Amex Family Language: New 2024 Rules on Bonuses

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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.* See more details about military protections for you and your spouse 
• 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 points on airfare booked directly with airline or on amextravel.com up to $500,000 per calendar year
• Earn 5x points on prepaid hotels at amextravel.com
• $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: Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on Uber Eats and rides every year. Only available to the basic card member, Terms Apply
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at 1 qualifying airline
• $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• This is a MAJOR time saver–$100 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.
• Complimentary access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection® lets you visit more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting. You can love the lounge life with more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax.
• Up to $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit, enrollment required
• No foreign transaction fees
• 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. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
• 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 Amex Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 annually.
• $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 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
• $325 Annual Fee* See more details about American Express protections for you and your spouse