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American Express® Government Defined Spend Card

No Foreign Fees

$0 Annual Fee

See terms Purchase APR

Benefits & Protections

No Foreign Fees

Issuer Rules & Restrictions

Maximum Cards per Issuer

You can hold up to 5 cards from this issuer simultaneously.

Shutdown Risk Triggers

Misuse of government funds, non-compliance with government spending policies, exceeding authorized spending limits, fraudulent activity, failure to reconcile expenses in a timely manner. While less common for this card type, general Amex triggers like manufactured spending or suspicious spending patterns could also lead to account review.

Cliff Effect Rules

Not applicable. This card is a specialized government spend card and does not typically fall under consumer or small business card family rules like those affecting eligibility for bonuses across different Amex consumer products (e.g., Platinum, Gold, Green).

International Friendly

This card works well for international travel and transactions.

Additional Issuer Rules

Eligibility for the American Express Government Defined Spend Card is restricted to employees or contractors of specific government entities for official business expenses, as determined by the issuing agency. Traditional welcome bonuses for individual cardholders are generally not offered; any program-specific incentives would follow American Express's 'one welcome bonus per card per lifetime' rule for that product, typically benefiting the government entity. The 2/90 rule (max 2 credit card approvals every 90 days) is generally not applicable, as card issuance is an internal process by the government entity, not a traditional personal credit application. These rules are expected to remain consistent for 2026.

Military & Hardship

MLA Compliant

Complies with the Military Lending Act (36% APR cap for active duty servicemembers).

Hardship Program

Hardship program available.

American Express

Annual Fee

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American Express® Government Defined Spend Card

Benefits & Protections

Issuer Rules & Restrictions

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