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].
Feb 26, 2016, 12:20 pm
#17
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
Moderator action
Interwoven discussion of the collapse of American Express has been moved:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ress-card.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ress-card.html
Feb 26, 2016, 12:32 pm
#18
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
I also found the targeted 75K for the Platinum Business and 75K for the Business Gold which doesn't have the 12 month nor lifetime language. However, I just closed my Biz Gold account last month. Would like to know if the 12 month period is forced or not for the targeted offer.
I believe we do have some examples of successful applications using targeted offers shortly after closing the same card, but they will be difficult to locate by searching.
Feb 26, 2016, 2:45 pm
#19
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 728
well this stinks. between the possibility of chase shutting things down on co-branded cards, possibility of the citi WE loophole closing, and now amex biz tightening up it seems that churning will soon be dead as we know it
Last edited by g8trgr8t; Feb 27, 2016 at 9:01 pm
Feb 27, 2016, 4:10 pm
#20
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
It seems that if you're on the web page that displays all the Amex Business cards, clicking on the "Offer Terms" link for the SPG Business shows the old "12 month" language. However, once you click on the apply button, the new language shows up on both the application page and the "Offer Terms" link on the application page.
OFFER:
PROCESS: After the page loads, click [Learn More] to load the Business page. Then, click [APPLY] and verify that the application states: Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product within the last 12 months.
Last edited by mia; Mar 3, 2016 at 5:55 am Reason: Rewrite instructions for using link.
Feb 28, 2016, 12:53 pm
#21
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,512
Here is a link to an SPG Business card landing page which has the "12 month" language -and- which loads an application with the same terms:
OFFER: https://www262.americanexpress.com/a...pg/086/spg-241
APPLICATION: https://www262.americanexpress.com/d...t-card/spg-241
OFFER: https://www262.americanexpress.com/a...pg/086/spg-241
APPLICATION: https://www262.americanexpress.com/d...t-card/spg-241
Feb 28, 2016, 1:33 pm
#22
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,135
Here is a link to an SPG Business card landing page which has the "12 month" language -and- which loads an application with the same terms:
OFFER: https://www262.americanexpress.com/a...pg/086/spg-241
APPLICATION: https://www262.americanexpress.com/d...t-card/spg-241
OFFER: https://www262.americanexpress.com/a...pg/086/spg-241
APPLICATION: https://www262.americanexpress.com/d...t-card/spg-241
- Landing page T&C says "Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product."
- App page says "Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product within the last 12 months."
Feb 28, 2016, 3:37 pm
#23
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
Feb 28, 2016, 3:46 pm
#24
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,173
If I miss out on it my consolation is my wife got it one last time a few weeks ago.
This is another amex card that will soon disappear forever....maybe chase will get the next version and keep it separate like Marriott/Ritz.
Feb 28, 2016, 8:16 pm
#25
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Andover, MA, 01810
Posts: 1,971
Did you notice that the first link takes you to the splash page of the SPG personal card? On that page is a link "Are you a business owner, learn more". If you click that and go to the SPG business splash page, the 12 month language is still there. And it's on the application too.
Feb 29, 2016, 7:16 am
#26
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
Did you notice that the first link takes you to the splash page of the SPG personal card? On that page is a link "Are you a business owner, learn more". If you click that and go to the SPG business splash page, the 12 month language is still there. And it's on the application too.
Mar 1, 2016, 4:25 pm
#27
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: Hyatt Glb, MR Plat
Posts: 2,576
I still see the have had 12 month language on the biz app, so should be good to go? (also noticed it on blogger links). I was planning to give a 1-2 month cushion as my last time with this card was closed on 2/19/15, but obviously the recent news changes things..
Mar 2, 2016, 7:26 am
#29
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
I have re-written post 20 to better explain how to load the SPG Business application which still displays the more liberal "12 month" language.
Mar 2, 2016, 9:46 pm
#30
Join Date: Jan 2016
Programs: AA, Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton
Posts: 501
I have re-written post 20 to better explain how to load the SPG Business application which still displays the more liberal "12 month" language.
