How to Get the 100k American Express Platinum Deal
- Try visiting American Express website in incognito mode
- Try the Cardmatch Tool from CreditCards.com
- Look for a 100k offer in the mail (be sure you’re opted in!)
- Ask to be matched if you see the offer somewhere or to be targeted in the future
Every once in a while, American Express offers an unbeatable 100,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus via their Platinum Card.
I say unbeatable because it’s the highest sign-up bonus for the lowest amount of spend you’ll come across, even if it does come with a $450 annual fee. Now $550!
Typically, they only offer 60,000 MR points so this is a ~67% point increase folks.
The specific details of this latest Amex Platinum offer were 100,000 MR points after spending just $5,000 during the first three months.
Sure, there have been 150,000 bonus-point offers in the past via the business version of Amex Platinum, but that required a hefty $20,000 in spending.
For some, spending $20k in three months (or three minutes) is easy, for others it’s next to impossible. Or at least seemingly so. Either way, it’s nothing anyone really wants to do if they don’t typically spend that kind of money.
The 100k offer is a much better value for a very reasonable amount of spend, and one I’m bummed to have missed out on (again!).
After all, 100,000 MR points translates to $1,000 of free Uber rides, or even more money if I transfer the points to an airline partner and fly first class around the world.
Or many other things depending on how you redeem.
You can try to access the offer through the standard protocol of opening the application link in an incognito window on Firefox or Chrome.
Try Using Different Browsers in Incognito Mode
- The key to this method is to be logged out and delete all cookies
- Then launch the website in incognito code in your chosen web browser
- May need to try different browsers over and over
- Until you get the 100k offer to pop up (hopefully!)
Here is the basic link to the Amex Platinum card. If you open it in a private window as noted, hopefully the 100k offer comes up. If not, you keep trying until you give up.
Sometimes credit card issuers toggle different offers to test the market and I suppose even out their generosity.
Earlier this year, Chase did exactly that with the annual fee on its Ink card, toying around with a $150 fee, a $95 fee, and a $0 intro fee.
So really any time you’re thinking about applying for a new credit card, you should check to see all the offers that exist and determine the best way of getting the biggest one.
Contact Amex Directly for the 100k Offer
- If you don’t have any luck finding the offer yourself
- You can reach out to American Express directly
- Via phone call or online chat and ask for the offer explicitly
- You can also opt-in for such offers in the future if it’s not available today
Now if you weren’t able to pull up the 100k Amex Platinum offer today (like me), you can call Amex and ask for the deal explicitly or do so via their online chat.
I mentioned it to a customer service representative via online chat and was told that the offer wasn’t in my account, but that I could ask to be targeted for it.
Obviously I said yes, go for it, but it remains to be seen whether my efforts will bear fruit. It didn’t take long to speak to the rep and hopefully whatever they did on their end will actually pay off.
I figure if nothing else I have some ammunition going forward if I see a similar offer in the future. Next time I miss out I’ll be able to tell the next rep about my previous encounter. And that might just give me some mileage (literally!).
It certainly doesn’t hurt to call/chat with Amex to let them know you’re interested in such offers so when they do come around you can take advantage of them (make sure you’re opted in).
Especially without having to do weird browser tricks that could potentially nullify your bonus if you weren’t the intended audience.
I’ll let you know if my chat session ever pays off – that 100,000-point bonus sure sounded sweet, though to be honest, I don’t have a need for the points at this very moment. So maybe it’s better I missed out today.
Try the Cardmatch Tool to Get the 100k Offer
- One successful method of finding the 100k Platinum offer
- Is via the Cardmatch Tool from CreditCards.com
- You basically just fill out a short form to see pre-approved offers
- And hope that the Amex Platinum shows up (it never has for me)
You can also try your luck with the Cardmatch Tool and see if the 100k Amex Platinum offer comes up that way. It’s a simple form you fill out that only requires a soft pull so it won’t hurt your credit.
I’ve tried it tons of time and never had any luck, but I constantly hear of others getting it to show up that way.
If you aren’t targeted, maybe your spouse will be. So have them try to so at least one of you can cash in.
There’s a 150k Amex Platinum Bonus Point Offer Too
- Make sure you opt-in to all Amex credit card offers
- They sometimes mail out even bigger bonuses
- Like a 150k-point sign-up bonus
- Though the minimum spend required could be quite high
Some even luckier folks may come across a 150,000-bonus point offer from American Express Platinum via snail mail. Yes, you read that right.
Who cares about 100,000 Membership Rewards points when you can 50% more via the 150k offer.
American Express has also been known to mail out these insane offers to business owners via the business version of Amex Platinum.
Don’t throw it away if you receive one. Just note that, as mentioned, the minimum spend could be as high as $20,000 in three months, or perhaps just $15k.
So you should have a plan setup before you apply, and also a purpose with regard to all those MR points.
250k Amex Platinum Bonus Offer Now Available
- A staggering 250k sign-up bonus is out there too
- That requires business owners to spend $50,000 in six months
- Each $5,000+ transaction generates 20k bonus points
- Can be utilized up to 10 times during first six months
Even better news to report…there’s a 250,000 MR point offer floating around to targeted business owners.
It’s the business version of Amex Platinum and it comes with an opening bonus of 50,000 points when you spend $5,000 in the first 6 months of account opening.
You also earn 20,000 points for each $5,000 purchase you make during those six months.
In other words, you can hit two bonuses in one shot if your first purchase (or any purchase I suppose) is $5,000 or more. Assuming it were, you’d hit the opening 50k bonus and earn 20k bonus points at the same time.
That means you’d earn 75,000 points with one $5,000 purchase:
- $5,000 in spending = 5,000 MR points
- $5,000 single purchase = 20,000 MR points
- $5,000 in total spending = 50,000 MR points
- Total = 75,000 MR points
American Express is giving cardholders the chance to do the $5,000 purchase up to 10 times during those first six months for a total bonus of 200,000 MR points (250,000 with the opening bonus).
In all, you can snag 300,000 MR points with this crazy offer if you are able to make 10 extra large purchases (250,000 bonus points plus 50k points for the $50k in required spending).
Even if you were targeted though, it’d be tough to pull it off. I’m sure some folks could handle the one-time $5,000 purchase to unlock 75k MR points (maybe by purchasing a car or something), but multiple $5,000 purchases would be tricky for many.
Read more: You can apply for Citi Prestige and Citi Premier over a span of eight days and get 100k+ bonus points too.