American Express cards now clearly contain the following language on their application pages:
Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product.
You’d think that language would make who is and isn’t clear cut, but you’d be wrong. There are a number of things to take into account.
- Not all application pages contain that language. These are usually targeted offers, either sent via mail or available by logging in or checking for pre-approved offers. If an application page does not include the above (or similar) language then it means it’s not applicable to that card/bonus and you can get the bonus a second (or third or fourth etc) time. Note: Some people have run into issues with this and haven’t gotten the bonus, so YMMV. I’m trying to find out why this usually but not always works, so if you provide a datapoint please share as much information as possible.
- American Express only count cards within a specific time frame. We believe that time frame is seven years, the issue with that of course is that some people don’t keep very good records (shame on you – use this to make it easier). A solution I’ve seen mentioned recently is that you can ask American Express via chat what cards you have/haven’t had before (Frequent Miler goes into some more detail about this here, rather than asking about one card I’d just ask about all cards).
- Another question people struggle with is what about business cards. For example, if I apply using a different EIN then can I get the bonus a second time? We’ve talked about this question (and answered it before) here. The short answer is that it does work if you use a different tax ID most of the time, but not always.
Thoughts on this:
8/2006 – Received Amex SPG Personal Card bonus. Kept this card until 8/2016.
10/2016 – Opened new SPG Personal Card just to have it for a year w/o AF. Did not attempt minimum signup bonus spend, believing I was ineligible. Was that wrong?
If I close SPG Personal Card #2, wait a month & reapply would I be eligible for the signup bonus since it’s been over 10 years since I received the bonus, even though it’s been less than a year since I closed the card that received that bonus?
You would have to have closed it 7 years ago.
Thought so. Thx.
In hindsight I should’ve closed it/ reapplied every year I didn’t get a retention offer.
Any advise on MSing successfully on Amex cards? I have a business platinum and need to spend 5K in 60 days. Can I buy WM VGC here and there along with other groceries? So charges will never be the same. All I need to buy is 10 over a period of 2 months.
Probably not the right thread for Msing your minimum spend. And I recommend you don’t MS your minimum spend. AMEX might look at it, and not pay out.
And I just thought about it. If they are going to say the business and the personal is the same product, then what about the SPG personal and Business.
It seems like it’s only MR, and that the reps there will straight out tell you that you won’t get the MR bonus or get the clawed MR bonus back, no matter who you talk to.
Amex clawed back the 100,000 bonus points on the personal Platinum card I recently picked up. Customer service is grouping the Platinum with Business Platinum as one product and maintaining that I’m ineligible for a second bonus on the same product. Have you ever heard of this and is there anything I can do about it?
That’s messed up. I am sure you’re the guy that posted on Reddit. I am the guy that is worried that they will claw back or not pay out my 50k PRG to Platinum upgrade because I had the Business Platinum.
Regarding Getting The Same Business Credit Card Multiple Times With Different EIN,
here your saying ” The short answer is that it does work if you use a different tax ID”
but in the comment’s on the earlier post there are few non success story’s, think we are still unclear ?
Updated post.
I followed your advice and got the list via chat. The SPG AMEX which I had previously (8 years ago) did NOT show up, which is a datapoint confirming the unofficial 7 year AMEX “prior account memory” rule.
A few questions: if I apply and am accepted for the SPG AMEX, do I receive something similar to the CITI welcome letter which confirms the bonus? If not, do I call a rep and confirm prior to any spending? Based on recent blogs do you consider MS to be dangerous now with AMEX? And, if still worth the risk, is it less likely to detect at grocery/drug and/or with total not ending in 95 cents? Thank you. P.S. You are number 1 in terms of my daily reading. My time is limited, you are well worth it!
Don’t think you can really confirm before hand other than the chat, so you’ll just have to do the spend and hope for the best. Keep us updated and thanks for the kind words.
I chatted and asked, “Can you tell me which all AmEx cards I have had according to your record?”, The rep said, she can not see this information and gave me 800 number to call.
Interesting, anybody else had this experience?
I feel like the biggest idiot. I logged into my blue cash account several days ago and saw a pop up on top saying “get 75,000 MR points with the BGR after spending 5,000 in three months” Thought it was universal and ill just apply later….KILL ME
You don’t see it anymore?
I received an offer in mail for PRG 50,000 points after 3000 spend.
I was thinking of applying since it doesn’t have the language of once in a lifetime bonus.
After reading people’s experiences I won’t apply.
thanks everyone for the DP.
I received a 25000 MR/$1000 spend after cancelling my PRG. Applied and received the points.
Others have successfully gotten the bonus, I personally wouldn’t let the relatively few DP on this post deter you. At worst you will lose a hard pull and AmEx doesn’t always do hard pulls anyway.
Is it 7 years from closing card or recieving bonus?
Believe it’s closing card, but not 100% sure. Might also be some other date in time (e.g American Express might have updated IT systems and that has removed old data or similar)
Well, it looks like the post needs to be updated. You cannot advise people to do this, and take a hit, without acknowledging data points that are to the contrary.
Post has been updated, I was going off my own and other friends experiences.