Mar 14, 2014, 10:48 am
Last edit by: beltway
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.
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 personal 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.
This rule does not apply to business cards.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.
Put a fork in it 5.1.2014: One bonus per personal card per person "lifetime" [USA]
Mar 31, 2014, 2:46 pm
#121
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 344
I thought I was in under the "new customer" rule as I hadn't had an AMEX card for over a year.
I have all the paper work that came with the card. It measures about 9 square feet of very small writing. On both sides. Tough to say what the terms of the offer are. Would it say somewhere in the agreement?
I have all the paper work that came with the card. It measures about 9 square feet of very small writing. On both sides. Tough to say what the terms of the offer are. Would it say somewhere in the agreement?
Mar 31, 2014, 5:52 pm
#122
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,959
Those were the previous terms, your offer may have had that wording or it may have had the new wording. None of this would be in the member agreement.
Last edited by mia; Apr 1, 2014 at 5:59 am
Mar 31, 2014, 6:23 pm
#123
Suspended
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ORD
Programs: AA, UA, AS, DL, BA, F9, IHG Plat, HH Gold, CC Gold, SPG Gold, MR Silver
Posts: 1,786
Your last DL card would have to have been closed 1 year prior to opening new one or you are SOL
Apr 2, 2014, 1:30 pm
#125
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 197
If I get the AMEX Business Platinum now will I still be able to get the AMEX SPG Business through a referral later on? Or does anyone advice getting both cards on the same day in order to ensure to get both bonus points?
Apr 2, 2014, 2:03 pm
#126
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,959
Holding a card which participates in Membership Rewards should not prevent you from receiving the bonus for a card which earns Starpoints. American Express will not process more than one application from a person on the same day. They will process one and look at the other about five days later.
Apr 6, 2014, 6:59 am
#127
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SFO
Posts: 515
confused
I have read this thread and others but am still confused. I had an Amex PRG which I closed two years ago. If I apply now and the offer says I may be ineligible if I have had it before, even if I apply before May 1, and even if I use private browsing, will I not receive the sign up bonus or is it all transitioning and YMMV? Are there offers for the PRG with sign up bonus without the "previous holder" language?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Apr 6, 2014, 5:44 pm
#128
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: UA Gold, Fairmont Platinum, Starwood Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 280
I have read this thread and others but am still confused. I had an Amex PRG which I closed two years ago. If I apply now and the offer says I may be ineligible if I have had it before, even if I apply before May 1, and even if I use private browsing, will I not receive the sign up bonus or is it all transitioning and YMMV? Are there offers for the PRG with sign up bonus without the "previous holder" language?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Apr 7, 2014, 7:59 am
#129
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SFO
Posts: 515
Anyone with recent datapoints if signup bonus points were received applying under the new language and previously having same card?
Thanks
Thanks
Apr 7, 2014, 6:30 pm
#130
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Silver, HH Gold, SPG Gold, Hyatt Plat...basically all the status you can get for free...
Posts: 66
Exciting datapoint: I am a current holder of both a Mercedes-Benz Platinum and Business Platinum card. I applied for the personal Platinum card (40k bonus) with the new language which I thought might preclude my qualification for the bonus on the personal Platinum. I met the spend and the 40k bonus posted automatically. Hooray!
Apr 7, 2014, 7:48 pm
#131
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold, Will never by anything with airlines
Posts: 287
Dont know if ppl have seen what DD is reporting: http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/42972#comments
It appears we are in a window where the 12 month rule is not in effect, and the new rule is not in effect.
In other words, for example, if you had a SPG card and cancelled it last month you could theoretically get it now with the bonus.
I have not tried it, and will see what shakes out on the DDFs
It appears we are in a window where the 12 month rule is not in effect, and the new rule is not in effect.
In other words, for example, if you had a SPG card and cancelled it last month you could theoretically get it now with the bonus.
I have not tried it, and will see what shakes out on the DDFs
Apr 8, 2014, 12:50 pm
#132
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 94
Thoughts or suggestions on my plan?
I want to sign up for the Delta Gold personal again. My 365 days since cancelling will hit on 4.17.14. From what I've read, I can apply on 4.18, but no sooner, correct?
Or should I not risk it and apply right now for another SPG, which is long past its 365 days of being cancelled?
What would you guys do in my situation? I've never tried signing up for a card I've cancelled before. I also am at my 4 limit of cards Amex will give out. (I know this because I tried in the past and was denied a 5th.)
I want to sign up for the Delta Gold personal again. My 365 days since cancelling will hit on 4.17.14. From what I've read, I can apply on 4.18, but no sooner, correct?
Or should I not risk it and apply right now for another SPG, which is long past its 365 days of being cancelled?
What would you guys do in my situation? I've never tried signing up for a card I've cancelled before. I also am at my 4 limit of cards Amex will give out. (I know this because I tried in the past and was denied a 5th.)
Apr 8, 2014, 8:52 pm
#133
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 728
closed a biz gold card 12/13. Any chance to get approved the biz platinum before May 1???
closed prg in February. Do I have a chance for another prg before May?
have held Delta amex for 5 years and it is still open.
thanks
closed prg in February. Do I have a chance for another prg before May?
have held Delta amex for 5 years and it is still open.
thanks
Apr 9, 2014, 6:55 pm
#134
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: New York City
Programs: SPG Platinum, Hyatt Platinum, United Gold
Posts: 33
What bet they don't update their web site so that when you apply you're told you were accepted, but can't get the promotion.
An application for BCP had the wording that I "may not be eligible" for the promotion. So I called and asked before I applied for the card, printed out a PDF of the approval message saying I got the card and the bonus, and called after applying and was again told I got the promo. So then I hit the minimum spend and called again and they were like, "oh, oh, wait a minute!"
Four calls and 3 months later, someone from there "executive customer service dept" called and was very apologetic . She must have apologized twenty damn times despite my telling her I really didn't care if she was personally sorry, I just wanted her to fix it.
She point blank told me AMEX wouldn't check the call logs and the printout of my acceptance web page was irrelevant. I needed to have printed out the application page. So basically AMEX isn't responsible for what they tell you on the phone or what their web site tells you. The executive customer service lady point blank said, "yeah, sometimes the people answering the phone get it wrong.., I'm so sorry!"
The days of AMEX being the peace of mind bank are over. AMEX is just riding on their reputation of the past. If you're a card holder because of the benefits, fine. Just don't expect them to have your back if something goes hay wire. It might work out for you, but in my experience it works out less than it does with other banks.
Chase is kicking their butt and AMEX isn't responding. Just letting Chase slowly eat into their profits margin. Probably have to be some kind of catastrophe earnings-wise before AMEX revamps.
Their new Everyday cards look like an effort to respond, but their criteria of having to use their Preferred card 30 times in a month is pure paranoia. I do some modest MS and don't use my credit card 30 times a month. I could get the lower Everyday card and without doing a bunch of trivial charges hit their 20 / month transaction limit. But then I'd have to completely stop using any card besides my AMEX Everyday. I'd be fine using 2 cards, like one for restaurants and entertainment and one for groceries, drugstores, gas... But 1 card is just laziness.
It's like AMEX is trying to figure out how to reward loyalty rather than just grab lazy people who sign up for a big bonus and hope they never bother to switch cards again. But this transaction limit, it's like they're not able to do that without being paranoid schizophrenic about the churners. That transaction limit, they're basically encouraging regular folk to make spurious charges. And if you're making spurious charges anyway... hey, why not make them gift cards at the grocery store??!
An application for BCP had the wording that I "may not be eligible" for the promotion. So I called and asked before I applied for the card, printed out a PDF of the approval message saying I got the card and the bonus, and called after applying and was again told I got the promo. So then I hit the minimum spend and called again and they were like, "oh, oh, wait a minute!"
Four calls and 3 months later, someone from there "executive customer service dept" called and was very apologetic . She must have apologized twenty damn times despite my telling her I really didn't care if she was personally sorry, I just wanted her to fix it.
She point blank told me AMEX wouldn't check the call logs and the printout of my acceptance web page was irrelevant. I needed to have printed out the application page. So basically AMEX isn't responsible for what they tell you on the phone or what their web site tells you. The executive customer service lady point blank said, "yeah, sometimes the people answering the phone get it wrong.., I'm so sorry!"
The days of AMEX being the peace of mind bank are over. AMEX is just riding on their reputation of the past. If you're a card holder because of the benefits, fine. Just don't expect them to have your back if something goes hay wire. It might work out for you, but in my experience it works out less than it does with other banks.
Chase is kicking their butt and AMEX isn't responding. Just letting Chase slowly eat into their profits margin. Probably have to be some kind of catastrophe earnings-wise before AMEX revamps.
Their new Everyday cards look like an effort to respond, but their criteria of having to use their Preferred card 30 times in a month is pure paranoia. I do some modest MS and don't use my credit card 30 times a month. I could get the lower Everyday card and without doing a bunch of trivial charges hit their 20 / month transaction limit. But then I'd have to completely stop using any card besides my AMEX Everyday. I'd be fine using 2 cards, like one for restaurants and entertainment and one for groceries, drugstores, gas... But 1 card is just laziness.
It's like AMEX is trying to figure out how to reward loyalty rather than just grab lazy people who sign up for a big bonus and hope they never bother to switch cards again. But this transaction limit, it's like they're not able to do that without being paranoid schizophrenic about the churners. That transaction limit, they're basically encouraging regular folk to make spurious charges. And if you're making spurious charges anyway... hey, why not make them gift cards at the grocery store??!
Apr 9, 2014, 8:25 pm
#135
Join Date: May 2009
Location: MSP
Programs: AA, DL, AS
Posts: 183
Operating cash flow and net income are at an all time high. When they need more customers, they will do what needs doing.