Feb 26, 2016, 9:28 am
Last edit by: beltway
For earlier discussion of the restriction's application to personal cards, see Put a fork in it 5.1.2014: One bonus per personal card per person "lifetime" [USA].
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.
If we identify you as currently having an American Express® Card account, you may not be eligible for this welcome bonus offer.
Points will be credited to your Membership Rewards account within 6 - 8 weeks after the spend requirement has been reached.
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 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.
- 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.
Once-in-a-lifetime bonus policy now applies to both personal & BUSINESS cards [USA].
Sep 15, 2016, 2:16 pm
#166
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,406
Sep 15, 2016, 2:27 pm
#167
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 333
No such language. There seem to be a few such cases reported here. Not sure I trust Amex to come through given their other shenanigans. Still 75K...
Sep 15, 2016, 2:39 pm
#168
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
Sep 16, 2016, 1:27 am
#169
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 775
I opened in July this year and still have open a platinum personal -- had the card a year ago and got e/m invite on May 26 applied July 18 got 50kbonus in August
NOW-received "new offer" same card no language on line invite on Aug 18 "and" snail mail invite also some time Aug --both have different invite# and same expire date of OCT 31
worried that if I open one card from new invites I may not get bonus because now have open the same card-- yet no language in either invite -do not want to pay fee and do spend and not get 50k
any thoughts or experience ?
NOW-received "new offer" same card no language on line invite on Aug 18 "and" snail mail invite also some time Aug --both have different invite# and same expire date of OCT 31
worried that if I open one card from new invites I may not get bonus because now have open the same card-- yet no language in either invite -do not want to pay fee and do spend and not get 50k
any thoughts or experience ?
Sep 17, 2016, 10:38 am
#171
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 333
I'm an unfortunate victim of the Platinum 100K clawback (still have won far more than lost in this game...).
So, if at some point in the future I apply for Platinum again, should I be eligible for the bonus?
I could see them claiming that "technically" I received a bonus before, even though they clawed it back.
Andy data points on such a scenario?
So, if at some point in the future I apply for Platinum again, should I be eligible for the bonus?
I could see them claiming that "technically" I received a bonus before, even though they clawed it back.
Andy data points on such a scenario?
Sep 17, 2016, 11:31 am
#172
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
I'm an unfortunate victim of the Platinum 100K clawback (still have won far more than lost in this game...).
So, if at some point in the future I apply for Platinum again, should I be eligible for the bonus?
I could see them claiming that "technically" I received a bonus before, even though they clawed it back.
Andy data points on such a scenario?
So, if at some point in the future I apply for Platinum again, should I be eligible for the bonus?
I could see them claiming that "technically" I received a bonus before, even though they clawed it back.
Andy data points on such a scenario?
This offer is also not available to applicants who have or have had this product.
While this thread is titled once-in-a-lifetime, in a case where someone does not get a bonus at all the first time they have the card, then later reapplies for the card, it's zero-in-a-lifetime.The only exception would be if you get a targeted offer which lacks any language excluding people who had the card before.
Sep 17, 2016, 1:57 pm
#173
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 333
Whether you got the bonus or not is irrelevant. At Amex the limitation is not whether you got the bonus before, but whether you had the exact same card before. The language is:
The only exception would be if you get a targeted offer which lacks any language excluding people who had the card before.
This offer is also not available to applicants who have or have had this product.
While this thread is titled once-in-a-lifetime, in a case where someone does not get a bonus at all the first time they have the card, then later reapplies for the card, it's zero-in-a-lifetime.The only exception would be if you get a targeted offer which lacks any language excluding people who had the card before.
Sep 18, 2016, 10:45 am
#174
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
Just to clarify, you're only ruled out on the same exact card. Not any other card that has "Platinum" in the name, just this one. So if this one was Amex personal Plat, you can still apply and qualify for signup bonuses for the Amex business Plat, the Mercedes Benz Amex Plat, etc (if you never had either of those before).
Amex doesn't keep good records of what bonus you got that far back. That's why they base it on whether you had the card before, because that they can look up (for 7 years back, at least).
Amex doesn't keep good records of what bonus you got that far back. That's why they base it on whether you had the card before, because that they can look up (for 7 years back, at least).
Sep 26, 2016, 10:02 am
#175
Join Date: May 2010
Location: WAS
Programs: Lotz
Posts: 1,534
I got this same targeted offer with no lifetime rule on it, got the card, did the spend and AmEx absolutely would not give me the bonus after many calls, faxes, because I had had the card once before years ago. Sort of shady. But I wouldn't count on the bonus.
Sep 26, 2016, 10:44 am
#177
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: SFO
Posts: 3,879
Just to clarify, you're only ruled out on the same exact card. Not any other card that has "Platinum" in the name, just this one. So if this one was Amex personal Plat, you can still apply and qualify for signup bonuses for the Amex business Plat, the Mercedes Benz Amex Plat, etc (if you never had either of those before).
Oct 3, 2016, 1:50 am
#178
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Programs: AA, DL, AK, UN, CN
Posts: 967
Wow the AMEX rule is really stupid. In the past two years I've had two AMEX cards that I managed not to get the bonus (most recently I thought the spend was $1000 and it was $3000 oops!).
So AMEX really doesn't have a one bonus per lifetime rule, they have a one chance at a bonus per lifetime, and you lose that bonus-per-life whether you get it or not.
Why would they do it that way....do you think their system has no way of knowing if you previously received the bonus? That's the only thing I can think of, or is it that once you had the card, and canceled, you're now a churner?
So AMEX really doesn't have a one bonus per lifetime rule, they have a one chance at a bonus per lifetime, and you lose that bonus-per-life whether you get it or not.
Why would they do it that way....do you think their system has no way of knowing if you previously received the bonus? That's the only thing I can think of, or is it that once you had the card, and canceled, you're now a churner?
Oct 6, 2016, 7:22 am
#179
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: AA PLT the rest, Kettle Power
Posts: 667
Prior charge card but no bonus
I'm looking for some feedback on something. Years ago, before I really knew what I was doing, I had gold business rewards card. At one point, there was a link online to upgrade the card to the platinum. I clicked on it out of curiosity and somehow ended up being upgraded without fully realizing it. Stupid I know. I cancelled it immediately upon receiving it.
Anyway, my question goes to the one time bonus thing - I'm now looking at the 100k MR bonus on the same amex plat business card and am wondering if I can apply and get the bonus?
Any ideas?
Thanks
I had a look to trying and find the appropriate thread, no luck, if there is one, please do merge.
Anyway, my question goes to the one time bonus thing - I'm now looking at the 100k MR bonus on the same amex plat business card and am wondering if I can apply and get the bonus?
Any ideas?
Thanks
I had a look to trying and find the appropriate thread, no luck, if there is one, please do merge.
Oct 6, 2016, 8:13 am
#180
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
How many years? Whether or not you earned a bonus is not relevant, but American Express only looks back about seven years to see if you have held the card previously. They also don't seem to be reliable tracking product changes. Did you cancel the Business Platinum card account or did you change it back to Gold?