Points Pooling Change for American Express, Plus Other Reminders About Membership Rewards

Your Points Are In One Pool (With a New Catch)

Some banks, like Chase, don’t automatically pool your points across credit card accounts. With Amex, your points are all in one pool for all existing cards prior to an October 15, 2026 update. (More on that below.) A quick glance in your account shows one balance, not multiple like Chase. When you see your points total in your account, that is your total. To track earnings across cards, go into your activity and sort by card. This will allow you to see your transactions and points earned for each card you have. One of my biggest American Express tips: Points are like money! Treat them like that, and check your accounts frequently.

New Catch

As flagged by Doctor Of Credit on October 15, 2026, American Express is now handling this differently for new cards. American Express updated its terms and conditions to reflect new Membership Rewards-earning cards will not be automatically pooled together. Here are the new terms:

• Each Product enrolled in the Rewards Program is linked to a Rewards Account. When you open a new Product, a new Rewards Account will be created and linked to that Product.
• If you have multiple Products with separate Rewards Accounts, you may choose to link some or all of your Products to the same Reward Account. Once your Products are linked to the same Rewards Account, points earned on each linked Product will be consolidated into a single points balance.
• You can link your Products to the same Rewards Account by connecting your Rewards Accounts online or in the Amex App by logging in and navigating to the ‘Manage Connections’ option. Additional terms and conditions may apply when connecting your Rewards Accounts online.
• You can also add or remove Products from a Rewards Account at any time by calling the number on the back of your Card.

You might be wondering why the bank is making this change. Well, close an account and forget to move your points? Now, American Express has won as you no longer have those points. Or perhaps they want to start getting creative with transfer ratio and cards. Just like airlines, these banks are always watching what other banks are doing. I am sure they can spin it with one of those “more flexibility” lines. But again, this is why we need to always be looking at our accounts just like a bank.

Amex Referral Nuances

One of my favorite American Express tips is that you can technically refer to any card. This can be a great way to pick up some points, especially transferable currencies. The only downside is not every card will have the option to refer. For example, many of us with American Express® Gold Cards haven’t had referral options for years. Hilton card referrals may not be there at times, either.ToP Tip: You can always check your own referral links with any bank. Often we get asked what you can refer to or what your referral is. Just open your own link to see.

For example, let’s say you only have a Delta co-branded card. You can see here where the Amex Offers are also listed what the referral offer is.

But once you send them that referral, you can click to show other cards.

Then they can look through other cards to get. Very important: Always check the offers your link may have, since they could vary from what’s available through Travel On Point(s) or through public offers. American Express offers can vary widely, especially with “as high as” offers, so you always want to make sure the person you are referring is getting the best possible offer. That matters more than just getting the referral points.

You Can Apply Too Many Times

A newer development over the last year has been that American Express does not like you applying too many times. This often happens when checking for higher offers. Since many cards are now “as high as,” people will try our links—which we always appreciate!—or other referral links to see what they can get. The problem is usually somewhere between 3-5 tries, American Express may give you a notice you have applied too many times and will lock you out. If this happens, generally we recommend a 30-day waiting period. Avoiding repeat applications has become one of our more important American Express tips, since you probably don’t want that extra waiting period.

Certain Downgrades Are Limited

When it comes to card strategy, one of the often-overlooked American Express tips is that there is not a no-annual fee downgrade option on Membership Rewards-earning cards. That is why The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is a such a valuable option to have—and a longterm keeper for many of us. We just recently covered Amex upgrade and downgrade strategy on the blog and in the group, but this quirk continues to be forgotten.