Can’t Refer From Your Amex Card? You’re Not The Only One…

Have you tried to refer from your Amex card recently only to not be given the option or see the message – “Your Account is temporarily unable to access the Referral Programme”? You aren’t the only one! We’ve had several emails about Amex cardholders no longer being able to refer from their cards. Unfortunately, not a lot is known about “why” but below is what we know so far…

Why can’t I refer from my Amex Card?

You can read the Amex referral T&Cs here. They are broadly the same for each card type just with different points awarded for a successful referral.

The key points are…

• Only friends, business partners and family: You must only send the referral link to close friends, business partners and family. We will not discuss the outcome of your friend, business partner or family member’s card application. 
• Ask their permission first: Please don’t spam. Before sharing the referral link with your friend, business partner or family member, you must ensure you have obtained their consent to receiving this type of marketing communication. Sending emails to people without consent is considered spam. 
• Your Card Account’s eligibility to participate in the Referral programme is based on your overall credit rating and other factors including your Account history with American Express.

From the few people, we’ve spoken to it appears it may be targeted at people who have shared their referral link publically, engaged in self-referrals, or repeatedly referred the same person for multiple cards. Whilst not necessarily against the letter of the T&Cs it could certainly be argued that such actions are against the spirit of the programme.

Will my ability to refer come back?

According to Amex they “automatically check the eligibility of their account at the time of login” and “once circumstances change, you will again get the option to refer.” All we can suggest is to continue to use your card as normal and if/when the ability to refer comes back be more cautious with how you use the referral programme.

Conclusion

Whilst Amex hasn’t publically announced any changes to their referral T&Cs after the shut-down of Amex accounts in the US that engaged in self-referrals several years ago, it’s not unreasonable to think that perhaps Amex in the UK is “tightening up” on referrals. Have you been removed from the referral programme? Let us know what Amex told you the reason was below!