American Express has added a new limit of 5 referrals per year for cardholders. The terms say:
As of 4/8/2026 at 12:00 PM (ET), all eligible Cardmembers may earn a referral bonus up to a maximum of five (5) times per calendar year.
If your friend received a card from your referral link between 1/1/2026 and 4/7/2026 at 11:59 PM (ET), the referral bonus you earned counts toward your previous annual currency-based limit.
If your friend received a Card from your referral link after 4/8/2026 at 12:00 PM (ET), the referral bonus you earned counts toward your reward limit of five (5) referrals per calendar year.
The good thing is that it looks like the referral limit reset on 4/8/26, so if you were already at the points earned limit (varies by card), you can refer again to earn more points. American Express has confirmed that this limit is per card, not per account. For example, if you carry the Platinum card and a Hilton card, you can refer 5 people to Platinum AND 5 people to Hilton.
I am somewhat surprised to see this as I think referrals are probably one of the lowest cost channels of acquiring American Express. An argument can be made that in many cases applicants would be registered if they were not referred.
. My reading is that the limit of 5 is per card and not per account as well, others are reading that it is a limit of 5 per account. I contacted American Express to confirm.
Hats off to him Cobalt Sunsets
