How To Determine If You’re Eligible For A Second (Or Third, Etc Etc) American Express Bonus

American Express cards now clearly contain the following language on their application pages:

Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product.

You’d think that language would make who is and isn’t clear cut, but you’d be wrong. There are a number of things to take into account.

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Bill S
Bill S (@guest_358424)
February 22, 2017 14:30

Thoughts on this:
8/2006 – Received Amex SPG Personal Card bonus. Kept this card until 8/2016.

10/2016 – Opened new SPG Personal Card just to have it for a year w/o AF. Did not attempt minimum signup bonus spend, believing I was ineligible. Was that wrong?

If I close SPG Personal Card #2, wait a month & reapply would I be eligible for the signup bonus since it’s been over 10 years since I received the bonus, even though it’s been less than a year since I closed the card that received that bonus?

Gary
Gary (@guest_358541)
February 22, 2017 18:12

You would have to have closed it 7 years ago.

Bill S
Bill S (@guest_358580)
February 22, 2017 19:33

Thought so. Thx.
In hindsight I should’ve closed it/ reapplied every year I didn’t get a retention offer.

Mark
Mark (@guest_357695)
February 21, 2017 14:39

Any advise on MSing successfully on Amex cards? I have a business platinum and need to spend 5K in 60 days. Can I buy WM VGC here and there along with other groceries? So charges will never be the same. All I need to buy is 10 over a period of 2 months.

Son
Son (@guest_357701)
February 21, 2017 14:42

Probably not the right thread for Msing your minimum spend. And I recommend you don’t MS your minimum spend. AMEX might look at it, and not pay out.

Son
Son (@guest_357688)
February 21, 2017 14:27

And I just thought about it. If they are going to say the business and the personal is the same product, then what about the SPG personal and Business.

It seems like it’s only MR, and that the reps there will straight out tell you that you won’t get the MR bonus or get the clawed MR bonus back, no matter who you talk to.

Dan K
Dan K (@guest_357569)
February 21, 2017 10:45

Amex clawed back the 100,000 bonus points on the personal Platinum card I recently picked up. Customer service is grouping the Platinum with Business Platinum as one product and maintaining that I’m ineligible for a second bonus on the same product. Have you ever heard of this and is there anything I can do about it?

Son
Son (@guest_357683)
February 21, 2017 14:12

That’s messed up. I am sure you’re the guy that posted on Reddit. I am the guy that is worried that they will claw back or not pay out my 50k PRG to Platinum upgrade because I had the Business Platinum.

yhgfkj
yhgfkj (@guest_357201)
February 20, 2017 17:32

Regarding Getting The Same Business Credit Card Multiple Times With Different EIN,
here your saying ” The short answer is that it does work if you use a different tax ID”
but in the comment’s on the earlier post there are few non success story’s, think we are still unclear ?

Ed
Ed (@guest_357186)
February 20, 2017 16:59

I followed your advice and got the list via chat. The SPG AMEX which I had previously (8 years ago) did NOT show up, which is a datapoint confirming the unofficial 7 year AMEX “prior account memory” rule.

A few questions: if I apply and am accepted for the SPG AMEX, do I receive something similar to the CITI welcome letter which confirms the bonus? If not, do I call a rep and confirm prior to any spending? Based on recent blogs do you consider MS to be dangerous now with AMEX? And, if still worth the risk, is it less likely to detect at grocery/drug and/or with total not ending in 95 cents? Thank you. P.S. You are number 1 in terms of my daily reading. My time is limited, you are well worth it!

Mark
Mark (@guest_357599)
February 21, 2017 11:39

I chatted and asked, “Can you tell me which all AmEx cards I have had according to your record?”, The rep said, she can not see this information and gave me 800 number to call.

yussuf
yussuf (@guest_357175)
February 20, 2017 16:31

I feel like the biggest idiot. I logged into my blue cash account several days ago and saw a pop up on top saying “get 75,000 MR points with the BGR after spending 5,000 in three months” Thought it was universal and ill just apply later….KILL ME

MarcoPolo
MarcoPolo (@guest_357167)
February 20, 2017 16:02

I received an offer in mail for PRG 50,000 points after 3000 spend.
I was thinking of applying since it doesn’t have the language of once in a lifetime bonus.
After reading people’s experiences I won’t apply.
thanks everyone for the DP.

Shalabh
Shalabh (@guest_357229)
February 20, 2017 19:16

I received a 25000 MR/$1000 spend after cancelling my PRG. Applied and received the points.

Zack
Zack (@guest_357164)
February 20, 2017 15:50

Is it 7 years from closing card or recieving bonus?

Marc
Marc (@guest_357105)
February 20, 2017 13:44

Well, it looks like the post needs to be updated. You cannot advise people to do this, and take a hit, without acknowledging data points that are to the contrary.