Can you be a "new" customer again?

[cooni]

With all these bonus point offers claimed and card cancelled, is there a time frame before you're considered a "new" customer again (to go for the offer again)?

Sorry if this has been covered before...

 

[will2rob]

My understanding is not for the same product. However, I had a Bankwest Zero MC and switched to the Qantas Platinum MC, so was considered a "new customer" for the purpose of the bonus point offer. Similiarly, I had a DJ Amex card, got the 12500 QFF points for signing up (plus another 22500 QFF points which I can't see why), then switched to the Platinum card and got another 22500 QFF points as a "new customer". So it didn't matter that I was an existing customer per se, what counted was that I didn't have the particular card before.

 

[Doug_Westcott]

In a lot of cases this means opening another card account and paying a new "total" annual fee for it ie not "transferring" or "upgrading" from an existing card product with the same organization. Provided you are approved for the new card, and the incentive points are allocated, you can close the old one, or merge the two (ie to combine the two card limits)

 

[will2rob]

In a lot of cases this means opening another card account and paying a new "total" annual fee for it ie not "transferring" or "upgrading" from an existing card product with the same organization. Provided you are approved for the new card, and the incentive points are allocated, you can close the old one, or merge the two (ie to combine the two card limits)

I guess it varies from issuer to issuer and maybe someone else has had a similar/different experience they can post?. In my case with Bankwest and David Jones, I was an existing customer that changed products. In the case of DJs, they specifically said that the fact I was an existing customer with a standard DJs Amex card was irrelevant. They considered I was a new customer as I hadn't held a Platinum Amex card with them before i.e. the status of "new customer" was linked to the product, not the issuer. They actually pro-rated the membership fee for the standard card against the membership fee for the Platinum card and gave me the 30000 MR points/22500 QFF points when I switched over.

In both cases I had to close down/balance transfer to the new card. However, I don't know if I was to ditch the Amex card for example, and rejoin at some future point, whether I would be considered a new customer having previously held that product.

 

[Flashback]

Check the T&C's, sometimes will say something like "must not have held this card in the past 12 months" for example.