I currently hold a Mercedes-Benz Platinum, as well as a Business Platinum recently upgraded from a Business Gold Rewards card. Both are up for the annual fee in April, and I will be closing them due to the loss of AA lounges.

On Friday, I applied for the Personal Platinum card. The application was initially marked as pending, but when I called in, it was approved with really no questions asked. The rep confirmed the language of the bonus, and I did not pry whether I was qualifying. I will report back whether I receive the bonus...I am optimistic, since the other thread seems to indicate that if AMEX does not intend to award the bonus, they will reject the application due to your status as a previous cardholder.