Can you get an Amex sign-up bonus if you already have the same card as a supplementary?
This is the second of two articles on how American Express supplementary cards work.
In Part One yesterday we looked at why you might want to add a supplementary card to your account and how to earn a few thousand bonus Avios or Membership Rewards points for doing so.
Today I want to pick up on a question which features regularly in my inbox. Is it possible to get a sign-up bonus on an American Express card if you already hold the same card as a supplementary on your partner’s account?
Can you apply for an American Express card if you already have the same card as a supplementary?
The answer is yes, you can.
Here is the reason. If someone issues you with a supplementary card on their American Express account, it is NOT your card. It is their card. The main cardholder is the person who is legally responsible for your spending.
As far as American Express is concerned, you are NOT the cardholder.
This means that you are able to apply for the same card yourself if you choose.
Here is an example. If your partner has a British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card as a supplementary card on your account, they are still able to apply for their own BAPP card and receive the 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.
You can also pick up 9,000 Avios – or whatever your current personalised offer is – for referring your partner via the American Express ‘refer a friend’ scheme.
Obviously they need to meet the usual rules for receiving the bonus, which on this card are that they must not have had either of the British Airways American Express cards in the past 24 months in their own right.
Here are some points to think about
Whilst this is good news in terms of maximising bonus points across your household, there are some key things to remember:
Reasons why your partner should stick with a supplementary card:
- When your partner gets their own card, there is another annual fee to pay. On the other hand, if they simply remain as a free supplementary cardholder on your account, there is no extra fee.
- Supplementary cards can help you hit your spend targets. You may struggle to hit the £15,000 spend target on the British Airways American Express Credit Card to earn a 2-4-1 Companion Voucher without spend from your partner. Partner spend could also help you hit the 5,000 bonus points you earn for spending £10,000 and £20,000 on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card.
- American Express now insists that the named cardholder pays their monthly bill from a bank account in their name. Historically I would settle my wife’s card bills because I was the one who was doing most of the spending. This is no longer allowed, so we need to go through a bit of theatre where I transfer money to her and she pays the bill via the Amex app. This isn’t an issue if your partner has a supplementary card on your account.
Reasons why your partner should have their own account:
- High spenders can trigger a second set of annual spend bonuses across the household. My wife has her own British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card, for example, and as we can spend £15,000 each on the cards we can earn 2 x 2-4-1 Companion Vouchers each year between us. I have a supplementary card on her account so I can continue to do the bulk of the spending.
- Your partner would receive their own set of American Express cashback offers throughout the year. Whilst some of these also appear on supplementary cards, many do not. Your partner should have their own card if you want to maximise the number of cashback offers you receive.
Conclusion
The key thing to take away from this article is the knowledge, if you didn’t have it already, that if you or your partner have a supplementary American Express card in your purse or wallet, you can still apply for the same card in your own name and earn a sign-up bonus, subject to the standard bonus rules.