The Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the best all-around travel cards out there, with unbeatable lounge access and a ton of other great perks that can easily outweigh its hefty annual fee. A new, easy path to earn the biggest welcome offer bonus we've ever seen makes it even better.

Unlike the usual credit card links you see on travel sites, this one is only available through personal referral links you can get from friends or family members (or from us – keep reading). But it's a doozy: You might be able to earn up to 175,000 American Express Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 in the first six months of card membership.

That's the biggest bonus we've ever seen on the Platinum Card, easily trumping the standard 80,000-point bonus for the same spending requirement. But be warned: Getting this massive bonus might be tricky. You may not see the 175,000-point bonus through every referral link – some users are still seeing offers for 125,000 or 150,000 points, even the standard 80,000 points offer.

Click here to apply for this targeted referral offer – you might need to open it in an incognito window in order to pull up the 175,000-point offer or even try a different device. We'd encourage any traveler who's been considering the Amex Platinum Card to apply sooner rather than later.

Just remember: Credit cards are serious business. Sure, a 175,000-point bonus sounds great … but those points aren't worth a dime if it means you're digging yourself into debt to earn them. If you can't afford to pay off every dollar you charge to your card to earn these points, it's not worth it.

All information about The Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
 

amex platinum 175k offer 

Related reading: A Full Review of the Platinum Card from American Express

We've seen eye-popping bonuses of up to 150,000 via referrals a few times over the last year on the Platinum Card, but this is even bigger. It follows suit with some 90,000-point targeted referral offers that come and go on the Amex Gold Card.

But it's an insanely lucrative offer for new cardholders … and there's still something in it for the person referring the card, too. By having a friend or family member apply for the Platinum card through your referral link, you'll get 20,000 Membership Rewards points as well.

These personal referral bonuses through Amex are typically capped at 100,000 bonus points a year. That means you could max out this bonus with only five referrals to friends or family members.
 

amex platinum referree bonus 

Unfortunately, these referral offers can be heavily targeted so not every current cardholder will have this 175,000-point available to send to new applicants. And because Amex loves to play games, it may not even be clear if you can refer friends and family for this biggest-ever bonus.

So it's worth checking by heading to the American Express Refer a Friend homepage to see if you can generate a referral link. Just remember to check that link in an incognito browser. And keep in mind, different users are getting different offers with the same link.

Read more: 10 Amazing Ways to Redeem Amex Membership Rewards Points

 

How to Check for the 175K Referral Offer

Just because you have the Platinum Card® from American Express doesn't mean you will be able to share this offer.

Of the Thrifty Traveler staff members who hold the Platinum Card, just a few of us had a referral link available.

To see if you are eligible, head to the American Express Refer a Friend Homepage and log in to your Amex account. If you have more than one American Express card, make sure you select your Amex Platinum Card. Even if Amex says you can only refer friends for 80,000 points or 125,000 points, it's worth trying your link in an incognito browser to see if you (or others) can get the bigger one.

You'll be able to refer as many friends and family members as you would like. However, you'll only get a max of 100,000 Amex points per calendar year for successful referrals – 20,000 points apiece.

There is one slight downside. Starting back in 2018, American Express started treating points earned from referral bonuses as taxable income. Because Amex values these points at 1 cent each for tax purposes, 100,000 points in referral bonuses would result in a 1099 tax form for $1,000 early next year.

Read more: Are Credit Card Rewards Taxable? Here's Why You Got a 1099 for Earning Points
 

Pay Taxes With A Credit Card 

Don't have the American Express Platinum yet? Use our personal referral link to access the 175,000-point offer. You may need to open the link in an incognito or private web browser – and even then, you may still not see this bonus.

This is truly the best offer have ever seen on this card – and the best way to get the Amex Platinum Card if you're in the market for it. And it isn't particularly close.

There's one last thing worth considering before you pull the trigger: Amex rolled out new restrictions last year meant to combat consumers hopping from card to card in order to earn multiple bonuses.

These new “family card rules” mean you have to work your way up the list, from Amex Green to Gold to Platinum – not the reverse. If you start with the Platinum Card, you won't be eligible to earn a bonus on the Amex Green or Gold Cards.

Read more: The Key to Earning Multiple Amex Card Bonuses

 

Bottom Line

American Express just quietly rolled out the biggest bonus yet on the Amex Platinum Card via massive targeted referral offers: 175,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 in the first six months of card membership. If you can find it, it's the best offer we have ever seen on this top travel credit card.

If you have the Platinum Card already and can share this referral offer, you'll also get 20,000 for each successful approval (for up to 100,000 points a year).

This is truly an incredible offer for both the referrer and whichever friend or family member may benefit. If you don't yet have the Amex Platinum Card, you can try to use our personal referral link (open it in an incognito window) to earn a welcome bonus of up to 175,000 points!