Okay I just tried for the Hilton Biz and got the pop up. I have 4 Amex cards. I just closed my SPG Biz after 14 years of having it. I closed my Delta Gold personal in March to get the Delta Gold Biz.
My Amex Everyday (got in Jan) - I don't spend on it anymore (I did to hit the $1000 and 10k MR) but it has a lovely $4500 balance I'm paying on monthly.
My Hilton Aspire has been used on and off. I got it in Dec 18 and hit it hard to get the bonus.
My Hilton Surpass (got in Oct 17) has had limited spending on it. But I did sign my DD up for a card and spent on it to get the bonus for that (in May). And I have it now set for Hulu and Netflix I think. And my monthly Young Living Oils (which is $100+)
My Delta Gold Biz got in Mar/Apr and hit the spend FAST! Have this set as a recurring payment for my kids doctor bills - $40-80/mo and do other small spending here and there.
So I feel like I'm good on making sure spends happen. The one probably neglected is the Aspire. It's had maybe 2 months with no spend. And I haven't spent on the Everyday but I'd think having a balance would negate the lack of spending there. So how do I get out of popup hell? Here I thought Amex loved me....Waaaaaah!
In a word, SPEND on your existing cards.
From what you’ve wrote:
- You got the Hilton Aspire in December and “hit it hard to get the bonus,” and now only use it “on and off” but you say there were 2 months without any spend on it.
- You got the Amex Everyday in January, racked up a $4,500 balance on a 0% introductory APR card, and say you “don't spend on it anymore.” Having a balance does not negate the lack of spend, even if you’re paying it down. New spend generates swipe fees for Amex. A balance is money you already owe Amex, and with 0% interest they’re not making any money on it. Moreover, maintaining a balance on a 0% APR card is thought to be one of the factors that triggers the bonus denial pop up (“
Based on your history with American Express welcome offers, introductory APR offers, or the number of cards you have opened and closed, you are not eligible to receive this welcome offer.)
- You got the Delta Gold Biz got in March/April and here’s another card you say you “hit the spend FAST!” and now have some “small spending here and there.”
You have a pattern of signing up for new Amex cards, hitting the MSR
FAST and collecting the bonus, then moving onto the next card and putting low to no spend on your cards after meeting MSR. Running a balance on your Everyday 0% APR is likely a factor too. These are classic patterns that the Amex RAT is looking for to flag you as someone who is only opening their cards for the bonuses and will land you in pop up purgatory.
When the pop ups first started happening to members here, one of the things we recommended was to avoid the temptation to hit Amex MSRs
fast with high spend, because you don’t want to set yourself up for a sudden drop off in your spend on that card after meeting MSR. If you can meet your MSR with spend that is lower and more level and over the full MSR period, it might make your spending patterns easier to taper down. In any case, it’s recommended to keep spending on your Amex cards. That’s probably easier to do than what
@Albort mentioned the other day, because once you get the pop up, the suggestion is to bring the spend on your existing Amex cards back up to the level where they were when you were working on the MSR — but this time all that increased spend is not for any bonus, but to try to get out of pop up purgatory.