Limited time: Enjoy the old AMEX MGM referral bonuses until 30 June

4 June was the last day for the old American Express Member Get Member (MGM) program, and now, the new (devalued) offers have kicked in. Spending requirements have increased, and bonus points/miles have decreased. 

However, Milelion readers can still access the old offer until 30 June 2020. Here’s how. 

How have the AMEX MGM referral bonuses changed?

The table below compares the old and new MGM offers for the AMEX Platinum Credit Card, the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card, and the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend. 

	Old MGM (until 4 Jun)	New MGM (from 5 Jun)
AMEX Platinum Credit Card	Spend S$1K in 3 months, get 15,000 points	Spend S$2K in 3 months, get 12,000 points
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card	Spend S$1K in 3 months, get 5,000 miles	Spend S$2K in 3 months, get 3,000 miles
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend	Spend S$1K in 3 months, get 7,500 miles	Spend S$2K in 3 months, get 7,500 miles

As you can see, the spending requirements have now doubled, but the bonus miles/points have stayed the same or been reduced, the case of the AMEX Platinum Credit Card.

Milelion readers can continue to enjoy the old MGM until 30 June

Until 30 June 2020, however, Milelion readers can continue to access the old offers through this link. 

Do note that this applies to approvals granted by 30 June 2020, so if you’re thinking of applying, don’t leave it till the last minute. All applications through The Milelion’s links are still entitled to the usual sign-up bonuses and benefits. 

Sign-Up Bonus for AMEX Cards
	First 3 Months	Month 4-6
AMEX Platinum Credit Card	Spend S$6K, get 25,000 points	Spend S$6K in 3 months, get 25,000 points
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card	Spend S$5K, get 8,000 miles*	N/A
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend	Spend S$10K, get 16,000 miles*	N/A
* Plus 5,000 bonus miles on first spend

Any spending for the purposes of MGM bonuses double counts towards sign-up bonus spending. In other words, should I spend S$5,000 on my AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card in the first 3 months of approval, I’ll receive:

• 5,000 bonus miles for first spend
• 5,500 base miles (@ 1.1 mpd)
• 5,000 bonus miles from MGM
• 8,000 bonus miles from sign-up bonus

This means a total return of 23,500 miles for S$5,000 spending- none too shabby.

Conclusion

It’s always possible that AMEX may scale up the MGM bonuses again in the future when the economy recovers, but until then, this is the last call for the existing offer. 

My advice is to only apply if you’re confident about hitting the sign-up bonus minimum spending (not just the MGM minimum spending). AMEX sign-up bonuses tend to be better than the market, and you really want to max them out.