Amex Brings Back Variable Welcome Bonus Offers — What To Know

The next time you apply for an American Express card, you might notice some new wording surrounding welcome bonus offers.

The issuer is now encouraging applicants to apply for a card before knowing what the exact welcome bonus offer is, which may differ by card. For instance, with the Platinum Card^® from American Express, the issuer has verbiage saying the welcome offer could be “as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards points” — though that amount isn’t necessarily guaranteed.

The exact number of points will be shown once you submit your application. Although applying for a new credit card typically affects your credit score due to a hard inquiry, thanks to Amex’s “Apply With Confidence” application feature, you can view the welcome offer amount without impacting your credit. (If you decide not to proceed with the application, then your credit remains unaffected.)

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Amex has introduced variable welcome bonus offers, though the team at Upgraded Points has observed them more frequently now after a few years’ hiatus. That said, here’s everything you should know before applying.

Amex’s Variable Welcome Offers

When applying for a new American Express card, you may come across this new welcome offer language:

For the Amex Platinum card specifically, it highlights a welcome offer that’s “as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards points” and that “you may not be eligible for the maximum welcome offer amount.”

Fortunately, with Apply With Confidence, you should still be able to submit an application and find out what the welcome offer amount is before deciding to proceed with the application. As a reminder, here’s the current, publicly available welcome offer on the Amex Platinum card:

• Apply and find out if you're eligible for as high as 175,000 points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Another Way of Finding Elevated Welcome Bonus Offers

If you’d rather know the number of bonus points you’re eligible for up front, you might want to search for a targeted welcome offer on an Amex card instead.

You know you’ve come across one when you see the standard offer crossed out, plus a significantly higher points amount right next to it — typically with the same spending requirement. Who wouldn’t want that?

Here at Upgraded Points, we have frequently discussed targeted welcome bonus offers for some of the most popular cards, such as the Amex Platinum card (175,000 bonus points), The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express (250,000 points), and so on.

Targeted offers are discussed in the articles listed above. Please note that these offers are not available to all applicants. Any information related to targeted offers has been collected independently and not reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Final Thoughts

Amex’s shift toward variable welcome bonus offers could add an element of uncertainty the next time you apply. Thankfully, the “Apply With Confidence” feature provides reassurance by allowing you to view the bonus without impacting your credit score. If you accept the offer and decide to accept Amex issuing the card, only at that point would you receive a hard inquiry on your credit report.