FWIW, the savings bond website recently raised the transaction limit to $5,000. So instead of having to make five separate $1,000 bond purchases, re-entering all your information each time, you can do it in one go (for example, one $5,000 bond or five $1,000 bonds).

See bottom left corner here:

https://wwws3.publicdebt.treas.gov/s...=78&button.y=8

I don't know if this change will help anyone who is running up against the Amex or Optima limits. The first time I purchased savings bonds online using my new Starwood Amex/Optima, I was only able to do $2,000 worth (two $1,000 bonds -- before the bond website limit was raised), and then my credit card was declined for the next $1,000 bond. In subsequent weeks, however, I was able to do larger bond purchases. Nothing to do with my total credit limit, but possibly to do with the fact that the card was newly issued.

Kathy