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].
Mar 2, 2016, 9:54 pm
#31
Join Date: May 2015
Location: LAX, BUR
Programs: AS,AA,JB, HH Gold, Starriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Explorist, Global Entry
Posts: 1,933
FRom DoC, I had to paste the link in a private browser.
https://www262.americanexpress.com/d...t-card/spg-286
Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card
LIMITED-TIME OFFER
Get 35,000 bonus Starpoints® after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. Offer ends 03/30/2016.†
Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product.
https://www262.americanexpress.com/d...t-card/spg-286
Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card
LIMITED-TIME OFFER
Get 35,000 bonus Starpoints® after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. Offer ends 03/30/2016.†
Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product.
Mar 3, 2016, 5:52 am
#35
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
Mar 3, 2016, 7:01 am
#37
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
Wait! I can still display the 25,000 point Business card offer with 12 month language following these steps:
- Click: https://www262.americanexpress.com/a...pg/100/spg-241
- Look: The URL of the loaded page must end with "241". If it has advanced to a higher number you will not see the 12-month language.
- Click: [Learn more]
- Look: The URL of the loaded page must end with "241".
- Click: [Apply]
- Check: The terms of the offer. No guarantee this will work.
Mar 3, 2016, 7:07 am
#38
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 8,460
Wait! I can still display the 25,000 point Business card offer with 12 month language following these steps:
- Click: https://www262.americanexpress.com/a...pg/100/spg-241
- Look: The URL of the loaded page must end with "241". If it has advanced to a higher number you will not see the 12-month language.
- Click: [Learn more]
- Look: The URL of the loaded page must end with "241".
- Click: [Apply]
- Check: The terms of the offer. No guarantee this will work.
Mar 3, 2016, 7:38 am
#40
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
Mar 3, 2016, 9:25 am
#42
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: ATL
Programs: DL PM, SPG Plat
Posts: 885
I have a question related to Upgrade Offers... Per the wiki:
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.
I presume that the reverse does not hold true? If I held a Gold Card and accepted an upgrade to a Platinum card in the past, then I can not apply for a Platinum card and receive a first time bonus, can I?
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.
I presume that the reverse does not hold true? If I held a Gold Card and accepted an upgrade to a Platinum card in the past, then I can not apply for a Platinum card and receive a first time bonus, can I?
Mar 3, 2016, 9:37 am
#43
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
- Personal
- Business
- Ameriprise personal (no bonus points, but first year free)
- Mercedes Benz personal (Annual fee $475 rather than $450)
- Morgan Stanley personal (requires qualifying MS account)
It appears there will soon be a Charles Schwab personal Platinum, so even if you have had all of those there may be another opportunity.
Mar 3, 2016, 11:42 am
#44
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: ATL
Programs: DL PM, SPG Plat
Posts: 885
Mar 3, 2016, 6:08 pm
#45
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: Hyatt Glb, MR Plat
Posts: 2,577
Wait! I can still display the 25,000 point Business card offer with 12 month language following these steps:
- Click: https://www262.americanexpress.com/a...pg/100/spg-241
- Look: The URL of the loaded page must end with "241". If it has advanced to a higher number you will not see the 12-month language.
- Click: [Learn more]
- Look: The URL of the loaded page must end with "241".
- Click: [Apply]
- Check: The terms of the offer. No guarantee this will work.