BigManOnCampus1

Yup

thebat

I was going to put a large deposit down on the car I am buying. I need to do 10K spend for bonus on Biz Plat.
But, the dealer doesn't take Amex. I was considering buying a bunch of Visa GC from supermarkets but I am reading this thread and have qualms about large purchase. Is there any actual history of Amex investigating actual items purchased?

LizGross144

Have you even read the this thread? They're cracking down on cash equivalents, although this thread is mostly specific to the leaked May Amex plat personal link.

I think it's fair to say that conventional wisdom is you should avoid using cash equivalents to meet min spends on Amex at the current time.

thebat

Yes, I've read the thread. There is a lot of contradictory information and it is being confused more by the fact that this thread is about a link that existed in May that shouldn't have been used by the general public. It is becoming a mega-thread with many issues being presented, not all of which deal with MS.

I'm sending a note to Mia to ask if we can start another thread to discuss how Amex is treating MS, especially using GC's.

Happy

So AMEX can easily monitor such discussion? Such a brilliant idea.

If you feel confused, jot down notes as you read DPs you felt useful and then referred back later. You know how to display a single post, dont you? Get that single post URL, copy/paste to whatever app you want to use for this purpose and titled the Notes appropriately. Just go back to read them when in doubt. Confused no more.

thebat

We are not going to discuss Amex and MS?? I see by your post number you are not new here so I have to ask: What do you think we are talking about here?
If you are afraid of Amex monitoring these boards, it's time to go dark because that ship is long gone.

LizGross144

I can say that based on this thread, people buying GCs to meet min spend are not having good luck with Platinum bonuses. My points were caught up in the freeze as well (along with my husbands), but we didn't not buy any GCs. Our min spend was met with 100% traditional credit card spending. We never had our points deducted, and eventually they were unfrozen. I haven't seen anyone who bought GCs reports that.

esplove

Have you opened a new one? I heard that they will still use the same MR account

TMM1982

Anytime someone closes all cards, and then later opens a new one, a new MR # is generated.

Happy

Since you are confused with various data points posted, we can assume that the monitors could also be confused if they are lacking of analytical skills or even basic skills of taking notes.

By having a specific thread and do the 1-2-3 cliff note style as you wish, what do you think the outcome might be? Probably the last loopholes would be plugged. Is this what you want?

That is why people dont want to talk about specifics, and going in private groups.

thebat

I'm glad to hear you got your points back.

But still, your story demonstrates the problem with this issue: You didn't use MS. In fact, most of the people reporting problems didn't do MS and some that did, didn't do GCs. And no one could say without doubt that Amex knows that gift cards were used.

Anyway, I'm certainly not going to use GC's for my upcoming bonus spend but the issue has not been decided with certainty.

Steve M

Speaking in general, and not in response to any particular clawback or bonus denial mentioned in this thread, Amex definitely knows in some cases that a transaction involved the purchase of gift cards. With some merchants on some purchases, there is enough detail in the original transaction record to tell them that gift cards were purchased, especially with business cards. So, in some cases, if Amex were to care, there's really not much of an "investigation" that must go on: they just look at the transaction record and don't need to contact the merchant or the cardholder to find out the nature of the transaction. It would not surprise me if at some point, this data were to automatically become part of the logic that decides when a bonus threshold has been met.

Mountain Trader

I have not kept statistics so I don't know about 'most'. But a lot of people who were ultimately denied did do some form of MS and many, many bought GCs. And I can say without doubt that Amex can tell when GCs were bought if they take the time to get and read the data they have access to.

Amex droped the ball here with freeze/denials for refunds, prior Platinums which were different products, and other issues. But the meat of their review was MSing GCs, which a lot of people did, despite the specific prohibition in the T&Cs.

oneworld82

My biggest regret is not having read the T&C's... losing 100k points (and not being eligible to get the bonus again, at least untile the current T&C's stand) was hard - had I known, I would have transferred everything to my Aeroplan account. :-/

juergenritz

My claim notice was delivered today / picked up by Amex in NYC. (I am not ok with the clawback) so let see if Amex is willing to spend big $$$$ to save some points....