip Fixed Mileage Flight Rewards(TM)* to almost anywhere in North America±7. Offer subject to change at any time.
Mar 23, 2017, 12:55 pm
#395
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: YQM
Posts: 341
Looking at cancelling my partner's Personal Plat before annual fee posts. Her first statement was on Apr 24, 2016 and the $699 posted on that date. Do you think the fee will post on her Mar 24, 2017 statement and I should cancel today or can I wait another month? I just made a booking using her $200 credit, it posted to her account, so currently she has a balance of -$200.
I mean, it should be no issue to call in/secure message and have the credit transferred to her Gold, and have the Plat cancelled.
I mean, it should be no issue to call in/secure message and have the credit transferred to her Gold, and have the Plat cancelled.
Mar 24, 2017, 2:48 am
#396
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: JRF
Programs: AA Gold, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, National Executive Elite
Posts: 1,784
Did the 5K post with a label/description similar to this?
If yes, then that's for the supplementary card's bonus.
If this is your first time opening the Personal Gold card, then call Amex to enquire about the missing 25K welcome bonus. No harm in contacting them in this scenario since this would be your first-ever welcome bonus.
Otherwise, if you've opened the Gold before in the past then you could be endangering your welcome points from posting if you don't continue to wait it out. I know, it's probably around 10 weeks since you signed up and met the $1500 threshold spending, but stay the course and be patient is the best advice if you're churning.
MGM GRC Supp 5k 2017
If yes, then that's for the supplementary card's bonus.
If this is your first time opening the Personal Gold card, then call Amex to enquire about the missing 25K welcome bonus. No harm in contacting them in this scenario since this would be your first-ever welcome bonus.
Otherwise, if you've opened the Gold before in the past then you could be endangering your welcome points from posting if you don't continue to wait it out. I know, it's probably around 10 weeks since you signed up and met the $1500 threshold spending, but stay the course and be patient is the best advice if you're churning.
Mar 24, 2017, 7:41 am
#397
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: *void
Posts: 2,408
It's within the 90 days, as 90 days from account opening would be the middle of April for me.
The funny thing is, my supplementary card *wasn't* approved because apparently my cat was under the age of majority in my province... This is my first Amex Gold, so I think I'll call them up and see what they say
The funny thing is, my supplementary card *wasn't* approved because apparently my cat was under the age of majority in my province... This is my first Amex Gold, so I think I'll call them up and see what they say
If it simply said "bonus" then it's either a referring bonus, or Amex may have decided to give you the 25K as two chunks. Where did you sign up from? A friend's referral? A blogger's website? It might be far-fetch to believe this hypothesis, but at one time the Gold's signup bonus was 20K, and then increased to 25K in 2013. Perhaps some old code has worked its way back into the system and the Amex payment machine has resolved to dole it out to you in two parts, as the old 5K bonus and then older 20K standard bonus. Or even better, they'll just give you the current 25K anyways, on top of that initial 5K bonus. ^
Anyways, I'd say your full welcome points are just delayed, given that mid-April is your 90 day incubation period. Calling them up as a first-time Gold cardholder can't hurt, and may help unleash some extra "candy" from Amex!
Mar 24, 2017, 3:12 pm
#398
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: YYZ
Posts: 29
I applied for an Amex Personal Gold a month ago but was declined. I was thinking maybe it's cuz I cancelled the Amex Biz Gold a few weeks before my application.
Two weeks ago I called they said it's due to "security measures" but would not give out further details. Does anyone know what that means?
Two weeks ago I called they said it's due to "security measures" but would not give out further details. Does anyone know what that means?
Mar 25, 2017, 7:58 am
#399
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YYZish
Posts: 300
Unless the person is points savvy, when I do referrals I select the appropriate card from the sidebar on the right and then copy/paste the link into an email (example: Amex Biz Plat refer to Amex Gold).
AFAIK, this has always worked for me in the past.
Pointsnerd has a pushing post (Aeroplan mini RTW part II) in which he uses the same base referral link for each of the cards he's summarizing - with the expectation that the applicant will 'select a different card' to get to the proper application.
I'm wondering if something has changed that I've missed here. Is it still okay to select a different card from the Platinum Biz referral page and copy/paste the link for the desired card?
AFAIK, this has always worked for me in the past.
Pointsnerd has a pushing post (Aeroplan mini RTW part II) in which he uses the same base referral link for each of the cards he's summarizing - with the expectation that the applicant will 'select a different card' to get to the proper application.
I'm wondering if something has changed that I've missed here. Is it still okay to select a different card from the Platinum Biz referral page and copy/paste the link for the desired card?
Mar 25, 2017, 8:10 am
#400
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YYZish
Posts: 300
SPG personal self refer to SPG Biz?
We've always done spousal referrals for the SPG cards so this was never an issue for us.
Do SPG referral points post reliably for self referrals?
This is for a coworker who asked me to refer him.
(I searched this thread but am not sure, TIA)
Do SPG referral points post reliably for self referrals?
This is for a coworker who asked me to refer him.
(I searched this thread but am not sure, TIA)
Mar 25, 2017, 9:11 am
#401
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 822
I referred my Mum to the Personal Gold(her first card).She added me as a supplementary c/h at the time of app.(for the 5k points bonus thru my referral)She received the 25k welcome points immediately after the spend requirement. I activated my card and purchased a coffee on it.After 2 weeks,still no 5k points,so I got Mum to email Amex to query.Today the 5k points showed up as "point adjustment" with Amex's reply that they have now added the points.
Mar 25, 2017, 9:15 am
#402
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 822
It's within the 90 days, as 90 days from account opening would be the middle of April for me.
The funny thing is, my supplementary card *wasn't* approved because apparently my cat was under the age of majority in my province... This is my first Amex Gold, so I think I'll call them up and see what they say
The funny thing is, my supplementary card *wasn't* approved because apparently my cat was under the age of majority in my province... This is my first Amex Gold, so I think I'll call them up and see what they say
Mar 25, 2017, 9:26 am
#404
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 822
I applied for an Amex Personal Gold a month ago but was declined. I was thinking maybe it's cuz I cancelled the Amex Biz Gold a few weeks before my application.
Two weeks ago I called they said it's due to "security measures" but would not give out further details. Does anyone know what that means?
Two weeks ago I called they said it's due to "security measures" but would not give out further details. Does anyone know what that means?
Mar 25, 2017, 9:31 am
#405
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 822
I have self referred the SPG card with no issues.....however your question confused me(the part in red). If you are referring someone other than yourself,it is not a self-referral.