American Express Changes Welcome Bonus Eligibility

Singapore- American Express (AMEX) has updated its definition of “new to new” customer eligibility, meaning welcome offers will no longer apply to supplementary cardholders. This policy takes effect on July 31, 2025, and impacts all AMEX Consumer cards, including the widely-used Amex Krisflyer Ascend and Amex Platinum credit cards.

In the past, customers could switch among various AMEX cards and still be treated as new clients. However, that’s changed. If you’ve held or canceled any AMEX Principal or Supplementary Card in the last year, you’re now ineligible for new customer promotions.

Eligibility for American Express New Customers

AMEX has dramatically shifted how it defines new customers with respect to welcome bonuses. This change affects cards like the Amex Krisflyer Ascend and both the Amex Platinum Charge and credit cards.

What’s changed?

Previously, to qualify as a new customer under the old standards:

• You couldn’t have held a Principal AMEX Card at the time of application.
• You shouldn’t have canceled the same principal card in the last 12 months.

Now, the updated standards are:

• You must not have held any AMEX Consumer Card at the time of application.
• You must not have canceled any AMEX Consumer Card in the past 12 months.

This means that even if you just keep a supplementary AMEX card, or cancel one within the past year, you’ll no longer be considered a new client.

Only One of Seven Sample Profiles Now Qualifies

AMEX’s policy changes significantly narrow eligibility. Here’s how different applicant profiles are treated under the old and new guidelines:

Now, only one of these seven profiles qualifies for new bonuses.

Why This Shift Matters

While many banks have already set similar limitations on recent cardholders, AMEX stands out as the only major issuer—including the Bank of China—that applies this rule to supplementary cardholders as well.

This change seems aimed at curbing card “churning,” but it may also inadvertently penalize regular customers who aren’t exploiting the system.

Existing Customer Rules Updated and Then Revised

Initially, AMEX intended to impose a similar 12-month cancellation rule for existing customer promotions. Under the proposed rules:

• Cancelling any AMEX card would have disqualified you from existing customer bonuses.

However, after receiving feedback, they reversed this. Now, disqualification only occurs if you cancel the same principal card within the last 12 months, reverting to earlier policy.

Current Definitions by Product:

• Amex Krisflyer Ascend: Must not have canceled the same principal card in the last 12 months.
• Amex Platinum Credit Card: Same rule applies.
• AMEX Platinum Charge: Also follows the same 12-month rule, which is an improvement over the previous 24-month period.

Current AMEX Welcome Bonus

These newly introduced bonuses are evidently lower than previous offers. For instance, the Platinum Charge Card used to offer 150,000 MR points under similar spending requirements.

Conversely, the offers for existing customers remain rather appealing, especially for those with a minimum spend requirement of just $1.

Final Thoughts

AMEX has now set the most stringent criteria in the market for welcome bonuses, effectively disqualifying even supplementary cardholders.

This strategy may limit manipulation of the system, but it risks alienating regular customers. Coupled with less favorable qualifying bonuses, the incentive to switch to AMEX has diminished significantly.