What is the American Express (US) “Pop-Up”?

Applying for credit cards in Canada is a relatively simple process. Find the card you are interested in applying for, fill out your personal details, and see if you are approved or declined. Applying for credit cards in the United States is mostly the same, except when applying for an American Express (US) card, as you may encounter what is commonly referred to as the “pop-up” or “pop-up jail”.

Let’s take a look at the American Express (US) pop-up and how you can avoid encountering this feature on your next credit card application.

What is the American Express (US) “Pop-Up”?

When applying for a new card with American Express (US), once you submit your information you’ll typically land on a page that states whether your application was approved, declined, or is pending.

On certain occasions, when you are applying for a credit product that you haven’t ever held before you might receive a pop-up before landing on the results page. It will look like the following:

This is what is referred to as the pop-up and it gives the applicant the option to finalize and submit their application or cancel the application The pop-up notes that the applicant is not eligible to receive a welcome offer on this card due to the applicant’s history with credit card balance transfers, American Express welcome offers, introductory APR offers, or the number of cards you have opened and closed. Essentially, you might receive the pop-up for any reason under the sun.

If you receive the pop-up when applying, you can still submit the application and get approved. If you do this, you will still receive the card and the benefits attached to that card, but no welcome bonus as specified.

While this is not overly useful as a large amount of value from new card applications comes from the welcome bonus, it could be for a card like the American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card (US) if, for example, you were most interested in the complimentary Hilton Diamond status and annual free night certificate. I would consider this a niche use case for bypassing the pop-up, but it could be used by some customers who are most interested in the benefits of the card.

The pop-up is the ultimate factor as to whether you will receive a welcome bonus on a new card with American Express (US). If you receive the pop-up, it is guaranteed you will not receive the welcome bonus. If you do not receive the pop-up, it is guaranteed that you will receive the welcome bonus.

Needless to say, the pop-up can be a big hassle for miles and points enthusiasts who are looking to increase their points balances through American Express (US) credit cards. Similar to other American Express (US) rules such as card family language restrictions, the pop-up is another thing to be aware of as you venture deeper into your US credit card journey.

What Triggers the American Express (US) “Pop-Up”?

There are many things that could trigger receiving the American Express (US) pop-up when applying for a new card, and their laundry list of reasons isn’t much help in pinpointing the actual issue. Their algorithm is complex and we don’t have much insight into how it actually operates, and sometimes, it is seemingly random.

The crux of the pop-up seems to be linked to being deemed an unprofitable customer for American Express (US). As we touched on in our miles and points beginner guide, financial institutions use welcome bonuses as a way to attract new customers to apply for their credit products, in hopes that the customer will become profitable over the long term.

Being an unprofitable customer can mean not spending enough on your existing American Express (US) cards, not spending on the cards after earning the welcome bonus, or even having a track record of applying for and closing too many cards within a set time period.

On the other hand, if you are applying for a card that you have been approved for previously, you will receive a different version of the pop-up that looks like this:

This pop-up is at least explicit in that it tells the applicant exactly why they aren’t eligible for the welcome bonus. American Express (US)’s lifetime policy for card welcome bonuses is typically seven years, so if you were approved for the card in question within the last seven years it shouldn’t be a surprise to see that pop-up appear when applying.

How to Avoid the American Express (US) “Pop-Up”

There are some tips and tricks that you can implement in order to avoid the pop-up or work towards getting out of pop-up jail, but there is no universal or guaranteed solution when you encounter the pop-up. The goal should be to avoid the pop-up completely and nurture your relationship with American Express (US), to avoid the frustration of being stuck in pop-up jail.

In the past, when I received the pop-up, I started spending more on all of my American Express (US) cards and within a few months I did not encounter the pop-up on my next application. Considering that American Express (US) cards can easily be used in Canada as many of them offer no foreign exchange fees, the only extra step is the need to convert currency to pay the card off. If you aren’t using your cards regularly already, this is an easy change to implement today.

The Pop-up can be tied to a specific family of cards, such as American Express Hilton Honors cards or Marriott Bonvoy credit cards. If you are receiving the pop-up on a certain family of cards, it might be worth trying an application for a card that sits in a different family.

It could also be worth approaching the offer from a different type of link. For example, if you had tried to apply via the public offer landing page, try using a referral link instead and see if the result is different. Consider looking into no lifetime language links as these might result in a more successful application.

Ultimately, if you are applying for a new card that you have yet to hold and you receive the pop-up, take this as a warning sign that there is something you can do to improve your relationship with American Express (US). Implementing the above strategies, plus taking a few months off from applying for new cards, just might help you get out of pop-up jail.

Conclusion

If you have gotten started with US credit cards, you just might run into the pop-up when applying for a new card with American Express US. While it can be a frustrating experience, especially when there is a strong welcome offer, always think of earning miles and points as a marathon instead of a sprint. If you do encounter the pop-up, implement a few of the strategies listed above and try applying again in a few months to see if you have better luck.