American Express has quietly changed how Membership Rewards points are organized when you open a new card. For years, if you held several Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards under the same login, every point landed in one shared balance automatically. Under the updated program terms dated October 2026, that is no longer the default for new cards. Each new card now starts out with its own separate Membership Rewards account, and it is up to you to link it to your main balance.
The change was first spotted by Doctor of Credit on October 15, 2026, and has since been confirmed by several other points-and-miles outlets and by the text of the new terms on the Amex website.
What the new terms say
- One card, one account by default. The updated terms state that “each Product enrolled in the Rewards Program is linked to a Rewards Account,” and a newly opened card gets a new account.
- Linking is optional and manual. You can choose to link some or all of your cards to the same rewards account, and points from linked cards are combined into a single balance.
- Where to do it. Log in on the Amex website or app and look for the “Manage Connections” option. You can also add or remove cards by calling the number on the back of your card. Reports say it can take a few hours for a newly linked balance to show up.
- Effective immediately. The terms list the change as effective right away.
- Corporate card exception. Corporate Cards from the same company can’t be linked to the same rewards account.
- Redemption options can vary. The terms note that available redemption options may depend on which cards are linked to an account.
Based on current reporting, the change applies to newly opened cards. Cards that were already pooled together appear to stay that way, though Amex has not published a detailed FAQ on this, so treat that as likely rather than guaranteed. It is also not fully clear yet how the change treats business versus personal cards; check your own account rather than assuming.
Why this matters: cancelling a card
The biggest practical risk is forfeiting points. Under the Membership Rewards terms, if you cancel the last card linked to a rewards account, you lose the points in that account (with limited exceptions, such as a 90-day window to use points if Amex closes an account for inactivity). Under the old automatic pooling, closing one card usually didn’t matter as long as another Membership Rewards card stayed open. Now, if a new card’s points were never linked to your main account and you close that card, those points could be stranded and lost.
Who this affects and what to do
- Anyone who opened an Amex Membership Rewards card recently, such as a Platinum, Gold, Green, or Business Gold/Platinum: log in and check whether you see more than one Membership Rewards balance.
- If you see a separate balance, use “Manage Connections” to link the new card to your main account, then confirm the combined balance a few hours later.
- Before you cancel or downgrade any Amex card, confirm that its points are sitting in an account that will still have an open, linked card afterward. If in doubt, transfer or redeem first, or call Amex.
- Welcome bonus hunters who open a new card, earn the bonus, and plan to close it after a year should make linking part of their routine right after approval.
Our take
On its own, this is a small change. If you know about it, linking takes a minute, and it doesn’t cut how many points you earn or what they’re worth today. The downside is the default: an automatic convenience has become an opt-in step, and many cardholders won’t notice until they close a card and watch points disappear. Changes like this tend to favor the issuer when people forget.
Some commentators have speculated that separate accounts could eventually let Amex offer different transfer partners or ratios by card, similar to what Chase and Citi already do. That is speculation, not anything Amex has announced, and we would not make decisions based on it. For now, the action item is simple: check your accounts, link new cards, and never close an Amex card without first confirming where its points live.
Source: American Express Membership Rewards Terms and Conditions (October 2026); first reported by Doctor of Credit; also covered by One Mile at a Time.
Card offers and terms change frequently; confirm current terms with the issuer before applying. Points Capital is not a financial advisor.
