It appears that Amex no longer has a strict limit of four credit cards for all customers. Recently there are multiple reports of customers being approved for a fifth credit card!
This is positive news and means you can get approved for an additional Amex credit card if you previously were at the max number of four Amex cards!
Up until now I haven't maxed out my Amex credit card limit, currently I have these Amex cards:
- Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express (card no longer offered)
- Hilton HHonorsTM Surpass® Card from American Express
I've been planning on a new round of credit card applications in the next few weeks. Given this new change I'll likely try applying for two new Amex credit cards to test the new rule and provide a data point.
New Amex 5 Credit Card Limit?
In the past Amex set a hard limit of just four credit cards per person. It was possible to get approved for a new card, but you would have to close an existing card in order to get the new account approved.
It also didn't seem relevant what combination of personal, business or co-branded Amex credit cards you had, the four card limit still applied. Also, for Amex charge cards there did not seem to be a set limit you can have.
Now via Reddit multiple reports have surfaced of people applying and being successfully approved for a fifth Amex credit card.
However, it seems this does not apply across the board for all Amex customers. You'll also find reports of some people who were not automatically approved when they applied for a fifth Amex credit card.
Should You Apply for a New Amex Card?
With this news I would not change my overall card strategy. If you were previously at the max of four Amex credit cards and you've been waiting to apply for new cards then adding a new Amex card may be worth a shot.
Amex is currently offering increased welcome bonuses on a handful of it's credit cards:
- Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
- Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express
- Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
- Hilton HHonorsTM Surpass® Card from American Express
If you've been considering one of these cards it may make sense to apply now to grab the higher welcome bonus.
It's important to remember that Amex has a rule that you can only earn the welcome bonus once per lifetime per card, so you'll want to grab a card at a higher offer.
Takeaway
Overall this is positive news and if it proves true for the majority of Amex consumers it will allow cardmembers to get approved for a fifth Amex credit card. This means potentially more travel benefits and more welcome bonuses if you have not previously had many Amex credit cards.
I doubt that we will hear an official update form Amex, so be sure to stay tuned on updates and more data points to follow.
