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].
Apr 4, 2017, 6:46 pm
#256
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
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Apr 5, 2017, 6:18 pm
#257
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,406
MR reward solicited CC sign on bonus
I have had the MR sign on bonus before and when I inadvertently applied they did not give me the sign-on bonus stating once in a lifetime - this is for the Gold card - we had both biz and personal cards.
Now I got one in the mail for 25k MR points for $1k spend with an RSVP code via USPS- premier reward gold card - will they honor this?
Now I got one in the mail for 25k MR points for $1k spend with an RSVP code via USPS- premier reward gold card - will they honor this?
Apr 5, 2017, 7:08 pm
#258
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Apr 11, 2017, 3:24 pm
#259
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: BDL, JFK
Posts: 658
Cover me, I'm going in!
As I noted before, I've had the Business Gold and the bonus in the past. I got an email offer linked to my BCP account. Today I called and explained to the CSR the situation and was informed she could see my account and that I would get the bonus despite the prior card. Will give f/u after 5k spend.
As I noted before, I've had the Business Gold and the bonus in the past. I got an email offer linked to my BCP account. Today I called and explained to the CSR the situation and was informed she could see my account and that I would get the bonus despite the prior card. Will give f/u after 5k spend.
Apr 14, 2017, 7:04 am
#260
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
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Moderator action
Discussion of Hilton upgrade offer which includes disqualifying language transferred to this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...amex-citi.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...amex-citi.html
Apr 15, 2017, 8:30 am
#262
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,934
Yuu're not quoting the actual language from the actual card offers. If you quoted that:
This offer is [also] not available to applicants who have or have had this product.
it should be very clear that it depends having had the card, not on whether or not you got the bonus.
Apr 15, 2017, 9:26 am
#263
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
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It's a sentence from the Wikipost. There's no easy way to attribute such quotes.
In any event your analysis is the correct, the terms make no mention of previous bonuses and the bonus eligibility check looks only at your card history, not your bonus history.
In any event your analysis is the correct, the terms make no mention of previous bonuses and the bonus eligibility check looks only at your card history, not your bonus history.
Apr 16, 2017, 8:21 am
#264
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,934
"The wikipost atop this thread says:"
I don't how hard it is to manually attribute to the wiki that way if you manually quoted from the wiki, to clarify that you're quoting from the wiki.
But if someone did quote it from the wiki, why did they not see the underlined part that I quoted back, which is actual Amex card offer language (except I'm not sure about the word "also"), and which is right above what was quoted here? That jumps out at me when I read the wiki (as it should).
The part that nall quoted here is just one sentence in a bullet point elaborating on what was above. It is not supposed to be read in isolation, given that's it's a bullet point for something above it. So I don't understand why it was pulled out of context, as that lack of context seems to be what led to nall's quesiton.
Last edited by sdsearch; Apr 16, 2017 at 8:31 am
May 9, 2017, 7:53 am
#265
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: LAX
Programs: UA, AA, BA
Posts: 162
So DW applied and was approved. Since this was a targeted offer and she still has another BRG open, is there a way to determine with reasonable accuracy if she would get the bonus? Would a chat help?
thanks.
thanks.
My wife just opened her first BRG on 3/4/17 and completed spend. She just got an email today for exact same offer 75K/5000$ with a new expiration date. Only exclusions seen are "Limit one offer per Card Account. Offer may not be combined with any other special offer. " I assume it would be a new card account. Any clarity if this will be honored or YMMV? No firm data points could I find searching.
May 18, 2017, 10:25 am
#266
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,787
Datapoint. I've had pretty much every version of platinum except Ameriprise. I received a targeted 60k offer via e-mail and mail. I read about the same offer on some blogs so I'm pretty sure it was going around. Nothing in the terms about having had the card before. I figured I'd give it a shot. I have the business version so most of the benefits are duplicative, but I figured that with the $200 airline credits and possibly using some uber credit, I could get the annual fee down around $100 and then use the 60k points for $1200 on my airline of choice on the business card through next October when I lose 50 percent pay with points rebate.
Anyway, it worked fine. Bonus points posted without a problem after I met the spend.
Anyway, it worked fine. Bonus points posted without a problem after I met the spend.
May 18, 2017, 4:12 pm
#267
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: LAX
Programs: UA, AA, BA
Posts: 162
Spend made on 2nd BRG in 2 months and bonus points posted. So targeted offer after public offer was honored.
May 22, 2017, 7:48 am
#268
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: BDL, JFK
Posts: 658
Followup: I had the business gold 4 years ago with 75k after 5k spend. got the bonus then and cancelled the card. I got a targeted email offer linked to my BCP card several months ago with the identical 75k/5k offer, no AF first year. Offer did not have prior card language. Applied made spend and 75k bonus posted even before closing date this month.
So as long as its targeted and no prior card language you can repeat these. Plan to get the JetBlue bonus.
So as long as its targeted and no prior card language you can repeat these. Plan to get the JetBlue bonus.
May 28, 2017, 2:26 pm
#269
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: South Florida
Programs: SPG,Marriott,Hilton,Delta,US airways,Hyatt,Fairmont,American A,Priority Cub,Discovery,etc
Posts: 255
SPG Business Amex =no bonus
I knew that years ago that I had received this card+sign-up bonus. And ,YES, I know that the rules are what they are.But it was years ago, so I asked prior to my app IF there was any record of me having the card. I was told no. Okay so I get the card and again confirm my bonus and the date the spend has to be done,etc. Did this by chat. Then when I knew that I was close, confirmed again. Once over the 5K , I again chatted only to be informed that NO way was I entitled to a bonus. REALLy. So I sent an email to corporate. Done this before on a CS issue and was very impressed by the response. Well, not this time. I received a curt" we investigated and you should have read the fine print,blah,blah.'' Very annoyed that the CS agents could not simply look at my account and tell me up front. Not impressed. Don't think I can do much about it now. I do intend to keep the card but a token amount of points would have made me happy. Any thoughts?
May 28, 2017, 2:43 pm
#270
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
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