Advertiser Disclosure: Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, I may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.
Your support helps keep PointsWise running. Thank you!
It was a bummer day for Amex Business Cards in Canada as we saw 3 welcome bonus offers get slashed yesterday. And the news doesn’t get much better with 6 Personal Card welcome bonuses crashing as well.
Knowing when the best time to apply for Amex Cards can have you earning points effortlessly instead of spending to earn every point.
Let’s take a look at the Cards not to apply for right now. You could be waiting 3+ months for a better offer on these Cards, but these Cards were due to be devalued.
The good news is, historically whenever Amex Canada devalues the welcome bonuses across multiple Cards, it is usually followed by a much stronger offer, so it’s worth the wait.
Amex AIR MILES Reserve Credit Card Canada Welcome Bonus
The Amex AIR MILES Reserve Card, which is the top tier Card in the AIR MILES fleet, got its welcome bonus lowered to 2,400 miles. Just this past July, the welcome bonus was 4,000 miles so it’s looking promising to wait for a better offer on this Card if you collect AIR MILES.
Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card Canada Welcome Bonus
Along with the Business Bonvoy, the Personal Bonvoy Card sees a lot of welcome bonus updates, and the current offer is a low one of 50,000 Bonvoy points.
The Card usually sees updated welcome bonus offers every 3 months during the middle of the year, but the next update may not come until Spring.
Purely speculation, but if it does, it has potential to go up to 70,000 Bonvoy points which could gain you an extra 20,000 Bonvoy points for the same price, just by waiting.
Amex Gold Card Canada Welcome Bonus
The Amex Gold Card is considered one of the most popular travel hacking credit cards among Canadians.
You can earn 2x the Amex Membership Rewards on travel, gas, groceries and drugstore purchases in Canada which makes it easy to earn points with daily purchases.
And with the $100 annual travel credit and $50 Nexus credit, the annual fee gets dropped down to $100.
It also comes with discounted airport lounge access at Priority Pass lounges, an approximate $133 CAD value.
That brings the cost of this Card down to a net win of +$33 which is incredible value.
Plus you get your pick of a metal Gold Card, or metal Rose Gold Card which is a flashy choice at no additional cost.
If you’re a frequent flyer, check out the Platinum Card or Business Platinum Card for true airport lounge access without additional fees at Centurion and Priority Pass Lounges.
The welcome bonus on this Card stinks. It’s fluctuated between 50,000 and 70,000 points over the last year. If it follows the same trend, another update may not come until next Spring, but it should almost certainly be a better welcome bonus if you can wait.
Amex Aeroplan Card Canada Welcome Bonus
The Aeroplan Card has also wavered between 50,000 and 70,000 miles this year.
This is on the lower end of what we’ve seen offered on this Card recently. The high was 75,000 miles in June last year. At least this offer is nowhere close to the embarrassing 15,000 miles we saw offered in November, 2020.
Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card Canada Welcome Bonus
This Card has fluctuated between 110,000 Aeroplan miles and the current offer of 85,000 points this year.
The Aeroplan Card is for the Air Canada or Air Canada partner frequent flyer. It’s the top tier Card of the Aeroplan Card lineup in Canada and offers airport lounge access at Maple Leaf and Priority Pass lounges.
You’ll also get a $100 Nexus credit, a free checked bag for every flight and you can spend to earn an annual worldwide companion pass which will get you a cheaper secondary ticket for your travel companion.
Hopefully we see this welcome bonus offer rebound to 100,000 Aeroplan points or more in the next update.
This Card update also saw the purchase interest rate increase from 19.99% to 20.99%.
The Platinum Card Canada Welcome Bonus
The Platinum Card Canada consistently offers the best welcome bonus for Amex Membership Reward points.
Unfortunately this update slashed the welcome bonus on this Card by 30,000 points, bringing it down to 80,000 points.
An extra 30,000 points can get you a free night in a hotel or a plane ticket for the same annual fee. If you’re a travel hacker, that stings knowing you could miss out on that if you were to sign up with the current offer.
The Platinum Card will likely see another update in the Spring, and if it follows the historical trend, the welcome bonus will bounce back to a higher offer.
Earning 30,000 points on the Amex Platinum Card traditionally means spending between $10,000 and $30,000, or referring two people for 15,000 points each.
That’s a lot of work! That’s why your best bet is to wait for the next welcome bonus offer and work smarter. This offer will rebound like they always do, so be patient and continue planning the rest of your travel hacking journey in the meantime.
Conclusion
After a disappointing day for Amex Canada, we look forward to the next update where we can announce some increased welcome bonuses instead!
If you’re interested in Business Amex Cards, we covered in another post what 3 Cards got devalued.
Closing travel hacker tip: next time you see an Amex welcome bonus with a specific date the offer ends, you can be assured the Card will be devalued after that, so it’s best to apply when Amex advertises a limited time deal. These are special deals that usually represent the highest welcome bonus of the year. We’ll announce these deals on the blog when they’re available.
In all the doom and gloom of the devaluation you fail to mention this applies only to the publicly available offers. those applying for the Aeroplan Reserve through a referral link, for example, get an effective 115,000 between the SUB, monthly bonus, and 10 x Eats and Drinks bonus multiplier. Plus, as an added bonus for the referrer, a double on their “commission” from 10-20k points.
I currently have the Amex Marriott bonyon business card. Is it smart to wait and see what welcome bonus is in the spring for my husband and then get him a card to then combine the points to reach our goal of 600,000 faster?