Amex rules — 2/90, 1/5, 1/8, NLL, PUJ

6 min read

TL;DR

Amex velocity limits: 2 new accounts per 90 days, 1 credit card per 5 days, 1 credit card per 8 weeks. All apply simultaneously.
"Once-per-lifetime" bonus language (now phrased as NLL — "no lifetime language"): Amex only pays the sign-up bonus on each product once per customer, ever. Different products in the same family are each separate bonuses.
Pop-up jail (PUJ): Amex's automated system shows a pop-up that says you "may not be eligible for the welcome offer" on some applications. Soft-deny without explanation. Mitigate by closing unused Amex cards and spacing applications.

Velocity limits (overlap, not a pick-one)

Amex enforces three velocity rules, and all three apply simultaneously:

2/90: max 2 new Amex credit card accounts (personal or business) opened in any 90-day window.
1/5: max 1 credit card application in any 5-day window (applies to credit cards specifically — charge cards may be exempt).
1/8 (sometimes called 1/8-week rule): max 1 credit card approval in any 8-week window.

The strictest rule wins. If you opened an Amex credit card 3 weeks ago, you're blocked by 1/8 (need 5 more weeks) even though you have 90 days of room on 2/90.

Charge cards (Gold, Platinum, Green, Business Gold, Business Platinum) are technically different from credit cards in Amex's rule system, and Amex has historically treated them differently. Since 2022+, many reports suggest Amex counts charge cards toward 2/90 now. Treat them as credit cards for planning purposes — safer.

No lifetime language (NLL) — aka once-per-lifetime bonus

Amex's default rule: each specific product's sign-up bonus can only be earned once, ever, per customer. If you had a Green Card in 2015 and earned the bonus, you'll never earn a Green bonus again.

The language on the application will say:

"Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or previously have had this product." (This is the one-per-lifetime rule.)
"Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or previously have had this or another American Express credit card within the past 24 months." (Rare, product-specific 24-month exclusion.)
"Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or previously have had this product or the [other related product]." (Family-wide exclusion, e.g., Platinum and Business Platinum cross-exclude in some promos.)

How to avoid the lifetime language: use a pre-approval check on amex.com with your login. If you see an offer on the page labeled "Explore our cards" or via a targeted email, Amex has pre-judged you eligible for that specific offer regardless of history. Click through from the pre-approval page — the lifetime language is often waived.

NLL (No Lifetime Language) offers: Amex occasionally runs promotions without the "previously have had" clause. These are highly sought after — they let people who earned a Platinum bonus in 2018 earn it again in 2026. Track at Doctor of Credit's "NLL tracking" thread.

Pop-up jail (PUJ)

When you apply for an Amex card, the approval page sometimes shows a pop-up that says:

"Based on your history with American Express, you are not eligible to receive the welcome offer."

This is PUJ. The application is approved — you get the card — but no sign-up bonus. Major points loss. DO NOT accept an Amex approval with PUJ — you're burning the lifetime eligibility on this product without the bonus payout.

Mitigation (if you see PUJ):

Decline the application on the spot. You haven't earned the card without the bonus anyway.
Close any unused Amex cards you've been sitting on (old cards you're not actively using).
Wait 3-6 months, reapply.

Causes of PUJ (community data):

Churning reputation (applied and canceled too many Amex cards in a short window)
Organic spend too low on existing Amex cards
Recent Amex card closed too soon after bonus posting (within 12 months)
General Amex "relationship" score low

Avoiding PUJ preemptively:

Keep Amex cards open 12+ months before closing, even if you planned to close after the bonus.
Put some organic spend on existing Amex cards even when you're earning a sign-up bonus elsewhere.
Don't apply for multiple Amex cards in rapid succession.

Amex relationship score

Amex tracks a customer-relationship score (internal, not published). It weighs:

Total annual spend across all Amex products
Length of Amex relationship
Whether you've cycled cards (closed within months of bonus)
Whether you've responded to targeted offers

A strong relationship score reduces PUJ risk and unlocks better targeted offers. Heavy Amex users with 5+ years of continuous card membership and $50k+ annual spend rarely see PUJ.

Pre-approval page

Log in to amex.com. Navigate to "Explore Our Cards." You'll see a page of cards with personalized offers, sometimes with language like "Best Offer for You" or an offer amount higher than the public offer. These are pre-approved for you and waive the once-per-lifetime language in many cases.

CardMatch (Creditcards.com feature)

Amex uses the CardMatch tool to show elevated offers. Check creditcards.com/card-match periodically — sometimes elevated Amex Gold / Platinum offers appear here before they hit the main Amex site.

Referral bonuses

Amex's referral system is unusually generous: referrers earn 10,000-20,000 points per approved referral, capped at 75,000-80,000 per year. Ask in spouse / parent / sibling networks first — spouse-to-spouse referrals are common and cleanly double your household earn.

Amex vs Chase vs others — strategy implications

Chase 5/24 caps your personal Chase card count — open Chase personal cards first while under 5/24.
Amex 2/90 caps your rate of opening any Amex card (personal or business). Spread Amex apps out.
Amex and Chase rules are mostly independent. You can be 5/24 at Chase (blocked) while still under Amex's 2/90 (eligible for Amex). Switch to Amex apps when Chase is blocked.

Recommended sequence

Under 5/24 at Chase: open Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Ink Business Preferred.
Amex 2/90 space available: open Amex Gold, then 8+ weeks later Amex Platinum.
Citi, CapOne, Discover mixed in based on velocity rules.
Chase Ink cycle (business, doesn't count toward 5/24) continues in the background annually.

Products to know

Personal credit cards: Amex Everyday, Amex Everyday Preferred, Blue Cash Preferred, Blue Cash Everyday, Delta SkyMiles (Gold/Platinum/Reserve), Hilton Honors (Aspire/Surpass/Regular), Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.

Personal charge cards: Amex Green, Amex Gold, Amex Platinum.

Business credit cards: Blue Business Plus, Blue Business Cash, Business Gold, Delta Business SkyMiles.

Business charge cards: Business Green, Business Gold, Business Platinum.

Each product's welcome offer is separately claimable under NLL. You can earn Gold + Platinum + Green + Business Gold + Business Platinum + Blue Business Plus bonuses over time as long as you space them within velocity limits.

Bottom line

Respect 2/90, 1/5, 1/8 — all three simultaneously.
Every product's welcome offer is once-per-lifetime by default. Use pre-approval page and targeted offers to find NLL variants.
Pop-up jail = decline the application. Don't burn lifetime eligibility for zero bonus.
Keep cards 12+ months minimum before closing to protect Amex relationship score.
Each personal and business product family is separately claimable — deep runway for serious Amex players.