Earn rewards when you refer friends and family to AMEX cards

[The following is a sponsored post by American Express. The opinions and analysis are those of The Milelion.]

One of the unique features of AMEX is the fully-automated Member Get Member (MGM) program, which allows cardholders to earn rewards by referring friends and family to AMEX cards (Citibank also has an MGM program, but requires all referees to be new-to-bank).

In this post I want to explain how the MGM program works, what rewards you can earn and how it compares with other options for applying for AMEX cards.

How does the AMEX MGM program work?

When a friend signs up and is approved for an AMEX card via your referral link, both of you receive a referral gift in the form of miles, MR points or STAR$. For cards that are applied for and approved by 31 January 2019, AMEX is adding an additional $50 CapitaVoucher for both the referrer and referee. 

If your referee’s card is approved, you’ll receive your gift within 12 weeks from the approval date. If you’ve been referred by someone, you’ll get your gift within 12 weeks after you spend a minimum of $50 within 3 months of approval.

Here are two other important points to know about the AMEX MGM referral program:

• Referees cannot apply for a particular AMEX card if he or she cancelled that same card within the past 6 months
• If a referee cancels his or her card within 6 months of approval, both the referrer and referee will forfeit their gifts and have the value billed to their account

What cards can I refer?

The MGM portal currently offers referrals for the following four cards:

1. AMEX Platinum Credit Card
2. AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend
3. AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card
4. AMEX CapitaCard

If you hold a Platinum Reserve, Platinum Credit Card, Rewards Card or Personal Card, you can refer a friend to the Platinum Credit Card. You’ll each get 6,000 MR points (~3,333 miles) and a $50 CapitaVoucher upon approval.

If you hold a CapitaCard, you can refer a friend to the CapitaCard. You’ll each get 40,000 STAR$ (equivalent to a $40 CapitaVoucher) and a $50 CapitaVoucher upon approval.

If you hold any of the KrisFlyer cobrand cards, you can refer a friend to either the KrisFlyer Credit Card or KrisFlyer Ascend. There are a few permutations here:

• If you hold a KrisFlyer Credit Card and refer someone to a KrisFlyer Credit Card, you each get 3,000 miles + $50 CapitaVoucher
• If you hold a KrisFlyer Credit Card and refer someone to a KrisFlyer Ascend, you get 3,000 miles + $50 CapitaVoucher, he/she gets 4,000 miles + $50 CapitaVoucher
• If you hold any other KrisFlyer card (Ascend, PPS, Solitaire PPS) and refer someone to a KrisFlyer Credit Card, you get 4,000 miles + $50 CapitaVoucher, he/she gets 3,000 miles + $50 CapitaVoucher
• If you hold any other KrisFlyer card (Ascend, PPS, Solitaire PPS) and refer someone to a KrisFlyer Ascend, you each get 4,000 miles + $50 CapitaVoucher

How do I get my referral link?

Generating your personalized referral code is simple.

1. Navigate to the MGM portal and login using your usual AMEX User ID and password

2. You’ll see a listing of your current AMEX cards and what you’ll get for a successful referral. Click on the top right to toggle between cards.

3. Scroll down and you’ll see three different ways to refer your friends and family. You can copy and paste the automatically-generated code, send your code via email or share it on Facebook.

Heads up: the UX of the MGM portal is kind of confusing in that it seems to suggest that a KrisFlyer Credit Card member can only do referrals for the KrisFlyer Credit Card…

…but that’s not true. Try it yourself: click on the link that the MGM portal generates and scroll to the bottom. You’ll see a link for the Ascend, which your friend can use to apply.

The same applies if you’re an Ascend cardholder- your MGM interface will show the Ascend card, but you’ll be able to refer people to the KrisFlyer Credit Card by asking them to scroll to the bottom of your referral link and selecting that card instead.

Comparing the MGM program to alternatives

So that’s how the referral program works from the existing cardholder’s point of view. But what about the applicant?

If you’re in the market for an AMEX card, you’ll know that it’s also possible to apply through a financial comparison site like SingSaver, which earns you an application gift in the form of cash or vouchers.

Which option works better? As an applicant, here’s how your trade-off looks when you apply via SingSaver versus the AMEX MGM feature:

*Referral value computation assumes you value CapitaVouchers at face value, convert MR points to miles and value miles at 2 cents each

The equation gets much more interesting if you’re referred by a family member, however, because to the extent you see it as a left pocket right pocket thing, you could potentially do better through the MGM:

Card	SingSaver Dec Cash Gift	AMEX MGM (2 person)	Referral Value*
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend	$150	8,000 miles + $100 voucher	$260
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card	$150	6,000 miles + $100 voucher	$220
AMEX True Cashback	$150	None	None
AMEX CapitaCard	$100	80,000 STAR$ + $100 voucher	$180
AMEX Platinum Credit Card	$150	12,000 MR + $100 voucher	$234

*Referral value computation assumes you value CapitaVouchers at face value, convert MR points to miles and value miles at 2 cents each

It’s simple math, really- if you and the referee are effectively one entity (eg a husband and wife team), then it can make sense to double your haul via the MGM program.

Conclusion

The AMEX MGM program is a great way of earning additional rewards when introducing friends and family to AMEX cards. Share your links with friends and family and enjoy the additional CapitaVouchers while the promotion lasts!