How Many Amex Cards Can You Have?

Before we talk about the number of American Express cards you can hold at once, we need to discuss the types of cards Amex offers. American Express issues two kinds of cards: credit cards and cards without a preset spending limit, otherwise known as charge cards.

Credit cards typically have a credit limit, but you don’t have to pay off the balance in full at the end of the month—though this will incur interest so we always recommend paying your balance in full every month if you can. Charge cards require you to pay off your balance in full every month.

Again, we recommend you pay off all credit cards in full every month no matter what. Otherwise, the value of the rewards you earn will be eaten up by interest fees, which defeats the purpose of earning rewards in the first place.

American Express allows you to hold up to five personal or business credit cards at once—in any combination you prefer. However, the limit doesn’t apply to cards without a spending limit. If you already hold five American Express credit cards and want to apply for another one, you’ll have to cancel one of your existing cards.

Amex does not publish rules on this subject, but it appears that it’s possible to apply for one American Express credit card and one card without a preset spending limit in one day and be approved, but it’s not possible to apply for two Amex credit cards in one day. If you apply for two credit cards on the same day, data points suggest one of your applications will be put on hold as an automatic fraud prevention mechanism. Also note that Amex is likely to limit approval to two credit cards every 90 days.

In addition to the restrictions above, American Express has limits on the number of welcome offers available for each of its cards. Amex customers can’t receive more than one welcome bonus on a single card in a lifetime.

For example, say you were approved for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, met the minimum-spending requirements and earned the welcome bonus of 130,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first 6 months of card membership (terms apply, see rates & fees). You held the card for a few years and then decided to close your account. You can apply for the card again, but you won’t be able to earn another welcome bonus on the same card.

However, there are multiple Hilton credit cards, and each is considered a different product, so you could earn a welcome bonus on the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express* or The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (terms apply, see rates & fees) because they’re not the same card.

American Express and other card issuers periodically increase and decrease welcome offers on the same cards. Because the once-per-lifetime rule is rather strict, you want to make sure you check the current offer periodically, and apply for a new American Express card only when a welcome offer is bonused.

In addition to card application timing, you want to be careful with card upgrades and downgrades. For example, if you’ve held the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express* for a year or two but find the $550 annual fee too high, you could downgrade to the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, which carries a more modest annual fee of $150. However, doing so will remove your ability to earn the welcome bonus on your new card. Better in this case to apply for the new card outright. This way, you are still eligible for the welcome bonus.

If you’re looking to apply for multiple American Express credit cards, it’s possible to do so, as long as you remember the rules: Up to five Amex credit cards at any one time, two credit card applications per 90 days and a once-per-lifetime welcome bonus restriction on all individual cards. As long as you keep in mind all the limits and restrictions, you can plan out your American Express card strategy for maximum rewards.

To view rates and fees for The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card please visit this page.