American Express Membership Rewards - Negotiating cashback deal for my supplementary cardholders

I've got a BA Amex Premium Plus with my 19yr old brother set up as a supplementary cardholder on the account. It is the only credit card as he tends to pay for everything with cash or using his Maestro card.

He has had the thing now for around 7 months and his use is pretty few and far between, spending only perhaps £100 a month. He knows I get the BA miles from his purchases and as such I have tried to persuade him to use the card more to help me get more and better free flights. He says there is no incentive for him to use the card and as such we have come to an agreement that we need to make an incentive deal.

He originally suggested a free flight within Europe each year but I laughed this off! I have suggested that I give him a flat 2% cashback on any spend he has on the card but when I worked this out as £2 for 150 BA miles I thought about reconsidering. My brother seems pretty easy going about it for example I told him if he bought £30 of gas he'd get 60p back, this didn't excite him too much and I think he would use the card anyway at his old £100/month spend.

Any incentives to make him?

Thanks
Fraser

You could give me the card and I promise I'd spend a whole bunch every month! ;)

But really, why doesn't your brother want to get you miles? Is he getting a "kick back" from the other card?

I think that's what you have to find out and match what he's getting.

Or maybe take the card away for a while and see if he misses it?

Good Luck!

(My offer still stands!)

Hmmm I'll have to think about that one!

He gets no benefits from using his other card. The Maestro card draws it directly from his current account and so matching that benefit isn't exactly hard!

I don't think he would miss the card I just need to find a way of tempting him to use it more. In previous months I've been pretty easy going on him paying me back on the billing date, so in a way it is an interest free loan.

I could just pinch the cashback deal off the Amex Platinum CC for example....

Why bother? Miles are for the most part worth under 2 cents so it is mostly a breakeven on losing deal. In the Us I value domestic miles at 1 to 2 cents (1.6 average). Over overseas coach are worth under 2 cents per mile.

I'm not sure getting a brother to earn the miles entirely passes the compatability test since the brother eventually learns to value of cashback/miles/MR points for himself.. A parent who is not concered with miles is far more effective. At the moment, I have a bi-latteral points earning agreement with my Dad. I give him a Platinum Amex Charge Card and he earns me MR points. He gives me a Tesco Clubcard and a Nectar card attached to his accounts and I earn him Tesco/Nectar points. Everyone's a winner this way :D

My Dad would be a good bet if he didn't have a MC with a really good cashback plan. Sometimes if we are out together and he makes a big purchase he lets me put it on my card and pay me back. Also I don't think my credit limit (which is still pretty healthy) is up to his level of spending per month!

Mum has got herself a similar rewards card and doesn't want more plastic clogging her wallet....drat

Internaut I like the thinking behind the Tesco / Amex thinking though when I'm on about 20k Clubcard points per quarter and Dad is less than a thousand I lose out big!