SP03

Hipplewm

What is an "Ameriprise churner"

joe_miami

The people who open an Ameriprise Platinum, which has $0 annual fee in the first year, then close it before the AF hits a year later, and then promptly open another Ameriprise Plat with no AF in the first year.

Amazingly, Amex neither restricts people from doing this nor verifies eligibility — i.e., verifies that an applicant is actually an Ameriprise accountholder — at all.

Between the free Centurion visits and the various credits, this is money straight out of either Amex's or Ameriprise's pockets. Very strange that Amex has a team dedicated to cracking down on points loopholes while Amex's flagship product is being devalued in such a way.

4aks

they can implement a reservation system, especially if you booked through amex travel service

joe_miami

Absolutely nobody wants to deal with a reservation system for lounges — not Amex and certainly not the cardholders.

What happens if someone reserves a spot using one of their now-limited passes and then their flight is delayed? Tough luck? Need to file for a refund? Nobody wants to deal with that.

The last thing that should happen is any sort of limitation for primary cardholders. Guests, AUs, and the Ameriprise loophole should all get hit first. (And the business Plat's AF should be raised to match the personal's.)

SP03

bocastephen

It's really such a simple issue to fix - during peak periods, ONE guest per member, NO corporate employee cards, period. Primary cardholder ONLY. NO families with multiple members. When the lounge reaches 95% of full capacity, NO guests period. Also, members who are in the lounge longer than 90 minutes during peak periods with a waiting list should be asked to move along and exit.

That means ONE lounge seat per each and every primary cardholder.

If that policy change doesn't fix the issue, then we know the lounges have a capacity issue based on bad planning.

safari ari

The DYKWIA stories that will come out of this, oh boy.

joe_miami

Airport lounges are supposed to be a convenience, not one more thing to worry about booking and/or canceling before a deadline. I don't make dinner reservations in airports, either.

txflyer77

Unpopular opinion: leave the policies as-is. Introducing any complication will be a disaster. FTers are willing to jump through all sorts of hoops—but we're, what, 0.000001% of the traveling public?

Rather than change policies, keep it simple: raise the AF on cards with lounge access. It's a premium product compared to all other lounge networks in the US but Amex isn't pricing it appropriately. United charges $550/year for a UC membership, but a UC isn't nearly on the level of a Centurion lounge and that membership won't get you into Polaris lounges.

What on earth is wrong with Amex that they're priced the same as their competitors while offering a vastly superior product? *And* you get all the other benefits of a platinum card.

Add some travel benefits but no lounge access to the Gold card (FHR, concierge, insurance) and raise it to the $350-400 level, then bump the Plat to $650-750.

(I'd honestly be surprised if *that* many people take advantage of the Ameriprise loophole.)

joe_miami

There are over 50 United Clubs and less than 10 Centurions, though. You're not making an apples-to-apples comparison.

joe_miami

This card would appeal to roughly 50 people. Why would people pay $400 for a Gold card with expanded travel benefits but not want Centurion access?

The Plat was just raised to $550 last year. Makes no sense to raise the Plat's AF again when the business Plat cardholders are still paying $100/year less, the Ameriprise people are paying $0, and various AUs and other guests are getting in for free.

It's been all over the blogs for a couple years now. Whatever the number is, you can be sure they use the Centurion Lounges on a massively disproportionate basis.

miadukes

I'm one of those Ameriprise users, no not the churning kind, but I did pick up the card last December through ameriprise to try it out and see if I would indeed get all I wanted out of it. I am MIA based so have gotten good use of the Centurion Lounge, already had PP but still use it from this card occasionally. Count me to the list of people that can't imagine there are THAT many churners of this card out there. I for one, will not be doing that, I intend to keep the card and pay the fee in two months. I hate to think that the person at the Lounge desk thinks i'm abusing the system simply because I hold an ameriprise product. And yes, MIA is ridiculously small and overcrowd almost every time i go in there. It's gotten to where I will go in just to get my chocolate chip cookie and move on to the admirals club.

joe_miami

If you're an Ameriprise client and you don't open a new card each year to avoid paying an annual fee, then you're not abusing the system. If you're not an Ameriprise client, you are "abusing the system." Simple as that.

Obviously, everyone tries to maximize value and all that, myself included. I just find it odd that Amex allows the Ameriprise loophole to remain, after it has cracked down on a long list of other things.

cfischer

it is getting ridiculous for sure. No more using the SFO lounge when arriving ... honestly, they need to cut into the guest privilege, it will be the only way out.