Today I’m starting a series of posts related to applying for American Express credit cards. Initially this was going to be one single post, however when I started writing I realized I had so much to share that I needed to break this up into a series to not overwhelm you! Part one of this series is going to focus on finding the highest American Express credit card offer on a specific card, why this is important, and several practical methods you can use to try to get the highest sign-up bonus offer available.
Earning a sign-up bonus with an American Express card is a great way to earn tons of Membership Rewards. This applies to American Express in addition to other card issues and is often the easiest method to rack up tens of thousands of points or miles through your everyday spend.
Sign-up bonuses always must be earned within a set length of time by spending a specific dollar amount on the new credit card. An example of this would be “spend $5,000 in your first six months of card membership to earn 100,000 Membership Rewards.” If you already have $5,000 worth of credit card spend through your daily expenses, then a card with this sign-up bonus could be a great fit for your wallet.
Why Researching and Waiting for an Offer is Important
One important key factor of American Express cards is that sign-up bonuses can only be earned on a specific card once per lifetime.
If you can only earn a sign-up bonus once per lifetime it makes sense to apply for the card when you can find the highest offer possible. How can you find the best offer? There are several ways to do this research. I recommend doing an online search to get a good feel of what offers are currently available, and what bonus offers have been in the past. You may even be able to find what was historically the highest offer on a specific card and decide to wait to see if the offer is available in the future.
I am not going to mention any current offers on specific cards because that information can become outdated in a matter of days or weeks. Specific credit card sign-up bonuses are typically available for a few months before either going higher or lower. Rather than focusing on specific cards and current offers, I want to teach you the method of how to find the best card offer out there that will fit your spending habits and budget.
Once I have located the highest historical offer on a card I begin seeing if I can get targeted for it on the American Express website. Here are a few tips and tricks I have tried in the past that have worked for me.
Open an Internet browser in private mode. First clear out your history and cookies. Next reopen your browser in private mode and go directly to the American Express website (link) and to the application page for the card you want. Check to see if you are targeted for a higher offer than when not in a private browser. I cannot explain how this works, but I have used this several times to get a higher offer compared to being on a non-private browser page.
Try a different browser. If you do not get the sign-up bonus offer you are looking for in a private browser, try another browser on your computer in private mode. This has happened to me once before. I was trying to get a better offer to pull up in private mode in Google Chrome but could not get the offer I wanted. I then tried the same private browser method with Safari and was able to get a higher offer! This method is a mystery, so if you do not get an elevated offer right away in private mode do not give up. It may even be worth trying again on a different day.
Use a VPN. A VPN will allow you to appear online in a different geographic location. I won’t get into VPNs in this post, but generally I recommend using a paid VPN since they tend to be more secure, reliable and faster than free products. It is possible that American Express will offer higher offers in different geographic locations, though it is just as much of a guessing game as the methods listed above. I would say to only use this method if you already have a VPN that is working well for you.
Apply through a referral link. If you have a friend who has an American Express card ask if they can send you a referral link. Occasionally better offers could be available through referrals. The best part of this is that this is a win-win for you and your friend. Your friend will receive bonus Membership Rewards points if you use their link to apply for a new credit card.
Watch your mail. American Express sends out mail offers to non-customers and existing customers for their various credit cards. These offers can potentially be big and at or near historical high bonuses. Some say that non-customers get better offers since American Express wants to acquire you as a first-time customer. If you do receive a mailer, I recommend reading the full terms to make sure the card is a good fit for you.
Check your loyalty accounts. If you belong to an airline or hotel loyalty program be sure to review your email and the program’s website from time to time. Airline and hotel loyalty programs may have a co-branded card with American Express and will likely have offers of their own since they partner with American Express rewards. The one caveat with a co-branded card is the rewards you earn from that card will only earn points or miles for that program. I would deprioritize this option unless you have a favorite airline or hotel chain that you frequent.
Final Thoughts
There are several methods to earn a higher sign-up bonus on an American Express credit card. The key is to do your research and find a welcome offer that will fit your spending habits. If you find yourself just a little bit short of reaching the minimum spend requirement check out my tips on meeting a spending requirement. Also, most important, is that sign-up bonuses on American Express cards can only be earned once in a lifetime on each card! It is key to try to find the highest offer available when you are in the market for a new American Express card.