Purchasing Membership Rewards from co-workers?
Mar 17, 2013, 11:07 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 177
Purchasing Membership Rewards from co-workers?
I am not sure if it belongs here, but Mods, please feel free to move.
I work for a very huge consulting firm that only uses Amex. A lot of my colleagues have signed up for membership rewards and only redeem gift cards. I told a bunch of them that I will give them cash instead and buy their points at 10k increments. So far, I have 300k points available for purchase. I intend to have them transfer the points to my airline account. What are the risks? I know Amex frowns upon purchasing of points. I know Amex allows you to transfer points to someone else's airline account.
I work for a very huge consulting firm that only uses Amex. A lot of my colleagues have signed up for membership rewards and only redeem gift cards. I told a bunch of them that I will give them cash instead and buy their points at 10k increments. So far, I have 300k points available for purchase. I intend to have them transfer the points to my airline account. What are the risks? I know Amex frowns upon purchasing of points. I know Amex allows you to transfer points to someone else's airline account.
Mar 17, 2013, 1:48 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 145
I am not sure if it belongs here, but Mods, please feel free to move.
I work for a very huge consulting firm that only uses Amex. A lot of my colleagues have signed up for membership rewards and only redeem gift cards. I told a bunch of them that I will give them cash instead and buy their points at 10k increments. So far, I have 300k points available for purchase. I intend to have them transfer the points to my airline account. What are the risks? I know Amex frowns upon purchasing of points. I know Amex allows you to transfer points to someone else's airline account.
I work for a very huge consulting firm that only uses Amex. A lot of my colleagues have signed up for membership rewards and only redeem gift cards. I told a bunch of them that I will give them cash instead and buy their points at 10k increments. So far, I have 300k points available for purchase. I intend to have them transfer the points to my airline account. What are the risks? I know Amex frowns upon purchasing of points. I know Amex allows you to transfer points to someone else's airline account.
Mar 18, 2013, 7:28 am
#6
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
It would be simple to see that a number of Membership Rewards accounts were linked to the same airline account. I would be more concerned about the airline noticing that you are receiving miles from so many different American Express accounts than I would about American Express.
Mar 18, 2013, 11:30 pm
#10
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 208
Anyway, I believe someone mentioned this before. From AmEx end there is next to 0% chance of there being an issue. The real issue is in DL/BA/VS/AC seeing multiple MR transfers into your FF account. Proceed with caution.
Mar 19, 2013, 1:24 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 177
Thanks so much for this info! I work for one of the big four firms at a very high travel office. I just gave my location away! hahaha.
Usually any time AmEx wants to get rid of someone they execute a "Financial Review". (They abuse this to no end.) If your company has enough documentation to support all of their cards though then this shouldn't be an issue.
Not the case in US.
Anyway, I believe someone mentioned this before. From AmEx end there is next to 0% chance of there being an issue. The real issue is in DL/BA/VS/AC seeing multiple MR transfers into your FF account. Proceed with caution.
Not the case in US.
Anyway, I believe someone mentioned this before. From AmEx end there is next to 0% chance of there being an issue. The real issue is in DL/BA/VS/AC seeing multiple MR transfers into your FF account. Proceed with caution.
Mar 19, 2013, 5:25 am
#12
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!
Posts: 4,550
Chase has been very aggressive in this area, but at least so far, not Amex.
I have made about 15-20 transfers of the type you mention in the past two years without any problems. I have purchased miles from co-workers, traded miles with friends, and even occasionally sold miles.
Of course, this is the kind of logic the turkey uses, reasoning that because every day in August September and October that the farmer approached, he got all the corn he could eat, so of course as Thanksgiving approached he assumed the same thing.
I have made about 15-20 transfers of the type you mention in the past two years without any problems. I have purchased miles from co-workers, traded miles with friends, and even occasionally sold miles.
Of course, this is the kind of logic the turkey uses, reasoning that because every day in August September and October that the farmer approached, he got all the corn he could eat, so of course as Thanksgiving approached he assumed the same thing.
