The Amex 5 credit card limit stands. And and update regarding my accidental SPG card applications

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A few weeks ago, I accidentally signed up for the consumer SPG card.  I was expecting to see a popup warning me that I wasn’t eligible for the card, but received an instant approval instead.  That became my sixth Amex credit card (I have other charge cards too, but that’s irrelevant here).  This was surprising because it seemed to blow out of the water the “max 5 Amex credit cards” rule.  So, to really put the limit to the test, I also applied for the SPG business credit card and was instantly approved for that too.  Now I have 7 Amex credit cards.

The 5 Credit Card Limit Stands (for most)

Since asking the question: “Is the Amex 5 Credit Card Limit Gone?” the answer has become clear.  Many people, including my wife, have since encountered the 5 credit card limit.  This is enforced only when applying for a new credit card (charge cards aren’t counted and aren’t effected).  For those with 5 or more Amex credit cards, the new application typically won’t be approved unless you first cancel a card to get under 5 total credit cards.

The reason I was approved for these cards seems to be a fluke.  Even though I signed into my Amex account when applying, Amex seems to have thought I was a new customer.  This was evident in the instant approval message for the consumer card which stated “Member Since: Today!” (thanks to JayP for pointing this out)

a person with a message

What about my welcome bonuses?

The consumer SPG card appeared in my mailbox within a couple of days.  The business card took longer to arrive.  In both cases I met the welcome bonus minimum spend requirements immediately in order to see if I would get the bonus on either card.

Technically, I shouldn’t get either bonus since I’ve had both cards before.  I cancelled my previous SPG consumer card 3 years ago, and cancelled a SPG business card just over 1 year ago.  And both card welcome bonuses are usually subject to the lifetime rule (you are not eligible for the bonus if you’ve had this card before).  However, yesterday I logged into my Amex account and found a pretty sight under my SPG consumer card account: 75,000 points earned!

a screenshot of a mobile app

The last four digits of the loyalty number (hidden under my “YES!”) don’t match any numbers I know of, so I think that they created a new SPG account for me.  Once I figure out how to access that account, I should be able to merge it into my regular account.

My SPG Business account, meanwhile, has yet to show the 100K bonus.  This is what I’ve seen since opening the card:

a screenshot of a phone

I’ll publish a quick update if that bonus ever posts.

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