Sara Rathner is a NerdWallet travel and credit cards expert. She has appeared on the “Today” show and CNBC’s “Nightly Business Report,” and has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, Time, Reuters, NBC News, Business Insider and MarketWatch. Before joining NerdWallet, Sara worked at The Motley Fool for nearly 10 years. She also worked as a freelance personal finance writer and paraplanner and has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.
Erin Hurd
Credit cards, rewards, personal finance
Erin is a former writer and assigning editor on the NerdWallet Content team who now heads NerdWallet's travel business. She's a credit card and travel rewards expert at NerdWallet, based in Baltimore, Maryland. She has spent nearly two decades showing readers unique ways to maximize their investments and personal finances. Prior to joining NerdWallet, Erin worked on dozens of newsletters and magazines in the areas of investing, health, business and travel with Agora Publishing. Her love of travel led to a passion for credit card and loyalty rewards to subsidize trips, and she thrives on teaching others how to harness the power of credit card rewards. When she's not helping NerdWallet readers find the best travel value, Erin is planning her next adventure for her family of four using points and miles.
Fact Checked
Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Welcome offers make the first year you carry a credit card an especially lucrative one. After that, you’ll earn rewards for your spending, but nothing comes close to that influx of points worth potentially hundreds of dollars upon redemption.
However, a card’s terms and conditions might stop you from getting multiple new cardholder bonuses from the same issuer, which is the case for certain American Express cards. If you open a new AmEx card and earn a welcome bonus, you may not be able to earn a bonus from another AmEx-issued card within the same “family” later on.
Here’s how to navigate AmEx application rules when it comes to restrictions on new cardholder welcome offers.
It helps to think of cards that offer similar benefits as “families.” A family of cards has a major thing in common, like what rewards currency they earn (travel points or cash back). They may all be part of a rewards program for a specific airline or hotel brand. Within families, you’ll find different tiers of cards. A more premium card will charge a higher annual fee in exchange for more rewards. A no-annual-fee card provides a lower-cost option, but that card won’t offer as many perks.
AmEx cards fall into several families, each with rules about how many bonuses you can get. If you’re ineligible to get a bonus, you’ll get a notification before your application is processed, so you can decide at that point whether or not to proceed.
These are the AmEx card families.
The Platinum Card® from American Express" width="" />
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more.
Learn MoreA number of AmEx cards earn Membership Rewards points, which can be redeemed for travel (including transfers to airline and hotel partners), statement credits, gift cards or purchases at participating merchants. There are two sub-families within this category:
The Platinum Card® from American Express : If you had this card before, or other versions of it including the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab, the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley or previous versions, you may not be able to qualify for a welcome offer by getting it again.
American Express® Gold Card : If you had this card or any versions of The Platinum Card® from American Express before, you may not qualify for a welcome offer.
American Express® Green Card : If you had this card, the American Express® Gold Card or any versions of The Platinum Card® from American Express before, you may not qualify for a welcome offer. ( All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently and the card is no longer available through NerdWallet .)
Terms apply.The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express : If you had this card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card : If you had this card or The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer. ( All information about the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently and the card is no longer available through NerdWallet . )
Terms apply.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more.
Learn MoreAmEx issues several cards that earn cash-back rewards. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express earn elevated rewards in specific spending categories, while the American Express Cash Magnet® Card earns the same rate on all purchases.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express : If you had this card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express : If you had this card, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express or the American Express Cash Magnet® Card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.
American Express Cash Magnet® Card : If you had this card, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express or the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer. ( All information about the American Express Cash Magnet® Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet .)
Terms apply.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more.
Learn MoreAmEx issues these co-branded Delta cards that earn rewards in the form of Delta SkyMiles :
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card : If you had this card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card : If you had this card or the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card : If you had this card, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card : If you had this card, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card , Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.
Terms apply.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more.
Learn MoreAmEx issues several cards that earn Hilton Honors points, as well as two Marriott Bonvoy cards (Chase issues other Marriott Bonvoy cards).
The Hilton cards provide an exception to some of the rules you see with other AmEx cards. You can’t get a welcome offer on a card if you get that exact same card again, but you can get another card in the Hilton family and be eligible for that card’s offer.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card : If you had this card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer. ( All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently and the card is no longer available through NerdWallet .)
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card : If you had this card before (including this card under its previous name, the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card), you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.
Hilton Honors American Express Card : If you had this card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.
Terms apply.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more.
Learn MoreMarriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card : If you had this card, or its pre-Bonvoy predecessor, the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card : If you had this card or the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card before, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.
Terms apply.If you can only get one welcome bonus per card family, go for the card with the biggest bonus available. That may mean stomaching a higher annual fee (and the annual fees on some of these cards are no joke), but if you choose a card with other perks you’ll actually use, you can get more value out of the card while you carry it.
You can opt to downgrade the pricier card later on to another member of the family with a lower annual fee if you’d like to keep your account open for a lower cost. You won’t earn another bonus this way, however.
Anecdotally, consumers may receive targeted credit card offers from AmEx without this lifetime language, meaning you may be eligible for another bonus despite carrying another card in that family. These offers arrive randomly, so pay attention to what you get in the mail.
If you’re considering canceling a card once the annual fee is due again, call the number on the back of your card and ask about retention offers . You’re shut out of bonuses on other similar AmEx cards, but perhaps a kindly customer service representative can convince you to hold onto the card you have now with a waived annual fee or some extra rewards points.
About the authorYou’re following Sara Rathner
Visit your My NerdWallet Settings page to see all the writers you're following.
Sara is a NerdWallet travel and credit cards expert. She has appeared on the “Today” show, Nasdaq and CNBC’s “Nightly Business Report.” See full bio.
On a similar note.
Download the app
Disclaimer: NerdWallet strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. This information may be different than what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider or specific product's site. All financial products, shopping products and services are presented without warranty. When evaluating offers, please review the financial institution's Terms and Conditions. Pre-qualified offers are not binding. If you find discrepancies with your credit score or information from your credit report, please contact TransUnion® directly.
NerdUp by NerdWallet credit card: NerdWallet is not a bank. Bank services provided by Evolve Bank & Trust, member FDIC. The NerdUp by NerdWallet Credit Card is issued by Evolve Bank & Trust pursuant to a license from MasterCard International Inc.
Impact on your credit may vary, as credit scores are independently determined by credit bureaus based on a number of factors including the financial decisions you make with other financial services organizations.
NerdWallet Compare, Inc. NMLS ID# 1617539
California: California Finance Lender loans arranged pursuant to Department of Financial Protection and Innovation Finance Lenders License #60DBO-74812
Insurance Services offered through NerdWallet Insurance Services, Inc. (CA resident license no.OK92033) Insurance Licenses
NerdWallet™ | 55 Hawthorne St. - 10th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105
