The Amex NLL Card Loophole: How I Supercharged My Credit Card Game
Amex is renowned for their generous sign-up bonuses on their credit cards. Take, for instance, the Amex Platinum Card, which currently boasts a 150K point sign-up bonus. Personally, I value these points at whopping $3,000.
However, there’s one frustrating catch with Amex - historically, they’ve allowed individuals to earn the sign-up bonus for each card only once. That’s right, just once, and you’ve used up your chance. Due to this, I personally waited a few months before obtaining my first Amex card to ensure I could secure a fantastic sign-up bonus.
But what if I told you there's a way to break free from this one-and-done rule? What if you could not only earn the sign-up bonus for an Amex card more than once but also do it every 90 days? Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?
But no - this is real! Today I’m sharing one of my favorite things going on in the manufactured spending space right now: Amex No Lifetime Language (NLL) cards.
What exactly does NLL mean?
NLL, or "no-lifetime language," serves as a stark contrast to LL, which simply stands for "lifetime language." This distinction becomes particularly significant when we consider the various types of sign-up links associated with the same Amex card. Not only do these links offer different sign-up bonuses, but they also come with distinct terms and conditions upon sign-up.
Lifetime Language
In most cases, when you visit an Amex sign-up page, you'll encounter explicit text stating that you can only earn the sign-up bonus for that particular card once. This is what we refer to as a LL link.
No-Lifetime Language
Conversely, there are alternative sign-up links that lack this specific text. These are what we label as NLL links. If you manage to come across such a link for a card you've previously held, you'll discover that you can, indeed, sign up for the same card again.
Maybe-Lifetime language
However, things have grown a bit more complex lately. Amex has introduced sign-up links that include the following text: "You may not be eligible if you've had this card before."
Thankfully, we have a straightforward method to determine your eligibility for a card's sign-up bonus...
The Dreaded Amex Pop-up
For those of you that have applied for an Amex card before, you may have encountered the dreaded Amex Pop-up during the card sign-up process.
This notorious pop-up appears to inform you that you won't be eligible for a specific card. There can be several reasons for this disappointing message: perhaps you've already held the card in the past, maybe your card activity rate is too high, or maybe it's just one of those days when Amex doesn’t like you.
However, there's a silver lining to all this, which will help us sign-up for multiple of the same Amex card:
Firstly, you won't receive a credit inquiry until you reach the final step of the application process.
Secondly, Amex alerts you via Pop-up to your ineligibility for the sign-up bonus before you reach that final step.
It means that if you ever find yourself uncertain about whether a particular sign-up link will work for you, there's a straightforward solution—just go ahead and try signing up! If you happen to be ineligible for the bonus, rest assured, Amex will let you know well before you reach the final application step.
Which cards are relevant for NLL?
As of late, I’ve seen NLL offers primarily for the Amex Business cards and Hilton personal cards. Personally, I’ve been late to the NLL-game, so I’m still on my second Business Gold and Business Platinum.
Amex Business Cards
Blue Business Cash
Blue Business Plus
Business Gold
Business Platinum
Hilton Cards
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
Earn 130,000 Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 3 months.
Annual Fee: $95
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership.
No Annual Fee.
Where to find Amex NLL links?
Often, you will be able to find NLL just by scouring the web, so I suggest that as a starting point. At any given point in time, there will be multiple NLL links with different sign-up bonuses for the same card.
If you are content with the lowest sign-up bonus, and just want a second card, you can try using these generic links:
Of course, we will occasionally post NLL links on our Reward Plays section of this blog. Additionally, we maintain a collection of high sign-up bonus and up-to-date NLL links in our Churner’s Lounge. So if you’re looking to go hard on your NLL-game, I suggest checking that out!
Choosing Between LL and NLL: What should you use?
If you're applying for a particular card for the first time, you should aim for the highest available sign-up bonus! If you use a NLL link for your first time, you will not be able to use a LL link for that card in the future. Therefore, it's generally recommended to prioritize the largest sign-up bonus when applying for the first time.
