Insider’s experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here’s how). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners, however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.
Amex Platinum; Insider
- American Express only allows you to earn the bonus on each card once per lifetime.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
comes with 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. - You can only earn the bonus with this card once — but there are other Platinum cards that offer bonuses, too.
- Read Insider’s guide to the best American Express cards.
We regularly receive emails from readers with questions about tips and tricks to using credit cards and travel rewards to their full potential. If you’ve got something you’d like us to answer on the site, you can send us an email.
American Express has very unique (and sort of confusing) rules when it comes to earning welcome bonuses and opening cards. For example:
- You cannot earn a welcome bonus on each card more than once per lifetime.
- You can only apply for two cards in a single day
- You can only have five credit cards at once (though cards with no preset spending limit, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, don’t count toward that number)
Reader John has a question as to what happens when you decide you want more than one Amex Platinum card. It’s no wonder, as the card currently comes with a public offer of 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
Here’s what he had to say:
Hi Joseph, Thanks for writing about holding three Amex Platinum cards. I just upgraded my American Express® Gold Card
to an Amex Platinum and will get 100,000 points after spending $6,000 within six months. I originally wanted to get the Platinum Card® from American Express for Charles Schwab. Will I be allowed to get another welcome bonus if I apply for the Charles Schwab Amex Platinum in like two years, or are they considered similar and Amex only offers one welcome offer per card per lifetime?Thank you so much.
John’s brain is in a steel cage match with Amex’s confusing terms of welcome bonus eligibility. Fortunately, he will qualify for the welcome bonus on his Amex Platinum Charles Schwab card. Let’s examine the situation. Amex is an Insider partner.
Insider’s Featured Rewards Credit Cards
Earn unlimited 3x points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans. Earn 1x points on other purchases.
Limited time offer of 30,000 bonus points when you spend $1,500 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening (offer expires 01/10/2023)
Earn 3x ThankYou® points at restaurants and supermarkets. Earn 3x ThankYou® points at gas stations, air travel, and hotels. Earn 1x ThankYou® points on all other purchases.
80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Earn 5x points on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Earn 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out. Earn 3x points on select streaming services. Earn 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs). Earn 2x points on other travel. Earn 1x point per dollar on everything else.
60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
Do you earn multiple bonuses when you have more than one Amex Platinum Card?
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Intro offer
80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership
Rewards
Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year. Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Intro offer
80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership
Rewards
Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year. Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
On American Express’s website
Details
Rewards
Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year. Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
Annual Fee
$695
See Rates and Fees
Show more
Intro offer
80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership
Recommended Credit
Good to Excellent
Regular Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
See Pay Over Time APR
Intro Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
N/A
Editor’s Rating
Our editor’s ratings analyze fees, bonuses, rewards, and benefits to highlight the simplest and most valuable credit cards available.
Show more
Pros & Cons
Highlights
Additional Reading
John already has The Platinum Card® from American Express in his wallet, and he’s thinking of adding another — the Amex Platinum for Charles Schwab. Let’s closely examine American Express’ welcome bonus rules to see if he’s eligible for the bonus.
Here are the verbatim terms from the Amex Platinum Charles Schwab card’s application page:
Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this Card. We may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.
In other words, if you’ve previously opened the card, you cannot open it again and earn its welcome bonus (even if you didn’t earn it the first time).
However, American Express considers the Amex Platinum Charles Schwab card an entirely different product than the regular Amex Platinum card. Just because they’re both “Platinum” cards doesn’t prevent you from earning both bonuses. This is true for myriad American Express cards. For example:
Per Amex’s terms and conditions, if John opens the Amex Platinum for Charles Schwab, he will receive its bonus after meeting minimum spending requirements.
Also look for “lifetime language” in the terms
John also mentioned that he received a bonus for upgrading his American Express® Gold Card to The Platinum Card® from American Express. This brings up another important point.
For whatever reason, you may sometimes be targeted to apply for an American Express card you already have — or upgrade your current card — and receive a bonus. These offers can appear in your online account, through email, or arrive via snail mail.
Sometimes, these offers do not contain any “lifetime” language in the terms and conditions. In other words, the card’s offer terms won’t contain the disclaimer that says “Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this Card.” That means you can open a card and receive its bonus even if you already have the same exact card. It’s rare to find an application link without lifetime language — but if you do, you will qualify for the bonus again.
Bottom line
American Express dictates that you can only earn the bonus from each card once per lifetime. With that said, remember these two things:
- You are still eligible to earn the bonus on cards that sound similar but are distinctly different (e.g. the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the American Express Morgan Stanley Blue Cash Preferred® American Express Card)
- American Express will occasionally bend its own rules and invite you to open a card you already have and earn another welcome bonus
By opening two different flavors of the Amex Platinum Card, John will be able to earn the welcome bonus for both cards.
Related Post
Insider’s experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here’s how). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners, however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.
Amex Platinum; Insider
- American Express only allows you to earn the bonus on each card once per lifetime.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
comes with 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. - You can only earn the bonus with this card once — but there are other Platinum cards that offer bonuses, too.
- Read Insider’s guide to the best American Express cards.
We regularly receive emails from readers with questions about tips and tricks to using credit cards and travel rewards to their full potential. If you’ve got something you’d like us to answer on the site, you can send us an email.
American Express has very unique (and sort of confusing) rules when it comes to earning welcome bonuses and opening cards. For example:
- You cannot earn a welcome bonus on each card more than once per lifetime.
- You can only apply for two cards in a single day
- You can only have five credit cards at once (though cards with no preset spending limit, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, don’t count toward that number)
Reader John has a question as to what happens when you decide you want more than one Amex Platinum card. It’s no wonder, as the card currently comes with a public offer of 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
Here’s what he had to say:
Hi Joseph, Thanks for writing about holding three Amex Platinum cards. I just upgraded my American Express® Gold Card
to an Amex Platinum and will get 100,000 points after spending $6,000 within six months. I originally wanted to get the Platinum Card® from American Express for Charles Schwab. Will I be allowed to get another welcome bonus if I apply for the Charles Schwab Amex Platinum in like two years, or are they considered similar and Amex only offers one welcome offer per card per lifetime?Thank you so much.
John’s brain is in a steel cage match with Amex’s confusing terms of welcome bonus eligibility. Fortunately, he will qualify for the welcome bonus on his Amex Platinum Charles Schwab card. Let’s examine the situation. Amex is an Insider partner.
Insider’s Featured Rewards Credit Cards
Earn unlimited 3x points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans. Earn 1x points on other purchases.
Limited time offer of 30,000 bonus points when you spend $1,500 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening (offer expires 01/10/2023)
Earn 3x ThankYou® points at restaurants and supermarkets. Earn 3x ThankYou® points at gas stations, air travel, and hotels. Earn 1x ThankYou® points on all other purchases.
80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Earn 5x points on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Earn 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out. Earn 3x points on select streaming services. Earn 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs). Earn 2x points on other travel. Earn 1x point per dollar on everything else.
60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
Do you earn multiple bonuses when you have more than one Amex Platinum Card?
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Intro offer
80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership
Rewards
Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year. Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Intro offer
80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership
Rewards
Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year. Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
On American Express’s website
Details
Rewards
Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year. Earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
Annual Fee
$695
See Rates and Fees
Show more
Intro offer
80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership
Recommended Credit
Good to Excellent
Regular Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
See Pay Over Time APR
Intro Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
N/A
Editor’s Rating
Our editor’s ratings analyze fees, bonuses, rewards, and benefits to highlight the simplest and most valuable credit cards available.
Show more
Pros & Cons
Highlights
Additional Reading
John already has The Platinum Card® from American Express in his wallet, and he’s thinking of adding another — the Amex Platinum for Charles Schwab. Let’s closely examine American Express’ welcome bonus rules to see if he’s eligible for the bonus.
Here are the verbatim terms from the Amex Platinum Charles Schwab card’s application page:
Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this Card. We may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.
In other words, if you’ve previously opened the card, you cannot open it again and earn its welcome bonus (even if you didn’t earn it the first time).
However, American Express considers the Amex Platinum Charles Schwab card an entirely different product than the regular Amex Platinum card. Just because they’re both “Platinum” cards doesn’t prevent you from earning both bonuses. This is true for myriad American Express cards. For example:
Per Amex’s terms and conditions, if John opens the Amex Platinum for Charles Schwab, he will receive its bonus after meeting minimum spending requirements.
Also look for “lifetime language” in the terms
John also mentioned that he received a bonus for upgrading his American Express® Gold Card to The Platinum Card® from American Express. This brings up another important point.
For whatever reason, you may sometimes be targeted to apply for an American Express card you already have — or upgrade your current card — and receive a bonus. These offers can appear in your online account, through email, or arrive via snail mail.
Sometimes, these offers do not contain any “lifetime” language in the terms and conditions. In other words, the card’s offer terms won’t contain the disclaimer that says “Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this Card.” That means you can open a card and receive its bonus even if you already have the same exact card. It’s rare to find an application link without lifetime language — but if you do, you will qualify for the bonus again.
Bottom line
American Express dictates that you can only earn the bonus from each card once per lifetime. With that said, remember these two things:
- You are still eligible to earn the bonus on cards that sound similar but are distinctly different (e.g. the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the American Express Morgan Stanley Blue Cash Preferred® American Express Card)
- American Express will occasionally bend its own rules and invite you to open a card you already have and earn another welcome bonus
By opening two different flavors of the Amex Platinum Card, John will be able to earn the welcome bonus for both cards.
