New Amex Green Card Welcome Offer Restrictions

"The trend here from Amex seems to be that if you have (or have had) a more premium card, then you’re not eligible for the welcome offer on a less premium version of that card"

That makes sense for delta cards but not the plat, gold, and green. They are completely different cards with the platinum giving bonus for airfare and hotels and the gold being for dining and groceries. The platinum is absolutely not a more premium version of the gold, nor the gold to the green. They have completely different benefits, and one could justify holding all three long term if it meets their spending needs. The delta cards are a stepwise increase of benefits in the same category for a step wise increase in annual fee with no benefit of holding two cards long term.

Did you read the next couple sentences? That’s literally what Ben says…

I’m a perfect data point as to why they may have made the changes. I have all three (green, gold and platinum) and after I hit the spending threshold for the green I have put almost zero spend on the card. I get a better return on dining with the gold, travel with the platinum and rideshare with Chase reserve using Lyft. I have also found it near impossible to use the lounge buddy credit as I generally fly delta and have access to skyclubs. I do not have a compelling reason to spend on it other than the occasional purchase to ensure my account remains active.

Right, but that's because you utilize Chase. If Amex is trying to allure people to their 'trifecta"... and pull them away from Chase and/or CapOne... then it should be encouraging spend on the green card (which for all intends and purposes is Amex's equivalent of the CSP/R in regards to point earning).

In other word, it seems odd to prioritize cracking down on "abuse" of the system rather than incentivizing increased spend.

Yet you are still paying an annual fee on a card you don’t use. Still a win from Amex.

Forgot to mention that part, card will be canceled as soon as it renews. So I’m not on the hook for the fee. But your point is valid if folks keep the card and pay the annual fee.

Green card for travel from taxis to cruises is second only to Amex Business Gold. P2 received the Bus Gold getting 4X and I canceled my personal Green at 3X. I had the green card some 3-4 years and received a ton of points. Now if you exceed $150K spend on the Business Gold in the 4X categories, then it drops back. I would think 600,000 points would justify the AF.

What's a P2?

I'd *sort* of get the logic behind not letting you get a bonus on a Green if you already hold a Platinum, or held one recently. If you want the benefits of the combo, that's fine, but they only want to give out one bonus.

What I don't get is why they'd make this restriction if you've *ever* owned a Platinum. Plenty of people close Platinum cards because they cost too much. Don't they want to incentivize people to sign back up, for whatever card?

In video gaming, think two-play mode. Borrowing the term for use in the points game, Player 2 refers to one's spouse, partner, significant other, etc. P3, P4, etc. can refer to children, other family members, friends, etc. if one is playing the game as part of a larger group.

This has been unofficially going on since at least last summer. When the Green Card had that great welcome bonus last summer, many of us commented on your posts about the card talking about being denied the bonus. I’ve never had the Green Card in any form but got a pop up when I submitted my application saying I was ineligible for the bonus. I have had the Platinum in the past and continue to hold the Gold. The noose is tightening in so many ways.

partner/wife/husband ie if playing in p2 ( two partner ) mode. so you can swap between cards and open close to improve timing to receive more bonus signups

I have all three cards, or as I refer to them as my “AMEX PGG’. I never took a SUB when I got my Gold Card (my first ever Amex card) because I never knew about them and never was educated about them. I got my AMEX Plat 100k SUB in 2021. I got the AMEX Green last May with the 60k SUB with no problems, no AMEX pop ups, etc. I use all three cards regularly for various reasons and love them. I hate they’re doing this.

I was surprised they didn't include the Green Card restriction at the same time when they restricted the Gold Card.

I became ineligible for the Gold SUB when that happened, so I immediately signed up for the Green while I could still get that SUB and hopefully a future upgrade offer from there to the Gold. I'm glad I did that while I could.

I'm not really surprised. When the green card had that awesome bonus last year I tried to sign up and got into pop up jail. I wasn't really getting the card because I expected to use it a lot. Maybe some of the travel stuff at 3X from time to time, but I already get that or better elsewhere; I was just getting it for the bonus. So I stopped my application, figure the amex gravy train was pulling into its final station. The writing had been on the wall for a while, which was why I went ahead and got the gold, which I do actually put a fair amount of spend on. My platinum is on the chopping block, pending any retention bonus at this point since my spending has changed.

@ Ben - I've never had any of theses cars. Am wanting AMEX business Gold + Amex business platinum. Will I be bale to get the signup bonus for both those cards? thx

This restriction makes perfect sense to me. The applicant is already a customer and a member and it is not completely a new account.

Anecdotally, I have the gold card and applied for the green card a few months ago and I was told I couldn’t get the welcome offer. So I cancelled it and went for the everyday preferred instead. Which is ultimately what I wanted for my portfolio so I guess I get in, since I would have cancelled or downgraded after a year anyway.

This does not apply to cards approved before the change, but welcome offer not delivered yet, correct?

@ Zack -- Correct, restrictions are based on what is shown when you apply for your card.