Can You Earn More Than One Sign-Up Bonus With the Same AMEX Business Card?

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A Million Mile Secrets reader emailed:

I was recently approved for a 2nd Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express.  My 1st card is for a different business.  Am I eligible to earn the sign-up bonus twice?

It’s possible, but very unlikely you’ll earn multiple sign-up bonuses with the same AMEX small business card.  Even if you apply using separate Employer Identification Numbers (EINs).

The general rule is AMEX restricts personal and small business card sign-up bonuses to once, per person, per lifetime.

And I spoke with an AMEX representative who confirmed sign-up bonuses are intended for new applicants only.

Instead of potentially not getting a sign-up bonus with the same AMEX card, I’ll share other ways to increase your points balances!

Getting More Than 1 AMEX Starwood Business Sign-Up Bonus

Link:   Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

Link:   Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express

AMEX typically will NOT give you the bonus for a 2nd business card of the same type, even if you have separate businesses.

It’s possible your 2nd application will get approved, but the sign-up bonus points will usually NOT post to your account.

If you’re willing to experiment, you could try applying for a 2nd AMEX Starwood Business card using a different Employer Identification Number (EIN) if you have multiple businesses.

But this strategy isn’t something I’d recommend.

Even though a new AMEX small business card won’t appear on your personal credit report, you’re better off applying for a different AMEX small business card so you can earn a new sign-up bonus!

For example, consider the SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express with no annual fee.

You’ll earn $200 cash back after you spend $5,000 within the first 6 months of account opening.  And earn an additional $200 cash back after spending an additional $10,000 in your 1st year.

Consider These Strategies Instead

Link:   How to Earn & Use Starwood Points

There are a couple of other ways to collect Starwood points quickly with sign-up bonuses if you’re not eligible for the AMEX Starwood cards.

1.   Have a Family Member Sign-Up for an AMEX Starwood Card

If you have a friend or family member who lives in the same household, they could sign-up for the AMEX Starwood personal or small business card.

As long as they’ve had the same address as you on their account for at least 30 days, you can combine your points into a single account.  Then use the points for free hotel nights or to transfer to terrific Starwood airline partners.

2.   Apply for Chase Marriott Cards

Link:   Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Link:   Marriott Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

You can instantly convert Marriott points to Starwood points at a 3:1 ratio.  This means applying for the Chase Marriott personal or small business is a great way to boost your Starwood points balance.

Because when you sign-up for the Chase Marriott Premier Rewards card and spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account, you’ll earn 80,000 Marriott points, which converts to ~26,000 Starwood points!

With the personal version, you can earn an additional 7,500 bonus Marriott points when you add an authorized user who makes a purchase within the 1st 3 months of opening your account.

The $85 annual fee on the personal version and $99 annual fee on the small business version are NOT waived for the 1st year.

Just remember, Chase has stricter application rules, which makes it difficult for some folks to get approved for cards like the Chase Marriott card.

If you’ve opened ~5 or more credit cards (from any bank) in the past 24 months (excluding certain business cards), it’s unlikely you’ll be approved for most Chase cards.

Note:   You are NOT eligible to receive a new Chase cardmember sign-up bonus if you’ve received a bonus on the same card in the past 24 months.

Bottom Line

If you’ve already earned a sign-up bonus with an AMEX card, like the AMEX Starwood small business card, it’s unlikely you’ll earn the sign-up bonus again.  Even if you apply under a separate business.

Instead, you could apply for a different AMEX small business card to get a new card sign-up bonus.  Or have a friend or family member apply for an AMEX Starwood personal or small business card.  Then, combine the points into 1 account.

And because you can convert Marriott points to Starwood points, you might also apply for the Chase Marriott personal or small business cards.  The sign-up bonuses on these cards can convert to ~26,000 Starwood points!

Have you earned an AMEX sign-up bonus twice on the same small business card?  Please share in the comments!