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American Express · Card issuer

American Express Gold Card: refer a friend

You earn, per approved referral
Not published
Set per Card Member, shown only to you
Read the program termsGoes straight to americanexpress.com
Per referral
Not published
Cap
5 per calendar year, per person
Tax form
1099-MISC
Terms confirmed
Jul 22, 2026

American Express publishes no referral rate for the Gold Card. The amount is set per Card Member and shown only on your own Refer a Friend page, so any figure quoted elsewhere is somebody else's offer rather than a rate you can expect. What the program terms do state is the limit: five eligible referrals per calendar year, counted per Card Member.

Looking to open one instead? We track the American Express Gold Card sign-up bonus separately. That is what a new customer gets. This page is what you get for referring one.

How you get your link

Sign in to your account and open the Refer a Friend page for the specific Card you want to refer.

  • Refer by email
  • Share a personal link

What the person you refer gets

The referred person gets no separate bonus from this program. They must still apply through your link and be approved for a Card for you to be paid, though the sign-up bonus we track separately may still apply to them.

The cap, exactly

American Express caps this at 5 per calendar year, per person. The limit follows you, not the card, so holding more than one eligible card does not multiply it.

Tax treatment

American Express states the referral bonus may be taxable income and that it may send you a Form 1099-MISC and file it with the IRS. The tax falls on the person doing the referring, not the person referred. This is reference information, not tax advice.

Where you may share this link

People you know only

American Express's own terms restrict sharing to people you know personally. Posting your link on a public site or forum can forfeit the referral bonus, and Dealaka does not host links for this program.

Read the exact clause →

When it pays

After the referred application is approved. Amex does not publish a fixed posting window.

The fine print that matters

  • The cap changed on April 8, 2026. Before that date the Gold Card limit was 100,000 Membership Rewards points a calendar year, a value ceiling. It is now a count of five referrals.
  • The count is per Card Member. Earlier terms varied the limit by Card, and the current wording drops that, so treat the multi-card case as unsettled rather than assuming five per card.
  • American Express publishes no referral amount or range anywhere public. It states only that referral offers may vary by Card and account.
  • You must be the Basic Card Member to earn a referral bonus. Additional Card Members cannot refer.
  • Exceeding the cap does not hurt the person you refer. They can still earn a welcome offer; you simply stop being paid.
  • American Express may treat the referral bonus as taxable income and report it on a Form 1099-MISC.
  • The full program terms only render for a signed-in Card Member with a live offer, so there is no public URL that reproduces them for a reader.

Sources: americanexpress.com Refer a Friend program page (checked Jul 22, 2026) · americanexpress.com Refer a Friend customer service FAQ (checked Jul 22, 2026)

Dealaka does not host referral links for this program and takes no share of any referral reward. This page describes the terms American Express publishes. Something wrong? Send a tip.