As anticipated when the HDFC add-on card promotion launched last week, American Express has reintroduced its supplementary card offer. This version awards Membership Rewards (MR) points rather than Amazon vouchers, similar to the January–March 2020 campaign.
The overall point value remains broadly similar to the previous promotion, but the key change is a higher spending requirement and an extended spend period. Below are the essential details and our take on the offer.
Table of Contents
- Offer Details
- Is it a good offer?
- Final Thoughts
Offer Details
- Offer: Earn up to 5,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points per supplementary card, as specified above.
- Offer Period: September 1, 2020 to October 31, 2020. The supplementary card must be approved on or before November 30, 2020.
- Requirement: The spend threshold shown in the table must be met on the supplementary card within 60 days of its approval.
- Fulfilment: Rewards to be credited on or before February 28, 2021.
- Apply Supp Card Now
- Source
In short: the spend thresholds have increased and the window to meet them has lengthened, while reward quantities remain roughly comparable to the earlier promotion.
You may also want to know how many complimentary supplementary cards are allowed for each Amex product. Typical numbers are:
- Amex Platinum / Amex Platinum Reserve: 4 supplementary cards
- Amex Platinum Travel / Amex Jet: 2 supplementary cards
- Amex MRCC / Amex Gold Charge: 2 supplementary cards
- Smart Earn: 1 supplementary card
Is it a good offer?
Yes — with caveats.
Effectively, you earn rewards for adding supplementary cards for family or friends. Sharing the card can be both practical and rewarding.
For example, if you hold the Amex Platinum card, adding the permitted number of supplementary cards under this promotion could net you an additional 20,000 MR points, which is worth a meaningful amount when redeemed thoughtfully. There are multiple ways to maximize Amex MR point value, depending on your redemption preferences.
That said, the higher spending requirement can make the offer less attractive for some. Fortunately, Amex-friendly payment channels such as popular e-wallets can help meet the spend thresholds more easily than relying solely on conventional purchases.
Final Thoughts
It’s encouraging to see Amex reintroduce a supplementary card promotion. The offer delivers good value, especially on premium cards that allow multiple supplementary additions, but it would have been stronger with a slightly higher point payout to match the increased spending demands.
Overall, this remains a valuable opportunity to boost your MR balance, particularly if you already hold premium Amex cards. Pairing this offer with cards that waive the first-year fee can make the proposition even better: you get free card membership initially and the chance to earn extra MR points through complimentary supplementary cards.
- Amex Plat Travel (often available with first-year fee waived)
- Amex MRCC (often available with first-year fee waived)
Personally, I was waiting for this promotion and plan to add supplementary cards to my recently opened Amex Platinum to take advantage of the offer.
What do you think of the latest Amex supplementary card offer? Share your thoughts in the comments.