Old Jan 8, 2014, 2:22 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: TheDapperDon
Bonus category spending is now capped at $50k per year for new accounts. For now, this does not apply to existing cardholders, although Amex may continue to close accounts for excessive spend in bonus categories. This card is less viable as an MS instrument. Consider factors that may have led to these closures when sharing personal experiences.

Oct 22, 2014 onwards: Many people getting cancellation email from Amex. As of Dec 13, 2014, shutdown reports continue. Shutdowns appear to be triggered by spending on the card or upon statement closure, but not always

Some who have been shutdown are reporting back that AMEX is declining new non-OBC card applications due to "unsatisfactory relationship". (However, see here for an example where reconsideration was successful.) It is unclear at this time the length/extent of this Adverse Action/Ban.

Others have succeeded in getting new cards, including new OBCs, but consider your relationship with Amex and how much you value that and this card when deciding how to use it.

There might be some impact with other issuers. If AMEX sends you a cancellation it goes on your record as a cancellation by AMEX, not a cancellation by cardholder. While FICO score does not distinguish between closed by issuer and closed by cardholder, on manual review it may raise questions. However, issuers close cards for benign reasons as well (such as non-use) so unless several cards have been closed it probably won't cause a rejection by itself.

So, if you still feel it is worth it:
Application Link: Copy & paste the following link into a incognito window in Chrome or InPrivate Browsing in IE, Private Session in Firefox. There have been reports of people who got the card in the last couple of months getting shut down because of the rush to spend the initial $6,500.

Do NOT post "Link isn't working" until you have tried it incognito/private browsing and it fails there.

Code:
https://www304.americanexpress.com/credit-card/blue-cash/25330


Up to 5% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations & select U.S. drugstores (Everyday Purchases). Up to 1% Cash Back on other purchases. For your first $6,500 spend in a reward year, you will earn 1% on Everyday Purchases (5% after 6500), and 0.5% on other purchases (then 1%).

0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months.

Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Additional terms and restrictions apply. (Presume these T&Cs are standard and that all credit cards state this)

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
First '$6,500' is spend on all purchases.

'Reward year' is the 12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one in which the anniversary of your Card Account occurs.

'everyday purchases' refers to U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations & select U.S. drugstores, not all purchases.

* Read the fine print for 'gas' purchases! Right from AMEX T&C's:
...Everyday Purchases are: ... $400 or less of gasoline at gas stations located in the U.S. (superstores, supermarkets and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are not considered gas stations)... A >$400 purchase at a gas station will get 5% for the first $400 and 1% thereafter. E.g., for something, say, $503.95, you would earn $21.04 CB [($400*5%)+(103.95*1%)].

5% kicks in immediately after hitting $6500.(mid-statement). In fact, it will even kick in mid-purchase and a portion of the purchase will credit at the higher rate.

* Reward dollars for the previous statement period show up a day or two after the current statement period closes.

* Most cash back redemptions will be applied to your statement within 23 days.

* Helpful post regarding moving CL between cards. Thanks lad2

* How to Visually Distinguish the Three Types of Blue Cash Cards:
Blue Cash (old) has a "<" character to the left of the word CASH
Blue Cash Everyday has a circle to the right of the word CASH, with the "Everyday" wording at the back.
Blue Cash Preferred has the word PREFERRED printed vertically on the extreme left side.

If you get the error message "You cannot be logged in. Please contact the number on the back of your card." when trying to redeem Reward Dollars online, it may be because you have too many closed accounts still showing in your scrolling images of cards. Delete the closed ones, then try to redeem again.
Print Wikipost

Old Amex Blue (2013-2014)

Old Jan 1, 2014, 2:10 pm
  #166  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Originally Posted by greggarious
My yearly expenses for gas an groceries are ~6500 so anything above that is gravy.
OK, not sure why that is significant! The point is until you spend $6,500, you won't be getting 5% on groceries, gas or drugstores, you will get 1% there and 0.5% elsewhere.

So to make this card worthwhile, you have to spend that much, and for most of us, wherever that spend is done, on that $6,500 you get a lower return than you would on your current cards. It's not huge, but something to take into account.
silver6054 is offline  
Old Jan 1, 2014, 4:12 pm
  #167  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DFW,OVB (Russia)
Programs: AA HH Gold SPG Gold BA
Posts: 1,823
I may not be understanding something... What's the difference between new and old card?
And isn't the cap only 6500 annually???

rgAAFT is offline  
Old Jan 1, 2014, 4:28 pm
  #168  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Originally Posted by rgAAFT
I may not be understanding something... What's the difference between new and old card?
And isn't the cap only 6500 annually???

New card (if you mean the BCP) has a cap on rewards, so only the first $6K groceries earns 6%. Old card (Blue Cash) has 5% categories that start AFTER $6.5K spend. So very different types of cap.
silver6054 is offline  
Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:07 pm
  #169  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 375
Is the offer dead?

EDIT: Never mind, had to use a different browser. My next AoR is 1/13, but tempted to apply now before it's officially dead.
xiKiNGix is offline  
Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:17 pm
  #170  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Denver
Posts: 111
Originally Posted by greggarious
So what would happen if I started buying Vanilla Reloads, funding my BB account with them, then writing a check to myself for the $$? Would BB close my account?

I did the math, and if you did the 5k limit per month, at 5% you'd make about $250 per month.

My main concern is spending the beans - I have manufactured to hit spending reqs before, but usually just 2-3k, and just slowly used that money to pay my bills, but with the amounts involved here I'd have to write a check to myself or something...
You forgot the 3.95 fee per VR. That takes 39.50 away from your profit (but also adds another 1.97 in cashback on the 39.50.

Of course, the first month and part of the second, you'll be at 1% cashback, so the your annual profit has to account for that as well.
mithrin is offline  
Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:21 pm
  #171  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Originally Posted by xiKiNGix
Is the offer dead?

EDIT: Never mind, had to use a different browser. My next AoR is 1/13, but tempted to apply now before it's officially dead.
It's been around a while and earlier in this thread, someone was told by a CSR (which doesn't mean it's true...) that they intend to keep it around. I doubt if they will kill it now just because of a wave of apps, but if a huge amount of MS appears, following those apps, then maybe (or downgrade the rewards).
silver6054 is offline  
Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:31 pm
  #172  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Denver
Posts: 111
Originally Posted by greggarious
So what would happen if I started buying Vanilla Reloads, funding my BB account with them, then writing a check to myself for the $$? Would BB close my account?

I did the math, and if you did the 5k limit per month, at 5% you'd make about $250 per month.

My main concern is spending the beans - I have manufactured to hit spending reqs before, but usually just 2-3k, and just slowly used that money to pay my bills, but with the amounts involved here I'd have to write a check to myself or something...
Given the level of spend you're planning, you might be better off with the Wells Fargo 5% card. The 5% is for the first 6 months, but if you start mid-month, you can cover 7 Bluebird months. If you can afford to stock up on VRs at the end you could extend it to 8-9 months.

Not as big payoff for the year vs. Amex, but you get 5% from day 1, and if you do get AA, instead of FR from Amex that could affect your other accounts, it's a warning or shut down from WF. I value my relationship with Amex MUCH more than WF.

I've already gotten through one 6 months offer with my spouse (older offer of 3x points) successfully with higher spending levels than yours. After the 6 months, I left the last month's charges on and am paying the minimum because it also had 12 months 0% on purchases. Current 5x offer also has that if you go with the points version instead of the cash one.
mithrin is offline  
Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:39 pm
  #173  
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 202
Originally Posted by mithrin
You forgot the 3.95 fee per VR. That takes 39.50 away from your profit (but also adds another 1.97 in cashback on the 39.50.

Of course, the first month and part of the second, you'll be at 1% cashback, so the your annual profit has to account for that as well.

If you buy VR's and are getting the "5%", it is really 4.21%

If you buy GC's, it is typically 4.01%.

I find it easier to compute this way than to subtract the cost of each VR.
Rick471 is offline  
Old Jan 1, 2014, 6:13 pm
  #174  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: ORD
Posts: 700
2 days later I finally received the approval email! Happy New Year to all.
Corridor! is offline  
Old Jan 2, 2014, 8:57 am
  #175  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 817
Originally Posted by silver6054
OK, not sure why that is significant! The point is until you spend $6,500, you won't be getting 5% on groceries, gas or drugstores, you will get 1% there and 0.5% elsewhere.

So to make this card worthwhile, you have to spend that much, and for most of us, wherever that spend is done, on that $6,500 you get a lower return than you would on your current cards. It's not huge, but something to take into account.
It means if I charge all my normal expenses, then manufactured spend w/ beans I can get 210 dollars a month effectively for free. (That figure accounts for bean fees)
greggarious is offline  
Old Jan 2, 2014, 9:00 am
  #176  
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA 1MM Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 1,524
Data point: Wife has had BCP for a while (2-3 years). Did not bother trying to call in and change it over. Applied for her and got instant approval.
glocklt4 is offline  
Old Jan 2, 2014, 9:01 am
  #177  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
OK, not quite effectively for free as you are losing whatever above 1% you would have got on that spend, but that loss is fairly small compared to a year of MS.
silver6054 is offline  
Old Jan 2, 2014, 11:29 am
  #178  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: AA Gold, US Silver, Starwood Gold, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 330
Applied for the card and was approved instantly. Is there a way to learn of the credit limit before receiving the card and welcome packet? Also, for those who have the BCP and this card, is the Rewards Dollars account number the same? When I look at the BCP online, there's a "Program Number". Is this per card or per account?
midnightinharlem is offline  
Old Jan 2, 2014, 11:31 am
  #179  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Originally Posted by midnightinharlem
Applied for the card and was approved instantly. Is there a way to learn of the credit limit before receiving the card and welcome packet? Also, for those who have the BCP and this card, is the Rewards Dollars account number the same? When I look at the BCP online, there's a "Program Number". Is this per card or per account?
There is a new accounts number which will tell you the CL. You can also use chat when logged in to your BCP account and ask the rep to add your new account to your login. You probably want this anyway, and it will display your credit limit
silver6054 is offline  
Old Jan 2, 2014, 11:44 am
  #180  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: DEN
Posts: 502
I got instantly approved yesterday, received the approval email right away. I used the same email as my existing Amex account is tied to. It did take 1-2 hours for the account to show up in the automated phone system to find out the credit limit, which seemed a bit unusual from previous Amex approvals.
brc01 is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.