American Express Membership Rewards - How long for UK plat benefits?

How long does it take to get the various Hotel and Car Rental status upgrades to happen after sending in the application?

I received my plat charge card after 6 weeks. I sent in the form with my Hilton, SPG numbers, etc. 2 weeks ago, but haven't had the upgrades show up on my accounts yet. How long does it take? My next trip where I can use these is on Tuesday. If it is just not going to happen, then that's fine, but I would love to take advantage of the benefits.

Thanks,

Dr. PITUK

Any thoughts on this? I have received my PP card (which I'll use next week), but I have still not had my SPG or HH upgrades, and received nothing from Hertz. I rang the Plat line and they said to ring Hilton and Starwood. They said that they can't do anything without hearing from Amex.

Amex told me several days ago that they would look into it and get back to me.

In the next month I should have about a dozen hotel days and would prefer to stay somewhere where I get upgrades and bonus points! It makes me want to stick with my easily earned Marriott Silver (which has got me more than my useless HH silver).

What should I do? Keep nagging Amex? Give up and get my money back?

Thanks

Dr. PITUK

ring them again - I had a similar issue and the Amex concierge sorted it out...

What should I do? Keep nagging Amex? Give up and get my money back?

Yeah, keep on nagging them. It's a right pain to get them to do anything though. They don't do Avis Preferred Select any more, just "Preferred" which you can get for free anyway. :rolleyes:

For Hertz you go to the Hertz website and print out a form for Number 1 club Gold and send it to Hertz to apply. http://www2.hertz-europe.com/amexplatinum/

You can apply for the Sofitel card on their website, you don't have to be an Amex card holder to do it.

Amex should sort all this out for you but they are pretty pathetic at doing anything when you consider how much you pay for the card. :mad: :td:

I agree, I think Amex service is awful. I've just received Natwest Black and in the package came the Priority Pass card as well -no need to sign and fill in paper work for that :)

Chris

ring them again - I had a similar issue and the Amex concierge sorted it out...

I have tried several times now :(. I am in a Hilton today, with 2 more Hilton and 1 more SPG reservations in the next 2 weeks, but I can't get my HH or SPG upgraded :(.

So far it has been £300 wasted.

Dr. PITUK

I have tried several times now :(. I am in a Hilton today, with 2 more Hilton and 1 more SPG reservations in the next 2 weeks, but I can't get my HH or SPG upgraded :(.

So far it has been £300 wasted.

Dr. PITUK

I am in a similar boat - will be away in 3 weeks or so, but holding off booking a Hilton in case the status doesn't come through (I have PC and Radisson Gold, so am not devoid of options, but they don't really do much). Your experience is making me disinclined to gamble on the Hilton (or the SPG).

If I've heard nothing in a week, I'll give them a call.

Actually, there is one more thing - I have already been comped Hilton Gold once, a couple of years ago (I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it was through United). While that expired in March, will that affect whether or not to give me it again as part of the Amex Plat package?

I am in a similar boat - will be away in 3 weeks or so, but holding off booking a Hilton in case the status doesn't come through (I have PC and Radisson Gold, so am not devoid of options, but they don't really do much). Your experience is making me disinclined to gamble on the Hilton (or the SPG).


I have to admit that I am thinking of changing my reservations to Marriott. I am only Silver there, and Amex won't upgrade me, but in my months as silver Marriott has given me random upgrades and small gifts. The points are also easy to gain.

Dr. PITUK

They don't do Avis Preferred Select any more, just "Preferred" which you can get for free anyway. :rolleyes:


It still shows as preferred select on the benefits page on the Amex site!

It still shows as preferred select on the benefits page on the Amex site!

Exactly right.

The trouble is that Avis have replaced "Preferred Select" with "Avis First". They won't make me an "Avis First" member, just "Preferred" which is worthless. :mad:

Exactly right.

The trouble is that Avis have replaced "Preferred Select" with "Avis First". They won't make me an "Avis First" member, just "Preferred" which is worthless. :mad:

I have to say that I've been pretty underwhelmed by Amex's ability to efficiently organise the various hotel and hire car benefits that they advertise.

My PP account couldn't be expedited in time for a flight occurring three days after I called; my Hilton hhonors, Radisson, Hertz and Avis cards still haven't arrived, 10 months after sending the form in. Calling Platinum help results in being directed to the various individual programmes' phone lines.

And now you tell me that they are not honouring the Avis benefit that they advertise? It's shambolic.

On the plus side, the insurance is fantastic; I've given accounts to parents who would otherwise pay a fortune due to their age. Plus I now get my BA Amex free after waiting the (unadvertised) 6 months.

My PP account couldn't be expedited in time for a flight occurring three days after I called; my Hilton hhonors, Radisson, Hertz and Avis cards still haven't arrived, 10 months after sending the form in. Calling Platinum help results in being directed to the various individual programmes' phone lines.

It's pretty poor, indeed. Especially making it the card holders problem to chase these things up. What do we pay all this money for again?

Here's my take on it so far:

Priority Pass - I sent the form to Amex and this came through after a month or so.

Hertz - Got nothing after sending the form to Amex. Apply online at: http://www2.hertz-europe.com/amexplatinum/ and you get Hertz #1 Club Gold,

Avis - Got nothing after sending the form to Amex. Eventually got directed to sign up for Avis Preferred (NOT Preferred Select) online at http://www.avis.com/ though you don't get anything that a non card holder couldn't get.

Sofitel - I signed up through Amex, but you can sign up online at http://www.sofitel.com/gb/loyalty-program/index.shtml Once again, you get nothing that a non card holder couldn't get.

I have called the travel line in the UK repeatedly (is this different from the 'concierge' mentioned elsewhere?). I keep getting promises that it will be taken care of in hours or days at the most. 2 days ago I was promised my hotel upgrades and an email confirmation within 24 hours. My online hilton account still says Silver, and I definitely didn't get an upgrade or access to the exec lounge for my current stay at the hilton AMS, or my stay 2 days ago at the Westin RTM.

So far I have received 1 hour in the EDI lounge with my Priority pass (the other hour I was in C on KLM so got lounge access included) for my £300. It seems a pretty huge waste of my cash.

On a related note, is there a way to challenge for Gold or Plat? I may be too late, but I was 2 nights in EDI and 2 nights in AMS this week, and then another night in Paris next week. If nothing else (especially with the double base miles) I will get close to 60k points in 2 weeks!!!

Dr. PITUK

Dr. PITUK