Canadian Airlines Plus - AMEX charging to convert to CP points

Just got my Amex bill today, and I see the
****ing ****ers are going to start charging
3500 Amex points each time you convert them
to CP or any other F/F program. Also, must
transfer a min. of 10,000 pts instead of
5,000. ( Ican live with that) These guys
just never learn, do they? I am really
starting to question the extra $$ for the
points accelerator feature on the Amex, now!

This is ridiculous.....

That means if we wanted to transfer 10000, we needed 13500? Maybe we should start transferring points over before May.

Did they just learned this kind of business strategy from our friend M*lton?

Very, very disturbing. Thanks for the tip. I'll ring the VP up there in Toronto and find out what the idea is behind this situation is. It might be the current Canadian/Air Canada situation but this is certainly sending the wrong signal to cardholders.... Anyone see anything else out there like this?

Well, my Platinum card comes up for renewal in May. Once I see what happens with the other Amex features (1000 CP points per ticket, companion ticket, some lounge access, etc.), I may well switch to some other credit card.

It certainly makes a mockery of the award discounts you get for transferring 5000 MR points to CP.

[This message has been edited by Ken hAAmer (edited 03-11-2000).]

Ken, I just renewed my Amex in Feb., and the
Cplus package arrived a couple of weeks
later. (I received my companion ticket in
December, for some reason) It appears all
of the perks were left in place including
the 1,000 bonus pts, the CP lounge access,
and the free Club level membership.
I guess this is really not much use to me
anymore, as my stickers no longer can be used
on standby, or on discounted tix. (I am only
a frequent leisure traveller, not a corporate
gone every week type) By the way- I called
CPlus and asked them about the companion
coupon, and they were very clear it can ONLY
be used on Canadian equipment-no code shares
with AC. Also, the old stickers (red & gray)
can still be used standby on V,M etc., but
it sounds like there's not much availabilty
in J anymore!
I guess I've got to wait till next jan &
decide whether to renew the Amex--who knows,
maybe uncle Miltie will have managed to take
something else away by then, & my decision
will be easy!

Bob.

I am in a state of shock over this change from Amex MR - outrageous! All of us got hooked on Acclerator and then they sneak in this new policy? Great cardholder relations. So with Accelerator that would leave us with a 15% bonus instead of 50%...I guess when said quickly, they both sort of sound similar! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

I don't really see a logic behind all these changes! They also going to charge us another 3500 for rush service (less than 3 days). All it takes in reality for them to transfer the points are automatic since we asked for the points transfer by punching the phone pads so it doesn't cost them anything.

muskoka,

do you still get only Club level at Canadian Plus for having Amex Platinum? While that was a useful level last year (it got you priority checkin, priority bag tags, priority boarding, and they separately included Empress Lounge membership), this year CP Club = AC Prestige, which is essentially useless.

(I have an Amex Platinum but stopped using it because of some terrible customer service include calls of complaint not returned by various levels; I just started using it again to give them one last chance, and discovered one of my monthly recurring online charges has just been refused, I'm sure for no good reason).

Note that it isn't just transfers to CP, it's also to their other partners Continental and Delta (although I'm sure <10% of customers in Canada use those). Since almost all use CP, I wonder if AC _has_ changed the rules for Amex, such as charging for transfers or making them wait? (Which has worse customer relations, Amex or AC? What a question!)

andrew


[This message has been edited by Andrew Webber (edited 03-12-2000).]

Just got my corporate statement today and found the great surprise as well. From our contact at Amex we are told that there has been a "tremendous" increase in "small" point transfers (read as 5000). This has apparently occurred since the CP/AC merger began last year. People are only transferring points in small increments as they need them due to the uncertainty. According to the "inside source" although it mainly affects CP points transfer, they couldn't discriminate and so it applies to the other airlines such as Delta as well.

The 3500 is for "increased costs" associated with the large number of small points transfers.

(I didn't know babies could get credit cards, but with that explanation they must think that we were all born yesterday!)

Well....maybe it's time to switch to Diners Club!!

Andrew:

Yes you still get the free Empress lounge
membership, but it is still a "Club" membership, which, as you say is really not
much of a perk once you have used up your
old gray and red upgrade stickers. I haven't
heard what they intend to do with the 1000
pt bonus for paying a CP ticket, or the
reduced award levels for Amex holders--if
they touch those, people will start to leave
in droves!

Bob.

I don't really think the uncertainty around CP's future -- since AC guaranteed points -- was the prime reason for so many redemptions in 5K increments near yearend. It was the fact that Cdn+ was raising the "price" of J-class awards, as AC did in August, and most of us wanted to max the benefit of saving 5K plus the usual 15% Amex discount award sked. I cashed in for about six such tickets, domestic and international, but still have a healthy balance in Amex and Cdn+. They are probably wanting to get rid of any obligations to CP under the program by getting as many points transferred ASAP before the merger into Aeroplan occurs.

Where can I find information about this. I didn't receive anything with the statement I received last week. I didn't find anything on their web site either. I have some points that I have been hanging on to, but will transfer them soon if this change comes into affect soon.

[This message has been edited by YYZ (edited 03-22-2000).]

I have called AMEX to complain about this charge of 3,500 points. Perhaps if they receive enough complaints, they will overturn this policy.

Complaints should be faxed to:

Mark Foxwell
Manager, Customer Service
(905) 474-7965