If you’re just starting out on your Membership Rewards points journey, let us help you get off to a brilliant start with this guide to the benefits and rewards of paying for a range of business expenses with your American Express Business Card.
You can use your points to invest in your growing business or treat yourself and your team simply by conducting business as usual. As a Business Cardmember you will automatically earn one Membership Rewards point for every £1 you spend, unlocking an exciting range of rewards from high street gift cards to luxury experiences.¹
Earning points couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is remember to use your Card to pay for day-to-day business expenses. And by adding your Card to your Apple Pay or Google Pay account you’ll instantly have the ability to earn points as you top up when travelling to a meeting or buying lunch for a client.
If you spend just £200 each week on food or petrol and other sundries, you’ll end the year with more than 10,000 points,” says Rishi Bhasi, a Business Account Manager with American Express. Those 10,000 points sound great, especially if you redeem them for a 12-month subscription to Spotify Premium to motivate your team in the office.²
Earn Membership Rewards points with a Welcome Bonus
As a new Business Cardmember, you can earn a Welcome Bonus of up to 20,000 points on your American Express® Business Gold Card or 40,000 points on your American Express® Business Platinum Card.
To qualify, all you need to do is remember to spend at least £3,000 (Gold Cardmembers) or £6,000 (Platinum Cardmembers) within the first three months of receiving your Card.
Lots of Cardmembers earn their Welcome Bonus by using their new Card to pay large invoices, says Rishi.
Once you hit your spend target, you can trade-in your Welcome Bonus for a range of rewards. Gold Cardmembers could spend £100 at Amazon, while Platinum Cardmembers could trade 40,000 points for a new wireless credit card terminal from Square for their business.
Make your bills more rewarding with American Express
Switching your bills to an American Express Business Card means you can start earning Membership Rewards points without lifting a finger.
You can use your Card to pay regular bills such as insurance with Admiral or Aviva, and internet services from providers such as BT. Spending £200,000 every year on internet and telephone services could translate into £1,000 to spend at Selfridges, making it the ideal way to invest in a new suit.²
Turn marketing campaigns into Membership Rewards points
If you want your business to make a splash, it’s essential to invest in advertising and marketing to build brand awareness and increase sales.
Many marketing platforms accept American Express, including Facebook, Google and Bing. By paying for campaigns with your Card, you’ll benefit from our flexible monthly spending limit, have up to 54 days to pay back the balance and earn one Membership Rewards point for every £1 spent.
If you manage advertising budgets on behalf of your clients, then consider taking a leaf out of one agency’s book and start paying for campaigns using American Express. We recently worked with an agency that was responsible for spending £100,000 a month on Facebook Ads on behalf of clients. Making these payments with American Express meant the agency was able to earn points while spending their client’s money. The company could then use those points to pay for future advertising, allowing it to make a bigger profit on its client’s campaigns.
Discover new opportunities to earn Membership Rewards points with existing suppliers
Your American Express Account Manager is dedicated to helping you earn more points. “I’m always happy to go through a client’s spending and identify where they might be able to earn more points either by helping suppliers accept American Express or by switching suppliers,” Rishi says.
Rishi and his team recently worked with a convenience shop owner, who was spending £20,000 each month on wholesale food and drink. Rishi analysed the company’s spending and realised that, by switching to another wholesaler, the owner could save 5% on the cost of drinks purchases and use his card to pay for his supplies. As a result, the business was able to reduce the cost of its spend and earn an additional 240,000 points in just 12 months.
The owner plans to use the points on travel in the future, but there are countless other options available, for example, redeeming points for vouchers to use on takeaway app Deliveroo. You could convert 200,000 points into a £1,000 gift card, which you could use on those evenings when you just don’t feel like cooking.
Rishi also alerted the owner of a plumbing and heating company when one of their key suppliers started accepting American Express. Switching payments from BACS to American Express helped the plumbing business earn an extra 40,000 points each month. Within a year, the owner had earned enough points to realise a long-held dream to take his whole family to Dubai.
You can call 0800 917 8043 to speak to an Account Manager find out more about suppliers that accept Amex.
Link your Card to make easy online payments
What happens if you’re paying a bill online and there’s no option to pay by American Express? Rishi suggests linking your card to your PayPal account to keep racking up those all-important points.
Linking your card to PayPal is simple. When you log into your online account, simply click “wallet” at the top of the page and then “link a debit or credit card” from the left-hand menu. All you need to do is enter your card details and you’re all set.
For even more ways to reach your goals, check out our comprehensive guide to earning more points the easy way:
4 Ways to Earn More Membership Rewards® Points
- Membership Rewards points are earned on every full £1 spent and charged, per transaction. Terms and conditions apply.
- Rewards shown are examples that are subject to availability and may change. Examples valid as of June 2021. Terms and conditions apply. Enrolment is required.
- If you'd prefer a Card with no annual fee, rewards or other features, an alternative option is available – the Business Basic Card.
