American Express is so weird about their SUBs. Sometimes, they dole out Sign-up Bonuses and Retention Offers like candy. Other times, they unpredictably shut the door. For those who don't know, "Pop-up Jail" is a pop up window an applicant for a new card receives during the process of opening a new card to let them know they are not eligible for the bonus, allowing discontinuation of the application if desired. (Data points to relevant threads are linked below.)
My current overall stats are 0/24 for EQ/EX/TU for both inquiries and personal accounts. I suppose I was caught off-guard with a SUB denial with such a clean recent record of new accounts! However, I am 0/12; 2/24 for new business accounts, which were both AMEX approvals and perhaps that is the reason. The Pop-ups also occurred on two attempts at new business cards. Taxes were due and I was planning to use the expense for meeting a SUB. Primary goal was the Hilton Business with a 175K Hilton Honors bonus and second target was the Business Gold with 100K MR bonus. I have never held either card.
Recent history (past 24 months): AMEX sent me a juicy targeted offer (250K MR) for the Business Platinum, which I accepted just for the SUB. It was opened 10/04/2024 and I closed it at one year when AF posted, 11/14/2025. That was also the shortest I've kept one of their cards but the high AF wasn't a good long-term fit for me. They also solicited me with a generous offer to open a second Blue Business Plus which I did on 02/04/2025. Ironically, I added both of these cards when they made me generous offers, but then they chose to deny a bonus when I initiated adding a new card. 
The only other card I've opened and later closed with them in recent years was the personal Gold, which I kept for over two years (08/15/2020 - 10/08/2022.) Unlike the Business Platinum, I seriously considered keeping the Gold but it just didn't fit me as well as I had hoped.
All my other cards for which I received AMEX SUBs are still open. (Blue Business Plus #2: 02/04/2025; Marriott Bonvoy Business: 05/03/2023; Hilton Surpass: 03/27/2023; Blue Business Plus #1: 09/01/2022; Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: 11/03/2021.)
I was last in AMEX Pop-up Jail for about six months from May to November 2021, between my Gold card and Bonvoy Brilliant.
I offer all these data points for the record to perhaps help others to see how Pop-up Jail works and what events might trigger it. I also offer hope that with a little time, it does usually pass. I'm guessing I need to sit out more time from the 250K Business Platinum SUB. It probably didn't help that I closed it at the one year point instead of keeping it two or three years. Also of note is that my AMEX cards haven't gotten a large amount of spending in the past 24 months relative to limits.
They put me in pop up jail before I even canceled any cards that had received bonuses. I think I just received too many of their bonus point offers within a years time. I did multiple big sign up bonuses, took a big retention bonus, an upgrade bonus etc. Maybe stop offering me deals if you don't want me to accept them lol. Once they put me in pop up jail then I said screw it and started canceling the AF cards I didnt think Id want after the first year. Sig needs to be updated. Not sure if I'm still in pop up jail but I definitely don't see anyhting but the most basic level offers now and no elevated ones. Personally been getting pretty annoyed with amex's support and technical issues lately anyway so have been focusing more of my spend on other issuers.
@CreditCuriosity wrote:I would say the one year 250k MRs sub did you in and put you in POJ. It will clear in time whether 3 months or a year or two but will be gone in time. 250k MRs likely was well worth the POJ.
Thanks for the opinion, @CreditCuriosity. I think you (and @Realist and @Patient957 who agreed) are all correct in the high 250K MRs SUB and then closure after only one year. But absolutely agree POJ was worth that SUB and keeping the card open another year wasn't worth it for me.
Looking at all my data points above, I would imagine I may be released 12 months after closing the BIZ Platinum so about 11/15/2026 at the earliest.
@Janneman wrote:Sometimes its very hard to understand Amex...I was also in their Pop-up jail a few years ago just because I accepted 2-3 offers for MR points like retention offer for their personal Gold card, and another offer was 0% APR on purchases on one of their other cards I had...It was not like I got these offers for a new card, rather cards I already have had...and then when I applied for a new card, I found myself in pop-up jail...I had to wait for 6 months to get out of pop-up jail...Next week I would be applying for their business Gold card, for which I got a pre-approved offer...200 MR points after spending $15k in the first 90 days...I hope I dont find myself in this mess....Or I might respond to the offer tomorrow.
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@creditrizz wrote:
They put me in pop up jail before I even canceled any cards that had received bonuses. I think I just received too many of their bonus point offers within a years time. I did multiple big sign up bonuses, took a big retention bonus, an upgrade bonus etc. Maybe stop offering me deals if you don't want me to accept them lol. Once they put me in pop up jail then I said screw it and started canceling the AF cards I didnt think Id want after the first year. Sig needs to be updated. Not sure if I'm still in pop up jail but I definitely don't see anyhting but the most basic level offers now and no elevated ones. Personally been getting pretty annoyed with amex's support and technical issues lately anyway so have been focusing more of my spend on other issuers.
Great points to add to the thread, @Janneman and @creditrizz. Sometimes, Pop-up Jail has nothing to do with closing new cards but just accepting too many offers. And yes, they are funny in extending those offers but then seemingly penalizing someone for accepting too many of them! 
I agree that the six months to a year seems to be the time frame for most Pop-up Jail sentences from my experience and from what I've seen.
