Singapore Amex Users Hit By Major Bonus Restrictions

Published on August 7, 2025 |

By: TTW News Desk

If you’re a regular flyer successful Singapore, you astir apt cognize that American Express cards for illustration nan KrisFlyer Ascend and nan Platinum Credit Card person been nan champion companions for earning miles and snatching up recreation perks. As of 31 July 2025, though, things are changing for good. The latest update intends that early applicants hoping to pouch that tasty invited prize whitethorn find nan gross now firmly shut.

American Express Singapore conscionable sharpened nan meaning of a “new” customer successful a measurement that could astonishment moreover nan astir casual personification of its cards. The revised eligibility wording, now posted connected each charismatic sites and successful nan good people of nan KrisFlyer Ascend, Platinum Credit Card, and Platinum Charge, brings supplementary cardholders into nan fold.

So, what precisely changed? The caller rules opportunity that if you’ve held, aliases presently have, immoderate AMEX user card—principal aliases supplementary—within nan past 12 months, you’re disconnected nan invited prize list. The aged norm conscionable disqualified you if you’d precocious cancelled nan aforesaid main card. Now, you could beryllium a casual personification of a supplementary paper for a friend aliases relative, and it could still travel you up. The time-tested way of stacking a caller paper connected apical of an aged 1 for prize miles? That roadworthy conscionable sewage a batch bumpier.

These caller rules mean that less applicants will snag nan sign-up bonuses, moreover if nan only AMEX paper they ever owned was a supplementary 1 without immoderate perks attached.

New Rules successful Plain English

Here’s what AMEX Singapore says now:

• You can’t person immoderate main aliases supplementary AMEX user paper erstwhile you apply.
• You can’t person cancelled immoderate AMEX user card, whether main aliases supplementary, successful nan past 12 months.

Because of this, cases that utilized to suffice now don’t. For example:

• If you clasp a supplementary paper today, you can’t apply.
• If you cancelled a supplementary paper six months ago, you can’t apply.
• If you person nary AMEX paper coming but cancelled a supplementary paper successful nan past year, you can’t apply.

Only those who person had nary AMEX card, successful immoderate form, successful nan past 12 months will beryllium viewed arsenic caller capable to suffice for nan invited deals.

Why Travellers successful Singapore Should Care

For a agelong clip successful Singapore, AMEX and Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer programme worked good together. Cards for illustration nan AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend fto cardholders gain hose miles for regular spending and sweetened nan woody pinch large invited bonuses to tempt caller sign-ups.

Recent eligibility changes mean getting those shiny invited bonuses conscionable became tougher. Here’s really nan caller rules look:

• KrisFlyer Ascend gives 15,800 miles for S$1,000 walk complete 60 days. Only new-to-AMEX customers tin drawback it.
• The Platinum Credit Card dishes retired 23,750 Membership Rewards points for nan aforesaid spend.
• The Platinum Charge Card now requires S$8,000 complete 90 days for 80,000 points.

All nan bonuses you’re utilized to seeing are still connected nan table, but less folks tin spot themselves astatine nan table. If you’ve ever held a supplementary AMEX paper borrowing a parent’s aliases employer’s account, this could beryllium nan first clip you’re proceeding nan euphony stop, and it could sting.

Supplementary Cardholders: The Unseen Casualties

The astir talked-about change? Supplementary cardholders. These are usually partners, kids, aliases helpers whose cards are conscionable location for nan occasional hawker payment. They ne'er qualified for nan invited prize to commencement with, yet now their history becomes a wall.

Once you’ve been a supplementary paper for nevertheless long, you’re now branded “not new.” That explanation knocks you retired of nan prize title for good. In plain terms, AMEX Singapore now plays nan strictest prize crippled connected nan block, opinionated enarthrosis to enarthrosis pinch Bank of China, which boasts nan aforesaid no-second-chances prize policy.

The reasoning down nan alteration is beautiful straightforward: AMEX wants to ace down connected prize churning, which is erstwhile group jump from paper to paper to drawback nan rewards, cancel, and repeat. While that’s adjacent enough, nan caller broad norm besides trips up honorable cardholders who weren’t trying to crippled nan system. Over time, that could wounded marque loyalty moreover much than churning does.

A Small Backtrack connected Existing Bonuses

What’s worthy noting is that AMEX’s first move was to deed existing cardholders pinch nan aforesaid 12-month hold for caller bonuses. After listening to feedback, they dialed it back. Now nan norm is that you only get nan hold if you cancelled nan aforesaid main paper you’re applying for wrong that 12-month window.

This tweak intends longtime users tin still pursuit small bonuses without penalties. For example:

• The KrisFlyer Ascend paper is offering 15,000 miles pinch only S$1 of minimum spend.
• The Platinum Credit Card and Platinum Charge besides springiness Membership Rewards bonuses for likewise mini spends.

In galore cases, these existing offers are now much rewarding than nan new-customer deals that sewage restricted.

Current Card Rules

According to AMEX Singapore’s charismatic docs:

• KrisFlyer Ascend: You tin still drawback nan existing prize arsenic agelong arsenic you haven’t cancelled nan aforesaid basal paper wrong nan past 12 months.
• Platinum Credit Card: The aforesaid 12-month norm kicks in, but it only applies to that card.

Platinum Charge: The paper now follows a simpler twelve-month break from nan aforesaid product. This thumps nan aged twenty-four-month wait, making it easier for loyal cardholders to rejoin nan crippled sooner.

These subtle differences matter to anyone wanting to reapply aliases measurement up to a higher-tier paper aft a break.

Final Thoughts: Bonus Hunting Gets Tougher

Singapore-based travellers eager for American Express sign-up bonuses now look a tighter timeline. Whether your extremity is piling up KrisFlyer miles aliases snagging luxury perks, nan caller scheme intends you’ll person to representation retired your strategy early—and you whitethorn request to driblet each AMD cards, moreover supplementary ones, for a afloat year.

For American Express, nan norm whitethorn tighten nan lid connected invited connection abuse. But regular customers, who only ever carried a supplementary paper aliases who cancelled aft a once-in-a-while spend, mightiness consciousness nan sting of a norm that abruptly seems unfair.

Looking up to 2025, savvy reward hunters whitethorn statesman to research rival options. Other issuers still connection broader definitions of “new” customers. American Express is still a heavyweight successful nan premium recreation game, but this update marks a clear move toward stricter entree and reserved rewards.

(Source: American Express Singapore, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Singapore Airlines, AMEX Official Terms and Conditions, Singapore Government Financial Advisories)