No Welcome Bonus Offers for Amex Charles Schwab Platinum Card

[Anonymous]

I have been wanting the Amex Charles Schwab Platinum Card for a long time, of course each year it is becoming worse and worse of a deal , but I still want it.

I haven't gotten it because every time I go to apply I get the pop up saying I will be approved but if I submit I will not get the welcome offer, I have thought it was because at some point in 2020 I closed one of my Amex cards because I wasn't using it and I down graded my Everyday preffered card, So I just assumed I was in the no no house with Amex because of that, but now it's 2022 and I still can't see any welcome offers on the Platinum cards (except business).

I have the gold card and have had it for several years now and I'm always in good standing with it being paid in full every month and I don't call to reduce the yearly fee for the card like some people do, I also actively use the Blue buisness plus card with no problems.

It's very frustrating that Amex just wants me to "upgrade" my gold card for a measely amount of points and I don't want to do that, I want the plat and the gold. I'm at the point where I might just burn all the points I have with amex, close everything and go with chase, chase offers me all their cards all the time and the only reason I don't go with them is I have used Amex for so long, but I wanted to ask if there is something I can do to get the welcome bonus for the Charles Schwab card before I give up on them.

[K-in-Boston]

Unfortunately, there's really not a way to know when Amex might change their mind on your eligibility.  Everyone's profile is different.  In credit terms, 2020 wasn't very long ago so both closing and downgrading a card may sting for a while.  How long were those two cards open before being closed and downgraded?  How long have you had the BBP?  Have you opened and closed a number of cards from other lenders as well in recent years?

If Membership Rewards are beneficial to you, you would only be hurting yourself by closing the accounts and moving to Chase simply because they are not extending Welcome Offers on new cards.

[Anonymous]

The card I closed was a business card that I had since 2016 and I have had the BCP since then and in 2020 downgraded it.

I typically don't open and then close cards, but I have let cards close due to inactivity from other lenders because I was focusing on using Amex cards because I like their MR program which is why it's so frustrating because I'm waiting for the platinum to be able to make full use of the MR program and I don't want to miss the once in a lifetime bonus just because I wanted to make my card profile more simplified. 

It's funny because they want me to get a plat, they just don't want to offer the bonus, yet they send me mailers for the high tier Hilton and Marriott cars with huge welcome bonuses... It just so confusing, it really feels like they know what I want but want me to get something else.