moretimeoffguy

Moderator, sorry, there's probably a place for this but wasn't sure where. Please move as needed.

So, at least several months ago, bloggers started reporting that Amex had instituted a policy of giving sign-up bonuses once-per-lifetime for their own cards, e.g. various MR cards, Simply*, and others but *not* co-branded partner cards like Delta and SPG.

Not sure how / when things morphed, but most of the Big Name mile and point bloggers seem to uniformly warn that the policy is one-bonus-per-lifetime on *all* Amex-issued Personal cards (but not for Business cards). Is this really the case or is there ongoing confusion? Presumably, if they're "all" reporting the same thing, they're going off behavior--what Amex actually does--rather than verbiage alone.

I track my card apps and was approaching the 18 to 24 month range on Delta and SPG--two cards I've had before. Eyeing the 30K SPG offer expiring in a week or two. Will I really be denied the bonus on, say, an SPG personal card since I've had it before?

I realize if a card itself morphs enough, it may then be considered a new card product and so past owners of older co-branded card iterations would be eligible for the bonus again.

Sure hope Chase in particular, but also Barclays and BOA, doesn't follow suit and institute a once-per-lifetime bonus policy on co-branded partner cards like United, Southwest, Marriott, etc. Any guesses if the others will emulate Amex? Thinking somehow this policy may backfire on Amex, as there are legit reasons for now wanting a given card produce for several years.

Believe I've seen once per lifetime-like verbiage from other banks re: the bonus. But most of us know that, for Chase, once more than 24 months have passed, they'll consider you a new customer for a card product you may have had before and grant you the bonus.

Long story short, don't want a hard pull, and approvals, for any Amex personal card products where I won't be granted the bonus, even if it's been several years.

azepine00

i think the meaning of cobranded here is for amex issued by other banks - like cit aa amex (not sure if such thing still exists but it did a couple years ago)

all personal amex issued cards (both amex and branded) are supposed to be once in a lifetime

sexykitten7

Yes. See here.

moretimeoffguy

Thanks az and sk. Will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Got the info I wanted--won't be reapplying any time soon for the SPG card with its generous 30K offer.

@sk, thanks for the link. Wow, someone denied a new SPG bonus for having had an SPG 10 years ago according to one report in the link; that's a further reach back than even credit bureau reporting--thinking it's 7 years rather than 10; or could be be confusing with personal bankruptcies aging-out.

Once in a Lifetime. Ouch. You've both spared me both a hard credit pull and significant disappointment! On to the next card product. All hail new card products. :-)

sexykitten7

You're correct that positive TLs report for 10 years after closing.

But Amex was the original lender. They keep internal records that are permanent. If you screw them (charge off, failed FR, fraud, etc.), they blacklist you for life.

NYCRuss

The blacklist isn't for life, for a charge off, if paid off. Almost 30 years ago, when I was young and stupid, I had a green card that charged off. I eventually paid it back, and years later, I got back in with Amex.

mia

Thread transferred to American Express forum. Please join discussion here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...etime-usa.html

There is anecdotal evidence that the functional definition of lifetime may be seven years, because that's the amount of data that American Express appears to keep in their Customer Service database. This means that you might receive a new account bonus if you had cancelled the identical card in 2007 or earlier, and have not held it since.

This policy applies only to personal cards. Business cards typically permit another new account bonus 12 months after cancellation. American Express likes to issue Business cards, they do not interrogate the applicant in the same way that Chase often does.


Co-branded refers to cards issued by American Express for partners: Ameriprise, Costco, Delta, Goldman-Sachs, Hilton, JetBlue, Lowes, Mercedes, Morgan Stanley, Starwood.

Amex-network refers to cards issued by other banks: Bank of America, Barclays, Citi,