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].
Sep 9, 2016, 1:13 pm
#151
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,897
If you don't have the energy or time to come up with this spending, what about making an estimated tax payment? It's instant, done at home, and I think it costs 1.87% https://www.pay1040.com (Also, for a higher fee: https://payusatax.com/ https://www.officialpayments.com/index.jsp )
Sep 9, 2016, 1:38 pm
#152
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 845
If you don't have the energy or time to come up with this spending, what about making an estimated tax payment? It's instant, done at home, and I think it costs 1.87% https://www.pay1040.com (Also, for a higher fee: https://payusatax.com/ https://www.officialpayments.com/index.jsp )
Sep 9, 2016, 2:37 pm
#153
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
Sep 9, 2016, 8:46 pm
#155
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,932
Just want to confirm..I won't be meeting the spend on my SPG business card(mistakenly thought a vendor of mine took AMEX). It's a once in a lifetime on the bonus, so I can cancel at some point and reapply down the road and get bonus...correct?
Yes, I realize there are other ways to meet the spend, but at this point I don't have the energy to manufacture...think it will just be easier to try again next year with re-applying and meeting the spend with vendors I know take AMEX.
Yes, I realize there are other ways to meet the spend, but at this point I don't have the energy to manufacture...think it will just be easier to try again next year with re-applying and meeting the spend with vendors I know take AMEX.
I don't suggest you "manufacture" the whole way, but why not buy gift cards that you can actually use up? For example, if the vendor accepts MC or Visa debit gift cards ($500 per card), get those at grocery stores with probably no more than a $6 fee each. Or get Amazon gift cards at a grocery store with no fee at all, and use them for online purchases until you've used them up. (I suggest grocery stores because then you can add a grocery item or two on the same checkout as the card, and that will "disguise" to Amex that you've "simply" buying a gift card, in case you're worried about that.)
I've done that to pay AAA SoCal auto insurance (which not only doesn't take Amex, it doesn't even take MC/Visa credit cards, only debit cards, but it's fine with multiple $500 MC/Visa debit gift cards).
Last edited by sdsearch; Sep 9, 2016 at 8:53 pm
Sep 10, 2016, 6:04 am
#156
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 845
thanks for the clarification guys..I pre-payd a bunch of bills(thanks rrgg), cable, electric, phone.. got some stop & shop gift cards..up to over $4k already. My wife has this card as well and will use rrgg's suggestion of paying estimated taxes.
Sep 13, 2016, 2:50 pm
#157
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 333
Just received a targeted Business Gold offer (75/5K) with no language about previous accounts/cards. I had this same product before (1+ year), got bonus and cancelled.
Is the once a lifetime rule automatic, or do they have to state it in the offer?
Is the once a lifetime rule automatic, or do they have to state it in the offer?
Sep 13, 2016, 3:04 pm
#158
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: WN A-List Pref, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat
Posts: 460
2 Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product...
Sep 13, 2016, 3:19 pm
#159
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: KSTP KSPG
Programs: AOPA
Posts: 974
got the same offer, no language. have the same card 2+month old. really would like another 75k before they make my account negative.
Sep 14, 2016, 9:10 am
#160
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 775
I opened in July this year and still have open a platinum personal -- had the card a year ago and got e/m invite on May 26 applied July 18 got 50kbonus in August
NOW-received "new offer" same card no language on line invite on Aug 18 "and" snail mail invite also some time Aug --both have different invite# and same expire date of OCT 31
worried that if I open one card from new invites I may not get bonus because now have open the same card-- yet no language in either invite -do not want to pay fee and do spend and not get 50k
any thoughts or experience ?
NOW-received "new offer" same card no language on line invite on Aug 18 "and" snail mail invite also some time Aug --both have different invite# and same expire date of OCT 31
worried that if I open one card from new invites I may not get bonus because now have open the same card-- yet no language in either invite -do not want to pay fee and do spend and not get 50k
any thoughts or experience ?
Sep 14, 2016, 10:25 am
#161
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,435
As far as the one bonus per card/product rule, I couldn't find this specific point in the wiki, unless I just missed it.
I got a 25K point bonus on my Amex SPG personal card.
If I open up an Amex SPG Business card, can I get the bonus?? (I'm unclear on how they define "this product.")
When the business card arrives, will the Amex welcome letter mention the bonus?
I got a 25K point bonus on my Amex SPG personal card.
If I open up an Amex SPG Business card, can I get the bonus?? (I'm unclear on how they define "this product.")
When the business card arrives, will the Amex welcome letter mention the bonus?
Sep 14, 2016, 10:50 am
#162
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
Sep 14, 2016, 2:34 pm
#163
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,932
While yes, you may want to wait to apply until after September 21.
The rumor in this thread:
is that Amex will increase the signup bonus on that date. So no point in applying before then if you can possibly wait a week, given that Amex doesn't tend to match bonuses if you apply just days before a better bonus comes out (and given that you'll only get one chance at the SPG Business card bonus).
The rumor in this thread:
is that Amex will increase the signup bonus on that date. So no point in applying before then if you can possibly wait a week, given that Amex doesn't tend to match bonuses if you apply just days before a better bonus comes out (and given that you'll only get one chance at the SPG Business card bonus).
Sep 15, 2016, 10:13 am
#165
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952