Amex Membership Rewards: Why New Cards No Longer Pool Points Automatically
American Express has updated its Membership Rewards terms so new cards create separate points accounts, requiring cardholders to link them manually.
By The Aviation Hub
4 min read
American Express has updated the terms and conditions of its Membership Rewards programme, meaning new cards will no longer automatically pool points into a single balance. The change, which took effect immediately, applies to all newly opened cards and could catch cardholders out if they cancel a card without first linking their accounts.
What Has Changed with Membership Rewards
Until now, any American Express card earning Membership Rewards points was automatically added to your existing points balance, provided all cards sat under the same log-in. According to One Mile at a Time, Amex has updated the relevant section of its programme terms to the following: "When you open a new Product, a new Rewards Account will be created and linked to that Product."
Points from new cards will therefore sit in a separate account unless the cardholder takes action to link them. Existing cards are unaffected and retain their current Membership Rewards account structure. The change applies only from the point a new card is opened.
How to Link Your Accounts
Cardholders can still combine balances, but it now requires a manual step. One Mile at a Time reports that linking can be done online or through the Amex app by navigating to the "Manage Connections" option after logging in. It can also be done by calling the number on the back of the card.
View from the Wing notes that at least one customer who opened a Blue Business Plus found the app's linking option was not immediately visible, then appeared shortly after. The balances combined within minutes despite a quoted processing time of up to 24 hours. Seeing two cards under one log-in does not, on its own, mean the rewards accounts are connected.
The Risk When You Cancel a Card
This is where the change becomes genuinely important. View from the Wing explains that Amex's cancellation terms forfeit a rewards account's balance when the last card linked to that account is closed. A separate Amex card elsewhere in the same log-in does not protect points that sit in a different, unlinked account.
To illustrate the risk: if you hold a Gold card with 50,000 points and open a new Platinum that earns 150,000 points, but the accounts remain separate, closing the Platinum would forfeit those 150,000 points even though your Gold card remains open and active.
The practical advice is simple: link your accounts and confirm the link is in place before cancelling any card.
Are There Any Exceptions
View from the Wing highlights two narrow exceptions. Cardmembers with a New York billing address on a linked card receive a 90-day redemption window under state law. Cards linked as the last Corporate Card may allow up to 30 days. Neither exception removes the need to combine balances proactively.
What Amex's Motive Might Be
Amex has not given a reason for the change. One Mile at a Time observes that card issuers typically avoid automatic pooling for two reasons: so that cardholders who close an account without consolidating forfeit the remaining points, and so that different transfer ratios can be applied to different cards.
View from the Wing points to a related data point: the revised terms expressly mention that point values may vary with the products linked to a rewards account. That language could signal future differentiation between cards, in a similar way to how Chase has already cut Hyatt transfer rates to 4:3 for Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred while preserving 1:1 for Sapphire Reserve.
There is also a straightforward financial benefit. When points are forfeited, Amex never has to pay for their redemption. Some cardholders will leave small balances unused in a separate account; others may cancel without consolidating. View from the Wing notes that Amex could offer cardholders the choice to keep business and personal rewards separate without making a combined balance the opt-in outcome for everyone.
What Is Happening in Other Markets
The change in the United States is not the only one Amex is making to its rewards structure. View from the Wing reports that a related change in India will end transfers between cards on 15 November 2026, which is a considerably more restrictive policy than the US update, which continues to allow linking.
The Bottom Line
The practical impact of this Membership Rewards change is modest for attentive cardholders. Open a new Amex card, navigate to "Manage Connections" in the app or online, link the new account to your existing one, and your points balance consolidates as before.
The risk sits with those who do not notice the separate account and cancel a card without linking first. Those cardholders could lose a points balance entirely, even while holding another Membership Rewards card. Before cancelling any card going forward, confirm that every account is linked and the balances are combined.
If you want to explore rewards and frequent flyer programmes by airline, the Airline Search tool on The Aviation Hub is a useful starting point for finding the carriers whose programmes matter most to you.
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