JJonahJ

Welcome to FlyerTalk.

You did everything right! No issue to keep all of your Amex cards under one Amex.ca login profile. Some people have over a dozen listed in their single account with successful welcome points posting for all of them.

You may want to request your Gold MR account to be merged with your Biz Plat card, or just keep them separate and request the points to move over to your Biz Plat's MR account when you are ready to cancel your Gold card (if you plan to do so). People write about wanting to have them separated into two MR accounts when you are doing repeat churns on the Personal card products, and it doesn't sound like this is your situation, so no big deal if they are merged or separated for now. Even if your Biz Plat points don't post right after spending $5K you can be assured they will eventually post though, and if you don't see them right away you have the luxury of being able to call and discuss since you're not doing a repeat churn on a Personal card product. If/when you do a repeat churn on the Personal Gold card, that's when you will want to be patient and not contact Amex for missing points.

Good luck and enjoy your points shower!
JJJ

noble.n

Thanks for the advice and warm welcome!

ac604

Just a heads up, it seems AMEX Canada has upped minimum spend on Personal Plat to $3,000 CAD.

mia

Welcome to Flyertalk.

I think that was mentioned a few days ago, but it's good to have confirmation and a new member with a helpful disposition .

pokee

My hubby and I both have Amex Gold cards. I want him to refer me to the Amex Gold Business so he can get the referral points, and I can get the 40K sign up bonus.

BUT...when he selects 'Refer a Friend' in his Amex account, it automatically goes to a page that sends out a referral for the personal Gold card.

In the past, I seem to recall there being a selection of cards to choose from when you do a referral. So currently, if you want to refer a friend to a different card, is there a special set of instructions to follow?

JJonahJ

At the Gold (or better) MR card's Refer a Friend page, copy and paste the amex.ca/share link to a new browser window. Look to the right or bottom-left of the page for a section that says something like "Apply for a different card that is part of this referral program" and you should see icons for the other MR cards, including the Business Gold that you want to sign up for. Click on it and start applying for the new card. He will earn 5K for the referring you for an approved application, from his Personal Gold card.

When it comes time for you to refer him to his next MR card, choose your Biz Gold card at the start of the Refer a Friend page, to ensure you get 10K for referring, do NOT select your Personal Gold card (if you still have it open at that time). Always choose the best (highest earning) referring card from your list of opened cards.

The other page that you're referring to is a thing of the past. Disappeared a year ago.

pokee

Ah, yes, I see that now - thanks JJonahJ. And this is a 'legit' referral, correct? So if his bonus or my bonus don't show up, I should be able to follow-up without issue, right?

Also, should I enter my current MR# or credit card number for my Gold card when applying? I'm planning to cancel my gold card and transfer out my MR points in the next week or so, so I'm thinking I'll leave it out. BUT, could it help my application if I leave those in and delay the cancellation of my Gold card?

JJonahJ

Yes, 100% legitimate. It's just Amex's new way of ensuring that you refer ONLY to other cards in the same product family, as well as closing the older loophole of 'accidentally' notifying Amex that you have a better card for the better referring bonus.

You're applying for a new Biz Gold card, so no issues for you to contact Amex and ask for missing welcome points, since the Business products don't show the same one-welcome footnotes (yet), like the way the Personal cards show those notes. However, since you're doing a repeat churn vs first-time, unless you're very curious or willfully adamant about things, I would still refrain from calling them if you don't see the 40K after $5K spending, and be patient to wait, because a few unknowing Amex reps incorrectly have informed other Business card applicants during calls/Secured-Messages that they would not get the welcome bonus again, incorrectly stating that it's because they had the card before.

If you have a different Amex card product (non-MR) that you can use, then input that card number instead during the application, where it asks if you have an existing card. Putting SOME card number in there helps to positively identify you so that they can more easily pull your Transunion bureau file. If you don't have another Amex card, you may want to leave it blank - we are doing this so that it will help the chances of having Amex create a new MR account. I wrote about it a few months ago, how you could potentially be recycling an MR card that existing for the same product but a generation earlier. It may be a reason why you don't get automatic posting of the welcome points...BUT, you do legitimately deserve them for the Business card since it's not clamped down, like the way Amex-USA have shut it down for Biz cards.

If you do get a new MR account created for the new Biz Gold card, I would try not to merge the soon-to-be-cancelled Personal Gold's MR points together until after you've received the 40K, if you can. It's more important though, if you were churning a Personal card. Besides, you do have 60 days to cancel and get a full refund of the annual fees (I'd cancel by day 50 if possible though).

pokee

Thanks again JJonahJ. I applied but got the "we are unable to give you an instant decision at this time. Your application with be processed within 10 days" message. Ugh...hate it when that happens. In the case of this card, what's the typical reason for review?

jerryhung

Just call AMEX with reference # and clarify things/ID questions

It's common & normal (if you had previous AMEX applications within 90 days)

JJonahJ

Reasons I know of:

• You've applied for an Amex card within 90 days of prior application
• You could not be 100% positively identified so the system could not pull your Transunion bureau file (sometimes they may then try Equifax)
• Amex's online application system is just too weak to handle more than one concurrent application at that same moment in time.
• Your application is missing some information
• Your credit file was pulled but for whatever reason you were denied.

Based on info that I know of you, from a stalking distance (), I would say one of the first 3 reasons is the culprit. Your application is now in a queue and will need to be reviewed by a credit analyst. If you want to jump the queue, call them so that they can pull your application out to process on-the-spot. This may involve properly ID'ing you via answers to questions about your name, DOB, address/postal code, phone number. If the rep is convinced you're not someone applying from The Island of Stolen Identities, then your application can then be pushed along, including asking you for credit bureau questions (especially if you didn't see these near the end of the application, or if they somehow pulled the wrong file of someone else).

pokee

Thanks again! Haha - I called just now and all they said, "Congratulations, you're approved!". I think that happened once with an SPG app, too. I guess they figure if they can get you on the phone, you're a real person and not a fraudster?

JJonahJ

That, or their weak application system needs more spinach.
Congrats!

And good job, on NOT asking the rep if you will get 40K welcome bonus points for this application.

margarita girl

I applied for the SPG Business Amex on Feb 27 and got the "unable to give you instant decision at this time...".

Called on Mar 1 and was approved after answering some security questions.

Called again on Mar 17 since I hadn't received the card yet. Was told it must be lost and they would send another.

Called again on Mar 27. Still no card, but I did get my bill for $150 AF (billing period Feb 21 - Mar 20). This time was told there were some problems at Amex and card was being sent out via Priority Post.

Received the card on Mar 29. Hallelujah!

Since I have 3 months to hit my minimum spend, is that starting on Feb 21? Am I paying $150 for a card that will be valid for less than 11 months? Maybe I should ask for a pro-rated amount.

jubberly

I also had a delay and have to have a replacement card for my Biz SPG card.Unfortunately,the 3 months spend period starts on the day of approval.I emailed them and complained.No refund of part of the annual fee but the reply said that if I did not meet my spend within the remaining time,they would review an extension of the spend period.