When can you PC for Amex?

[Anonymous]

Do you have to wait 12 months from account opening or can you do it any time before then?

[Anonymous]

I'm not 100% sure if you absolutely have to wait 1 year, or if amex just really doesn't like you doing it sooner. Either way it's best to wait a year, and in fact if you PC from a card with an annual fee and/or a hefty sign up bonus to a free card, they will be more likely to penalize you and may even take back the sign up bonus.

[simplynoir]

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@Anonymouswrote:
Do you have to wait 12 months from account opening or can you do it any time before then?

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This depends on a lot of things such as if the PC is a downgrade or upgrade, what product family, and so on.

[MrDisco99]

Upgrades are not possible until the account is a year old.  This is due to federal regulations all banks have to adhere to.

Downgrades may be possible before then, but Amex has language in their terms of service that says they reserve the right to claw back bonuses or cancel membership if you cancel or downgrade in the first year.  This really depends on whether doing so catches the attention of their Rewards Abuse Team.  Some products (like Platinum) will be more likely to trigger this than others.

I'm not sure what Amex allows as far as moving between product lines, e.g. Blue Cash to Everyday or Delta to Hilton.  I'm fairly certain they do not allow PC between charge cards and revolvers or between personal and business.

[wasCB14]

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@MrDisco99wrote:

Upgrades are not possible until the account is a year old.  This is due to federal regulations all banks have to adhere to.

Downgrades may be possible before then, but Amex has language in their terms of service that says they reserve the right to claw back bonuses or cancel membership if you cancel or downgrade in the first year.  This really depends on whether doing so catches the attention of their Rewards Abuse Team.  Some products (like Platinum) will be more likely to trigger this than others.

I'm not sure what Amex allows as far as moving between product lines, e.g. Blue Cash to Everyday or Delta to Hilton.  I'm fairly certain they do not allow PC between charge cards and revolvers or between personal and business.

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The official rules have, for at least a few years, not allowed PCs between card families. However, they were not widely enforced until about two years ago. Now it is very difficult, if not impossible, to make a Delta card a BCE or Hilton (or vice versa).

[Anonymous]

I can confirm I tried several times to PC my Blue Cash Everyday to the standard Everyday, and I am only able to PC to the Blue Cash Preferred. Everything in what I've read and my personal experience suggests that you can't PC from one product family to another

[avp99]

So a PC from the PRG to the Platinum would be allowed after the 1st year?

[UncleB]

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@avp99wrote:

So a PC from the PRG to the Platinum would be allowed after the 1st year?

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Yes, but most people around here wouldn't do that since you would miss out on a lucrative sign-up bonus by not just applying for a new Platinum. 

[avp99]

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@UncleBwrote:

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@avp99wrote:

So a PC from the PRG to the Platinum would be allowed after the 1st year?

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Yes, but most people around here wouldn't do that since you would miss out on a lucrative sign-up bonus by not just applying for a new Platinum. 

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Got it and good point!

[wasCB14]

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@Anonymouswrote:
I can confirm I tried several times to PC my Blue Cash Everyday to the standard Everyday, and I am only able to PC to the Blue Cash Preferred. Everything in what I've read and my personal experience suggests that you can't PC from one product family to another

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The ED's 20 transactions/20% bonus feature supposedly presents some extra complexity, though I've heard Amex force-PCed a few Blue cards to ED. And I've also heard of customers being told they could PC BCE to Blue.

So maybe a few BCEs have become EDs via Blue as a stepping stone, but the process is certainly complicated, far from guaranteed, and may no longer be possible.