American Express Membership Rewards - New Premier Rewards Gold Card

Apologies if this has already been posted, but I couldn't find it anywhere... Amex announced today a new charge card product: Premier Rewards Gold.

Details here: http://home3.americanexpress.com/corp/pc/2009/premier.asp

Wow! Something new...

Any links for new account bonus offers?

Here's the link to application. The membership fee is waived for the first year and a bonus of 15K point for new applications.

https://www201.americanexpress.com/cards/Applyfservlet?csi=78/22108/b/97

Looks good to me, but a note: fine print for triple points on airfare says that it's only on "U.S. passenger airlines".

Did this new product replace the Rewards Plus Gold Card?

Did this new product replace the Rewards Plus Gold Card?
Any more information on this card and how its benefits differ? How does it compare to the Rewards Plus Gold Card, which I have? Should I switch?

Rewards Plus Gold is no longer included in the list displayed by Show All Cards on americanexpress.com. Of course this does not mean anything has changed for existing cardholders.

The new card's page is here...

http://www201.americanexpress.com/getthecard/learn-about/Premier-Rewards-Gold

CAUTION: Use that page only to review the features. Do NOT apply using that link because there is no activation bonus offered. Use the link provided in post #4 of this thread.

I wonder if this also applies when you book with points, but use your gold card to guarantee incidentals... :)

A $75 food and beverage credit whenever they book a stay of two or more consecutive nights at more than 500 Starwood properties around the world.

It looks like they re-invented this card and they are paying for airline purchases at triple the points. I will definitely be applying for this card to add to my AMEX collection especially since it has no annual fee the first year.

Since I currently have several AMX cards, when I investigated this new Gold card further and started the application process I found that I was not eligible for the waived fee the first year nor the 15,000 sign-up points. Is that what others are finding?

I just got off the phone with Amex. I am currently a Rewards Plus Gold Card Holder. I was told that this is a new card. And that I would get the enrollment bonus and fee waived the first year. Its the same if you applied for any other new amex card. You get all the bonuses. You may choose to keep your gold card, allthough I wouldn't know why. Also you will get back on a pro-rated basis any membership fees from any cancelled cards. However you do have to sign up for this online. The reps do not at this point have the 15K enrollment bonus.

You can't just ask the rep to apply 'Bonus ID 2924' to the new app?

I registered for the one year non targeted open promo for supermarket purchases anyway.

But this seems to indicate a return to "double points for everyday spend" albeit fewer categories.

I think this new card includes all except for drugstores/pharmacies.

Rewards Plus Gold is no longer included in the list displayed by Show All Cards on americanexpress.com. Of course this does not mean anything has changed for existing cardholders.

The new card's page is here...

www201.americanexpress.com/getthecard/learn-about/Premier-Rewards-Gold

mia:

Your link does not show

"Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® bonus points when you spend $1,000 in your first 3 months of Card "

This link does:

https://www201.americanexpress.com/cards/Applyfservlet?csi=78/22108/b/97

Your link does not show "Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® bonus points when you spend $1,000 in your first 3 months of Card

Good point ^ My link is to the descriptive page, and one should not apply there. Moreover, the advertisement which has appeared on Flyertalk offers only a 10,000 point bonus :mad:.

The link posted by trikotret in the fourth message is the best offer so far.

Another warning:

I applied through this link

www.insideflyer.com/link/?1929

and it doesn't show the 15,000 bonus points either.

So migrating from old Gold Preferred to new one gives me this math:


$150 - 15k points for signing on (spend $1k first 3 mos)
$150 - 15k points first year (spend $30k first year)
$175 - for not paying annual fee


$475 to get the new card in addition to the points you earn. Why would we not do this? If I cancel my current card, do I lose the 1 year warranty extension on products bought with it?

mia:

Your link does not show

"Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® bonus points when you spend $1,000 in your first 3 months of Card "

This link does:

https://www201.americanexpress.com/cards/Applyfservlet?csi=78/22108/b/97

Just signed up on this link and was approved in 10 seconds. I've got three other Amex cards as well.

15,000 MR points. No fee for first year. $1,000 spend in three months.

Priceless.

yes, priceless. about the stipulation in the t&c's that says you only get 3 points for flights on major us airlines... i called them and the rep said they have no list, but all airlines are included. (i specifically asked regarding elal which is based out of israel). i would suggest calling about a particular airline and getting a rep number at least before going ahead and making a big purchase though.

yes, priceless. about the stipulation in the t&c's that says you only get 3 points for flights on major us airlines... i called them and the rep said they have no list, but all airlines are included. (i specifically asked regarding elal which is based out of israel). i would suggest calling about a particular airline and getting a rep number at least before going ahead and making a big purchase though.

I emailed AMEX a few days ago specifically asking about Air France and Lufthansa and they said that only U.S. airlines tickets qualify for 3x :td:

Still seems we'll be better or no worse off by choosing new over old card?

...called them and the rep said they have no list, but all airlines are included. (i specifically asked regarding elal which is based out of israel)...

... specifically asking about Air France and Lufthansa and they said that only U.S. airlines tickets qualify for 3x...

American Express has revised the terms to resolve the inconsistent information: You can earn triple points on charges for purchases of tickets on all major US passenger airlines and many international airlines only if the merchant submits the charge for your purchase under the appropriate merchant code, industry code, or required service or product identifier established by us and the merchant.

https://www201.americanexpress.com/cards/Applyfservlet?csi=78/36715/b/98

I do not expect that American Express customer service will know which foreign carriers use the appropriate codes, but we can compile a list over time.

I have 4 questions, response appreciated.

1) Is enrollment in Membership Rewards Program with this card complimentary or is there a $40 annual fee. I could not find this information in the link provided above. A similar link for Preferred Gold Rewards mentions complimentary enrollment in Membership rewards Program.

2) Another related question: I have Amex Blue Card, which participates in Membership Rewards "Express" program. The limitation with MR Express program is that I cannot transfer Points to Frequent Flyer Miles or Starwood or other hotel points. Can I pay $40 annual fee to switch/upgrade to Membership Rewards, which will allow me to Transfer MR points to Airline Miles/Hotel points etc.

3) If I sign-up for Preferred Gold (or Premier Gold if it allows complimentary enrollment in MR), can I combine my Blue MR Express points with regular MR associated with Preferred Cards without additional $40 fee.

4) Is there any bonus point opportunity for signing up for Preferred Gold card (10k or more points), like for Premier Gold. I read that some people have received offers of upto 50k points in the past.

Thanks.

I just got off the phone with Amex. I am currently a Rewards Plus Gold Card Holder. I was told that this is a new card. And that I would get the enrollment bonus and fee waived the first year. Its the same if you applied for any other new amex card. You get all the bonuses. You may choose to keep your gold card, allthough I wouldn't know why. Also you will get back on a pro-rated basis any membership fees from any cancelled cards. However you do have to sign up for this online. The reps do not at this point have the 15K enrollment bonus.

Just signed up over the phone: 15k bonus with 1000 spend in 3months; first year fee waived; And if use $30000 in a calendar year, additional 15k bonus points.

Also can link my MR Express points from my Blue card with Membership Rewards without any fee.

I upgraded to this card from the Rewards Plus Gold card. I kept the same account number. I was credited for 8 months of the old card and charged for 8 months for the new card. I guess i wont be getting any sign up bonus since I only upgraded and not applied as a new customer.

I went through the link in post #4 and was almost done with the upgrade process when I noticed I wasn't going to get the 15,000 points for a $1,000 spend in the first three months, and it didn't mention anything about a waived annual fee.

Here are the benefits listed of the card as per my upgrade page:



Earn Membership Rewards® points up to three times as fast: You can earn 3X points on airfare, 2X points on gas and groceries, and 1X points on everything else(1)
Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards bonus points: when you spend $30,000 per calendar year(2)
Gold Card Destinations: Enjoy special travel packages and upgrades
Gold Card Events(3): Access to Preferred Seating, pre-sale tickets, and more
Additional Cards: Share the benefits of membership with your loved ones and earn points even faster


It still looks like a better deal than the Rewards Plus Gold Card (which I was going to upgrade from), but I'm going to hold off for now and see if I can get the offer with the waived fee and 15,000 sign-up points. (Going through the link in post #4 didn't do it for me. Maybe I'll call.)

EDIT: It appears I can see the waived fee/sign-up points offer if I open that link in another browser where I'm not logged in. I'd prefer to upgrade my current card (or at least have AMEX decide to offer me another card without a hard inquiry, which if I go through the logged-in application process, it says nothing about pulling my credit file) rather than apply for a new card. Any advice on how to do this while still getting the bonus and waived fee?

Has anyone had success at just "upgrading" their current card and getting the bonus and fee waived? I called and they wouldn't do it. I don't really have a problem with the new application but I don't want to "close" my current card.

I've had an amex charge since 1993 and cards open a long time are supposed to be good for your credit score. The new inquiry doesn't bother near as much as closing an old one. Obviously, I don't need 2 different gold cards.

Any advice on how to tackle this? Will amex combine them into one account after I get the new one issued and close the previous card but make it still look like the old account?

I don't want to "close" my current card ... I've had an amex charge since 1993

Apply for the new card online, use the link in message 4 of this thread to receive the 15,000 point bonus. (Do not use the link from the ad running on Flyertalk which, unfortunately, offers only 10,000 points.) During the application process you will have an opportunity to indicate that you already have a card account, and both will be linked to the same User ID.

When you receive the new card it should have the same Member Since date. If not, complain when you activate the card and they should fix this and send you a replacement. Afterwards you can cancel the old card, receive a prorated refund of your annual fee, and the new account will appear to be the same age.

The only drawback to this method is the necessity to change account numbers, but the bonus and fee waiver should make that worthwhile.

See this thread for recent discussion of Member Since dating...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards/1007122-credit-history-amex-cards.html

The only drawback to this method is the necessity to change account numbers, but the bonus and fee waiver should make that worthwhile.
I am ashamed to admit that this is a big issue holding me back from switching from my long-held green card to this one. The deal is very good, but boy, it would be a giant PITA to have to change the account number on all of my myriad automatic charges to Amex (DirecTV, phone service, etc.), not to mention having to memorize a new credit card number!

At some point your card will expire and you will need to give the recurring billers at least the new expiration date, maybe the new four digit security code. I'd rather be compensated for the effeort with points.

At some point your card will expire and you will need to give the recurring billers at least the new expiration date, maybe the new four digit security code. I'd rather be compensated for the effeort with points.
Entirely valid!

Amex is currently offering the 15,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in your first year through its marketing partners - but as always that doesn't mean that clicking any ad nor going to the Amex website will yield the same offer. This is how it always seems to be. . Hotel Magician doesn't have a page for this card yet (so no Amazon gift cards for signing up), although I wrote a blog post (http://tips4travel.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/new-amex-card-gives-3x-membership-rewards-points-on-airfare/) because of the 3x MR points on airfare.

I also made a Tiny URL that works for the 3X bonus points that I can post if anyone has problems with the link in post 4 ... Just make sure that when you are on the application page, you see this on the left hand sidebar:

# Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® bonus points when you spend $1,000 in your first 3 months of Card membership – redeemable for up to $150 in gift Cards upon point credit at participating retail, dining, and entertainment partners.

Apply for the new card online, use the link in message 4 of this thread to receive the 15,000 point bonus. (Do not use the link from the ad running on Flyertalk which, unfortunately, offers only 10,000 points.) During the application process you will have an opportunity to indicate that you already have a card account, and both will be linked to the same User ID.

When you receive the new card it should have the same Member Since date. If not, complain when you activate the card and they should fix this and send you a replacement. Afterwards you can cancel the old card, receive a prorated refund of your annual fee, and the new account will appear to be the same age.

The only drawback to this method is the necessity to change account numbers, but the bonus and fee waiver should make that worthwhile.

See this thread for recent discussion of Member Since dating...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards/1007122-credit-history-amex-cards.html

perfect, thanks! they changed my acct # when i lost a card once so this is no big deal to me. that was a while ago but i think amex handled it all for me anyway (the switch over of all the auto bill charges.)

Hit my $1000 spend with premier Gold AMX card this past Saturday, 15K MR points
posted today.

Does this card has primary rental insurance?

Does this card has primary rental insurance?

No credit card does.

All free insurance offered by credit/charge cards are secondary insurance.

You may choose to purchase a premium car rental policy (some issuers, Amex included, sell them for about $25 each time - if you commit to their policy), and one of the features may be primary instead of secondary. Make sure you read the fine print.

But never for free.

Too many people have learned the hard way when they have a claim, that their "included" credit card coverage will only kick in as a secondary, after increasing the claim number on their own policy, and their own insurance premiums increase as well.

No credit card does.


It would be more accurate to say that very few personal cards issued in the USA include primary CDW coverage. Diners Club Mastercard does, as do many Mastercard and VISA business cards, provided the rental is for business purposes.

It would be more accurate to say that very few personal cards issued in the USA include primary CDW coverage. Diners Club Mastercard does, as do many Mastercard and VISA business cards, provided the rental is for business purposes.

If there is a business card which does, I stand corrected.

FWIW, I have been involved in many instances (large corporation, using business visa, MC, and amex - not corporate) where employees have made claims and NONE of them were ever agreed to be primary. Regardless of the card type, and regardless of the stated T&C. The organization had quite a high-flying legal team which attempted to pursue this at great expense - and never succeeded.

If you know of a specific personal V/MC/AMEX in the USA which does provide primary coverage - I'm sure many would benefit to know of them.

Ditto for a specific business card which does.

I for one would be interested in such a card/s...

Primary CDW is a standard feature of Mastercard Business Card products. Citibusiness AAdvantage Mastercard would be an example:

MasterRental® Insurance Coverage.
Provides full-value-primary loss coverage (up to $50,000) and secondary personal effects coverage for rental vehicles for up to 31 consecutive days.

http://www.mastercard.com/us/business/en/smallbiz/learnabout/businesscard.html#3

Primary CDW is a standard feature of Mastercard Business Card products. Citibusiness AAdvantage Mastercard would be an example:

MasterRental® Insurance Coverage.
Provides full-value-primary loss coverage (up to $50,000) and secondary personal effects coverage for rental vehicles for up to 31 consecutive days.

http://www.mastercard.com/us/business/en/smallbiz/learnabout/businesscard.html#3

Thanks. Any personal cards? You mentioned there are some visa and mc; I have never come across anything similar in my years... :-)

Looking at the link, there is a glaring asterisk which leads you to ambigous wording that "check the full guide for details".
Have you any experience using a "Small Business Citi-Mastercard" before in which they agreed to cover primary loss/damage?
I'm only asking because of past instances over the last decade (V/Amex) in which this was implied, but when it came time to claim they found enough technicalities to never honor it unless the cardholder agreed to (even symbolically for part of the deductible) claim from personal insurance as well - raising their personal premiums...
We're talking good-seven-figure business accounts.

As mentioned above, Diners Club.

Thanks. Any personal cards? You mentioned there are some visa and mc; I have never come across anything similar in my years... :-)

Looking at the link, there is a glaring asterisk which leads you to ambigous wording that "check the full guide for details".
Have you any experience using a "Small Business Citi-Mastercard" before in which they agreed to cover primary loss/damage?
I'm only asking because of past instances over the last decade (V/Amex) in which this was implied, but when it came time to claim they found enough technicalities to never honor it unless the cardholder agreed to (even symbolically for part of the deductible) claim from personal insurance as well - raising their personal premiums...
We're talking good-seven-figure business accounts.

As for policy: as mia and gleff have indicated, DC (though I thought this benefit changed recently as DC was integrated with MC) on all rentals and all business VI/MC cards on business rentals. This is a published benefit of VI and MC on the VI and MC association business card websites and should extend to all VI/MC business cards (at least those issued in the U.S.).

As for reality: well, let me put it this way: I will never rely on free credit card coverage for protection. Any included coverage I have on a card is a nice-to-have benefit, but I would never go without something to back it up (a personal auto insurance policy with rental coverage). I've seen too many cases like yours where the underwriters find the tiniest technicality on which to deny the claim, and I would not want to be on the hook for a $20,000 or $30,000 car. I do use the AMEX PCRP program, and I have had good experiences with two [minor] claims, but I have a GEICO policy with rental coverage to back that up. If I didn't have a personal auto insurance policy, I'd most assuredly buy the LDW from the rental agency--even though I have a little more faith in AMEX's paid PCRP program (since I'm paying for it, they seem to be a little more willing to work with me), I would never rely on a credit card issuer for total coverage.

...never come across anything similar

Go next door to Other Credit Cards and search for "primary insurance", there are a half-dozen threads of varying quality from 2008/09.

While it's true that Diners Club Mastercard is a personal card with primary coverage, it's also true that Citi has not accepted applications for at least a year. Not much use to you unless your firm chooses to approach them about a corporate program.

I'm not a frequent auto renter, and I've never needed to claim for any damage.

My Chase Business Visa (conversion from an old Bank One biz CC when Chase acquired Bank One) definitely has primary coverage on business rentals anywhere as well as primary coverage on all rentals outside the US. It's the only card I've used on rental cars for years.... Unfortunately, the Chase site does an awful job of listing benefits of their cards (i.e. they don't) so I can't confirm it's on their new cards nor post a link...

My Chase Business Visa (conversion from an old Bank One biz CC when Chase acquired Bank One) definitely has primary coverage on business rentals anywhere as well as primary coverage on all rentals outside the US. It's the only card I've used on rental cars for years.... Unfortunately, the Chase site does an awful job of listing benefits of their cards (i.e. they don't) so I can't confirm it's on their new cards nor post a link...

Even if Chase doesn't show it, you can find out about the benefits from the card associations directly:

From http://usa.visa.com/business/cards/benefits/bft_auto_rental.html:

This benefit is available on all Visa Business, Visa Commercial, and Visa Government cards as listed on the right, and may also be available on other card products....This benefit is primary and provides reimbursement up to the actual cash value of the vehicle as it was originally manufactured. However, if the rental is for personal reasons, this coverage supplements, and applies excess of, any valid and collectible insurance or reimbursement benefits from any source.

From http://www.mastercard.com/us/business/en/smallbiz/learnabout/businesscard.html#3:

MasterRental® Insurance Coverage.
Provides full-value-primary loss coverage (up to $50,000) and secondary personal effects coverage for rental vehicles for up to 31 consecutive days.

Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards bonus points when you spend $30,000 per calendar yearHas anybody determined how long it will take for these 15K bonus points to post?

[EDIT: Never mind. 15K+15K deal seems to be gone, or at least under reconstruction.]

That seems like a pretty important consideration unless you run through $30K in spend a lot faster than I do. (For comparison, I'm just about to hit that level this year on my primary card, an SPG Amex.) I'd hate to sign up for this sucker in late December 2009; hit the $30K mark around next Thanksgiving; and then find out that the only way to get the 15K bonus is to hold the card for another several weeks (read: end up paying the $175 annual fee after the first anniversary).

The T&C (footnote 4 on this page (https://www201.americanexpress.com/cards/Applyfservlet?csi=78/22108/b/97)) didn't appear to answer this question directly. I note, though, that footnote 2 of the same page says that the separate 15K bonus for $1K in spend in the first 3 months "will be credited to your Membership Rewards account 6–8 weeks after you meet the spend requirement." Fair to assume that the same schedule applies to the calendar-year-spend bonus as well?

Just applied online and was approved in seconds. Reading the text it says that I can my new card will be delivered in a week and I can keep using my existing card till then. So, it appears this will replace my existing gold rewards plus card.

Both of the links on the first page of this thread send me to the same offer. 10K MR bonus on first purchase and 15K additional MR for a $30K spend in a calendar year plus fee waiver for the first year. Can't find any link for 15K for $1000 spend plus fee waiver plus 15K for $30K spending. Is the 15K initial bonus dead?

Both of the links on the first page of this thread send me to the same offer. 10K MR bonus on first purchase and 15K additional MR for a $30K spend in a calendar year plus fee waiver for the first year. Can't find any link for 15K for $1000 spend plus fee waiver plus 15K for $30K spending. Is the 15K initial bonus dead?Amex has certainly messed around with that page in the last 12 hours.:td:

Amusingly, footnote 2 still has references to the old offer:2 To be eligible to earn bonus points, you must be enrolled in the Membership Rewards® program at the time of spend and you must charge $1,000 of eligible purchases in your first three months of Card membership on an eligible, enrolled American Express® Rewards Plus Gold Card. 15,000 bonus points will be credited to your Membership Rewards account 6–8 weeks after you meet the spend requirement. Limit one offer per Card Account. Bonus ID 2924.

Very odd. The link I posted (http://tinyurl.com/y9z5k6p) still goes to a landing page talking about the 15,000 bonus points. BUT, when you click on the apply button, that page says 10,000 bonus points on the left and 15,000 in the T&C's. I'll try to figure out what's going on....

for this card in the mail. Fee waived first year, 25K points with first purchase, 25K additional if I spend $10K in the first 6 months. And of course the 15K bonus points for spending $30K.

The online application required a invitation number to access it, so I have no link to share.