One welcome bonus per card product, ever. It's enforced by a pre-submission pop-up you can safely test.
What it is
Amex grants each welcome bonus once per person per card product, for life. The enforcement mechanism is unusually humane: if you're ineligible, a pop-up appears before you submit, and closing the application at that point costs nothing, with no hard pull and no record. This makes checking free: fill out the application, watch for the pop-up, and withdraw if it appears.
Current reports
Pop-up frequency has been rising for people who held the Gold card between 2019 and 2021, consistent with Amex tightening its lookback. No-lifetime-language offers (versions of the application that omit the restriction) continue to circulate via some referral links, and remain the main path for repeat bonuses.
Live offers governed by this rule
- American Express Gold Card: up to 100,000 points
- American Express SkyMiles Reserve Business: 80,000 bonus miles
- American Express Surpass Card: 130,000 points bonus
- American Express Platinum Card: up to 175,000 points
- American Express Business Platinum Card: up to 300,000 points
- American Express Business Gold Card: up to 200,000 points