Apr 22, 2015, 10:57 am
Last edit by: mia
Effective June 2017 the USA Business Platinum airfare Pay-with-Points refund was reduced to 35%. This brings the net value to $0.0153 per point, essentially the same as Chase Sapphire Reserve's Pay-with-Points redemption rate.
USA Business Centurion cardholders will continue to receive a 50% refund. The Centurion version is also broader than the Platinum benefit:
Centurion: beginning October 6, 2016 you will get 50% Membership Rewards® points back when you use the Pay with Points feature for all or part of a flight on any airline. The maximum rebate per calendar year for Centurion members is (_______?)
Platinum: Business Platinum Card Members will receive 5 extra points for every 10 points they redeem for either a First or Business class flight on any airline, or for flights with their selected qualifying airline using Membership Rewards Pay with Points with American Express Travel (35% Airline Bonus). The maximum rebate per calendar year for Business Platinum Card Members is 1,000,000 points.
FAQ
Q1. How does the process work?
A1. Here is an example, buying a $1,000.00 ticket:
Q2. Must the Business Centurion or Platinum card be used to purchase the ticket?
A2. When the benefit was refreshed in October 2016 you could pay with any card linked to the same Membership Rewards account, but it appears this changed in April 2017.
Q3. Will I earn Membership Rewards points on the purchase price?
A3. You will not earn base points, but you may earn bonus points if you pay with a card that awards a bonus for airline ticket purchases, such as Business Platinum, Personal Platinum, Business Rewards Gold, Premier Rewards Gold.
Q4. What happens if I cancel the ticket?
A4. There are mixed reports, but in most examples the cost of the ticket is refunded (a second time) to the card account. In one example American Express refunded the remainder of the points instead. If you prefer the points refunded rather than a cash credit, phone into AMEX and they will restore the points and remove the credit.
Q5. Can this benefit be combined with the International Airline Program companion ticket?
A5. One poster was told no, but another was able to do so.
USA Business Centurion cardholders will continue to receive a 50% refund. The Centurion version is also broader than the Platinum benefit:
Centurion: beginning October 6, 2016 you will get 50% Membership Rewards® points back when you use the Pay with Points feature for all or part of a flight on any airline. The maximum rebate per calendar year for Centurion members is (_______?)
Platinum: Business Platinum Card Members will receive 5 extra points for every 10 points they redeem for either a First or Business class flight on any airline, or for flights with their selected qualifying airline using Membership Rewards Pay with Points with American Express Travel (35% Airline Bonus). The maximum rebate per calendar year for Business Platinum Card Members is 1,000,000 points.
FAQ
Q1. How does the process work?
A1. Here is an example, buying a $1,000.00 ticket:
- $1,000 charged to American Express card [Day 1]
- 100,000 Membership Rewards points redeemed [Day 1]
- $1,000 credited to American Express card [Day 2]
- _35,000 Membership Rewards points returned [~a month later]
- Net: $1,000 ticket for 65,000 points = $0.0154/point
Q2. Must the Business Centurion or Platinum card be used to purchase the ticket?
A2. When the benefit was refreshed in October 2016 you could pay with any card linked to the same Membership Rewards account, but it appears this changed in April 2017.
Q3. Will I earn Membership Rewards points on the purchase price?
A3. You will not earn base points, but you may earn bonus points if you pay with a card that awards a bonus for airline ticket purchases, such as Business Platinum, Personal Platinum, Business Rewards Gold, Premier Rewards Gold.
Q4. What happens if I cancel the ticket?
A4. There are mixed reports, but in most examples the cost of the ticket is refunded (a second time) to the card account. In one example American Express refunded the remainder of the points instead. If you prefer the points refunded rather than a cash credit, phone into AMEX and they will restore the points and remove the credit.
Q5. Can this benefit be combined with the International Airline Program companion ticket?
A5. One poster was told no, but another was able to do so.
Pay-with-Points flights. BUSINESS Centurion 50% refund, Plat 35%, Gold 25% (2015-23)
Apr 28, 2017, 1:15 pm
#481
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: AUS TUS
Programs: AA PLT, UA GLD
Posts: 993
Only a guess, but it could be a simple arithmetic error. Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a 50% bonus (points worth $0.015, rather than $0.01 when redeemed for travel). American Express calls this a 50% Bonus, but it's not, it's a 50% refund which doubles the value of the points.
Going forward American Express is offering a 35% refund, and Chase is offering a 50% bonus. The American Express offer is fractionally larger discount, but for marketing purposes 50% bonus sounds larger.
Going forward American Express is offering a 35% refund, and Chase is offering a 50% bonus. The American Express offer is fractionally larger discount, but for marketing purposes 50% bonus sounds larger.
but then, CSR 1.5x is on any travel you can book on their site, including any air, car, hotel, PLUS activities. it's really easy to spend them if you do have travel.
AMEX is not even close to this.
Apr 28, 2017, 1:17 pm
#482
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,423
I'm really ticked about this, and will gather my thoughts before calling to voice my displeasure. I just charged a significant tax bill to my Amex. Pay1040.com charges 1.87%, and getting 1.5 MR per $ charged, I calculated I was paying approximately 1.25 cents per point and would then be able to redeem for 2.0 cents per point. I paid a large fee of approximately $7k to get approximately $11K in travel.
With only the 50% bonus received and waiting for the pending base points to be put in my account, I won't have time to purchase and receive the 50% point reimbursement before the June 1 change.
Big time bait and switch.
With only the 50% bonus received and waiting for the pending base points to be put in my account, I won't have time to purchase and receive the 50% point reimbursement before the June 1 change.
Big time bait and switch.
That is exactly what I did (not the $$$ amounts that you did though) and that was what my thought process was, also. This sucks.
Apr 28, 2017, 2:08 pm
#483
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: IAH
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist, DL Plat, UA Silver
Posts: 4,043
This is garbage. I got the card Saturday because I wanted to take advantage of the 50% bonus. All the other benefits are useless to me since I already have airline status and priority pass from Ritz and CSR.
I called in to complaint and they couldn't reverse any part of the annual fee back either.
I called in to complaint and they couldn't reverse any part of the annual fee back either.
Apr 28, 2017, 2:56 pm
#484
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,431
Now that it's taking much longer for the 50% rebate, what happens if I need to legitimately cancel a booking within 24 hours, before the rebate posts? I end up essentially redeeming the MR for 1 cent each?
Apr 28, 2017, 3:37 pm
#485
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,934
Once it goes to 35%, I will stop putting spend on my Amex MR cards. Why bother with a "rebate" on a single airline and that I have to wait weeks for when I can get 1.5 on any airline with Chase UR cards right away?
Apr 28, 2017, 3:46 pm
#487
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
I would bet that the refund time will become much shorter once the rate is reduced to 35%, but maybe not right away. It sounds as if they are going to phase in the new rate based on account opening date, and they might need time to calculate the correct refund for individual transactions during the transition.
Apr 28, 2017, 4:13 pm
#488
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: NJ/NYC
Programs: AA EXP/LT Plat, SPG Plat/LT Plat, HHonors Gold, Hyatt Plat, IHG Plat, MR Silver
Posts: 2,786
Does the 35% reduction also apply to Business Centurion cards or is this just for Platinum?
Apr 28, 2017, 5:06 pm
#489
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: San Francisco
Programs: All-Around Kettle
Posts: 3,287
Is there any repercussion to buying a refundable ticket and eventually refunding the ticket for cash? Does Amex take the money back and give points, to make things as they originally were?
Apr 28, 2017, 5:09 pm
#490
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: LIT
Programs: Blinged Out
Posts: 715
I'm really ticked about this, and will gather my thoughts before calling to voice my displeasure. I just charged a significant tax bill to my Amex. Pay1040.com charges 1.87%, and getting 1.5 MR per $ charged, I calculated I was paying approximately 1.25 cents per point and would then be able to redeem for 2.0 cents per point. I paid a large fee of approximately $7k to get approximately $11K in travel.
With only the 50% bonus received and waiting for the pending base points to be put in my account, I won't have time to purchase and receive the 50% point reimbursement before the June 1 change.
Big time bait and switch.
With only the 50% bonus received and waiting for the pending base points to be put in my account, I won't have time to purchase and receive the 50% point reimbursement before the June 1 change.
Big time bait and switch.
I hope that AMEX reviews their customers and spend patterns/length of ownership/other stats and possibly does a targeted offer for 50% points back in the future, but that's doubtful.
Bobeheaded move, AMEX.
Apr 28, 2017, 7:41 pm
#491
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,155
But will you get the first 50% back in time for the second iteration before the change takes effect? Isn't there a long delay before posting now, or did I miss that?
Is there any repercussion to buying a refundable ticket and eventually refunding the ticket for cash? Does Amex take the money back and give points, to make things as they originally were?
Is there any repercussion to buying a refundable ticket and eventually refunding the ticket for cash? Does Amex take the money back and give points, to make things as they originally were?
The way I see this working is thus:
1. starting points balance 300,000
2. buy ticket for about 3,000 (refundable)
3. receive 150,000 pts back (new balance 150k MR)
4. buy ticket for about 1,500 (refundable)
5. receive 75,000 pts back (new balance 75k MR)
6. buy ticket for about 750
7. receive 37,500 pts back (new balance 37.5k MR)
8. buy ticket for about 370
...and so on...until either the points are gone, or the new redemption limits start.
Apr 28, 2017, 10:10 pm
#492
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,787
But will you get the first 50% back in time for the second iteration before the change takes effect? Isn't there a long delay before posting now, or did I miss that?
Is there any repercussion to buying a refundable ticket and eventually refunding the ticket for cash? Does Amex take the money back and give points, to make things as they originally were?
Is there any repercussion to buying a refundable ticket and eventually refunding the ticket for cash? Does Amex take the money back and give points, to make things as they originally were?
I just refunded a non refundable ticket that I used Amex points for. It was a schedule change and I had to initiate the refund through the airline. They put the funds back on the card, so the end result was a redemption of 22,000 points for a $440 statement credit. YMMV.
Apr 28, 2017, 10:28 pm
#493
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,787
Same here- I am/was paying company sales tax with my BPLAT- I had a 2x points back targeted offer on over $5k transaction - Cost 2.3% to make 4%- Now, at 1.5x points worth 1.54 cpp, it's a wash.
I hope that AMEX reviews their customers and spend patterns/length of ownership/other stats and possibly does a targeted offer for 50% points back in the future, but that's doubtful.
Bobeheaded move, AMEX.
I hope that AMEX reviews their customers and spend patterns/length of ownership/other stats and possibly does a targeted offer for 50% points back in the future, but that's doubtful.
Bobeheaded move, AMEX.
Apr 28, 2017, 10:47 pm
#494
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Bergen County NJ
Programs: AA EXP, B6 Mosaic 1, Amtrak Select, Marriott Plat , AMEX Plat (noted for club access reference)
Posts: 774
Was also the first time for me putting my taxes on the Platinum because of the 1.5x points over 5K transaction. already got the bonus points but need to hope that the regular points post before June 1st. I have a lot of points i'll be using between now and then. I applied and was accepted for the plum card today. Will be my main AMEX charge card until I can find a better card to use... Tough when your charging 100K a month (for a business) not like I can just get a regular credit card.
Apr 29, 2017, 12:01 am
#495
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: LIT
Programs: Blinged Out
Posts: 715
Was also the first time for me putting my taxes on the Platinum because of the 1.5x points over 5K transaction. already got the bonus points but need to hope that the regular points post before June 1st. I have a lot of points i'll be using between now and then. I applied and was accepted for the plum card today. Will be my main AMEX charge card until I can find a better card to use... Tough when your charging 100K a month (for a business) not like I can just get a regular credit card.
Every May, my Cap One Venture annual fee posts. I get it reversed every time becsuse, even though I put a lot of non-bonus spend on it, I have virtually no points on it when I request the fee waiver. Right now, I have 8 points. They have way more to lose by me closing it than I do by closing it.
That's just my theory anyway. I don't think I'm going to be in a mad rush to run down points or pull the retention trick, but all of my immediate travel will be booked before June 1.
