<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RJB:
Just so you know - my BA Amex expires at the end of Feb, and a new card arrived in early Feb. As Amex cards do not have a start date printed on them, I assumed the new card was valid immediately and cut up my old card. Big mistake! Amex cards DO have a start date encoded in the magnetic strip, its just that it is not printed on the card. You therefore cannot start to use your new card until the old one expires, except for internet / mail order sales and shops where the IT system does not check the start date.
However, there is an upside! When my new card starting getting rejected, I rang Amex and they explained the above. They admitted that this is a common problem and awarded me 1,000 bonus miles, which was their guess as to what I would have earnt on my Amex in the 2 weeks my card is disabled. I have simply deferred major purchases from late Feb until March, so will come out of this OK on the miles front. It is annoying, however.</font>
I got caught by this as well. Only difference was, when I called Amex to activate the new card, I was told by the automatic system: "Thank you. Your card is now activated and
ready to use ". So I cut up my old card and then the pain began, just like yours!!....