{"id":106871,"date":"2025-08-07T18:12:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T12:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=106871"},"modified":"2025-08-07T16:46:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T11:16:19","slug":"american-express-tightens-eligibility-for-new-customer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/american-express-tightens-eligibility-for-new-customer\/","title":{"rendered":"American Express Tightens Eligibility for New Customer Bonuses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>SINGAPORE-<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/tag\/american-express\/\">American Express (AMEX)<\/a> has redefined its \u201cnew-to-AMEX\u201d criteria, now disqualifying even supplementary cardholders from welcome offers. The change, effective 31 July 2025, applies across all AMEX consumer cards, including the popular AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend (IATA Code: SQ) and AMEX Platinum Credit Card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Previously, users could switch between different AMEX cards and still be considered new customers. That\u2019s no longer the case. Now, anyone who has held or cancelled <strong>any<\/strong> AMEX principal or supplementary card within the past year will not qualify for new customer promotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-1024x534.webp\" alt=\"American Express Tightens Eligibility for New Customer Bonuses\" class=\"wp-image-90214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-1024x534.webp 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-300x156.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-768x401.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-50x26.webp 50w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-1600x834.webp 1600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-1536x801.webp 1536w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-2048x1068.webp 2048w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-150x78.webp 150w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-450x235.webp 450w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-1200x626.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: American Express<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-american-express-eligibility-for-new-customers\">American Express Eligibility for New Customers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>AMEX has quietly but dramatically changed how it defines a new customer for the purposes of welcome bonuses. This affects eligibility for cards like the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend (SQ), AMEX Platinum Charge, and AMEX Platinum Credit Card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-s-changed\">What\u2019s Changed<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the <strong>old criteria<\/strong>, to qualify as a new customer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You could not currently hold a <strong>principal AMEX card<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You must not have cancelled the <strong>same principal card<\/strong> within the past 12 months<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>new criteria<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You cannot hold <strong>any principal or supplementary AMEX consumer card<\/strong> at the time of application<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You must not have cancelled <strong>any principal or supplementary AMEX consumer card<\/strong> in the past 12 months<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, even holding a supplementary AMEX card or cancelling one within the past year now disqualifies you from being considered a new customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-3-1024x683.png\" alt=\"American Express Tightens Eligibility for New Customer Bonuses\" class=\"wp-image-56029\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-3-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-3-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-3-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-3-1600x1067.png 1600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-3-1536x1024.png 1536w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-3-2048x1365.png 2048w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-3-750x500.png 750w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-3-1140x760.png 1140w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Business Wire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-only-one-of-seven-sample-profiles-now-qualifies\">Only One of Seven Sample Profiles Now Qualifies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>AMEX\u2019s updated policy has significantly narrowed eligibility. Here\u2019s how the same applicant profile would be treated before and after the change:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th><strong>Scenario<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Status Under Old Rules<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Status Under New Rules<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>No AMEX cards now, none cancelled in 12 months<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>No AMEX now, cancelled principal 6 months ago<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>No AMEX now, cancelled supplementary 6 months ago<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Has a supplementary card now, no cancellations<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Has supplementary card now, no cancellations<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Has supplementary now, cancelled supplementary 6 months ago<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Has supplementary now, cancelled principal 6 months ago<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Only <strong>one<\/strong> out of these seven profiles still qualifies for a new-to-AMEX bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-this-shift-matters\">Why This Shift Matters<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Most banks already exclude recent principal cardholders from new customer offers. But AMEX is now the only major issuer (besides Bank of China) to apply this exclusion to <strong>supplementary<\/strong> cardholders as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike primary users, supplementary cardholders don\u2019t typically receive signup bonuses. That makes AMEX\u2019s new rule particularly strict\u2014and arguably punitive. The change is likely aimed at limiting \u201cchurn,\u201d but it also affects ordinary customers who may not have been gaming the system, <a href=\"https:\/\/milelion.com\/2025\/08\/05\/psa-american-express-tightens-eligibility-for-sign-up-bonuses\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Mile Lion<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-1024x534.webp\" alt=\"Best Airline Credit Card in the world\" class=\"wp-image-90214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-1024x534.webp 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-300x156.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-768x401.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-50x26.webp 50w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-1600x834.webp 1600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-1536x801.webp 1536w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-2048x1068.webp 2048w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-150x78.webp 150w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-450x235.webp 450w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Airline-Credit-Card-in-the-world-1200x626.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: American Express<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-existing-customer-rules-also-updated-then-reversed\">Existing Customer Rules Also Updated\u2014Then Reversed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Initially, AMEX planned to apply the same 12-month exclusion to <strong>existing<\/strong> customer offers. That would have meant:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cancelling <strong>any<\/strong> AMEX card (even supplementary) in the last 12 months disqualified you from existing-customer bonuses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>After pushback, AMEX reversed this. Now, you\u2019re only disqualified if you cancelled the <strong>same principal card<\/strong> in the past 12 months. This reverts to the previous policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-current-definitions-by-product\">Current Definitions by Product:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend<\/strong>: Must not have cancelled the same basic card in the past 12 months<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>AMEX Platinum Credit Card<\/strong>: Same rule<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>AMEX Platinum Charge<\/strong>: Also follows the same 12-month rule now (improved from the previous 24-month timeout)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-2-1024x683.png\" alt=\"Delta SkyMiles\u00ae American Express Cards Offer More Rewards &amp; Benefits\" class=\"wp-image-56028\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-2-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-2-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-2-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-2-1600x1067.png 1600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-2-1536x1024.png 1536w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-2-2048x1365.png 2048w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-2-750x500.png 750w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image-2-1140x760.png 1140w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Business Wire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-current-amex-welcome-bonuses\">Current AMEX Welcome Bonuses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th><strong>Card<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>New-to-AMEX Bonus<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Existing Customer Bonus<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>KrisFlyer Ascend<\/strong><\/td><td>15,800 miles (S$1,000 in 60 days)<\/td><td>15,000 miles (min. S$1 spend)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Platinum Credit Card<\/strong><\/td><td>23,750 MR points (S$1,000 in 60 days)<\/td><td>15,000 MR points (min. S$1 spend)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Platinum Charge<\/strong><\/td><td>80,000 MR points (S$8,000 in 90 days)<\/td><td>45,000 MR points (S$3,000 in 90 days)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>These new-to-AMEX bonuses are <strong>lower<\/strong> than past offers. For example, the Platinum Charge card previously offered <strong>150,000 MR points<\/strong> with the same spend requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, the existing customer offers\u2014especially those requiring just a S$1 minimum spend\u2014are now relatively more attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thoughts<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>AMEX has tightened its welcome bonus criteria to the strictest level in the market, disqualifying even supplementary cardholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The move reduces gaming but may alienate regular customers in the process. Coupled with weaker new-to-AMEX bonuses, the value proposition for switching to AMEX has diminished for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Join us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/s\/aviationa2z\" rel=\"nofollow\">Telegram Group\u00a0<\/a>for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMPLdrgsw_-jGAw?hl=en-IN&amp;gl=IN&amp;ceid=IN%3Aen\">Google News<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-aviation-a-2-z wp-block-embed-aviation-a-2-z\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"I8LmJiOHWf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/01\/american-express-amex-pay-to-shut-down\/\">American Express Amex Pay to Shut Down from July 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;American Express Amex Pay to Shut Down from July 2025&#8221; &#8212; Aviation A2Z\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/01\/american-express-amex-pay-to-shut-down\/embed\/#?secret=OlpwRUkd6B#?secret=I8LmJiOHWf\" data-secret=\"I8LmJiOHWf\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American Express (AMEX) has redefined its \u201cnew-to-AMEX\u201d criteria, now disqualifying even supplementary cardholders from welcome offers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":148,"featured_media":106873,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13569,10298,6761],"tags":[8733,17530,26463,11300,17529],"class_list":{"0":"post-106871","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-credit-cards","8":"category-finance","9":"category-news","10":"tag-american-express","11":"tag-american-express-cards","12":"tag-american-express-centurion-lounges","13":"tag-american-express-news","14":"tag-american-express-rewards-and-benefits"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/148"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106871"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106876,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106871\/revisions\/106876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}