brosnan6

Has the point mall always been triple points or is that a new change? I didn't see anything about it (at least as far as I can remember). Last I recall it was 2x points.

mia

Some discussion in this thread from June...

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7936964

It's one of the distinctions between Membership Rewards and Membership Rewards First. Only Platinum and Centurion qualify, but of course it isn't really "triple" points, it's two additional points per dollar.

brosnan6

Gotcha. I knew I could count on you mia! Amex spins it on the website as triple points...sneaky bas***ds

kennycrudup

Am I missing something? What's the technical difference between "Triple Points" and "Two additional points per dollar"?!

mbreuer

Bonus Point Mall gives 3 MR points per dollar in addition to the normal 1MR/$ charged to your card.

mia

The difference is important in comparing to other online shopping portals. For example, if you order from Barnes and Noble at:

http://bonuspointsmall.com using Platinum or Centurion card you will earn 1+2=3 points per dollar, one point for the financial transaction plus two points for using the site.

http://advantageshopping.com using any rewards card you will earn at least 1+3=4 per dollar, at least one point from the card issuer for the financial transaction plus three AAdvantage miles for using their portal.

http://thankyoumerchants.com using any rewards card you will earn at least 1+3=4 per dollar, at least one point from the card issuer for the financial transaction plus three Thank You points for using their portal.

I think the American Express terminology is misleading because they are including the base point earned for the financial transaction, while other sites advertise only to the points earned for using their site because they allow you to use any card to pay.

mbreuer

I was also confused. I've called twice and been told both times that the 3x points are in addition to the base points earned for purchase. I do not have that in writing and can't find anything on the site which provides clarification. As I've had no bonus points post yet I can't be sure. It'd be really nice if they'd report points earned on the statement next to the qualifying purchase.

brosnan6

That would be too easy Surely you know a CC company's job is to make every aspect of rewards programs difficult.

mia

I think I asked customer service about this when the Bonus Points Mall was first announced last Autumn, but the emails scroll off the system. I have asked the question again today, and will report when they answer. I hope you are correct and that I am wrong because the program would then have some merit.

mbreuer

Let us know what they say!

Dreps

I asked this question in writing and was told that you get 2 additional points per $1 spent for a total of 3 points.

mia

I no longer have a Platinum card and asked using a Gold card account. This means the reply is based on the Double Points version rather than the Triple Points version, but I think answer will be the same.

Q.If I make a purchase through bonuspointsmall.com do I receive a total of two points per dollar (one point for the financial transaction plus one point for using the portal), or do I receive a total of three points per dollar (one point for the financial transaction plus two points for using the portal)?

A. Be aware that the double points offer represents one additional point; along with your standard Membership Rewards points, this additional point will provide you with double points....Please note that taxes do not qualify for bonus points, nor does shipping and handling.

Dreps

I have used bonus points mall for a number of purchases and one thing that bothers me (and I think I will send an e-mail to AMX) is that as far as I have been able to determine, there is nothing you can print out once you make a purchase that shows that it was done through the bonus points mall. Although I think that I have been properly credited, this could be an issue if the bonus points were ever disputed. Does anyone have a solution to this?

mia

This is true of most, if not all, online shopping portals. After you login to the portal and click a link to connect to a merchant website look at the URL displayed in your browser address bar, and you will typically see a string of characters that identifies the portal who "referred" the customer to the merchant, and the customer, similar to this...

"http://www.target.com/gp/homepage.html/123-7654321-1234567?&AFID=Performics_DBG%20-%20American%20Express%20Bonus%20Points%20Mall&LNM= 0123|Performics|Logo|Banner|31x88|20070122|2012050 1|&ref=tgt_adv_xasd0123"

...but other times you will see only a short string, and the details must be stored in a cookie.

Dreps

I wasn't complaining about the bonus points mall in particular. I am sure you are correct, as I have bought from both Delta Skymiles shopping and Continental Onepass shopping, and I don't remember anything different. I was just suggesting that it would be useful if something on the final invoice page indicated the portal that was used. Is that so difficult to achieve?