Amex USA terms now penalize:abuse,misuse,gaming;1st yr downgrade/close;leaked offers.
Jul 26, 17, 9:16 am
#1
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend; Moderator: American Express, Capital One, Citi, Chase, Credit Card Programs, Diners Club, Signatures
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,243
Amex USA terms now penalize:abuse,misuse,gaming;1st yr downgrade/close;leaked offers.
Note that American Express (USA) has refreshed new account terms to itemize behavior which may cause rewards to be forfeited:
... points will be credited to your Membership Rewards account 8-12 weeks after you have met the purchase requirement. If we in our sole discretion determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with the welcome bonus offer in any way or that you intend to do so (for example, if you applied for one or more cards to obtain a welcome bonus offer (s) that we did not intend for you; if you cancel or downgrade your account within 12 months after acquiring it; or if you cancel or return purchases you made to meet the Threshold Amount), we may not credit Membership Rewards to, we may freeze Membership Rewards credited to, or we may take away Membership Rewards from your account. We may also cancel this Card account and other Card accounts you may have with us.
American Express reserves the right to modify or revoke offer at any time.
Your account must be in good standing and not in default at the time of fulfillment of any offers.
*Qualifying purchases are purchases for goods and services. Qualifying purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards; person-to-person payments, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Additional terms and restrictions apply.
American Express reserves the right to modify or revoke offer at any time.
Your account must be in good standing and not in default at the time of fulfillment of any offers.
*Qualifying purchases are purchases for goods and services. Qualifying purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards; person-to-person payments, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Additional terms and restrictions apply.
Jul 26, 17, 10:27 am
#5
Join Date: May 2015
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 6,661
As I've said before, if you're one of those who likes to take the money and run, I hope you get penalized or blacklisted. You're ruining this hobby for the rest of us. I got the 100K offer, but I also paid the AF, and still hold the card today.
I will say though that it was Amex's fault that a reusable link was even generated in the first place. If they're worried about abuse, make all non-public links usable one-time only.
Keeping an eye out for the inevitable r/churning meltdown thread.
I will say though that it was Amex's fault that a reusable link was even generated in the first place. If they're worried about abuse, make all non-public links usable one-time only.
Keeping an eye out for the inevitable r/churning meltdown thread.
Last edited by KDCAflyer; Jul 26, 17 at 10:33 am
Jul 26, 17, 11:26 am
#6
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond, Radisson Rewards Gold, Best Western Diamond Select
Posts: 1,845
Good, gift cards are abuse for a big population of people. Spend should be legit who really buys gift cards regularly besides for a gift for someone?
Jul 26, 17, 12:38 pm
#8
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EWR
Posts: 872
Now if you are referring solely to prepaid Mastercard, Visa, Amex... I'd say almost nobody buys them otherwise, judging by the date codes on the packages of stores that never do promotions.
Jul 26, 17, 12:40 pm
#9
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Austin (TX)
Posts: 308
It is a sad state of affairs that a company has to now have some devious individual in the room to help explain all of the ways that an offer can be milked, gamed, scammed in order to try and close all of the loopholes to an offer...
Jul 26, 17, 12:51 pm
#11
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: IAH
Programs: UA GS, TK Gold
Posts: 304
" - if you cancel or downgrade your account within 12 months after acquiring it"
how is that going to work after MR points have been transferred to partners and a card is cancelled after 11 months before the 2nd year AF hits?
I think the intent is to clamp down on 1st year AF dodging, RSVP codes, MS and such, which make sense. Stop blatant abuse.
how is that going to work after MR points have been transferred to partners and a card is cancelled after 11 months before the 2nd year AF hits?
I think the intent is to clamp down on 1st year AF dodging, RSVP codes, MS and such, which make sense. Stop blatant abuse.
Jul 26, 17, 12:54 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: SAN
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, American Air, National Car
Posts: 1,130
" - if you cancel or downgrade your account within 12 months after acquiring it"
how is that going to work after MR points have been transferred to partners and a card is cancelled after 11 months before the 2nd year AF hits?
I think the intent is to clamp down on 1st year AF dodging, RSVP codes, MS and such, which make sense. Stop blatant abuse.
how is that going to work after MR points have been transferred to partners and a card is cancelled after 11 months before the 2nd year AF hits?
I think the intent is to clamp down on 1st year AF dodging, RSVP codes, MS and such, which make sense. Stop blatant abuse.
Then they close the account and ban the customer. If they want to make an example, they can go to court
Jul 26, 17, 1:22 pm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: VPS
Programs: IHG Diamond, Delta PM, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 6,965
My local grocery chain (Publix) typically runs a 2x a month promotion where you can buy a $50 gas card for $40 with a $50 grocery purchase. We end up buying pretty much all our gas at a nice discount that way. Plus, no worrying about the card skimmer criminals when you pay at the pump with a fairly small prepaid card. (Seems like 90% of the people I know who have had a credit card number stolen had it happen at a gas station outside card reader)
Jul 26, 17, 1:35 pm
#14
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Georgia
Programs: DL DM/2MM
Posts: 977
My interpretation is that this covers their behind with the law and government agencies for what they already started to do last year. If you haven't already been caught by one of their audits, and you haven't gotten more aggressive than "gaming" the system by following AmEx's own rules, then I think you'll be fine.
Jul 26, 17, 2:05 pm
#15
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: PHX, SEA
Programs: DL Silver, Avis President's Club, Hertz President's Circle, Global Entry (Former AA Plt/Gold)
Posts: 4,378
The only thing I take umbridge with is the "close or downgrade within 12 months" in their sole discretion. Plenty of legitimate users get a new product, use it for a year and decide if the benefits were worthwhile.
I'm only 6 months into my first year with a Platinum card and I'm not completely sold. I signed up at a $450 AF and now it's $550 for a Platinum, and I have only used PP twice, so maybe I don't get that much value out of the card. Now if I cancel for legitimate reasons, I have to worry about them clawing back the bonus?
I think it's shortsighted to have that terminology in there. If 50,000 MRs is the acquisition cost of new business, let them take the gamble. I get why no company wants to pay out the bonus to folks like TPG readers who are just gaming the system for flights. In Amex's history though, isn't the welcome bonus roughly the value of the AF?
Ultimately, the card needs to be used for Amex to make money. So the way I think it should be done, is they should increase the annual spend but spread it out. For example: "Spend $2000 every three months in the first year. Welcome bonus will be applied after six months but may be forfeit if the periodic spending requirement is not reached before the renewal, cancellation, or downgrading of the card."
I'm only 6 months into my first year with a Platinum card and I'm not completely sold. I signed up at a $450 AF and now it's $550 for a Platinum, and I have only used PP twice, so maybe I don't get that much value out of the card. Now if I cancel for legitimate reasons, I have to worry about them clawing back the bonus?
I think it's shortsighted to have that terminology in there. If 50,000 MRs is the acquisition cost of new business, let them take the gamble. I get why no company wants to pay out the bonus to folks like TPG readers who are just gaming the system for flights. In Amex's history though, isn't the welcome bonus roughly the value of the AF?
Ultimately, the card needs to be used for Amex to make money. So the way I think it should be done, is they should increase the annual spend but spread it out. For example: "Spend $2000 every three months in the first year. Welcome bonus will be applied after six months but may be forfeit if the periodic spending requirement is not reached before the renewal, cancellation, or downgrading of the card."
