Chase, Amex to Limit Sign-Up Bonuses on Mutually Issued Marriott, SPG Credit Cards

As if we didn’t have enough welcome bonus restrictions with Chase’s 5/24 rule and American Express’s one-bonus-per-lifetime rule, both credit card issuers will limit sign-up bonus eligibility even further for co-branded Marriott and Starwood Preferred Guest credit cards next month.

Related: Chase, Citi, Amex: Application and Bonus Restrictions You Need to Remember

On the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card application page, you can see the following language:

“Please note effective 08/26/2018: You may not be eligible for the bonus if you hold, or have previously held, a Marriott International co-branded card issued by a United States credit card issuer.”

What this means is that Chase-issued and Amex-issued cards Marriott/SPG cards will be considered the same product family, and Marriott will limit the number of new cards one person can qualify for after Aug. 26.

So, under the current Chase rule, you are not eligible to receive a bonus on a Marriott-branded credit card if you currently have it, or if you have received a welcome bonus or an upgrade bonus on either the Marriott Rewards Premier or the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus cards in the last 24 months.

When the new rule takes effect, you won’t be able to earn a new sign-up bonus on a Marriott Chase card if you currently hold one of the Marriott cards or one of the SPG cards, including business cards. However, American Express seems a bit more lenient when it comes to the new limitation. You will be able to receive a bonus on a Starwood Amex if you currently hold other Starwood credit cards (but not if a co-branded Marriott card).

The upcoming Starwood Preferred Guest Luxury Card likely will be affected by the change as well, so spare an application of you’ve applied for a Marriott Chase card in the last 24 months.

There’s no doubt that the new restrictions will put the breaks on travelers who treat signing up for credit cards like a sprint. However, this is a game that constantly changes rules as we go, and we have to do nothing more and nothing less but adjust and keep winning one trip at a time.

 

Please share your thoughts on the new Marriott/Starwood welcome bonus rules in the comments section below. How will it affect your card strategy?