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].
Jul 25, 2017, 5:02 pm
#272
Join Date: May 2000
Location: HH Gold, Marriott Gold, PC Plat, Emirates Silver
Posts: 2,677
Had an offer for the PRG in the my offers section of the AMEX website under my everyday card. I had the card 3 years ago abut I did not see the "first time" language in this offer.
Well, I did not receive the bonus and they are saying that the "first time" language was there. I did no screen prints.
Is there any way to dispute it? I talked to the US based MR customer service and they are the ones saying it contained the language. I pushed hard saying they sent me the offer and it was not there but to no avail.
I do not want to give up but part of me is thinking the language was there and I missed it since there are so many reports of apps without the language having the points posting immediately. That has happened to me several times.
Is there any real chance of winning this?
Well, I did not receive the bonus and they are saying that the "first time" language was there. I did no screen prints.
Is there any way to dispute it? I talked to the US based MR customer service and they are the ones saying it contained the language. I pushed hard saying they sent me the offer and it was not there but to no avail.
I do not want to give up but part of me is thinking the language was there and I missed it since there are so many reports of apps without the language having the points posting immediately. That has happened to me several times.
Is there any real chance of winning this?
Jul 25, 2017, 5:06 pm
#273
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 13
Had an offer for the PRG in the my offers section of the AMEX website under my everyday card. I had the card 3 years ago abut I did not see the "first time" language in this offer.
Well, I did not receive the bonus and they are saying that the "first time" language was there. I did no screen prints.
Is there any way to dispute it? I talked to the US based MR customer service and they are the ones saying it contained the language. I pushed hard saying they sent me the offer and it was not there but to no avail.
I do not want to give up but part of me is thinking the language was there and I missed it since there are so many reports of apps without the language having the points posting immediately. That has happened to me several times.
Is there any real chance of winning this?
Well, I did not receive the bonus and they are saying that the "first time" language was there. I did no screen prints.
Is there any way to dispute it? I talked to the US based MR customer service and they are the ones saying it contained the language. I pushed hard saying they sent me the offer and it was not there but to no avail.
I do not want to give up but part of me is thinking the language was there and I missed it since there are so many reports of apps without the language having the points posting immediately. That has happened to me several times.
Is there any real chance of winning this?
Funny thing is that the co-branded "partner" cards like Delta Skymiles, SPG, etc. don't seem to be affected by this restriction. Only the AMEX branded ones (Platinum, BGR, etc.).
K
Jul 25, 2017, 5:19 pm
#274
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: LAX
Posts: 10,906
Jul 25, 2017, 5:56 pm
#275
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 13
Sure, personal experience. I have a Platinum, two BGRs for 2 businesses, and I was able to get a Skymiles card, Hilton Honors card and 2 x SPG cards. Got points for all of the co-branded cards without a hitch.
K
Might also be that since my co-branded cards are for different businesses, but all under my name, the fact they are different businesses is enough to avoid the Lifetime restriction. But again, all have my name on them.
K
K
Might also be that since my co-branded cards are for different businesses, but all under my name, the fact they are different businesses is enough to avoid the Lifetime restriction. But again, all have my name on them.
K
Last edited by mia; Jul 26, 2017 at 4:11 am Reason: Combine consecutive replies.
Jul 26, 2017, 4:15 am
#276
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,949
The restriction applies to co-branded cards if this language appears in the offer:
Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product.
The restriction is product specific. (A Skymiles card does not disqualify a Hilton or Starwood bonus. ). The individual is the applicant, not the business.
Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product.
The restriction is product specific. (A Skymiles card does not disqualify a Hilton or Starwood bonus. ). The individual is the applicant, not the business.
Aug 5, 2017, 8:05 am
#277
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
Had an offer for the PRG in the my offers section of the AMEX website under my everyday card. I had the card 3 years ago abut I did not see the "first time" language in this offer.
Well, I did not receive the bonus and they are saying that the "first time" language was there. I did no screen prints.
Is there any way to dispute it? I talked to the US based MR customer service and they are the ones saying it contained the language. I pushed hard saying they sent me the offer and it was not there but to no avail.
I do not want to give up but part of me is thinking the language was there and I missed it since there are so many reports of apps without the language having the points posting immediately. That has happened to me several times.
Is there any real chance of winning this?
Well, I did not receive the bonus and they are saying that the "first time" language was there. I did no screen prints.
Is there any way to dispute it? I talked to the US based MR customer service and they are the ones saying it contained the language. I pushed hard saying they sent me the offer and it was not there but to no avail.
I do not want to give up but part of me is thinking the language was there and I missed it since there are so many reports of apps without the language having the points posting immediately. That has happened to me several times.
Is there any real chance of winning this?
Aug 7, 2017, 7:14 am
#279
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,949
Aug 8, 2017, 7:58 pm
#280
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,269
Glad I read this. I currently have the PRG offer of 25k points for 1k spend in my Amex offers. There is NO language saying its once in a lifetime. I had the PRG card three years ago. What is interesting is that when I spoke to an amex csr awhile back they did not see my prg in my account history. Still based on your post I don't know that I am going to risk that now.
Had an offer for the PRG in the my offers section of the AMEX website under my everyday card. I had the card 3 years ago abut I did not see the "first time" language in this offer.
Well, I did not receive the bonus and they are saying that the "first time" language was there. I did no screen prints.
I do not want to give up but part of me is thinking the language was there and I missed it since there are so many reports of apps without the language having the points posting immediately. That has happened to me several times.
Is there any real chance of winning this?
Well, I did not receive the bonus and they are saying that the "first time" language was there. I did no screen prints.
I do not want to give up but part of me is thinking the language was there and I missed it since there are so many reports of apps without the language having the points posting immediately. That has happened to me several times.
Is there any real chance of winning this?
Is there a way to send a pdf via pm? If so, I could download the offer terms and send them to you if you want to fight them.
Last edited by mia; Aug 9, 2017 at 5:56 am Reason: Combine consecutive replies.
Jan 29, 2018, 2:34 pm
#281
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 143
A question about possible repercussions of lifetime bonus limitations to SPG: If you signed up now for a SPG (personal) and received the bonus, would you expect to see any repercussions in the future? WIth the Marriott merger and the card plans that have come up in the news recently (by Chase and Amex), it appears to me that there is no direct intersection between the current personal SPG and either of the 2 future Amex Starriott cards (business & super-premium). Do you think it's a good bet that I could receive a SPG bonus now, and a future Amex Starriott bonus when it is offered?
Jan 29, 2018, 5:39 pm
#282
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,932
A question about possible repercussions of lifetime bonus limitations to SPG: If you signed up now for a SPG (personal) and received the bonus, would you expect to see any repercussions in the future? WIth the Marriott merger and the card plans that have come up in the news recently (by Chase and Amex), it appears to me that there is no direct intersection between the current personal SPG and either of the 2 future Amex Starriott cards (business & super-premium). Do you think it's a good bet that I could receive a SPG bonus now, and a future Amex Starriott bonus when it is offered?
What I do think is only "a good bet" (but not as certain as on the personal side) is that even the SPG business card, if cancelled before the new program cards come out, probably won't keep you from getting the bonus on a future Amex business Marwood/Stariott card, because it'll be a different card for different program, that'll earn different kinds of points. So I don't think it'll be considered simply an update to the SPG business card. The only issue is that anyone holding an SPG business card, one the future Amex business Marwood/Stariott card comes out, might be auto-conveted to the Amex business Marwood/Stariott card, and once that happnes, it would be too late. So once agian, paying attention to the news and cancelling in time would be the best bet on making sure it didn't count against any new Amex card.
Jan 29, 2018, 6:10 pm
#283
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 143
Thanks sdsearch. Makes sense to me. Why do you think it is a good idea to cancel if the SPG account gets sold to Chase? Chase doesn't restrict bonus by lifetime. Should be able to cancel even after and re-apply for the appropriate Chase card and earn a bonus, right? Of course, one may have to wait a certain amount of time (12 mo, 24mo, whatever it is). Is this understanding correct?
Jan 30, 2018, 10:50 am
#284
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 143
On a similar note, if the SPG accounts get sold to Chase and you cancel at that point (before this happens), will Amex count that as cancellation prior to 12 months and annual fee, leading to clawback or freezing of accounts? I don't believe that would be the right answer, as the closure by the customer would be prompted by the change of the card to a different product.
Jan 30, 2018, 5:43 pm
#285
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,932
Thanks sdsearch. Makes sense to me. Why do you think it is a good idea to cancel if the SPG account gets sold to Chase? Chase doesn't restrict bonus by lifetime. Should be able to cancel even after and re-apply for the appropriate Chase card and earn a bonus, right? Of course, one may have to wait a certain amount of time (12 mo, 24mo, whatever it is). Is this understanding correct?
So if Amex transfers that information to Chase (or if Chase simply checks with Marwood/Stariott), you'd have wait even more than 24 months since you opened the SPG personal account, while much less time if you can close it before it gets transferred to Chase. (Of course, whether there's time enough to do this, and not run afoul of Amex's "abuse" terms, if you haven't applied for an SPG card yet, that I don't know. I applied for my SPG Business card almost a year ago, and already had an SPG personal card once before [and thus can't get another signup bonus], so I'm not that situation myself.)
