Amex Family Language: Amex Card Rules on Welcome Bonuses

American Express, or Amex, has added new “family language” in the terms and conditions of their credit card applications.

The family language restriction means that if you have received a welcome bonus offer on another card in the same family, you may not be eligible to receive a welcome bonus offer on a different card in the same family. This in addition to the other Amex application rules, which include:

• No more than five American Express credit cards at any given time.
• No more than 10 American Express cards without preset spending limits at any given time.
• Maximum of two new cards in a 90-day period.
• Can only earn the welcome bonus on the same card once per lifetime.

For example, if you open The Platinum Card^® from American Express, you may not be eligible to receive a welcome bonus offer on the American Express^® Gold Card or the American Express^® Green Card.

Amex already often has “lifetime language” restrictions in their application terms and conditions. If you have received the welcome bonus offer for a card in the previous 7 years, or you still have a version of that card open, you are not eligible for another welcome bonus.

The Platinum Card^® from American Express
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

• $695 annual fee*. Reduced to $0 with American Express special military protections
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
• $200 Annual Hotel Credit: Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card^®. Note that The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card^® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Disney+, a Disney+ Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can get $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Enrollment required.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
• $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. Use the dedicated CLEAR Lane to confirm your identity without taking out your passport or ID – this can mean shorter lines, less waiting. Receive up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card®.
• This is a MAJOR time saver–$120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA PreCheck® official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®! Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Lounge life! With American Express Global Lounge Collection®, eligible card members can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion® Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, EscapeLounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express® App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder.
• A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
• Up to $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit, enrollment required
• Global Dining Access by Resy gets you access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world's most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
• Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Enrollment is required for select benefits
• The Platinum Card^® from American Express – learn how to apply
• Read my full review of the Amex Platinum card for military, terms apply

Amex Cards with Family Language

Currently, there are 4 families of cards that are affected by the Amex family language restriction:

American Express Membership Rewards Cards, also known as the “Amex trifecta”:

• American Express^® Green Card
• American Express^® Gold Card
• The Platinum Card^® from American Express
• American Express Platinum Card^® for Schwab

American Express Hilton Honors Hotel Cards:

• Hilton Honors American Express Card
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

American Express Marriott Cards

• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express^® Card

American Express Delta Cards

• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

Amex Platinum Family Language

Here is an example from the terms and conditions when you apply for each version of American Express card. Note that Amex unhelpfully states that you “may not be eligible,” but doesn't make it clear if you are eligible.

Thanks to the Amex application pop up, you can start your application for any American Express card and you will be informed, before you apply, if you are eligible or not for the welcome bonus.

If you are not eligible for a welcome bonus, you may be in Amex pop up jail or you might just be caught by the new Amex family language rules.

American Express Green Card

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Platinum Card®, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab, the American Express® Gold Card or previous versions of these Cards.

American Express Gold Card

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Premier Rewards Gold Card, the Platinum Card®, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley or previous versions of these Cards.

American Express Platinum Card

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley or previous versions of these Cards.

Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Platinum Card®, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors.

In other words, you may not be eligible for a welcome bonus in the following situations:

• Amex Green card, you may not be eligible for a welcome bonus if you’ve had a Green, Gold, or Platinum card
• Amex Gold card, you may not be eligible for a welcome bonus if you’ve had a Gold or Platinum card
• Amex Platinum card, you may not be eligible for a welcome bonus if you’ve had a Platinum card, of any flavor

Strategy for New Amex Family Language Restrictions

Before 2024, it didn't really matter what order you opened your Amex cards in. Now, it matters a lot to maximize your welcome bonus offers.

The main thing to remember is to work your way up. Start with the lowest annual fee card tier, and work your way up to the highest annual fee card.

A savvy consumer then may be interested in starting at the bottom of the family, the Amex Green card, and working your way to the top (apply for Amex Green, then Amex Gold, then Amex Platinum) in order to earn all the welcome bonuses along the way.

1. American Express^® Green Card
2. American Express^® Gold Card
3. The Platinum Card^® from American Express

For the Amex Hilton cards, the strategy would be the same. Apply for the cards in this order:

1. Hilton Honors American Express Card
2. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
3. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

The new Amex family rules add an extra layer of complexity for smart consumers, but don't complicate things too much. There is still tremendous value to be gained from having these cards.

American Express^® Gold Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
• 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year- includes OCONUS Commissaries
• 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
• 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
• 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees – great for the 4x on restaurants when traveling for fun, OCONUS TDY, or PCS!
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually! Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
• $84 Dunkin' Credit: You can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment required.
• $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. Enrollment required.
• Go explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
• Read my full review of the Amex Gold card for military, terms apply
• Enrollment is required for select benefits
• $325 Annual Fee* See more details about American Express protections for you and your spouse