Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
Feb. 04, 2021 6 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
American Express announced a new welcome offer on The Platinum Card® from American Express last November. Luckily, this welcome offer is still available. And, unlike some previous Amex Platinum offers, this offer is comprised of two parts.
First, new cardmembers can earn 75,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. Second, new cardmembers can also earn 10x points at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases) during the first six months of card membership.
If you were to apply and then spend $2,500 at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations for each of your first six months (totaling $15,000 in spend), you'd earn a total of up to 225,000 American Express Membership Rewards points with the full welcome offer. As such, based on TPG's valuation of Amex Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each, the welcome offer is worth up to $4,500.
With this massive welcome offer on the table, you may be wondering whether you're eligible. Here's what you need to know about who is eligible for the current Amex Platinum welcome offer.
As with most of the best American Express cards, the welcome offer terms for The Platinum Card from American Express usually state:
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.
So, if you've had the Amex Platinum card in the past, you usually won't be eligible to earn a welcome offer. These welcome offer terms are known as Amex's once-per-lifetime policy. However, Amex's once-per-lifetime policy has several exceptions.
For example, one exception is if you had an authorized user Amex Platinum card. If you were only an authorized user on someone else's Amex Platinum account, you might be eligible to earn a welcome offer. Likewise, if you have or previously had The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you may still qualify for the welcome offer on the consumer version.
Another exception is if Amex doesn't have a record of you previously holding the card. If you had an Amex Platinum a long time ago, it might be worth asking Amex which cards you've previously held. To do so, log-in to your online account and click the chat button at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. Then, ask the chat agent for a listing of all the Amex cards you've held in the past. If The Platinum Card from American Express isn't listed, you may be eligible for the welcome offer.
Daily Newsletter Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s expertsIf you've had an Amex Platinum card previously, you may still be able to earn a new welcome offer if you get a targeted offer. After all, targeted offers sometimes have different welcome offer terms. There are three main ways you can find targeted welcome offers:
So, it's worth keeping a close eye on your mailbox and periodically checking whether you have any targeted offers in your online account. You may also want to check the CardMatch Tool to see if you can snag an elevated welcome offer. After all, if Amex has targeted you for a particular offer, you may be able to earn the offer even if you've previously held the card.
One final option if you want the Amex Platinum's current welcome offer is to apply. After all, Amex has a welcome offer eligibility tool that will tell you after applying (but before Amex pulls your credit) whether you're eligible for the welcome offer.
If you see a message after you apply stating that you aren't eligible for the welcome offer, you can then choose one of the following:
If you decide to withdraw your application, there's no harm to your credit. So, if you have doubts regarding your eligibility for the welcome offer (but know you want the card if you're eligible), you may want to go ahead and apply.
The Platinum Card from American Express' current welcome offer is appealing. If you have doubts regarding your eligibility for the offer, take comfort in the fact that Amex's welcome offer eligibility tool will tell you whether you're eligible before Amex performs a hard pull on your credit.
However, it's worth considering the actual value of this welcome offer before applying. For example, if you already have one of the best credit cards for gas purchases and one of the best grocery credit cards (or don't spend much at U.S. supermarkets and gas stations), the 10x earning part of the current offer may not provide much value.
But, if you've been on the fence about adding the Amex Platinum to your wallet, this welcome offer may be the push you need to apply.
Apply for The Platinum Card from American Express with its 75,000-point and 10x earning on select purchases welcome offer. Or, check out our Amex Platinum review for more details.
Featured image by WYATT SMITH/THE POINTS GUYEditorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
