Amex Platinum & Bonvoy Cards: Tantalizing Record-High Signup Bonuses (150,000 Points!)

This offer is no longer available. Click here to see the most recent offer.

American Express has just launched brand-new record-high welcome bonuses on their flagship travel rewards credit cards, including the Platinum Card, Bonvoy Card, Bonvoy Business Card, and Air Miles Reserve Card.

All four new offers are available via public channels and refer-a-friend links. The offers are valid until August 3, 2021, giving you around a one-month window to take full advantage.

In This Post

Amex Platinum Card: 150,000 MR Points!

The American Express Platinum Card will offer a record-high total of 150,000 MR points, distributed as follows:

  • 70,000 MR points upon spending $6,000 in the first six months
  • 30,000 MR points upon making a purchase between months 14 and 17 of cardholdership
  • 10x MR points on eats and drinks in Canada in the first six months, up to a maximum of 50,000 MR points (on $5,000 of spending)

Note that the minimum spending window is extended from the traditional three months to six months under this special offer, giving you more time to hit the spending requirement. A total of $6,000 in spending is required to unlock the initial bonus of 70,000 MR points, making it an average of $1,000 per month.

On its own, the “immediate” component of the welcome bonus of 70,000 MR points is already equal to the highest-ever bonus we’ve ever seen on this product. 

Meanwhile, the 30,000 MR points upon making a purchase between months 14 and 17 is clearly a way to encourage retention among new Platinum cardholders. We value 30,000 MR points at $630, so along with the $200 annual travel credit, the total second-year value more than offsets the $699 annual fee.

And finally, we can also tell that American Express is drawing some inspiration from the US side in the “10x points on eats and drinks” style of bonus incentive.

It’s worth noting that the 10x MR points are your total earnings, rather than bonus points on top of the standard earning structure. That is, as long as you’re earning 10x points, you won’t also get 3x points on dining on the Platinum Card.

“Eats and drinks” includes restaurants, bars, cafes, food delivery, and grocery stores. Don’t forget that you can effectively extend your 10x earnings to anything you can buy at the grocery store (including gift cards for other retailers).

Amex Bonvoy Card: 105,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points!

The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card will offer an unprecedented total of 105,000 Bonvoy points, distributed as follows:

  • 65,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $3,000 in the first six months
  • 15,000 Bonvoy points upon making a purchase between months 14 and 17 of cardholdership
  • 5x Bonvoy points on eats and drinks in Canada in the first six months, up to 25,000 Bonvoy points (on $5,000 of spending)

Just like the Platinum Card, there is a six-month minimum spending window, which makes it easier to hit the spending requirement compared to the traditional three-month period.

Likewise, the immediate component of the welcome bonus of 65,000 Bonvoy points is on par with the highest offer we’ve ever seen – but American Express has now added even more juicy incentives into the mix. 

The “month 14–17” and “5x points on eats and drinks” components of the welcome bonus also mirror the Platinum Card, incentivizing new cardholders to put additional spending on the card after applying and to keep the card beyond the first year.

(There’s excellent value in keeping the Bonvoy cards beyond the first year anyway thanks to their anniversary Free Night Awards, so an extra 15,000 Bonvoy points would only be the icing on the cake.)

Amex Bonvoy Business Card: 105,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points!

Parallel to the personal version, the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card will also offer a never-before-seen total of 105,000 Bonvoy points, distributed as follows:

  • 65,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $5,000 in the first six months
  • 15,000 Bonvoy points upon making a purchase after month 14 of cardholdership
  • 5x Bonvoy points on gas, travel, and dining in the first six months, up to 25,000 Bonvoy points (on $5,000 of spending)

The business card’s welcome offer is very similar to the personal version. However, the minimum spending requirement is higher at $5,000 compared to $3,000, and the 5x points applies to the card’s usual 3x categories of gas, travel, and dining, rather than on eats and drinks.

That makes the Bonvoy Business Card’s offer a little bit less interesting than the personal Bonvoy Card, in my view, since the incremental earn rate is lower and the bonus categories are a little more restrictive (as they exclude grocery stores).

In keeping with the personal version, the second-year component of 15,000 Bonvoy points sweetens the deal for cardholders who choose to renew their cards, although the existing anniversary Free Night Awards might’ve already been more than enough incentive to do so.

Amex Air Miles Reserve Card: 7,500 Air Miles

While less exciting than the other points programs, it’s worth noting that the American Express Air Miles Reserve Credit Card is also participating in these elevated summer offers. 

You’ll earn 7,500 Air Miles, distributed as follows:

  • 4,000 Air Miles upon spending $6,000 in the first six months
  • 1,000 Air Miles upon making a purchase between months 14 and 17
  • 5x the usual earn rate on eats and drinks in the first six months, up to 2,500 Air Miles (on $5,000 of spending)

If you’re an Air Miles collector, this is one of the best welcome bonuses in recent memory.

We’d value the immediate component of 4,000 Air Miles at $600, if you opted to earn Dream Miles and redeemed them for high value.

There’s also the ability to earn a further 2,500 Air Miles by spending on eats and drinks, but I imagine this offer would be lower on most of our priority lists compared to the Platinum, Bonvoy, and Aeroplan offers.

Spend-Based Offers for Existing Cardholders

For the three personal cards, the spend-based components of the welcome bonus will also apply to existing cardholders, who can register for each offer via their Amex Offers dashboard.

If you currently hold the Platinum Card, you can earn 10x MR points on eats and drinks, up to a maximum of 50,000 MR points (on $5,000 of spending).

And if you currently hold the Bonvoy Card, you can earn 5x Bonvoy points on eats and drinks, up to a maximum of 25,000 Bonvoy points (on $5,000 of spending).

And if you currently hold the Air Miles Reserve Card, you can earn 5x the usual number of Air Miles on eats and drinks, up to a maximum of 2,500 Air Miles (on $5,000 of spending). 

It’s amazing to see American Express not only rolling out the red carpet for new cardholders, but also sweetening the deal for existing cardholders and offering them ways to supercharge their points earnings based on ongoing spending activity.

Additionally, note that the terms and conditions of the spend bonus are a bit different for new and existing cardholders:

  • For new applicants, the 5x or 10x rate replaces the regular rewards on everyday spending.
  • On the other hand, existing cardholders will come out slightly ahead here, as opt-in Amex Offers are typically cumulative, with the boosted rate applying on top of the base rate.

Therefore, on dining purchases, existing cardholders could effectively earn a total of 7x Bonvoy points on the Bonvoy Card, or 13x MR points on the Platinum Card.

Indeed, this would be similar to how the current offers on the Business Platinum Card stack, where you can earn bonus points for the 10x offer, the 2x mobile offer, two $50 statement credits, and the regular 1.25x earn rate – all with the same purchase.

Between all the welcome bonuses and spending incentives, let’s just say there are probably going to be some very busy patios and very long lines at grocery stores across Canada this summer!

Conclusion

Move aside, Buddy Pass conversion, 2021’s hottest opportunity for racking up the points is here. 

As the phenomenon of “revenge travel” begins to take hold for the rest of the year, American Express has similarly brought their signature spectacular welcome bonuses back with a vengeance. 

Until August 3, 2021, you can earn all-time-high welcome bonuses of 150,000 MR points on the Platinum Card, 105,000 Bonvoy points on both the Bonvoy Card and Bonvoy Business Card, and 7,500 Air Miles on the Air Miles Reserve Card.

The bonuses are split into three separate components: a traditional minimum spend that’s been extended to a six-month window, a second-year component to incentivize you to keep the card after the first year, and a supercharged earning rate on a variety of daily spending categories (including the ever-popular groceries category on the personal cards). 

If you haven’t applied for these cards yet, there’s never going to be a better time to take action than now. And even if you currently hold these cards, you can still benefit from the spend-based incentives and boost your balance of MR or Bonvoy points in a meaningful way.

The best part? I have a feeling there’s even more awe-inspiring welcome bonuses coming our way very shortly, too. Stay tuned. 

39 Comments
  1. Stephen

    How likely am I to qualify for the bonus if I’ve had the Amex Platinum before? Thanks.

  2. Dym YYC

    Haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere but the Bonvoy Business upped its referral to 15k so the optimal path on the flowchart changes from starting with personal to business and referring from there…

    1. Ricky YVR

      Good spot, Dym! Another wrinkle for me to look at when I’m updating the flowchart (soon, soon…)

  3. Daniel

    I’ve had the Marriott Bonvoy card for years now and I plan to keep it for the annual anniversary free night certificate. Should I cancel my card and reapply so I can get the 15,000 retention bonus?

    1. Josh YVR

      It’s extremely unlikely that Amex would let you reapply as a new cardholder before this promotion ends in about a month. Even if you did, you’d lose a year with the annual free night, which is worth up to 35,000 points.

  4. Carly

    How would amex know if you bought gift cards at thriftys? Was planning to just buy $1000 a month to maximize the promo.

    1. David

      because spending exactly $1000… it’s super obvious that it’s a gift card purchase.

  5. Ben L

    any DPs on if the ‘within Canada’ is enforced?

  6. Victoria

    If you have the personal Marriott card and then get the business, do you still get the 15 night status credit for the business card even though you already received 15 nights via the personal card?

    1. Hossam

      Nope.
      You can get them if you have the two U.S Cards.
      For Canadians you only get the 15 nights once even if you carry both cards

  7. Joe

    Hello:
    Are the welcome bonus subject to “one per person and per lifetime”? I think it is for the US Amex cards but not sure for the Canadian cards.

    1. Hossam

      It’s implemented in Canada as per conversation with many CSR

  8. mark

    would private liquor stores in GVA be coded as groceries for this pointsX promo? eg liquor barn, jakcs, safeway liquor….i know the govt BC Liquor does not qualify, but what about the others? any DP? many thanks for all you guys do!

  9. Matt

    What is the consensus on re-apply for the Amex Plat?
    I had it 3-4 years ago b….

  10. IceH

    Notes have that former Platinum Cardmembers are not eligible. Do they enforce it?

  11. Kevin

    Ahhhhh……I just applied for the Amex Platinum Card two days ago……

  12. Larry

    Does the “eats and drinks” include LCBO purchases?

    1. Ricky YVR

      Unfortunately not, which is probably a good thing.

      But you can always buy LCBO gift cards at a grocery store for it to count.

  13. james

    I also received the 10 bonus points per dollar spent (up to 50k points) on food and grocery on the Amex Aeroplan Reserve card.

  14. Anna

    Hey Ricky, you may want to change, bonus is not on Anniversary Date of 12 months … it’s within month 14 to 17.

    You must be so happy to finally be coming out of quarantine. Thanks for all your timely articles/videos!

    1. Ricky YVR

      Correct, thanks for the catch.

      Over the moon. 🙂

  15. Ishan Godbole

    Worth waiting before applying for Amex Business Platinum?

    1. Ricky YVR

      Personally, I don’t see the Business Platinum going up from 100K.

      (Don’t kill me if you apply and we see 150K next week.)

      1. Ishan Godbole

        Haha I’m gonna wait until August-Sept anyway. The only reason I need it is for high Q4 business spend more than points itself.

  16. Jo

    I’ve had the personal Platinum a few years ago. Shall I reapply or I might get banned?

  17. Gerry

    What if you had these cards before? So tempting but Amex exile looms 🙂

  18. Lawrence Yu

    Is it fine if I purchase like a $100 gift card on every grocery run along with my normal grocery purchases. Or will I get banned for MS?

    1. Ricky YVR

      That’s fine.

        1. Ricky YVR

          The terms say that gift cards don’t count as an eligible purchase, not that you’d get into any kind of trouble for the act of buying gift cards. I wouldn’t say you should be worried.

  19. Sophia Panayotidis

    Does Walmart qualify on groceries?

    1. Ricky YVR

      Walmart typically does not code as a grocery store, rather a “general merchandise retailer”.

  20. Mark

    May I know which Gregory store in Vancouver is eligible for the platinum bonus point? Thx

    1. Ricky YVR

      Any grocery store that takes Amex. Whole Foods, Safeway, Save on Foods, etc.

      1. Mark

        thanks

      2. Etienne

        I just got approved for the personal AE Bonvoy last week and have yet to receive and activate my card (I’ve applied through POT referral link). Will I be eligible to earn 15,000 Bonvoy points as an anniversary bonus? And is the rebate on the annual fee of $120 still available after spending $10 000 in the first year?

        1. May

          Spoke to AE rep today and they stated you get the offer existing on the application date. You do not qualify for the 15k bonus at 14mo point. You can still get the $120 credit on spending $10k in the first year.

        2. Etienne

          Oops, sorry for posting this in a reply comment!

        3. Ricky YVR

          Unfortunately the offers are based on the application date, not the activation date. You could try asking through live chat to see if you can qualify for the new offer, but I don’t think it’s likely. And no, the $120 statement credit is no longer being offered (although it could come back after these current offers end on August 3).

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have an Account? Click here to Login