While there are some really excellent credit card bonuses available right now, sometimes the most lucrative offers are reserved for specific individuals. One of the best places to look for these increased, targeted offers is to use the CardMatch tool, where you can find introductory bonuses that are much higher than those posted elsewhere.
Here are two you should pay attention to right now.
Check the CardMatch tool to see if you qualify for a welcome offer of up to 150,000 points on the Platinum Card® from American Express offer or an American Express® Gold Card offer of 75,000 points. These offers are subject to change at any time.
Top CardMatch Offers
If you haven’t visited the CardMatch site lately, now is an excellent time to check out your CardMatch offers. There are great deals available on two of Amex’s best cards, including The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card.
Amex Platinum offer of 150,000 points
For the Platinum Card, you can pre-qualify for a 150,000 points offer after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of your card membership. The card has an annual fee of $695 (see rates and fees).
Based on TPG points valuation, the 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards points bonus is worth a whopping $3,000.
This astronomical bonus number is worth grabbing if you qualify, as the highest publicly available welcome offer for the card is 80,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
Related: Is the Amex Platinum Worth the Annual Fee?
Amex Gold Offer of 75,000 points
We also see potential for a targeted welcome offer of 75,000 points on the American Express Gold Card, which is available to some through the CardMatch tool. This offer is pre-qualified and the card has a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees).
Daily newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for the latest news, in-depth guides and exclusive offers from the experts at TPG
Targeted cardholders can earn 75,000 points after spending $4,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of account opening.
Plus, if you’re targeted for either offer, you have a choice of the traditional Gold option or the fancy Rose Gold version.
TPG values 75,000 Membership Rewards points for an impressive $1,500. Others may see a pre-qualified offer of 60,000 points, which matches the current publicly available offer on the Amex Gold card.
Related: Who Should Get the Amex Gold (and Who Shouldn’t)?
Cardmatch Offers vs. Public Offers
All of these offers through CardMatch are significantly better than the offers that are publicly available for these cards. Here’s a snapshot for comparison:
- The Amex Platinum Card’s public offering is 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of your card membership. That means you can get an extra 70,000 bonus points if you qualify for one of the CardMatch offers.
- The public offering for the Amex Gold Card is 60,000 bonus points for making $4,000 in purchases in the first six months of account opening. So you can get up to 15,000 extra bonus points if you qualify for an increased welcome offer through CardMatch.
Please note that all offers are subject to change at any time and not everyone will qualify for an increased offer.
American Express’s welcome offers are also “not available to applicants who have or have had this product,” and that restriction can also be found on CardMatch offers. So if you’ve had any of these cards in the past (including the Premier Rewards Gold card, the previous version of Amex Gold), you may be out of luck, even if you’re targeted with these offers through CardMatch.
While there are some reports that you can get a welcome offer on the same card many years after closing the account, this “once-per-lifetime” welcome offer limitation is an important limitation to keep in mind.
Finally, make sure you double-check your offer. Some potential cardholders have reported seeing different offers through the CardMatch tool than those reported here.
How to use CardMatch
MapMatch is easy to use, but you might wonder how it works if you haven’t used it before. Here are the simple steps to check your offers:
- Go to the CardMatch tool
- Enter your first name, last name, home address, last four digits of your citizen service number and email address
- Click on ‘Get Agreements’
- Check the box to accept the terms and conditions and click “Submit”
- After a search of 60 seconds or less, your pre-approved offers will appear
Please note that this process generates a “soft” credit inquiry on your credit report. This means the inquiry will appear on your credit report but will not affect your credit score, just like checking your credit report through a free annual check or a paid service.
Related: How to Check Your Credit Score for Free
Other ways to get targeted offers
No one knows the exact criteria banks, airlines and hotels use to target certain customers for increased bonus offers, but many people may not realize their accounts qualify.
Make sure you set your account settings for all your cards and loyalty programs and sign up for marketing communications and emails, as this is often how targeted offers are communicated.
However, registering is only the first step. While no one likes to waste time reading junk mail, it’s important to at least review emails or mail from banks, airlines, and hotels to see if they contain increased offers. Some targeted offers require you to sign up with a unique invitation code or a specific link. If you throw away the letter with that code, you may never get it again.
Is the American Express Platinum Card worth it?
Amex Platinum’s 150,000 point welcome bonus through CardMatch is quite spectacular.
Based on TPG’s valuation of Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each, the 150,000 point welcome bonus alone is worth $3,000. Once you learn to maximize the value of your Membership Rewards points, you may be able to get even more value than that.
Even without the sky-high welcome offer, the Platinum Card is one of the best cards available for frequent travelers.
On the spending side, you’ll earn 5 points per dollar on airline tickets purchased directly through the airline or through American Express Travel (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotel bookings made with American Express Travel.
The card rewards frequent Uber users with up to $200 per calendar year in Uber credits (US only). You’ll receive up to $200 in airline credits with your selected airline and up to an additional $200 in annual credits for prepaid hotel bookings made through Amex Travel at Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection properties (the latter requires a minimum two night stay). Enrollment required for certain benefits.
In fact, there are over $1,500 in annual credits you can unlock with this card.
Related: Amex Platinum Card Review
Then there are the lounges. Cardholders get access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, including Amex’s own fantastic Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Airspace lounges, Escape lounges and Delta Sky Clubs (when traveling on same-day Delta flights).
The card costs $695 per year, but it may be worth it if you take full advantage of these benefits. Registration is required for certain benefits.
Related: Guide to Lounge Access with the Amex Platinum
Is the American Express Gold Card worth it?
Amex Gold’s 75,000 point welcome bonus via CardMatch is also much better than the current public offering of just 60,000 points and is worth around $1,500 based on TPG’s valuations.
With a lower annual fee and more varied bonus categories, the Amex Gold is more versatile than the Amex Platinum for everyday spending.
The Gold Card earns 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 spent on purchases per calendar year, 1 point per dollar thereafter) and dining at restaurants, plus 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with an airline or through American Express Travel. On other purchases you earn 1 point per dollar.
You’ll also get a comprehensive range of benefits, including up to $120 in annual dining credits (available as up to $10 in monthly statement credits for eligible dining partners), $10 per month in Uber Cash credits (up to $120 Uber Cash per year) that you can use for US Uber rides and Uber Eats orders in the US and to access The Hotel Collection booking benefits. Make sure you add the card to your Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit. Registration is required for certain benefits.
The card does charge a $250 annual fee, but that’s easily offset if you take full advantage of the card’s built-in benefits. Terms and conditions apply.
Related: Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Get the Amex Gold Card?
Other CardMatch Offers
While the Platinum and Gold offers are probably the most attractive, you may find other attractive offers through CardMatch.
Previous cards include the American Express Cash Magnet® Card and the American Express® Green Card. Compare all the offers you see with the publicly available offers to ensure that the targeted offers through CardMatch are better.
The information for the Amex Cash Magnet and Amex Green cards has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been verified or provided by the card issuer.
Other ways to find good welcome offers
Targeted offers can be a great way to get extra bonus points on a card you were already planning on applying for, but they aren’t the only way to find a good deal. Banks often offer limited-time, increased bonuses that are publicly available to anyone who wants to apply for them, and you can check out our list of the best increased bonuses currently available – which is updated regularly.
You can also always check out our top cards page to see the best credit card offers currently available. If you’re looking to fill a specific gap in your points and miles strategy, consider the following curated lists:
Check out the CardMatch tool today to see what offers are available to you.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and costs of the Amex Gold Card, click here.