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Put a fork in it 5.1.2014: One bonus per personal card per person "lifetime" [USA]

Old Mar 14, 2014, 10:48 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: beltway
It is essential to read the terms of the specific offer, but in general:

This offer is also not available to applicants who have or have had this product.
  • You can only earn one new account bonus for each personal card issued by American Express in the USA. We do not know precisely how far back American Express looks to see if you have previously held the same card, but there is anecdotal evidence that the Customer Service database looks back only seven years. This means that if you cancelled a card in 2007 or earlier, and have not held it since, you will probably qualify for a new account bonus in 2015.
  • Holding a related card does not disqualify earning a new account bonus. Examples: Green, Gold, and Platinum are each separate products. Delta Gold, Platinum and Reserve are each separate products. The Hilton credit card is a different product than Hilton Surpass.
  • Holding a Supplementary Card (authorized user) on someone else's account does not disqualify you from earning a new acount bonus if you open the same card type in your own name.
  • This rule does not apply to business cards. As of mid-February 2016, Amex appears to be adding the same restriction to its business card products.
  • If you receive a targeted offer, online or through the USPS, for a card which you have previously held you may, or may not, actually receive the bonus. Be certain to save a copy of the offer, and to read and save every screen which appears during the application process.
  • Upgrade offers are different from new account offers. You may be offered a bonus to upgrade (for example) a Gold Card to a Platinum Card, and you may be eligible for that bonus even if you previously held a Platinum card. It is still essential to read and save the terms of the offer.

If we identify you as currently having an American Express Card account, you may not be eligible for this welcome bonus offer.
  • This language appeared in the Spring of 2013, a year before the once-in-a lifetime policy was announced. The key term is "may", which gives American Express discretion to award or withhold the bonus.
  • To reduce the risk that the automated system will deny a new account bonus, RIGHT click the application link and open the application in a Private or Incognito browser window. American Express will still know that you are a current cardholder, but the system will not flag your application.

Points will be credited to your Membership Rewards account within 6 - 8 weeks after the spend requirement has been reached.
  • In practice it is not possible to know when American Express's system will credit a bonus to your rewards account. It may happen immediately after you meet the target spend, or it may happen when the next statement (or the following statement) is generated, or it may take the full eight weeks.
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Put a fork in it 5.1.2014: One bonus per personal card per person "lifetime" [USA]

Old Mar 10, 2014, 6:15 pm
  #1  
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Put a fork in it 5.1.2014: One bonus per personal card per person "lifetime" [USA]

Any truth to this rumor?
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Old Mar 10, 2014, 6:45 pm
  #2  
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Define churning? Repeating bonuses or making the spread via MS.
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Old Mar 10, 2014, 7:24 pm
  #3  
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Originally Posted by IDM79
Any truth to this rumor?
How about a source of the rumor???

And yes, what exactly do you mean by churning? In addtion to what TravelerMSY mentioned, it could also mean including an AMEX card as part of an AOR.

So it's not at all clear from your post what this rumor says is changing, along with what the source of the rumor is.
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Old Mar 10, 2014, 8:17 pm
  #4  
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Originally Posted by TravelerMSY
Define churning? Repeating bonuses or making the spread via MS.
Customer Reps at AMEX have been reportedly quoting a new rule going into effect May 1 that you are only allowed one bonus per card/per lifetime. Period. Becoming more like Chase I guess with the one per lifetime rule, although that's not always enforced, so we'll have to wait and see how strict they are going to be on this. If it's true of course...
Feel free to call for yourself.
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Old Mar 10, 2014, 9:22 pm
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Yup. Looks for real. Details may still be a little shaky but in general, AMEX is going to a one-bonus-per-lifetime policy.
Shouldn't be much of a surprise though. Inevitable results of a hobby that has obviously gone way too mainstream. What is truly surprising is these banks allowed so much churning for so long.
But like the Borg, I'm sure we will adapt...
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Old Mar 10, 2014, 9:33 pm
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Or you can just link to the post on dansdeals:

http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/41831

HT: ctownflyer
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Old Mar 11, 2014, 12:52 am
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Originally Posted by TheBOSman
Or you can just link to the post on dansdeals:
Doesn't look like we need to. A Dan-bot has dutifully done did so already.
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Old Mar 11, 2014, 1:34 am
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hope this doesn't apply to canada!
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Old Mar 11, 2014, 6:01 am
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What bet they don't update their web site so that when you apply you're told you were accepted, but can't get the promotion.

An application for BCP had the wording that I "may not be eligible" for the promotion. So I called and asked before I applied for the card, printed out a PDF of the approval message saying I got the card and the bonus, and called after applying and was again told I got the promo. So then I hit the minimum spend and called again and they were like, "oh, oh, wait a minute!"

Four calls and 3 months later, someone from there "executive customer service dept" called and was very apologetic . She must have apologized twenty damn times despite my telling her I really didn't care if she was personally sorry, I just wanted her to fix it.

She point blank told me AMEX wouldn't check the call logs and the printout of my acceptance web page was irrelevant. I needed to have printed out the application page. So basically AMEX isn't responsible for what they tell you on the phone or what their web site tells you. The executive customer service lady point blank said, "yeah, sometimes the people answering the phone get it wrong.., I'm so sorry!"

The days of AMEX being the peace of mind bank are over. AMEX is just riding on their reputation of the past. If you're a card holder because of the benefits, fine. Just don't expect them to have your back if something goes hay wire. It might work out for you, but in my experience it works out less than it does with other banks.

Chase is kicking their butt and AMEX isn't responding. Just letting Chase slowly eat into their profits margin. Probably have to be some kind of catastrophe earnings-wise before AMEX revamps.

Their new Everyday cards look like an effort to respond, but their criteria of having to use their Preferred card 30 times in a month is pure paranoia. I do some modest MS and don't use my credit card 30 times a month. I could get the lower Everyday card and without doing a bunch of trivial charges hit their 20 / month transaction limit. But then I'd have to completely stop using any card besides my AMEX Everyday. I'd be fine using 2 cards, like one for restaurants and entertainment and one for groceries, drugstores, gas... But 1 card is just laziness.

It's like AMEX is trying to figure out how to reward loyalty rather than just grab lazy people who sign up for a big bonus and hope they never bother to switch cards again. But this transaction limit, it's like they're not able to do that without being paranoid schizophrenic about the churners. That transaction limit, they're basically encouraging regular folk to make spurious charges. And if you're making spurious charges anyway... hey, why not make them gift cards at the grocery store??!

Last edited by levander; Mar 13, 2014 at 11:33 pm
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Old Mar 11, 2014, 9:50 am
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I half heartly agree with what you are saying. Yes they aren't very nice about helping fix messes with reward bonuses. That happened to me when I signed up for my Amex PRG. It was a 50k MR points bonus but I only recieved half 25k. That really chapped my hide because I had plans for those points.

What I've done is make PRG my daily spender for me and my wife. We could easily hit 30 swipes a month, I'd bet we swipe 50 times a month given bills and auto pays. I think that is what they are targeting with the new everyday cards. However I don't understand creating a competing card for what you already offer. Especially when it has spending caps while PRG doesnt.

With that being said, its really sad that they aren't offering mulitple bonuses for new cards. I for one hunt bonuses but I guess I should just keep daily spending in order to rack points. What else can you do?
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Old Mar 11, 2014, 9:57 am
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Originally Posted by IDM79
Doesn't look like we need to. A Dan-bot has dutifully done did so already.
I figured it has a lot more info, and helps elevate this from "rumor" to "possibility" . I'm hardly a Dan-bot but the guy does generally know his stuff.
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Old Mar 11, 2014, 10:55 am
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Originally Posted by levander
Chase is kicking their butt and AMEX isn't responding. Just letting Chase slowly eat into their profits margin. Probably have to be some kind of catastrophe earnings-wise before AMEX revamps.
Actually Amex has been steadily increasing their revenue (and dividend) for years, and is currently trading near their 52 week high.
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Old Mar 11, 2014, 11:29 am
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No churning after May 1st?

Searched and didn't see this anywhere.. Please merge as required.

Amex apparently wont give bonus to consumers after may 1st in case you have ever held the card and not just the last 12 months as it usually does. Saw this link on one of the blogger sites

link
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Old Mar 11, 2014, 11:45 am
  #14  
mia
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Originally Posted by knn9413a
...the last 12 months as it usually does...
The 12 month policy is relatively new, and replaced ambiguously worded policies which varied from one card product to another. As always, the key will be how American Express implements this. In practice they will not want to turn away profitable business, but it will be useful to have a policy to justify declining applications from those with a history of churning for signup bonuses.
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Old Mar 11, 2014, 12:25 pm
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Originally Posted by TheBOSman
I figured it has a lot more info, and helps elevate this from "rumor" to "possibility" . I'm hardly a Dan-bot but the guy does generally know his stuff.
Unless something miraculous happens, this is a whole lot more than a possibility
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