American Express generally only allows you to earn a welcome bonus on a new credit card if you’ve never had the same card before. The language in the Amex bonus terms and conditions related to this is often referred to as “lifetime language.”
Here’s what you need to know about the Amex welcome bonus rules and lifetime language.
Generally, you can only earn a bonus if you’ve never had the card
Since 2014, American Express has included language in its welcome bonus terms and conditions stating that you are ineligible to earn the bonus if you’ve ever had the same card. This was largely to prevent people from applying for the same card over and over again in order to earn multiple welcome bonuses.
Unlike other issuers which either prohibit you from earning a bonus twice or place speed limits on how often you can earn a bonus, Amex lifetime language applies if you’ve ever had the same card before. Even if you’ve never earned a welcome bonus, if you’ve previously had the card, Amex lifetime language will prohibit you from earning a bonus.
Lifetime might mean 7 years
If you search through frequent flyer forums like FlyerTalk, you might find that people have been able to get a new cardmember welcome bonus on a card that they closed more than 7 years ago. And there’s some wiggle room within Amex’s language for Amex to decide when it wants to offer you a bonus again. “You may not” receive a bonus does not mean “You will not.”
Ultimately American Express makes the call on whether if offers you a welcome bonus. The upshot is that you’re very unlikely to receive a bonus if you’ve had the same card within 7 years.
Some cards have lifetime family language
In addition to the lifetime language, some cards have lifetime family language. Lifetime family language prohibits you from earning a welcome bonus if you’ve ever had the same card or certain cards within the same family of cards. Card families include the following:
- Delta SkyMiles credit cards
- Hilton credit cards
- Pay-over-time cards that earn Membership Rewards points, including all variants of the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum cards.
- Credit cards that earn Membership Rewards points, including the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card and Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card.
- Credit cards that earn cash back, including the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express and Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
Small business cards and personal cards are considered separate card families.
Here’s an example of the lifetime family language included on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card application:
Generally, family lifetime language only prohibits you from earning a welcome bonus if you’ve ever had the same card or a higher-tier card in the same family. For example, you can’t get a welcome bonus on a Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card if you’ve ever had the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. But you can get a welcome bonus on the Delta Platinum card if you’ve previously had the Delta Gold card.
“No lifetime language” offers
Occasionally, American Express will release some welcome bonus offers that do not include lifetime language. These “no lifetime language” offers appear on business credit cards and are often targeted. Most often, you’ll find them when you log into your account at americanexpress.com or you’ll see them on friend-generated referral links.
Amex will let you know if you’re ineligible for a bonus during your application.
Despite the language in the terms and conditions restricting earning a welcome bonus on a card you’ve already had, American Express does have one of the most consumer-friendly processes when it comes to apply for new cards:
“If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.”
American Express welcome bonus terms and conditions
With most issuers, you’ll find out that you’re not eligible for a bonus when you don’t earn the bonus—after you’ve spent significant money on the card and given up rewards you could be earning elsewhere. In contrast, Amex will tell you if you’re ineligible for a welcome bonus before it processes your application.
If you apply for a new American Express card and are not eligible for a welcome bonus, you’ll see a popup notification on the Amex website on the last step of your application. At that point, you can either withdraw your application with no impact to your credit score or continue to apply for the card without a welcome bonus.
Bottom line
With most American Express cards, you’ll be ineligible to earn a welcome bonus if you’ve ever had the same card, a previous version of the same card, or a higher-tier card in the same card family. But it’s always safe to apply for a new Amex card—American Express will let you know if you’re ineligible for a welcome bonus before processing your application.
