This Amex Card’s New Welcome Offer Has Me Scratching My Head. Here’s Why

A welcome offer is generally one of the main reasons why people ask for a new credit card. But what happens if the transmitter has only disclosed the offer after applying?

American Express recently changed the language of terms on The Platinum Card® by American Express Without specifying the exact number of points, you could win with its welcome offer.

The welcome bonus of a credit card – a lump sum of rewards that you can win, generally to reach a certain expenditure threshold in a specified number of months – is one of the biggest luxury travel cards prints.

THE annual fees On an expensive credit card, can generally be offset by the welcome offer you can win. So, with a card that has annual fees of $ 600 and a welcome bonus of 100,000 points (depending on the value of these points), you know that the costs are covered for at least one year.

American Express did not respond to a request for comments.

So what changed with the Platinum card? I will explain.

What changed with the welcome offer of the Platinum card?

Here’s how Amex changed his language:

• Old offer: 80,000 points for spending $ 8,000 in the first six months.
• New offer: You can be eligible for 175,000 membership rewards® points after spending $ 8,000 in eligible purchases on your new card during your first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you cannot be eligible for an offer. Discover your exact welcome offer when you apply.

It’s a bite, I know. As a person who covered credit cards for almost a decade, it is a good reminder to read all the terms carefully. Here’s what you need to be careful.

Why should you read the offer carefully

Some things to call with this new language.

1. As high as. Yes, 175,000 is a large number. However, they do not disclose the range. This lets me ask me what is the slightest amount that you could win on a card with annual fees of $ 695. (See prices and costs; The conditions apply.)
2. Welcome offers vary and you cannot be eligible for this offer. This could mean that you cannot be eligible for the highest payment or, in the worst case, that you may not be eligible at all. Anyway, the wording is ambiguous.
3. Discover your exact welcome offer when you apply. You are no longer told how eligible you are to win before applying. Let’s say that you are approved, while waiting for a bonus of 175,000, but that you are in place at 60,000 people. At this point, you should decide whether the card is precious to you enough to accept it. Positively, Amex says your credit rating is only assigned if you accept the card – not when you apply.

Do you have to apply for the Amex Platinum?

If you intended to apply for the card, it could be worth referring to the company clarifies the bonus – maybe it will come with its Planned card update Later this year. Otherwise, the reception offer you receive may not meet your expectations.

It may be that the credit card issuer is publishing it now, before the update planned in preparation for a reward for awards. AMEX could offer platinum cards levels, each with a welcome offer and different awards, but it is only speculation.

Anyway, the change of language and the lack of disclosure on the reception offer give me a break.

Similar to the way in which the New One Coinbase card one Will not disclose the number of assets you need to qualify for the highest award rate, the new language seems to me to be for sure that people apply, only to discover that the advantages are much less than they were waiting for.