Nov 4, 2013, 1:57 pm
Last edit by: Gajan
Between 1 September 2013 and 31 March 2018 the co-branded Gold & Platinum Flying Blue American Express cards also gave you Level Miles for purchases at AF/KL.
The Gold card will give you 1.5 Level Miles & Award Miles for AF/KL purchases; the Platinum card will give you 2 Level Miles & Award miles for AF/KL purchases.
As of 31 March 2018 the Flying Blue American Express co-cards give the main cardholder additional XP's when reaching the membership anniversary:
The Gold card will give you 1.5 Level Miles & Award Miles for AF/KL purchases; the Platinum card will give you 2 Level Miles & Award miles for AF/KL purchases.
As of 31 March 2018 the Flying Blue American Express co-cards give the main cardholder additional XP's when reaching the membership anniversary:
- Silver: 15XP;
- Gold: 30 XP
- Platinum: 60 XP
Co-branded American Express cards: France and the Netherlands
Dec 7, 2020, 10:15 am
#796
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Paris
Programs: AA LT Plat (4m+), AF Plat, A3 Gold, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat/Ambassador
Posts: 2,648
I am going to read the Visa Premier terms and conditions.
FYI to readers... one thing I learned dealing with the return ticket is that if you are using miles, they have to be from Flying Blue to be considered valid.
So if you return from HKG on Lufthansa miles in theory the claim could be rejected. That said, if the fare is reasonably high due to taxes or surcharges, my experience is that they don't notice.
If the taxes are 0 it might be a problem.
Dec 7, 2020, 11:26 am
#797
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: France
Programs: FB Plat for Life, UAMP, BAEC, Accor ALL Platinum, Marriott silver, Hilton, Meliá silver.
Posts: 3,117
(...) If you read carefully the T&C of the repatriation insurance of each of those cards (Premier, Gold...), you will see that they don't take any responsibility in emergency situation and that you should instead contact the local 911. But they also says in those T&C that they are not covering hospitalization without pre-approval, and that you cannot take initiative before calling them... which is not realistic in an emergency situation in a foreign country. They basically have everything in their hand to not assist you if they don't want to do so. .
It says (translated from T&C in French; bolding is mine) :
- If You have an Accident or if You suffer from an Illness during Your Trip, it is imperative to contact the Insurer as soon as possible on 01 47 77 74 64 (choice 1) as soon as the incident occurs which may involve the guarantees, or as soon as You are physically able to do so, directly or through a person acting on Your behalf, in order to obtain a care agreement and to be able to benefit from the all the services and guarantees provided for in this chapter.
I called them and they unambiguously confirmed that there was NO need to ask for permission before committing to emergency medical expense for the obvious reason that if you are in an emergency situation, you may not be physically able to contact them.
He said that we can even take the receipts with us and ask for reimbursement once back home without having called them first. However, he commented that it was much better to call them while in the country, as they may request documentation that would be hard or impossible to obtain once we are back home.
Dec 11, 2020, 2:02 am
#798
Join Date: Jun 2010
Programs: Flying Blue, IB, Miles and More, Delta
Posts: 112
I had an extremely bad experience with the repatriation coverage (AXA) of my AMEX gold card when dealing with a serious disease in china a few years ago.
Hopefully I had a Visa Premier and they handled professionally the payment of the local hospital bills and the repatriation in business class on the first direct flight available.
Would not recommend AMEX for the travel insurances (in France at least). They are extremely bad (one of the reasons I switched to the basic Blue card).
Hopefully I had a Visa Premier and they handled professionally the payment of the local hospital bills and the repatriation in business class on the first direct flight available.
Would not recommend AMEX for the travel insurances (in France at least). They are extremely bad (one of the reasons I switched to the basic Blue card).
I received good help from VISA Premier when my credit card was hacked in Bali. And I received the money stolen at the ATM without any hassle from Boursorama/VISA. They now have a premium card for 10 euros/month with the same ceilings for insurance as an Amex Platinum and a few extra insurances (mobile stolen, broken computer), lounge access when you flight is delayed, unlimited free withdrawals around the world. Seriously it is really difficult to justify the 600 euros every year for the Platinum for a few extra XPs and miles and less services. It is more a vanity card than anything else in France, unless you can manage to make tons of business expenses with it.
Dec 11, 2020, 2:15 am
#799
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Singapore
Programs: FB Gold
Posts: 59
It is rather odd that a 600 EUR card does not offer comprehensive and easy medical assistance. All the fine print and condition of buying the trip with the card shows there's no good will on their end and that they will screw you at the slightest chance they got not to cover your trip.
Visa Premier, however, provides hassle-free 155k EUR medical assistance with no conditions. That should be enough in most parts of the world but the US.
Tbh, I only "upgraded" to AFKL Plat because they were offering 40k miles and buying that for 6 months of membership is worth it. Plus, now they're giving 40k miles per referral which is quite good. They're churn friendly too
.
Also, paying for Gold makes no sense as they're clearly giving it away for free with Fortuneo after spending 12k/year, creates enough precedent to do a retention call year after year or just set it up through that bank.
On the other hand, customer service is friendly and certainly above-average for France; can compare it to Amex US. It's a shame that their insurance calls are transferred to Axa and those ones are useless and show no good will at all. I've called (multiple times) them to discuss some fine print and they seemed rather bothered
Visa Premier, however, provides hassle-free 155k EUR medical assistance with no conditions. That should be enough in most parts of the world but the US.
Tbh, I only "upgraded" to AFKL Plat because they were offering 40k miles and buying that for 6 months of membership is worth it. Plus, now they're giving 40k miles per referral which is quite good. They're churn friendly too
.Also, paying for Gold makes no sense as they're clearly giving it away for free with Fortuneo after spending 12k/year, creates enough precedent to do a retention call year after year or just set it up through that bank.
On the other hand, customer service is friendly and certainly above-average for France; can compare it to Amex US. It's a shame that their insurance calls are transferred to Axa and those ones are useless and show no good will at all. I've called (multiple times) them to discuss some fine print and they seemed rather bothered
Dec 11, 2020, 2:17 am
#800
Join Date: Jun 2010
Programs: Flying Blue, IB, Miles and More, Delta
Posts: 112
By the way, I have a VISA Premier with Boursorama. Do you know if the return ticket is compulsory to activate the 3 months insurance when you travel?
I can see it is compulsory with American Express which seems a bit more restrictive with the payment conditions. But I couldn't find a proper answer for VISA Premier.
I can see it is compulsory with American Express which seems a bit more restrictive with the payment conditions. But I couldn't find a proper answer for VISA Premier.
Dec 11, 2020, 9:55 am
#801
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: Flying Blue Platinum, Le ClubAccor Gold
Posts: 775
Referal bonus includes at the moment 40000 miles and 250€ payback on AF/KL flight (plat card) or 150 (gold card)
Visa premier from Boursorama is about to be for a fee in a couple of weeks/months (10€/month)
Visa premier from Boursorama is about to be for a fee in a couple of weeks/months (10€/month)
Dec 11, 2020, 12:44 pm
#802
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 293
I loved amex plat for years .. but the only time I needed insurance was for a problem with a car rental in French guyana. ... And I never received the 250e back for the (impact on the parebrise ) ...
Also sometimes I really don't understand like using shop for miles sometimes gives more miles than Amex plat ...even for website like ali. ...
I m going for BOURSO ultimate metal.... Because I can travel now and with draw the cash I need for the day or week ...
No need to change a huge amount for my next trip because some countries you end up having a huge amount of bills
Dec 11, 2020, 2:31 pm
#803
Join Date: May 2015
Location: RBA / TBS
Programs: AF Gold / Accor Gold / Hilton Diamond / TP Silver / A3 Gold
Posts: 2,741
Also some car rental companies offer extra insurance for a small fee negotiated with an insurance provider
True , one colleague did it , avoided the corporate amex for payment (only withdrawals) and used as much as possible his private amex for business trips and got tons of miles from his platinum with expenses like hotel , restaurants , taxis or flights, then when he left company he downgraded back to silver
Last edited by fifty_two; Dec 11, 2020 at 3:10 pm
Dec 11, 2020, 3:36 pm
#804
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 293
why not going for digital banks/issuers like revolut or n26 or bunq `?
Because Boursorama is cheaper... Maybe better .. and always gave me satisfaction
even when I had a huge fraud in mauritius...
And not too bad the amount I can spend with it..
I loved my amex .. but I can totally be happy without it ..
But I don't believe in the lounge access incase of delayed flight with BOURSO
Because Boursorama is cheaper... Maybe better .. and always gave me satisfaction
even when I had a huge fraud in mauritius...
And not too bad the amount I can spend with it..
I loved my amex .. but I can totally be happy without it ..
But I don't believe in the lounge access incase of delayed flight with BOURSO
Dec 11, 2020, 6:53 pm
#805
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Paris
Programs: Flying Blue Gold
Posts: 574
By the way, I have a VISA Premier with Boursorama. Do you know if the return ticket is compulsory to activate the 3 months insurance when you travel?
I can see it is compulsory with American Express which seems a bit more restrictive with the payment conditions. But I couldn't find a proper answer for VISA Premier.
I can see it is compulsory with American Express which seems a bit more restrictive with the payment conditions. But I couldn't find a proper answer for VISA Premier.
What I can tell you is that when I asked for a repatriation from China, the first thing that they were wanting to see was the Chinese entry stamp in the passport. They check those things carefully to prevent people abusing from the travel insurance and using it as a permanent resident medical insurance.
Also, Visa Premier does not provide any insurance coverage directly. The quality of assistance that you will get highly depends on the contractor that your bank choose. Fortunately, I never had to deal with Boursorama Banque insurer, so I cannot speak for this. But the insurer that LCL choose (Mutuaide) was really top notch.
You may have an awful experience with a Visa Premier/Gold MasterCard from another bank.
The problem with the AMEX is that they choose AXA as the insurer for repatriation and I don't know if the problem is with AXA itself or just because of the cheap contract they have with them, but my feeling is that they were really unprofessional and lazy. It's quite surprising because AMEX customer service is one of the best customer service that I know in France, and I have very good experiences every time I deal with them regarding payment fraud, membership rewards, billing...
Last edited by IstKong; Dec 11, 2020 at 7:25 pm
Dec 12, 2020, 2:16 am
#806
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: France
Programs: FB Plat for Life, UAMP, BAEC, Accor ALL Platinum, Marriott silver, Hilton, Meliá silver.
Posts: 3,117
It is rather odd that a 600 EUR card does not offer comprehensive and easy medical assistance. All the fine print and condition of buying the trip with the card shows there's no good will on their end and that they will screw you at the slightest chance they got not to cover your trip. (...)
I agree that this does not make much sense, but what is the point of holding an Amex Plat if you don't use it at all for your travels?
However, it is an exaggeration to write what I have bolded.
Dec 12, 2020, 6:20 am
#807
Moderator: Aegean Miles+Bonus
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: AMS / ATH
Programs: AFKL Plat, A3 Gold
Posts: 7,333
Could this be a difference in terms between the French and NL card?
I also received 50% discount on my yearly NL Amex FB card by the way, no issues.
I also received 50% discount on my yearly NL Amex FB card by the way, no issues.
Dec 12, 2020, 7:34 am
#808
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: Flying Blue Platinum | Shangri La Jade |Hilton Gold | Marriott Gold | WY gold |
Posts: 106
Well, I unfortunately had to deal with a relative being seriously ill near Shanghai a few years ago. Took him to a private hospital and got a confirmation that he needed to be hospitalized. Called the number on the back of his AMEX Gold card, and they transferred me to AXA that handles those issues. Despite the obvious emergency, they did nothing more than sending an email asking for the receipt of the medical consultation to eventually be refunded. They also seemed to be very incompetent on how to deal with the Chinese medical system, and, surprisingly, with repatriations in general.
His medical conditions deteriorated so quickly that when at the airport (NKG) trying to go back to France ASAP, the medical station of the airport called emergency services and he was hospitalized at the local public hospital. Called this time the number on the back of the Visa Premier (LCL), was redirected to Mutuaide (the insurer), and they handled the situation very professionally. They got in touch with their local contractor in Shanghai that handles medical repatriation in Asia-Pacific. This company sent someone to pay the hospital bills and communicate in chinese with the hospital (big language barrier in China), and then, a french doctor that met him for repatriation on the next flight out of Shanghai.
Also, they were frequently in touch with the local hospital and with me to ensure that everything was OK.
.
His medical conditions deteriorated so quickly that when at the airport (NKG) trying to go back to France ASAP, the medical station of the airport called emergency services and he was hospitalized at the local public hospital. Called this time the number on the back of the Visa Premier (LCL), was redirected to Mutuaide (the insurer), and they handled the situation very professionally. They got in touch with their local contractor in Shanghai that handles medical repatriation in Asia-Pacific. This company sent someone to pay the hospital bills and communicate in chinese with the hospital (big language barrier in China), and then, a french doctor that met him for repatriation on the next flight out of Shanghai.
Also, they were frequently in touch with the local hospital and with me to ensure that everything was OK.
.
What a horrific story! I hope that you have already or will complain to AMEX and AF/KLM in writing. Whether or not it falls under the T&T, this behaviour by AMEX and their insurer is unacceptable, The "not our problem" attitude should be exposed widely so that companies can take measures to get rid of insensitive, uneducated staff.
I have also read comments here about the value of the AMEX FB Platinum card. I agree that the advantages are minimal, esp now we don't travel, it's an oversold product and AF/KLM do absolutely nothing to make it more attractive for their members and seem to have little interest in the card that bears their name.
However, Once in a while I have to make a claim and in all cases (whereas the AMEX staff have no clue) I found AXA in Barcelona, quick, professional, emphatic and fair. Adding that the people I dealt with this year, very well understand the impact of the current crisis and have been forthcoming to help out.
Dec 12, 2020, 8:16 am
#809
Join Date: Dec 2015
Programs: FB platinum
Posts: 372
I've only used the insurance with my French AFKL Amex Plat twice in 6 years, and for minors things, but in both cases I found Axa to be quick and reasonable (I had a 200€ scratch on a rental Mercedes, they reimbursed eveything without any challenge, and I had to cover for cancelled train tickets during the SNCF strike a year ago and they reimbursed enough last minute expenses such as car rental, fuel, tolls, etc. so that I did not pay anything out of pocket in the end). However your comments on the medical assistance have made me quite worried as, when you need this kind of help/reimbursement, you don't want to be screwed over by the insurance...
Dec 12, 2020, 12:14 pm
#810
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Singapore
Programs: FB Gold
Posts: 59
You only need to buy "part of the trip", meaning : a hotel night (one is enough)
I agree that this does not make much sense, but what is the point of holding an Amex Plat if you don't use it at all for your travels?
However, it is an exaggeration to write what I have bolded.
I agree that this does not make much sense, but what is the point of holding an Amex Plat if you don't use it at all for your travels?
However, it is an exaggeration to write what I have bolded.
Spoiler
Different scenario: What happens when flights are booked on points, taxes not charged to Amex FR and the hotel is also on points?
Can I ask the hotel to charge in advance the card for a certain amount and use it as incidentals e.g spa?
To answer your question, I only got it for churning reasons as I put everything on Amex US cards for points reasons.
Their FX commission is insane too. - I guess everyone agrees on this.