Jan 7, 2018, 10:23 am
Last edit by: MasterGeek
Referrals and self-referrals are an important part of maximizing rewards from Canadian-issued American Express cards. It is appropriate to discuss how the referral process works in this thread. However, please do not offer or request referrals here. Use only this thread and do read the Wikipost carefully before posting: Referral Offers (post only in this thread, no referral links, read Wiki post first).
This thread is a continuation of: Churning Amex in Canada (2017). All the listed offers below are still valid as of January 2018.
AMEX Business Gold Rewards - $250/year,FYF, 40K MR (by referral, else only 30K) after $5000 spending
(no longer FYF as of Jun 26, 2018)
Updated as of Jan 22, 2018
AMEX Gold Rewards - $150/year,FYF, 25K MR after $1500 spending + $50/$60 cashback from GCR. New as of Jan 15, 2017, on a referred signup: and an additional 5,000 Membership Rewards points for one approved Supplementary Card added to your account at time of online application. That’s a total of 30,000 Membership Rewards points.
AMEX SPG - $120/year, 25K SPG after $1500 spending + $30 GCR cashback
New card as of Sep 25 2017
AMEX Cobalt CREDIT card - $10/month ($120 annually)
Apply through GCR for $50 Rebate https://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/...s/Amex-Cobalt/
This thread is a continuation of: Churning Amex in Canada (2017). All the listed offers below are still valid as of January 2018.
AMEX Business Gold Rewards - $250/year,
(no longer FYF as of Jun 26, 2018)
Updated as of Jan 22, 2018
AMEX Gold Rewards - $150/year,
- July 11, 2017, Amex Gold MR will no longer earn referral points.
- July 21, 2017, no other Amex MR card can refer to Gold MR
- Jan 22, 2018, as of Sep 14, 2017 the Amex Gold MR is no longer FYF. $150/yr applies on first statement. Only another Gold or Cobalt card can refer to Gold (and vice versa) for a 5,000 MR bonus. The Personal Gold cannot refer to Business Gold, Personal Platinum nor Business Platinum.
AMEX SPG - $120/year, 25K SPG after $1500 spending + $30 GCR cashback
New card as of Sep 25 2017
AMEX Cobalt CREDIT card - $10/month ($120 annually)
Apply through GCR for $50 Rebate https://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/...s/Amex-Cobalt/
- Earn 2,500 Membership Tiered Rewards points for each month where you spend $500 (up to 30,000/year).
- Limited Time Offer: Apply by Jan 30, 2018 and you can earn a Welcome Bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $3K in 3 months.
- See discussion thread for more details: 2017 American Express Cobalt (Canada)
American Express Canada application and reward strategies
Jun 8, 2018, 12:38 pm
#316
Join Date: Mar 2013
Programs: Aeroplan, Amex AeroPlat
Posts: 977
I have a personal Plat, I need to sign up for a Business Gold with 40K sign-up bonus ASAP for redeeming an award (gotta find ways to spend 5K in a week...ideas?). Can't seem to generate the proper referral link to Biz Gold from Amex website, it only let me refer the card I already have? Anyone got the same problem?
Jun 8, 2018, 1:41 pm
#317
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: *void
Posts: 2,408
I have a personal Plat, I need to sign up for a Business Gold with 40K sign-up bonus ASAP for redeeming an award (gotta find ways to spend 5K in a week...ideas?). Can't seem to generate the proper referral link to Biz Gold from Amex website, it only let me refer the card I already have? Anyone got the same problem?
- Look for "Refer Now" and then "Get your referral link". The link looks something like this: amex.ca/share/holmes123.
- Copy and paste that link to open it into a new browser page, then scroll to the bottom of this (your Plat's referral) signup page and here you'll find the other two higher-tiered Amex MR card icons.
- There should be one for the Business Plat and another for the Business Gold.
- Click on the Business Gold icon, and that is your Plat's referral to it.
- Sign up from that page, after you click on the Biz Gold card icon, and your Personal Plat will earn 15K for successfully referring to yourself.
Jun 13, 2018, 9:10 am
#318
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 822
Looks like the end of Amex churning is coming to an end,in the US and I expect inevitably in Canada.At least you'll know with a new welcome points application tool as to whether or not you;re going to et the welcome bonus before completing the application!
Jun 13, 2018, 9:11 am
#319
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 822
Looks like the end of Amex churning is coming to an end,in the US and I expect inevitably in Canada.At least you'll know with a new welcome points application toolas to whether or not you;re going to get the welcome bonus before completing the application!
Jun 13, 2018, 9:31 am
#320
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Prince Edward Island
Programs: Air Canada P25K, Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Gold, MGM Gold
Posts: 1,582
Looks like the end of Amex churning is coming to an end,in the US and I expect inevitably in Canada.At least you'll know with a new welcome points application toolas to whether or not you;re going to get the welcome bonus before completing the application!
Jun 13, 2018, 10:03 am
#321
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: *void
Posts: 2,408
Looks like the end of Amex churning is coming to an end,in the US and I expect inevitably in Canada.At least you'll know with a new welcome points application toolas to whether or not you;re going to get the welcome bonus before completing the application!
A few months later (still in 2015), Amex USA introduced similar wording into the Business card products' footnotes, and below the 49th they enforced them vigourously as well. Yet in Canada, we never saw those one-welcome notes on our Business card products (or correct me if I'm wrong, are they there now, finally?). Though occasionally, some people reported that Amex Canada informed them that they couldn't churn the Business cards, or that they couldn't have two concurrent Business card products and receive the welcome bonus again on the second card. Meanwhile, some of these people continued to get the bonus points anyways, after the next sweep, while a few did not (or so we assume, since they didn't come back to report with an update).
So, will a similar tool come to Canada? Let's hope not. And if it does, hopefully it's full of mis-diagnostics.
Jun 13, 2018, 2:39 pm
#322
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kan@da
Programs: Anything with sweet spots
Posts: 1,790
Looks like the end of Amex churning is coming to an end,in the US and I expect inevitably in Canada.At least you'll know with a new welcome points application toolas to whether or not you;re going to get the welcome bonus before completing the application!
Jun 14, 2018, 6:22 am
#323
Join Date: Apr 2012
Programs: 25 million points to burn!
Posts: 1,522
Well, we expected the same gloom-and-doom for Amex Canada, when Amex USA introduced the one-welcome notes on their Personal cards in early 2015. Soon after in July 2015 Amex Canada added similar wording in the footnotes to our Personal card products but unlike in the US, Amex Canada never fully enforced it to the same degree, not even close. So we've been able to continue to repeat churn these Personal card products for the most part, though there have been many reports that fellow Canadians were denied the welcome bonus, and mostly by people who made the mistake of calling Amex to ask why they hadn't received the points yet, instead of waiting patiently for a scheduled sweep to re-conciliate the missing points (shout out to @Preacher7 for notifying us with this tidbit, back then).
A few months later (still in 2015), Amex USA introduced similar wording into the Business card products' footnotes, and below the 49th they enforced them vigourously as well. Yet in Canada, we never saw those one-welcome notes on our Business card products (or correct me if I'm wrong, are they there now, finally?). Though occasionally, some people reported that Amex Canada informed them that they couldn't churn the Business cards, or that they couldn't have two concurrent Business card products and receive the welcome bonus again on the second card. Meanwhile, some of these people continued to get the bonus points anyways, after the next sweep, while a few did not (or so we assume, since they didn't come back to report with an update).
So, will a similar tool come to Canada? Let's hope not. And if it does, hopefully it's full of mis-diagnostics.
A few months later (still in 2015), Amex USA introduced similar wording into the Business card products' footnotes, and below the 49th they enforced them vigourously as well. Yet in Canada, we never saw those one-welcome notes on our Business card products (or correct me if I'm wrong, are they there now, finally?). Though occasionally, some people reported that Amex Canada informed them that they couldn't churn the Business cards, or that they couldn't have two concurrent Business card products and receive the welcome bonus again on the second card. Meanwhile, some of these people continued to get the bonus points anyways, after the next sweep, while a few did not (or so we assume, since they didn't come back to report with an update).
So, will a similar tool come to Canada? Let's hope not. And if it does, hopefully it's full of mis-diagnostics.
Jun 17, 2018, 7:40 am
#324
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2018
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 3
I logged into the AX site today and found that I could not see my MR points info. Is anyone else noticing that part missing? When I navigate to the link and not just use the overview, I get:
The American Express Online Services system has not properly responded to your request. If you were attempting to view Billing Details, the system may be unable to return all of your charges at one time. Please use your browser's back button, and press the "Additional Cards" button to view your charges one card at a time. If the problem persists, please call American Express Customer Service and provide error code indicated on this page.
Personal Cardmembers: Please contact our Customer Service department at 1-877-325-AMEX(2639) between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. EST
Corporate Card holders: Please call the American Express Corporate Interactive Support Line at 1-877-429-9246 between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. EST.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
The American Express Online Services system has not properly responded to your request. If you were attempting to view Billing Details, the system may be unable to return all of your charges at one time. Please use your browser's back button, and press the "Additional Cards" button to view your charges one card at a time. If the problem persists, please call American Express Customer Service and provide error code indicated on this page.
Personal Cardmembers: Please contact our Customer Service department at 1-877-325-AMEX(2639) between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. EST
Corporate Card holders: Please call the American Express Corporate Interactive Support Line at 1-877-429-9246 between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. EST.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Jun 17, 2018, 11:31 am
#326
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Mileage Plus 1K; Marriott Platinum; Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,355
I read that there is currently a transfer bonus from MR to Avios. Does anyone have the details. Is there a place where such bonuses would be publicized, or do you just have to know?
Jun 19, 2018, 1:26 pm
#327
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 161
Well, we expected the same gloom-and-doom for Amex Canada, when Amex USA introduced the one-welcome notes on their Personal cards in early 2015. Soon after in July 2015 Amex Canada added similar wording in the footnotes to our Personal card products but unlike in the US, Amex Canada never fully enforced it to the same degree, not even close. So we've been able to continue to repeat churn these Personal card products for the most part, though there have been many reports that fellow Canadians were denied the welcome bonus, and mostly by people who made the mistake of calling Amex to ask why they hadn't received the points yet, instead of waiting patiently for a scheduled sweep to re-conciliate the missing points (shout out to @Preacher7 for notifying us with this tidbit, back then).
Jun 20, 2018, 5:02 am
#328
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kan@da
Programs: Anything with sweet spots
Posts: 1,790
Has anybody recently inquired about welcome bonus using the Amex "contact us by email" and received unhelpful responses from someone named M. Y. (I omitted the full name) ? It seems this agent is currently the only agent responding to inquiries about Membership Rewards points and my experience is that this agent is less cooperative/friendly/helpful compared to other agents that replied to my points inquiries in the past.
Jun 20, 2018, 5:09 am
#329
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Prince Edward Island
Programs: Air Canada P25K, Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Gold, MGM Gold
Posts: 1,582
Has anybody recently inquired about welcome bonus using the Amex "contact us by email" and received unhelpful responses from someone named M. Y. (I omitted the full name) ? It seems this agent is currently the only agent responding to inquiries about Membership Rewards points and my experience is that this agent is less cooperative/friendly/helpful compared to other agents that replied to my points inquiries in the past.
Jun 20, 2018, 8:48 am
#330
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Mileage Plus 1K; Marriott Platinum; Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,355
How long does it usually take after paying a balance for MR points to post? It's a Plat card, if that matters. My balance is showing paid, but no points have appeared after 24 hours, and I need to transfer those points to SPG soon.
