Targeted: Earn Bonus Points or Cash Back for Adding Authorized Users to These Cards

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Via Reddit, American Express is offering a big bonus to targeted cardholders for adding authorized users to their accounts.  You could earn up to 20,000 Membership Rewards points or $100 cash back after your new authorized users meet a minimum spending requirement.

Several cards appear to be part of the offer, including the Premier Rewards Gold Card From American Express, The Platinum Card® from American Express, and the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.

Check your inbox and spam folder to see if you’re eligible.  And you must add your additional cardholders by August 30, 2017 to qualify.

This deal might seem like a no-brainer if you’re targeted, but it’s not without its pitfalls.

I’ll explain how these offers work, and what you should consider before adding authorized users to your AMEX account!

AMEX Authorized User Bonus

Link:   American Express Add an Authorized User

Check your email for a message from American Express!  Or log-in through this link (temporarily unavailable) to see if you’ve been targeted to earn a bonus for adding authorized users to your AMEX account by August 30, 2017.

Million Mile Secrets team member Keith received an email yesterday with the offer.  He’ll earn 5,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points for each authorized user he adds to his Premier Rewards Gold Card From American Express if they each spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months.

And he can earn the bonus for up to 4 authorized users for a total of 20,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points (5,000 points X 4 authorized users).

According to folks on Reddit, other offers include:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express – Earn 5,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points for the first 4 authorized users that spend $500 on purchases with their card in the first 3 months of card membership (maximum 20,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points)
• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express – Earn $25 cash back for the first 4 authorized users that spend $250 on purchases with their card in the first 3 months of card membership (maximum $100 cash back)

It doesn’t cost anything to add up to 5 authorized users to your Premier Rewards Gold Card.  And it’s completely free to add an additional cardholder to your Blue Cash Everyday Card.

But folks with the AMEX Platinum will pay $175 for the first 3 authorized users they add, and $175 per additional user after that.  However, you can add additional Gold card members to your AMEX Platinum account for free.  And Gold card authorized users will trigger the bonus!

Keep in mind, American Express requires the Social Security Number of any authorized user you add.  So NO adding your cat or dog.  😉

Choose Your Authorized Users Wisely

Adding an additional cardholder to your account isn’t without risk.  You’ll be fully responsible for any charges they make, so be sure to only add friends or family members you completely trust.

Your authorized user could potentially get a credit score boost if your credit is good.  Plus, being an authorized user doesn’t prevent you from earning the card’s sign-up bonus in the future.

That said, carefully consider whether your authorized users will apply for Chase cards in the future (especially if they’re new to miles and points).

Because authorized user accounts WILL count toward Chase’s “5/24 rule.”  That is, if the authorized user has opened ~5 or more credit cards (from any bank) in the past 24 months (excluding certain business cards), they’re unlikely to get approved for most Chase cards.

You wouldn’t want your friends and family to miss out on some of the best travel rewards cards later!

Bottom Line

Check your email to see if you’ve been targeted to earn a bonus for adding authorized users to your American Express cards!

You could earn up to 20,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points or $100 cash back after your additional cardholders meet a minimum spending requirement.

Eligible cards include the Premier Rewards Gold Card From American Express, The Platinum Card® from American Express, and the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.  And you must add your additional cardholders by August 30, 2017 to qualify.

Did you receive an offer not listed here?  Please let me know in the comments!