Originally Posted by
bgriff
I got a similar but less lucrative offer for $100 back after $5K spend up to two times. Have hit the spend and no credit, though the T&Cs likewise suggest it may not post until the spend period is over. It may end up requiring chasing the credit, but I'm not too worried about it since I also got a "here's what you've spent so far" email which gives me further comfort that it's a real offer that is in fact logged somewhere in Amex's systems.
For you, it's up to you, but it does sound like cancelling the card would be more pique than anything. I guess you could try for a retention offer with regard to the annual fee, perhaps calling between August 1-11 when the new program rules are (theoretically) fully in place but the paid AF is also theoretically still refundable. Amex seems to have cracked down somewhat on retention offers, but I suspect they may also be desperate to placate angry SPG cardholders. And/or they may just offer you a bonus to upgrade to the luxury card.
So all along I thought with my annual fee posting in August, I was among the first to get the free night, and as above, told others who were not getting the free night until next year to swallow their anger ... and I finally got around to calling Amex today to confirm and found out that while my AF posts in August, my account anniversary date is in July and I'm one of the last to get the free night! Which probably serves me right.
So at least now I know how all those I counseled about the problem felt ...
As far as I can see / remember I don't think anyone was successful in getting any offers from Amex due to being among the last to get the free night, did they?
I'll still suck it up and keep the card because it's among my oldest accounts, but still annoying. I did in fact get the $200 credit for the extra offer from Amex that I mentioned in the quoted post above; perhaps that offer was targeted to me in part as an apology for missing the free night, though if it was, Amex never communicated anything to that effect.