How to Find the Best AMEX Credit Card Offer Available [2020 Comprehensive Update]

AMEX Welcome Offers

AMEX is a bit different from other credit card issuers. One typical difference is that it often gives higher bonuses to new customers than to existing ones (rewarding new customers more than loyal ones!). If you are a new customer, AMEX may proactively send you targeted offers by mail, which are usually better than the standard public offers, or you may be able to use certain links to check for the highest available bonus. If you already have an AMEX card, then you generally need to use a different channel to look for the best offer.

In this article, we summarize the current ways to get the highest AMEX welcome offers.

Use Incognito Mode / Change Your IP to Pull Better Offers

This method works for everyone, whether or not you already have an AMEX card. It is also basically the only way that almost anyone can potentially pull a higher welcome offer just by trying different setups.

Current Special AMEX Offers (updated 2020.1.19)

The list below includes only special offers, not regular offers or limited time offers.

• Cash Magnet $225, Blue Cash EveryDay $225, Blue Cash Preferred $300
• Green 45,000, Gold 50,000, Platinum 75,000
• Business Green 25,000

Which Link Should You Use?

After AMEX changed things, Refer links, Affiliate links (for example, links from The Points Guy), and official website links can all potentially show the highest offer. Based on my own testing, Refer links seem to have a slightly better chance. However, some offers can only be pulled from Affiliate links, such as the current Ascend 150,000+$100; some can only be pulled through Refer links, such as the previous Green 45,000+$150; and in a few rare cases, Public links are the easiest way to get the best offer.

The application links on this site are links that can produce the highest available offer, though the odds of actually getting that offer may vary.

How to Pull an Offer

Take the AMEX Gold card as an example. If a higher offer can potentially be pulled, I usually note that in the card description. The title will still be written based on the offer that most people are likely to see when opening the link.

• You can right-click and open the link in Incognito mode.

• Once opened, you may see the top 50,000-point welcome offer.

• If you decide to apply, it is best not to log in to your AMEX account. Just fill out the application directly to avoid unnecessary complications. Also, the welcome offer shown this way may be different from the standard offer, and the spending requirement may also differ from the usual one. So be sure to read the details carefully and apply based on your own spending ability. Otherwise, if you cannot meet the spending requirement, you could end up wasting the welcome offer.

If Incognito mode does not work, consider the methods below.

Incognito mode in other browsers:

Copy the application link above and paste it into the address bar. Try several times, and try Incognito mode in different browsers. You can also use a browser on an iPad. If you still cannot pull it, one possibility is that AMEX has already shut down this special offer.

Change your IP

• Use a work computer or a library computer + Incognito mode
• Install VPN software on your own computer, switch to another IP + Incognito mode (see this Express VPN review for details)
• Go to Starbucks or another place with public wifi + Incognito mode
• Use your mobile carrier network as a wifi hotspot for your computer + Incognito mode
• Use your phone’s carrier network + open the desktop version of the AMEX webpage on your phone
• Use your own iPad or another tablet device

Co-Branded Card Offers

The two methods below apply only to co-branded credit cards, such as Hilton, Delta, and Marriott cards. AMEX’s own core cards generally do not have similar offers. When they do, they are usually not very attractive. For example, Newegg and Boxed have both shown checkout offers for the EveryDay Card with merchant Credit attached.

Dummy booking for flights/hotels

This is a fairly common method. For example, similar offers have appeared for Hilton co-branded cards and Marriott co-branded cards. The idea is to go to the co-brand partner’s official website, pick any day to book a hotel, and then, at the step right before checkout, you may be shown a recommended credit card offer. For example, if the public Hilton offer is 75,000 points, you might instead see 75,000+$50 credit.

If you see a strong welcome offer, you can simply apply for the credit card directly. You do not need to complete the flight or hotel booking.

Targeted offers from the official site

AMEX’s co-brand partners for personal cards are Delta and Hilton.

• Delta’s standard offer lookup link: https://www.deltaamexcard.com/
• Hilton usually sends these by email. For details, see this 101 news post: Introduction to the AMEX Hilton Offer Site

Occasionally there are leaked links or links that people force open by manipulating the URL, which is another form of pulling offers from the official site.

Pulling offers on the official site

On Delta.com, some people can see higher offers. If you do not see them, you may be able to modify the link to make it appear as if you had accessed this high welcome offer with no lifetime restriction. Delta 70,000+50 is probably the standout one, since it is even better than the current public offer. For the other cards, scroll to the middle of the page to see them. These welcome offers are not subject to the lifetime restriction. See below for the specific method.

• How to pull Delta offers on the official site

Apply Through Referral Links (Refer)

Based on the current situation, if you are not counting Incognito-mode offer hunting, the welcome offers available through a friend’s referral link are usually greater than or equal to the ones available by applying directly through the official website.

One very important point: do not apply through a Refer link generated from your own card. AMEX may claw back the Refer bonus and ban you from making referrals. It is fine to apply through this site or through a referral link from a friend or family member.

Prequalify

If you do not yet have an AMEX card, the first thing to check is the Prequalify offer. These methods are suitable for people who already have a credit history and an SSN (in practice, even without an SSN, people with a credit history can still receive targeted offers). It is quite common to be targeted by AMEX for large welcome offers, such as 100,000 or even 125,000 for the AMEX Platinum, or an AMEX Gold $1,000/50K offer, etc. These checks are Soft Pulls and will not affect your credit history. There are mainly two channels:

CardMatch Prequalify

• CardMatch lookup link

Sometimes it’s worth trying different Zip Codes or the last 4 digits of your SSN—you might get a pleasant surprise, though YMMV. Generally speaking, people who have never had an AMEX credit card before, have credit history, and have an SSN can often pull up a strong welcome offer.

AMEX’s Official Prequalify Tool

• AMEX Check for Pre-qualified Offer link

Enter your personal information, such as your address, SSN, income, etc., and you’ll be able to see your welcome offers. In general, AMEX’s own cards like Blue Cash Preferred, EveryDay, and Platinum are more likely to show elevated welcome offers, while co-branded cards seem less likely to. But even if it says “Speical Offer,” it’s still worth checking whether it’s higher than the standard public offer—don’t waste your once-per-lifetime chance. Of course, the best one is the 100,000-point personal Platinum offer. One small trick: if you are an authorized user on an AMEX card, you may have a better chance of seeing a strong welcome offer.

Existing customers can usually only see this screen. Don’t worry—once you log in, the welcome offers you see are almost always lousy.

Mail Offers

AMEX also sends out higher welcome offers by mail. Generally speaking, if you already have an AMEX card, the odds of receiving a targeted offer on an AMEX core card are pretty low, but there is still some chance for co-branded cards. Common mail offers include AMEX Gold 50,000, EveryDay 30,000, Blue Cash EveryDay $200, Platinum 100,000, as well as various business credit card welcome offers. Mail offers usually come with an RSVP Code. After entering it, the applicant’s name is typically fixed and cannot be changed.

Another feature of mail offers is that they often do not include the once-per-lifetime restriction (Lifetime Restriction). If you happen to receive a mail offer for a card you already have or previously had, use the RSVP Code right away and check whether the application terms include this sentence: Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this Card. If that sentence is not there, then applying again will often let you earn the bonus one more time.

Email Offers

For existing AMEX cardholders, AMEX will sometimes send email offers as well. Generally speaking, the offers on AMEX’s own cards are usually not very good. The only real advantage is that they may not have a Lifetime Restriction.

The welcome offers on co-branded cards can sometimes be pretty good, such as AMEX Delta Gold, Delta Platinum, Hilton, and so on. Usually you need to log in to your own frequent flyer or loyalty account to continue the application. These offers can only be used by the intended recipient and cannot be transferred to someone else.

Applying by Calling AMEX (Certain Cards Only)

This is relatively uncommon. A more common example is the AMEX Business Platinum, which has had a few strong offers available by phone application.

Other

Our author KUKU once applied for the old AMEX Gold (formerly PRG) with a $2,000/50K offer. A few days after applying, online chat told him there was an authorized user bonus available. He added four authorized users, spent $500 on each card, and ultimately turned it into a $2,000/70K offer. This generally happens when AMEX is actively pushing authorized user offers, so remember to ask—it never hurts to ask.

Summary

Churning is a lot more fun when you have a good welcome offer, and we’ll do our best to share the best application and welcome offers on this site as quickly as possible.

Finally, if you don’t see a lifetime restriction on a targeted or prequalified offer, and the bonus is about the same as the public offer, we recommend applying for the offer with the lifetime restriction first so you don’t waste your opportunity. For a summary of AMEX lifetime offers, please see the article below:

https://www.uscreditcards101.com/amex-credit-card-lifetime-restriction/