# American Express Gold Card: refer a friend

Canonical: https://dealaka.com/referrals/american-express-gold-card-refer-a-friend

This is what an EXISTING customer earns for referring someone. For what a new customer gets for opening the account, see the offer entry linked below.

- Status: live
- Referrer earns: Not published per approved referral (targeted, not a fixed rate: Set per Card Member, shown only to you)
- Referred person earns: no separate bonus
- Cap: 5 per calendar year, per person
- Cap scope: per person
- Requirement: Apply through your link and be approved for a Card
- Tax form: 1099-MISC
- Link sharing: People you know only
- Institution: American Express
- Verified: Jul 22, 2026 against americanexpress.com
- New-customer offer: https://dealaka.com/offers/american-express-gold-card-sign-up-bonus
- Note: Dealaka links only the issuer's own program page and takes no share of any referral reward.

## Summary
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.

## How the referrer gets their 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

## 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.

## When it pays
After the referred application is approved. Amex does not publish a fixed posting window.

## 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 <https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/referral> (checked Jul 22, 2026)
- americanexpress.com Refer a Friend customer service FAQ <https://www.americanexpress.com/us/customer-service/faq.refer-a-friend.html> (checked Jul 22, 2026)

_This entry is reference information, not financial or tax advice. Referral terms change without notice and the figure shown to you may differ from the one shown to someone else. Confirm on the issuer's own page._