AmEx Application Rules: What You Need to Know

Welcome offers make the first year you carry a credit card an especially lucrative one. After that, you’ll earn rewards for your spending, but nothing comes close to that influx of points worth potentially hundreds of dollars upon redemption.

However, a card’s terms and conditions might stop you from getting multiple new cardholder bonuses from the same issuer, which is the case for certain American Express cards. If you open a new AmEx card and earn a welcome bonus, you may not be able to earn a bonus from another AmEx-issued card within the same “family” later on.

Here’s how to navigate AmEx application rules when it comes to restrictions on new cardholder welcome offers.

» SEE: Best American Express cards

AmEx card ‘families’

It helps to think of cards that offer similar benefits as “families.” A family of cards has a major thing in common, like what rewards currency they earn (travel points or cash back). They may all be part of a rewards program for a specific airline or hotel brand. Within families, you’ll find different tiers of cards. A more premium card will charge a higher annual fee in exchange for more rewards. A no-annual-fee card provides a lower-cost option, but that card won’t offer as many perks.

AmEx cards fall into several families, each with rules about how many bonuses you can get. If you’re ineligible to get a bonus, you’ll get a notification before your application is processed, so you can decide at that point whether or not to proceed.

These are the AmEx card families.

» MORE: How the AmEx ‘once per lifetime’ rule works

Membership Rewards cards

A number of AmEx cards earn Membership Rewards points, which can be redeemed for travel (including transfers to airline and hotel partners), statement credits, gift cards or purchases at participating merchants. There are two sub-families within this category:

For travel

• The Platinum Card® from American Express: If you had this card before, or other versions of it including the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab, the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley or previous versions, you may not be able to qualify for a welcome offer by getting it again.

• American Express® Gold Card: If you had this card or any versions of The Platinum Card® from American Express before, you may not qualify for a welcome offer.

• American Express® Green Card: If you had this card, the American Express® Gold Card or any versions of The Platinum Card® from American Express before, you may not qualify for a welcome offer. (All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently and the card is no longer available through NerdWallet.)

• Terms apply.

For everyday purchases

• The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express: If you had this card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.

• Amex EveryDay® Credit Card: If you had this card or The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer. (All information about the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently and the card is no longer available through NerdWallet.)

• Terms apply.

Cash-back cards

AmEx issues several cards that earn cash-back rewards. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express earn elevated rewards in specific spending categories, while the American Express Cash Magnet® Card earns the same rate on all purchases.

• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: If you had this card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.

• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: If you had this card, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express or the American Express Cash Magnet® Card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.

• American Express Cash Magnet® Card: If you had this card, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express or the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer. (All information about the American Express Cash Magnet® Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet.)

• Terms apply.

» BEST: Cash back credit cards

Airline cards

AmEx issues these co-branded Delta cards that earn rewards in the form of Delta SkyMiles:

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: If you had this card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.

• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: If you had this card or the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: If you had this card, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.

• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: If you had this card, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.

• Terms apply.

» HOW TO: Choose an airline card

Hotel cards

AmEx issues several cards that earn Hilton Honors points, as well as two Marriott Bonvoy cards (Chase issues other Marriott Bonvoy cards).

The Hilton cards provide an exception to some of the rules you see with other AmEx cards. You can’t get a welcome offer on a card if you get that exact same card again, but you can get another card in the Hilton family and be eligible for that card’s offer.

Hilton Honors

• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: If you had this card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer. (All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently and the card is no longer available through NerdWallet.)

• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: If you had this card before (including this card under its previous name, the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card), you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.

• Hilton Honors American Express Card: If you had this card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.

• Terms apply.

Marriott Bonvoy

• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: If you had this card, or its pre-Bonvoy predecessor, the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.

• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card: If you had this card or the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.

• Terms apply.

» READ: 10 steps for getting your credit card application approved

What you can do

Choose your card carefully

If you can only get one welcome bonus per card family, go for the card with the biggest bonus available. That may mean stomaching a higher annual fee (and the annual fees on some of these cards are no joke), but if you choose a card with other perks you’ll actually use, you can get more value out of the card while you carry it.

You can opt to downgrade the pricier card later on to another member of the family with a lower annual fee if you’d like to keep your account open for a lower cost. You won’t earn another bonus this way, however.

Look for targeted offers

Anecdotally, consumers may receive targeted credit card offers from AmEx without this lifetime language, meaning you may be eligible for another bonus despite carrying another card in that family. These offers arrive randomly, so pay attention to what you get in the mail.

Ask for a retention bonus