How to get targeted for the best Amex welcome bonuses.

An easy way to find the best Amex welcome bonuses is to visit Frequent Miler’s Best Credit Card Offers page.  But, that page focuses on the best publicly available offers.  This post details a number of ways to get targeted offers that may be even better.  American Express usually doesn’t offer welcome bonuses to those who have had the same card before, so it is especially important with Amex to sign up only for the very best offers.

Another advantage to seeking targeted offers is that some of these offers do allow you to get a bonus even if you’ve had the card before.  Double and triple check the fine print.  If your targeted offer does not say something like “Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product” then you can get the bonus again!

Refer-a-Friend

Often, friend referrals have bigger welcome bonuses than direct offers.  In those cases, we display those refer-a-friend offers on our site instead of affiliate offers.  But you can do even better by having a family member refer you to the card you want.  All your family member needs to make the referral is another Amex card — it doesn’t have to be the same kind as the card you want to apply for.  By doing it this way, you get the best welcome bonus plus a referral bonus.  Note: Do not refer yourself!

For more details, see: Maximizing value from Amex multi-referrals.

Call Amex

If you’re an existing Amex customer it’s worth calling Amex to ask if you qualify for any special welcome bonus offers.  If you’re aware of good targeted offers, ask specifically about those as well.  This simple technique often works surprisingly well.

Check for pre-qualified offers online

To option to check online for pre-qualified business card offers comes and goes over time. At the moment, there doesn’t appear to be an online option.  However, you can check online for pre-qualified personal card:

Browse to AmericanExpress.com, click “Cards”, then click “Check for Pre-qualified Credit Card Offers” (or just click here).  Unless Amex remembers your previous browsing sessions, you should then see a screen like this:

Fill out the form and see what happens.

Try a fresh or different browser

Sometimes you’ll see different offers for the same Amex card by viewing the offers in different browsers.  It may be necessary to clear your browser’s cache beforehand or use other methods to avoid having the cache change your results. Even after doing so, I’ve sometimes seen a better offer when viewed through Firefox than Chrome (or vice versa).

CardMatch Tool

Try the CardMatch Tool to see if you are targeted for any good offers.  People often report finding offers of up to 100,000 points this way.  For example, my wife once signed up for a 100,000 point Amex Platinum offer that she found through this tool.

Enroll in Loyalty Programs

Amex partners with brands such as Delta, Marriott, and Hilton.  You may be able to find a better offer for their co-branded cards by signing up for their loyalty program.  After signing up online, you may see offers directly in your account or you may receive them through email or snail mail.

Offers by mail

Often, the best American Express offers are delivered via regular mail:

• Make sure you opt-in for mail and e-mail communications with Amex.  You can opt-in via this Amex URL: www.americanexpress.com/communications
• To get targeted business card offers, one option is to buy a web domain.  I discuss this option here: How to (maybe) receive targeted Amex business card offers.

Upgrade instead of applying new

Amex often offers bonuses for upgrading from one version of a card to another.  While these offers aren’t always as good as new welcome bonuses, they have some advantages: 1) You keep your existing account number; 2) There is no new account on your credit report; and 3) There is no credit inquiry involved in upgrading.

One downside to upgrading is that you won’t then be eligible to get a welcome bonus if you sign up new for that card in the future (unless you find an offer without the lifetime rule).  That said, if your upgrade offer is nearly as good as a new welcome bonus, then you’re not losing out by upgrading.

Sometimes you’ll receive upgrade offers by mail or email.  And sometimes they can be found online.  Read more here: How to find Amex upgrade offers online.

Don’t expect to get a welcome bonus match

With some card issuers, such as Chase or Citi, you can apply for an inferior offer and then call or send a secure message to ask to be matched to a better offer.  Unfortunately, Amex will not match higher welcome bonuses.  If you’re lucky, though, you might get a supervisor to offer you some courtesy points instead.

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