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20% MR transfer bonus to BA [USA Platinum & Centurion]

20% MR transfer bonus to BA [USA Platinum & Centurion]

Old Aug 2, 2010, 9:23 pm
  #16  
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: SPG Plat, Emerald Exec., PC Plat, AA, CO, DL, UBS Charter Card, Palladium Card, Amex Plat
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Originally Posted by Amex Customer Care
Hi FlyerTalkers,

I have checked our Membership Rewards database to verify the specifications of the promotion that you were referring to and have had no luck in finding the details to that promotion. The only promotion that we have had recently was for Ameriprise Consumer Cardmembers, when solicited could receive a 20% bonus when transferring Membership Rewards points to British Airways Priority Club. This applies to all Membership Rewards points transferred to a member’s Priority Club during 04/01/10 through 06/30/10. Bonus points will be reflected in the total amount of the point transfer transaction from Membership Rewards. Minimum transfer of 1,000 Membership Rewards points into BA Miles.

Solicited Cardmembers can redeem offer by clicking on "TRANSFER POINTS NOW" link in the email.


Once you have transferred Membership Rewards points, they become subject to the Terms and Conditions of the partner program and cannot be transferred back to your Membership Rewards program account. Taxes, fees, charges and surcharges, including airline surcharges,may apply on British Airways redemption flights and upgrades.

I hope the information provided is helpful.

Rachel
Amex Customer Care
That is very odd. I can confirm earlier today it DEFINITELY DID show this on the MR First website under specials-travel.(20% Bonus, 1000 points+) Now when I just logged on it is no longer there. Wonder why it was pulled?
mlad1101 is offline  
Old Aug 2, 2010, 10:25 pm
  #17  
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 46
Originally Posted by chewy3
Looks like a negative 20% now hah:


Currently on my MR page
833 BA Miles = 1,000 Membership Rewards Points
I just saw the same thing. Negative 20%... I was going to transfer some points but waited until I could read more about the promotion and now it looks like we're getting a negative 20%. And no notice either?! Bad AMEX.
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 5:56 am
  #18  
mia
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I also see the backwards BA 833 = MR 1000, but only if I look at the Membership Rewards First version. The standard version still shows 1000 = 1000. If the system were increasing transfers by an unintended 20%, one way to work around it would be to tinker with the base rate, but it looks to me as if it's just plain broken .
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 8:44 am
  #19  
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 46
And now they turned around and are giving us 20% more! I bet whoever update the system earlier with the promo fat fingered something and now it's corrected. Better hurry and transfer!

1,200 BA Miles = 1,000 Membership Rewards Points
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 8:58 am
  #20  
mia
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Originally Posted by Swede
1,200 BA Miles = 1,000 Membership Rewards Points
I see it as well, but only in Membership Rewards First, not the standard site.

[Dream] Chase BA VISA awards 1.25 miles per dollar. Perhaps American Express has made a permanent change to the transfer ratio. [/Dream]
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 9:42 am
  #21  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: Plat:US,DL (ex KL,AF,LX,LY) Gold:BA,VS (ex CO,UA).Plat.SPG,HGP Diam.HH. ICHG Plat RA. Amex Centurion
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Originally Posted by mia
I see it as well, but only in Membership Rewards First, not the standard site.

[Dream] Chase BA VISA awards 1.25 miles per dollar. Perhaps American Express has made a permanent change to the transfer ratio. [/Dream]
Ditto on the BA Visa, if you're aiming to accumulate BA miles (not MR points).

Plus, they offer 2.5 miles per dollar on any BA purchases (in addition to actual miles flown) and all kinds of weird promos (like 10k bonus per month for each consecutive month of 1k spend or more)...

Plus $50 off each tix purchased with their card...

By selecting which card to use and when (using amex for benefits, insurance, MR) you can get 6-figures of BA miles in just a few months (I'm closing in on 200k in 6 months).
S.Bling is offline  
Old Aug 3, 2010, 9:59 am
  #22  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: Not Worthy...
Posts: 131
Have there been other BA transfer bonuses in the recent past? I was planning to transfer 50k to BA for a one way SFO to NRT business class ticket for use anytime in the next year or two. No actual dates planned, more like the trip is planned around the available tickets. I was going to wait until I knew I was going before I transfer, but saving 8k MR sounds awfully nice.

Any suggestions on how long to wait before using this? To early to tell if this is going to be short lived or at least a few months?
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 10:03 am
  #23  
mia
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Originally Posted by MMSB01
Have there been other BA transfer bonuses in the recent past?
BA has only been a transfer partner of Membership Rewards (USA) since the very end of 2009. There hasn't been sufficient time to establish a pattern. However, there have been recurring promotions with Diners Club Mastercard and (less predictably) with Starwood Preferred Guest.
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 12:36 pm
  #24  
mia
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Today's USPS delivery brings a postcard which explains the offer:

You will get 20% more BA miles when you transfer points to British Airways from 8/1/10 to 9/30/10. The bonus BA miles will be awarded with your immediate transfer. Please allow up to 24 hours to complete a transfer. All transfers must be made in 1,000 point increments.

This is part of a promotion for Business Platinum Card members, but of course there may be parallel versions for other cards. The other offers on the promotion are listed here:

http://membershiprewards.com/firstspecials

Last edited by mia; Aug 3, 2010 at 12:42 pm
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 2:03 pm
  #25  
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BA 20% Bonus

Hi FlyerTalkers,

Thanks Mia for the details. I have finally found the details of the promotion:
The MR First Specials offers Platinum and Centurion Cardmembers (enrolled in the MR First program) exclusive access to 20% or higher savings on points and other exciting rewards on many of their favorite brands.

MR enrolled Cardmembers can redeem offers by:

Visiting membershiprewards.com/firstspecials

The British Airways offer is valid from Aug 1, 2010 until Sep 30, 2010

I hope this is helpful.

Rachel
Amex Customer Care
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 2:17 pm
  #26  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: Plat:US,DL (ex KL,AF,LX,LY) Gold:BA,VS (ex CO,UA).Plat.SPG,HGP Diam.HH. ICHG Plat RA. Amex Centurion
Posts: 673
Originally Posted by mia
Today's USPS delivery brings a postcard which explains the offer:

You will get 20% more BA miles when you transfer points to British Airways from 8/1/10 to 9/30/10. The bonus BA miles will be awarded with your immediate transfer. Please allow up to 24 hours to complete a transfer. All transfers must be made in 1,000 point increments.

This is part of a promotion for Business Platinum Card members, but of course there may be parallel versions for other cards. The other offers on the promotion are listed here:

http://membershiprewards.com/firstspecials
What worries me is that the official employees of Amex, in their official Social Media Capacity, have officially declared that there is no such promotion - yet here we go receiving it in the mail from Amex themselves.

A case of the right hand and the left hand...

And which one wins out at the end of the day - do they honor what they mailed you, or are the Amex reps here telling us that the mailing is a fake (or incorrect)?

Slightly OT - but somehow relating to this "bonus offer" which may or may not be honored:

I received a mailing last year with a special Cent offer of free luxury partner products - when I called to ask when I would receive the stated free products, they replied "oh, no, there's no such thing" and proceeded to deny that I even was mailed such a letter and voucher.
I offered to scan and send the letter to them, and it was escalated to two supervisors (and finally the Director of Marketing Partner Promotions) the finally "admitted" that I was sent the promotion in the mail, and I wasn't a liar.
But they still wouldn't honor it: I was told "Yes, we know that's what it says - but we're not really doing that, and maybe in hindsight it shouldn't have been mailed out - because you now have an expectation which we cannot honor."
"You see, if we honored that promotion to everyone we had sent it to, in the way it is written, we would never be allowed to provide such resources."
In other words - we changed our minds, or we never really had any intention of giving you what we promised.

I wish I was kidding - I spent 6 angry weeks with them on the phone, and ended up realizing that I wasn't a "VIP" customer at all - just a customer and a potential revenue source, to be sold products and/or services at a fee.

There's no such thing as a free or a courtesy promotion, I learned.
If it costs anyone anything, it is the partner, not Amex.
The Wynn promotion was provided by Wynn.
So were all the other similar things, so are the bonus points with partners.
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 2:57 pm
  #27  
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
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Originally Posted by Amex Customer Care
Hi FlyerTalkers,

Thanks Mia for the details. I have finally found the details of the promotion:
The MR First Specials offers Platinum and Centurion Cardmembers (enrolled in the MR First program) exclusive access to 20% or higher savings on points and other exciting rewards on many of their favorite brands.

MR enrolled Cardmembers can redeem offers by:

Visiting membershiprewards.com/firstspecials

The British Airways offer is valid from Aug 1, 2010 until Sep 30, 2010

I hope this is helpful.

Rachel
Amex Customer Care
Rachel - on an Italian based AMEX account you can't transfer to BA / promo isn't valid correct?

many thanks^
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 4:21 pm
  #28  
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
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Is this really a MR First special or just the conversion rate now?

I did not receive the flyer, but yesterday before it was pulled it was listed on the link that Rachel just provided. Today it is not listed on that link under specials but rather just when you go to british airways on the site it says 1200 BA Miles=1000 MR points. Nothing about bonus or expiration date.
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Old Sep 15, 2010, 12:32 pm
  #29  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: Not Worthy...
Posts: 131
I am still torn on this option. I have two possible uses for BA redemptions in the next year, I plan to go from SFO to NRT, and SFO to LHR or other European gateway.

I have 69k MR available, and need either 50k for an SFO > LHR RT in Y (probably plus some terrible taxes) or 2 SFO > NRT (Stopover) > PEK OW in Y+ for 75k. OR 1 SFO > NRT OW in C.

Those trips are definitely going to happen, I just don't know when exactly. I have lots of time to plan ahead and seats seem to be readily available on a wide range of dates.

I am trying to figure out if the 20% bonus is worthwhile to make the leap now, or wait and see what comes in the future. If I lose the 20% bonus, the trips are all still doable, just hard to pass up 12600 extra miles.

Worst case scenario 80k MR is enough for two RT SFO > NRT in Y on ANA.

If anyone has any suggestions for cheap SFO to Europe redemption in any class, let me know. I don't see anything cheaper than 50k for Y. At that point I would just pay for the tickets. SFO to NRT in Y seems to be hovering at around $1000++! That makes even a Y redemption worth nearly 2.5 CPM sans taxes.

Any opinions or "schoolings" definitely welcome.
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Old Sep 15, 2010, 12:59 pm
  #30  
mia
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Originally Posted by MMSB01
...50k for an SFO > LHR RT in Y...
Airlines which add fuel surcharges, including BA or VS, are best used for business or first class because fuel cost makes up a high proportion of the price of an economy class ticket.

I chose arbitrary dates in March to test. SFO-LHR-SFO would require 50,000 miles plus $370 in fees. If you purchased the same flights (now) from BA the cost would be $884. However, Expedia shows that UA (and several others) have flights for $741. You would be redeeming 50,000 miles to save $371. That's $0.00742 per point, plus you would forgo earning miles on the trip. Dreadful.
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