CountryKerry

I didn't think of that! Thank you

ll give them a call then - they'll probably be quite busy!

rjhcambs

I too cannot login. Assumed it was bank holiday maintenance overnight in the US.

StuartRose

Hello everyone,

This is my first post on FlyerTalk so forgive me if I have posted this in the wrong place. I have been browsing the forums for sometime and gained some invaluable advice, so thank you all for that! I now have a query of my own in relation to upgrading the basic BA Amex card. I have searched the forums but haven't managed to find an answer.

Sometime ago I applied for the basic BA card and have been conducting my spend on it ever since. At the time of taking the card out I didn't want to pay the fee for the premium card (we had just finished paying for a wedding and honeymoon) and in all honesty I didn't think I would reach the £10K spend. However, with both my wife and I as cardholders we have managed to hit the £10K spend on the basic card.

By chance yesterday I read this article:

https://insideflyer.co.uk/2016/01/ge...minimum-spend/

which suggests there is an option to upgrade a basic BA card with £10K spend, get the companion voucher and then (if you wish) downgrade the now premium card back to a basic BA amex.

This morning I phoned Amex to enquire whether upgrading my basic card to premium would entitle me to the companion voucher and they confirmed it would. At that point, and without prompting, Amex then informed me that if I were to do this I would be unable to revert back to the basic card (i.e. I wouldn’t be able to downgrade the premium card back to basic) they also said, and this was more surprising, that should I apply for a basic card in the future there is a likelihood I would be rejected because of the above ‘transaction’.

Does this ring true with anyone else on this forum? I understand the logic of not being able to downgrade a premium card once it had been upgraded, although it doesn’t correlate with what people seem to be doing on this forum. Indeed, I would probably be minded to hold onto the premium card for a while so as not to arise too much suspicion.

Any help/advice people could give on this would be much appreciated. Will I be prevented from downgrading my premium card when I had previously upgraded it? Have people had this same message when trying to do what I am suggesting? Has anyone ever been rejected from a BA card because of doing this?

For clarity I would stress that in the future I intend on referring my wife to the PP card in order to obtain another companion voucher for future use – I understand the argument of BA/Amex becoming annoyed with constant upgraders and downgraders, I don’t intend on doing that.

Many thanks in advance, I hope the above makes sense!

obduro

I recall reading somewhere (so not gospel) that you are only able to upgrade or downgrade a card once, and any further changes must be submitted as a new application. With this in mind, it seems Amex have given you the correct information and you will have to close the card if you do not want to use it anymore. You will get a pro rata refund of the card fee if you choose this option.

On the other point - I'm not sure how they can say with certainty you will be rejected, but I haven't personally seen any examples of this happening.

Most people on the forum apply for the premium card first, get the voucher and then downgrade to the regular blue card as you achieve the bonus quicker and get more Avios in that time. It seems like your situation is a slight kerfuffle but nothing that can't be resolved - you may just want to use a Membership Rewards card for 6-12 months (the Gold charge card is free for a year) so you can still earn Avios and pay the taxes on your 2-4-1, and then re-apply.

Oh, and welcome to FlyerTalk. Stick around - we're mostly quite nice.

StuartRose

Thank you Obduro for your speedy response. Quick question in relation to the above, I've seen various posts on the forum about potentially losing the companion voucher if you close the card on which it was earned - What seems to be the general consensus on this point now? I suppose for safety it makes sense for me to hold the premium card until we've used the companion voucher, we are thinking of travelling early next year.

Also, in relation to the pro rata refund, how would this work if you were to close your account rather than downgrade it?

Also, thank you for the welcome!

obduro

The general consensus is that the voucher is fine and you won't lose it, but there has been the odd report of it dropping off. This seems like an e-Gremlin rather than sabotage, but it's hard to be certain. It shouldn't drop off in any event as you've earned it, but to completely eliminate the risk you could book the 2-4-1 and then close the card as you say. It depends on what you feel comfortable with.

The process for the pro-rata refund is quite straightforward - when you close the account you are sent a final statement, on which you will be in credit for the pro-rata refund. You can then call Amex to determine how you would like it refunded to you - they can return it to a method of your choosing or alternatively transfer the credit balance to another Amex card (if you hold one).

robiles

I had the "thank you for your payment " email and it's shows as paid on my Amex account but the payment has not left my bank account it's been 4 days

When I Travel The World

I've not really played the credit card market in the UK much.
Have done a lot of it in the US.

But I have the BA AMEX premium card and i'm one of the suckers that has to pay the 195 GBP annual fee.

If I cancel the card before the renewal and then say wait 6 months

Can I apply for the card again and get the bonus.

I know that AMEX rules in the USA are one card bonus per card EVER. Not sure if this is the rule in the UK.

ExpatSomchai

Yes that is the usual process (churn after 6 months) but consider if you are close to earning a 2-4-1 and also remember that you can cancel for a pro rata refund in the future when you close the account

When I Travel The World

Thanks. I waited until the last month to push the spend for the 2-4-1 and it was issued last month at the 11th month to give me more time to use it.

Think I will go for the SPG card next, until I apply for the BA one again. As it won't be around much longer.

ScubaRoo

hi

In short, Yes.

I'm not as a fan of it as much as previously, particularly due to my belief that pax using it are easy targets for BA to choose if a (rare) downgrade is necessary. Its also my understanding that BA attempts to interpret Avios pax has having less rights than cash pax under EU261.

Raffles at headforpoints is a good source for such BA PP Amex 241 and many other questions, you'd be welcome over on there...

http://www.headforpoints.com/2016/10/28/british-airways-american-express-premium-plus-credit-card-review-2/

When I Travel The World

Thank you.

HHarry

Am I right in thinking that by going paperless I've lost the opportunity to settle my bill over the counter at the bank - with cash or cheque?

I've printed the PDF of the statement but there's no giro slip included.

Thanks, HH.

GentleGiant

Can't say I have paid any bill at the bank for years.

You can however easily set up payments from your bank via their app or website. I do this on a regular basis.

Amex are very quick to credit.

It depends which numbers your card begins with for the sort code, but the info is easy to obtain. Halifax for example have it already built into their site for major cards.

HHarry

Thanks GG,

I normally do do it all online, but I've just ended up being paid in cash, and rather than pay it in to my Business account and getting charged 1% for the pleasure, I thought I'd just settle my bill. Just short of a giro slip!