Decoding American Express Credit Card Families and New 2024 Application Rules

If you’re a fan of American Express and you’ve been keeping up with the latest buzz, you might have heard about their new family language for credit cards. Wondering what this is all about? Well, buckle up because we’re about to break it down for you in simple, friendly terms and explain why you need to understand this set up.

First things first, what exactly is this “family language” American Express is talking about? Essentially, it’s a way to categorize their credit cards into different “families” based on their benefits and target audience. Think of it like sorting your favorite TV shows into genres—each category has its own unique characteristics and audience appeal.

Before we talk about the new (2024) application rules, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of these credit card families:

1. The “Cashback Family”: These cards are all about putting money back in your pocket with cashback rewards. From groceries to gas stations, you earn cashback on everyday purchases. Popular members of this family include the Blue Cash Preferred® Card and the Blue Cash Everyday® Card.
   • Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
   • Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
2. The “Co-Branded Family”: If you’re a jet-setter or even just love a weekend getaway, you’ll want to check out this family. Travel rewards, airport lounge access, and bonus points on flights and hotels are some perks you can expect. This family is broken down by the actual co-branded hotel or airline they partner with. The three co-branded families currently partnered with Amex are Delta, Hilton and Marriott.
   • American Express Hilton Honors Hotel Cards:
     • Hilton Honors American Express Card
     • Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
     • Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
   • American Express Marriott Cards
     • Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card
     • Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express^®
   • American Express Delta Cards
     • Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
     • Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
     • Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
     • Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
3. The “Membership Rewards Family”: Flexibility is the name of the game here. With these cards, you earn points on every purchase, which you can then redeem for travel, gift cards, or even statement credits. The Green Card and the iconic American Express® Gold Card are prominent members of this versatile family.
   • American Express^® Green Card
   • American Express^® Gold Card
   • The Platinum Card^® from American Express
4. The “Business Family”: Don’t worry, entrepreneurs and small business owners, Amex has you covered too. Business-focused cards offer perks like elevated rewards on business expenses, employee cards with spending controls, and accounting tools. For the sake of keeping things concise, we won’t list out all of the business cards on this post because as of now, these business cards do NOT fall into the same family as the personal cards and do not currently have the same family language.

Amex Family Card Language Restrictions

Now, you might be wondering, why does this family language matter to me? Well, for starters, it makes it easier for you to find the right credit card based on your lifestyle and spending habits. Whether you’re a cashback connoisseur or a travel enthusiast, there’s a card family tailored just for you. It also matters because of their very specific family language that has recently (as of 2024) started to show in the terms and conditions regarding eligibility for the Membership Rewards and Delta Co-Branded Family of cards. This includes the following:

Membership Reward Cards:

• American Express^® Green Card
• American Express^® Gold Card
• The Platinum Card^® from American Express

American Express Delta Cards:

• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

In short, if you have received a welcome bonus offer on another card in the same family of the ones listed above, you may not be eligible to receive a welcome bonus offer on a different card in the same family. We saw this first start with the “Membership Rewards Family” of cards followed quickly by the co-branded Delta family. Why does this matter? You used to be able to apply and receive a welcome bonus on any card, regardless of the order in which you applied. This new restriction means that if you previously received a welcome bonus offer on any card in the same family, you may not be eligible to receive a welcome bonus on a different card that belongs to the same family. This is crucial if you plan to maximize your opportunity to earn points through welcome offers.

A real world example of this would be if you previously applied and received a welcome bonus for the American Express Platinum, you would not be eligible to receive a welcome bonus if applying for the American Express Gold. Same for Delta cards. If you already have a Delta Reserve, you would not be eligible to receive a welcome bonus for any of the lower tier Delta cards.

We have not seen this for the hotel family cards, business cards or cashback family cards (yet) but feel it is only a matter of time before it trickles its way down.

So, what does this mean for you and your strategy?

It just means to make sure you consider starting from the bottom and working your way up if you plan to eventually get each card in the family. Make sure to be mindful of the additonal Amex application rules when deciding where to start which state that

• You can have no more than five American Express credit cards at any given time.
• You can have no more than 10 American Express cards without preset spending limits at any given time.
• You can only apply and be approved for a maximum of two new cards in a 90-day period.
• You can only earn the welcome bonus on the same card once per lifetime.

While this new language offers a slightly new challenge, it shouldn’t stop you from applying, just reconsider the order in which you do so.

Let us know in the comments what you think about this new family language and how it’s going to change your strategy!