American Express has relaunched its popular Amex Stays promotion for autumn 2026, offering £75 cashback when you spend £300 in a single transaction at a participating hotel. The offer runs until 30th November 2026 and covers a broad selection of UK hotels - from boutique London addresses to countryside escapes in Scotland and Wales - plus a handful of overseas options. Critically, pre-paid bookings count, so you can book now and stay later, provided the charge hits your card before the deadline.
| How the Amex Stays cashback offer works |
The mechanics are straightforward, but there are a few rules worth knowing before you book. Here is everything that matters:
Spend £300 or more in a single transaction at a participating Amex Stays hotel and receive £75 cashback on your card.
The cashback is earned once in total - not once per hotel or brand. You cannot stack it across multiple stays.
Both pre-paid bookings and pay-on-departure reservations count, as long as the charge is taken by 30th November 2026.
You must opt in to the offer first - find it under the 'Offers' tab in your Amex account or on the dedicated Amex Stays website.
Not every American Express card participates, but coverage appears to be widespread, including British Airways American Express cards.
The full list of hotels is split into Group A (stay required to earn cashback) and Group B (cashback also available on standalone restaurant spend, no stay needed).
One practical note: the PDF list of participating hotels is longer than what appears on the website itself. It is worth downloading the PDF before assuming a property is not included.
| Is £75 back on £300 genuinely good value? |
Put simply, yes. A £75 return on a £300 spend is a 25% effective discount on your hotel bill - which is exceptional for a cashback credit card offer. To put it in context, many travel credit cards earn around 0.5-1% back on everyday spend. This single transaction is worth the equivalent of spending £7,500-£15,000 on a standard rewards card.
If you were already planning a UK hotel stay at one of the participating properties - or could arrange a group booking, a birthday dinner at a Group B hotel restaurant, or a corporate event - the savings are very real. A two-night stay at somewhere like Hotel Café Royal or Sea Containers London could easily clear the £300 threshold in one transaction, meaning you pocket £75 with no additional effort.
For Group B hotels, the opportunity is even broader. If a participating hotel has a restaurant you can book independently, a single dinner for a group of four or five people could meet the £300 threshold without needing an overnight stay at all.
| Which UK hotels are taking part in Amex Stays? |
The selection covers London heavily but also includes strong regional options across Scotland, Wales, the South West, Yorkshire and Northern Ireland. Highlights include:
London: Broadwick Soho, Hotel Café Royal, Sea Containers South Bank, One Hundred Shoreditch, The Lanesborough, The Carlton Tower (Jumeirah), The Londoner Leicester Square, The Athenaeum Piccadilly, Milestone Hotel Kensington, and many more.
Scotland: Cromlix (Stirling), Marine North Berwick, Rusacks St Andrews, Dornoch Station, Marine Troon.
Wales & England: Celtic Manor (Newport), Headland Hotel (Newquay), Hambleton Hall (Oakham), Bishopstrow (Warminster), Castle Hotel (Windsor).
Northern Ireland: Portrush Adelphi.
Heathrow: Thistle Heathrow - useful for an airport overnight, though reaching the £300 threshold here may be a stretch.
A number of the participating hotels are bookable via World of Hyatt (through the Small Luxury Hotels of the World partnership) or Hilton Honors (through Mr & Mrs Smith). If you have points you want to use, check whether a direct Amex card payment is required or whether a points booking would still trigger the cashback - in most cases you will need to charge the full amount to your Amex card.
| How to book and claim your £75 cashback |
Follow these steps to make sure you receive the cashback:
Log in to your American Express account online or via the app and navigate to the 'Offers' tab. Find the Amex Stays offer and click to opt in before you book.
Browse the participating hotels on the Amex Stays website or download the PDF list for the complete picture.
Book directly with the hotel and pay with your enrolled Amex card. Make sure the full amount of at least £300 is charged in a single transaction.
Pre-paid bookings for future stays are fine, provided the card charge is processed before 30th November 2026 - the stay itself can be later.
The £75 cashback should appear on your statement automatically after the qualifying transaction posts.
| Catches and limitations to know before you book |
This is a solid offer, but it is not without its quirks. Here is where things could catch you out:
One cashback per cardholder, full stop. Even if you stay at five participating hotels, you only earn the £75 once. Plan accordingly and use it on your biggest or most expensive stay.
Not all Amex cards are in. Check the Offers tab of your specific card before assuming you are enrolled. If the offer does not appear, your card may not be participating.
The £300 must be in a single transaction. Splitting a bill across two payments or combining a room charge and restaurant bill separately will not work if neither individually reaches £300.
Group A hotels require an actual stay. Only Group B hotels allow cashback on standalone restaurant spend without an overnight booking.
The overseas hotel list is very small - a handful of properties in the US, the Netherlands, Hungary, Italy and Spain (Paradores). This is primarily a UK hotel promotion.
The offer ends 30th November 2026. Pre-paid charges must clear by that date, not just be booked.
If you are eyeing one of the London properties listed under Global Hotel Alliance - such as Hotel Café Royal, Sea Containers, or One Hundred Shoreditch - it is worth checking their GHA membership in case you can also earn Discovery Dollars or tier points on top of the Amex cashback. Just confirm the payment method is compatible.
| Frequently asked questions |
Can I book a hotel now and stay after 30th November 2026?
Yes - as long as the card charge is processed before 30th November 2026, a pre-paid booking for a future stay counts. The stay itself does not need to happen before the deadline, only the payment.
Does Amex Stays work with British Airways Amex cards?
Yes, the offer appears to be available on British Airways American Express cards, among others. Check the Offers tab in your specific card account to confirm and opt in before booking.
Can I earn Avios or hotel points on the same stay?
This depends on the individual hotel and how you book. Booking directly with the hotel and paying by Amex card is the standard requirement for the cashback, and in many cases you can still earn loyalty points on the same stay - but verify with the hotel first, especially if booking a prepaid rate.
Which Amex cards are NOT included in Amex Stays?
American Express has not published a definitive exclusion list, but not every card participates. The safest approach is to log in to each of your Amex accounts and check the Offers tab directly - if the Amex Stays offer does not appear, that card is not enrolled.
| The bottom line |
Amex Stays is one of the most straightforward high-value Amex offers to come along in a while - 25% back on a hotel stay is genuinely difficult to beat. With a wide selection of UK independent and boutique hotels plus the major chains, most UK cardholders should be able to find a qualifying property for a stay they were planning anyway. The key steps: opt in before you book, pay at least £300 in a single transaction, and make sure the charge clears before 30th November 2026. Done right, this is an easy £75 back with minimal effort.
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