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One of the easiest ways to earn a ton of points is through credit card sign-up bonuses, also known as “welcome offers.” These one-time bonuses for opening a card and meeting minimum spending requirements can be pretty lucrative.
However, most card issuers — including American Express — set restrictions on who's eligible to earn a welcome offer. Some of these credit card application restrictions are published, while others aren't.
Luckily, American Express offers a straightforward tool that lets you know if you are eligible for a welcome offer before you submit your application. Here's what to know about the Amex welcome offer eligibility tool.
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What Is the Amex Welcome Offer Eligibility Tool?
The American Express welcome offer eligibility tool lets you know if you are eligible for a welcome offer before you submit your application. However, it isn't accessible on its own — you'll only see it during the application process.
Once you've found an American Express card that fits your needs, simply start the application. Before you find out whether you are approved, a box may appear informing you that you're not eligible for that welcome offer.
If this happens, you can decide to end the application process without any effect on your credit. If the box doesn't pop up and your application is accepted, you can feel confident that you are eligible for the welcome offer — as long as you meet the spending requirements and don't break any Amex rules.
For research purposes, I attempted to apply for the American Express Platinum Card®, knowing I'd be ineligible for a welcome offer because I'm already a cardholder. I filled out my personal information, including my name, contact information, Social Security number, and income. When I clicked “continue,” I was taken to a page with the terms and conditions.
It gave me the following message:
“You may not be eligible for a welcome offer, even if you are approved for the Card. If you are not eligible, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.”
Since applying doesn't have any impact on my credit score, I submitted my application. American Express performs a hard pull on your credit report only after you are approved and choose to accept the card.
Once I submitted my application, I received the following message via a pop-up window. As I already knew, I was ineligible to receive a welcome offer because I already have a Platinum Card®. It gave me the option to continue and submit my application or cancel and withdraw it.
I don't want a second Platinum Card®, and I certainly don't want one if I'm not earning a welcome bonus, so I pressed “Cancel Application.” This process had no impact on my credit score, but I was able to see for certain that I couldn't earn a welcome offer on this particular card.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Why Would I Be Ineligible for an Amex Welcome Offer?
American Express will not allow an individual to receive a welcome offer more than once. If you've applied for an American Express card and taken advantage of that card's welcome offer in the past, you will not be eligible for that card's welcome offer again — at least for several years.
Ineligible due to previously holding an Amex Card
Let's say you applied for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card in 2022, earned the welcome offer, used the card for a year or two, and then canceled it.
Now you're flying Delta more frequently and notice that the Delta Platinum Amex is offering up to 100,000 bonus miles – 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases with your new card, plus 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the card, both within the first 6 months of account opening (offer ends 04/01/2026) to new cardholders.
If you want to reapply for the Delta Platinum Amex hoping to earn the bonus again, you might be out of luck. American Express' current welcome offer policy is that you can receive a specific card's welcome offer only once per “lifetime.”
With that said, you might be surprised how short a “lifetime” is. If you applied for the same Delta Platinum Amex in 2012 and closed it in 2015, Amex may no longer have records that you held the card. Therefore, you might be eligible for the welcome offer again. This is where the Amex welcome offer eligibility tool can come in handy.
Amex's policy may also extend beyond a single card product and apply to a series or “family” of cards. For example, if you held an Amex card that has since been discontinued, that card may prevent you from getting a successor card. Or, if you've earned a welcome bonus for one card within a “family,” you could be ineligible for earning a bonus on a different card within the same family. Again, the eligibility tool can help you avoid applying if you won’t qualify.
Other reasons you may be ineligible for an Amex welcome offer
Amex factors in additional aspects that may prevent you from receiving a welcome offer. If you received the dreaded pop-up that you are not eligible for an Amex welcome offer, the best answer as to why can be found in the Amex offer terms and conditions.
Here's what the terms and conditions say about the welcome offer for the Platinum Card®:
“You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.”
In short, Amex may not like your overall history with its cards — whether or not you feel that's justified. Amex won't proactively inform you if you're on the naughty list. That makes the American Express welcome offer eligibility tool all the more critical.
What Are the Benefits of the Amex Welcome Offer Tool?
The Amex welcome offer eligibility tool offers two key advantages. The first is pretty obvious: it helps avoid opening a card when you're not eligible for the welcome offer. The second — and arguably more important — it allows you to withdraw your application and avoid a hard inquiry if you won’t receive a bonus.
Avoiding hard inquiries and credit score dings
Several factors impact a credit score, with payment history and credit utilization carrying the most weight. The number of recent hard inquiries is another consideration.
Experian defines a hard inquiry as any instance in which a creditor requests access to your credit file.
Hard inquiries can remain on your credit report for up to two years and may temporarily lower your score by a few points. They also signal to other lenders that you’re actively applying for credit. Some issuers are more sensitive to recent inquiries than others.
Preventing unnecessary hard inquiries is one of the benefits of the Amex welcome offer eligibility tool. The tool informs you of your ineligibility before you submit your application. Therefore, American Express won't pull your credit history until you've confirmed your welcome offer status and finished submitting the application.
Current American Express Welcome Offers
If an American Express card has a welcome offer, the eligibility tool should pop up during the application process if you don’t qualify.
Right now, there are several American Express cards offering rather lucrative welcome offers, including:
- American Express Platinum Card®: As High As 175,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- American Express® Gold Card: As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Limited Time Offer: Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 04/01/2026.
$895Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
$325Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
$650Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 1X miles on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026.
- Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: As High As $300 Cash Back. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as $300 cash back after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, redeemable for statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms Apply.
$650Rates & Fees
(Terms Apply)
- 6X points on purchases at Marriott Properties
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
$550Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
- 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly through select rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
- 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases (then 1%)
- 3% Cash Back on eligible transit purchases including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more
- 3% Cash Back on eligible purchases at U.S. gas stations
- 1% Cash Back on other eligible purchases
- Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
Related: American Express Card Offer History: Best-Ever Offers and When You Should Apply
The Bottom Line
Credit card sign-up bonuses are a great way to earn tons of points or miles in a short period. However, you won't always be eligible for these welcome offers.
Thankfully, American Express offers applicants a simple, free tool. When applying for an American Express card, applicants will be notified if they're ineligible for a welcome offer before completing the application. This prevents applicants from opening a new account when they are not eligible for the welcome bonus and helps them avoid unnecessary hard inquiries that can impact their credit score.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees), American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees), Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (Rates & Fees), and Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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