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
Feb 14, 2018, 3:29 pm
#76
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: *void
Posts: 2,408
Hi guys,
I am a long time lurker and first time poster. I was wondering if someone might be able to assist me with a question regarding AMEX MR signup bonuses.
I applied for the Biz Plat and got the 75K bonus. I also have the Biz Gold, but haven’t gotten my 40K signup bonus despite meeting the minimum spend, and I wonder if it’s because I am holding two small business cards at the same time. Granted, it’s only been a couple of days. I also have the same login to access both cards, so I suppose it’s probably easy for AMEX to see that.
There’s probably not much I can do at this point, but I am wondering if anyone has any experience or data points regarding delayed points posting as of late.
My real question is regarding my spouse and whether we should pursue a different strategy. Do you think it would be a safer option to get the Personal Gold, cancel the Biz Plat and move all the points over to the personal card, and THEN activate the Biz Gold so that we’re not holding two Business cards at once? Not sure if this is overkill or not. Alternatively, do people have any better luck if they keep the logins separate for multiple business cards?
Thanks so much!
I am a long time lurker and first time poster. I was wondering if someone might be able to assist me with a question regarding AMEX MR signup bonuses.
I applied for the Biz Plat and got the 75K bonus. I also have the Biz Gold, but haven’t gotten my 40K signup bonus despite meeting the minimum spend, and I wonder if it’s because I am holding two small business cards at the same time. Granted, it’s only been a couple of days. I also have the same login to access both cards, so I suppose it’s probably easy for AMEX to see that.
There’s probably not much I can do at this point, but I am wondering if anyone has any experience or data points regarding delayed points posting as of late.
My real question is regarding my spouse and whether we should pursue a different strategy. Do you think it would be a safer option to get the Personal Gold, cancel the Biz Plat and move all the points over to the personal card, and THEN activate the Biz Gold so that we’re not holding two Business cards at once? Not sure if this is overkill or not. Alternatively, do people have any better luck if they keep the logins separate for multiple business cards?
Thanks so much!
Feb 14, 2018, 3:42 pm
#77
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: *void
Posts: 2,408
If you look back at the history of the Canadian Amex MR scene, from about 3-5 years ago, you'll see that many people had complained that Amex would NOT merge the Personal Gold MR points with say the Personal Plat MR points. But over time, they relaxed their standpoint a few years ago and now many people even see a new MR card opened with the MR account automatically merged with an existing MR card in their profile...even when different online logins are created for each card. This can get confusing when the second MR card says to refer to the first MR card's account to see the points activity, because then you'd have to log off and log into the other account to get the info. You don't have to ask for Amex to merge the two MR accounts for you, though some people may like to see this done before they cancel the older card. Instead, if they are NOT merged, then when you make the call to cancel just ask Amex to MOVE the MR points to the non-cancelled card's MR account.
Feb 14, 2018, 7:28 pm
#78
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: AC
Posts: 2,167
Yes, you can merge or MOVE your points from one MR card to another...EXCEPT the Cobalt MR cards. Those are a separate tier of MR points that Amex have said will NOT be married to the traditional Membership Rewards points of the Personal Gold, Business Gold, Personal Plat and Business Plat MR cards.
If you look back at the history of the Canadian Amex MR scene, from about 3-5 years ago, you'll see that many people had complained that Amex would NOT merge the Personal Gold MR points with say the Personal Plat MR points. But over time, they relaxed their standpoint a few years ago and now many people even see a new MR card opened with the MR account automatically merged with an existing MR card in their profile...even when different online logins are created for each card. This can get confusing when the second MR card says to refer to the first MR card's account to see the points activity, because then you'd have to log off and log into the other account to get the info. You don't have to ask for Amex to merge the two MR accounts for you, though some people may like to see this done before they cancel the older card. Instead, if they are NOT merged, then when you make the call to cancel just ask Amex to MOVE the MR points to the non-cancelled card's MR account.
If you look back at the history of the Canadian Amex MR scene, from about 3-5 years ago, you'll see that many people had complained that Amex would NOT merge the Personal Gold MR points with say the Personal Plat MR points. But over time, they relaxed their standpoint a few years ago and now many people even see a new MR card opened with the MR account automatically merged with an existing MR card in their profile...even when different online logins are created for each card. This can get confusing when the second MR card says to refer to the first MR card's account to see the points activity, because then you'd have to log off and log into the other account to get the info. You don't have to ask for Amex to merge the two MR accounts for you, though some people may like to see this done before they cancel the older card. Instead, if they are NOT merged, then when you make the call to cancel just ask Amex to MOVE the MR points to the non-cancelled card's MR account.
A message to the online team resulted in them merging my AX Gold, AX Biz Plat and AX corporate (green) MR accounts together.
AX phone staff = useless monkeys.
Feb 14, 2018, 7:37 pm
#79
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: *void
Posts: 2,408
Two agents and a manager told me you can't merge MR First and with MR REGULAR. (not select). (via the phone)
A message to the online team resulted in them merging my AX Gold, AX Biz Plat and AX corporate (green) MR accounts together.
AX phone staff = useless monkeys.
A message to the online team resulted in them merging my AX Gold, AX Biz Plat and AX corporate (green) MR accounts together.
AX phone staff = useless monkeys.
Other than my very first year of churning Amex MR cards, I've always sent emails via logged-in Amex online secured messaging system for points merge/moves. It may take a day or so longer, but they always direct my request to the people who DO this type of stuff. As opposed to contacting a front-line phone rep, who may have a 2010 user guide to refer to when responding to these types of requests.
Amex secured messages, all the way!
(Amex.ca: click Contact Us at top right, then hover over Contact us at top left and choose Email Us)
Feb 14, 2018, 7:40 pm
#80
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 18
Yes, you can merge or MOVE your points from one MR card to another...EXCEPT the Cobalt MR cards. Those are a separate tier of MR points that Amex have said will NOT be married to the traditional Membership Rewards points of the Personal Gold, Business Gold, Personal Plat and Business Plat MR cards.
If you look back at the history of the Canadian Amex MR scene, from about 3-5 years ago, you'll see that many people had complained that Amex would NOT merge the Personal Gold MR points with say the Personal Plat MR points. But over time, they relaxed their standpoint a few years ago and now many people even see a new MR card opened with the MR account automatically merged with an existing MR card in their profile...even when different online logins are created for each card. This can get confusing when the second MR card says to refer to the first MR card's account to see the points activity, because then you'd have to log off and log into the other account to get the info. You don't have to ask for Amex to merge the two MR accounts for you, though some people may like to see this done before they cancel the older card. Instead, if they are NOT merged, then when you make the call to cancel just ask Amex to MOVE the MR points to the non-cancelled card's MR account.
If you look back at the history of the Canadian Amex MR scene, from about 3-5 years ago, you'll see that many people had complained that Amex would NOT merge the Personal Gold MR points with say the Personal Plat MR points. But over time, they relaxed their standpoint a few years ago and now many people even see a new MR card opened with the MR account automatically merged with an existing MR card in their profile...even when different online logins are created for each card. This can get confusing when the second MR card says to refer to the first MR card's account to see the points activity, because then you'd have to log off and log into the other account to get the info. You don't have to ask for Amex to merge the two MR accounts for you, though some people may like to see this done before they cancel the older card. Instead, if they are NOT merged, then when you make the call to cancel just ask Amex to MOVE the MR points to the non-cancelled card's MR account.
Feb 14, 2018, 7:45 pm
#81
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: *void
Posts: 2,408
Did you take into consideration that Cobalt MR points can't convert to Aeroplan/Avios, and only to SPG? Or do you plan to try and move them back up to a traditional MR account in the future? Maybe a 'downward' movement is allowed, but not the other way around?
Feb 14, 2018, 7:54 pm
#82
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: YYC
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Fairmont Plat, IHG Spire, SPG Gold, WS Gold, Hertz PC, National E Elite,
Posts: 2,768
Verrrry interesting, and thanks for the datapoint!
Did you take into consideration that Cobalt MR points can't convert to Aeroplan/Avios, and only to SPG? Or do you plan to try and move them back up to a traditional MR account in the future? Maybe a 'downward' movement is allowed, but not the other way around?
Did you take into consideration that Cobalt MR points can't convert to Aeroplan/Avios, and only to SPG? Or do you plan to try and move them back up to a traditional MR account in the future? Maybe a 'downward' movement is allowed, but not the other way around?
Feb 14, 2018, 7:59 pm
#83
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: *void
Posts: 2,408
Yes, but then you'd take a loss on that.
However, if you only intend to convert to SPG, then there is no loss, and you gain extended life for your MR points until you decide if/when you want to convert to SPG.
- Traditional Amex MR converts 1:1 to Aeroplan. So say 100K MR > 100K Aeroplan
- Amex Cobalt MR converts 2:1 to SPG, so 100K MR > 50K SPG. Then SPG converts 1:1 to Aeroplan, with 25% bonus for each 20K, so 50K SPG > 50K Aeroplan + 12.5K bonus = 62.5K Aeroplans.
However, if you only intend to convert to SPG, then there is no loss, and you gain extended life for your MR points until you decide if/when you want to convert to SPG.
Last edited by JJonahJ; Feb 14, 2018 at 8:10 pm
Feb 15, 2018, 11:17 am
#84
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Moderator action
Parallel discussion of refreshed Business Platinum have been combined in separate thread:
Changes to American Express Business Platinum in Canada
Changes to American Express Business Platinum in Canada
Last edited by mia; Feb 15, 2018 at 12:01 pm
Feb 16, 2018, 8:44 pm
#85
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 353
I think AMEX is planning some big changes.
Will they cut ties with Aeroplan? Their contract is going to end in December.
Will they cut ties with Aeroplan? Their contract is going to end in December.
Feb 16, 2018, 9:56 pm
#86
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: YYZ / FRA
Programs: IHG RA; Avis First
Posts: 1,444
I think AMEX is planning some big changes.
Will they cut ties with Aeroplan? Their contract is going to end in December.
Will they cut ties with Aeroplan? Their contract is going to end in December.
Feb 20, 2018, 6:34 pm
#87
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: YYZ
Posts: 380
I currently have the Business Platinum and looking to self refer to the Personal Platinum again. I know it's all YMMV but anyone have recent experiences with self referral points? Also from the thread i'm seeing the $200 Travel Credit x 2 in different calendar years still live and well so that is great.
Feb 21, 2018, 6:27 am
#88
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: yyz
Posts: 1,611
Not sure if this has been noticed by anyone yet...but there's at least one sign that Amex will be the new Marriott card issuer in Canada, presumably after the two programs integrate.
In my SPG account, what I used to see for points earned through card spend:
"SPG AX CA Base Spend CNSMR"
What I saw in my most recent points earning:
"AX CA - SPG&MAR RWRDS SPEND"
In my SPG account, what I used to see for points earned through card spend:
"SPG AX CA Base Spend CNSMR"
What I saw in my most recent points earning:
"AX CA - SPG&MAR RWRDS SPEND"
Feb 21, 2018, 10:36 am
#89
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: AC
Posts: 2,167
I think AMEX is planning some big changes.
Will they cut ties with Aeroplan? Their contract is going to end in December.
Will they cut ties with Aeroplan? Their contract is going to end in December.
Feb 21, 2018, 11:53 am
#90
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 28
I currently hold the personal Plat and personal SPG. Had the personal Gold and business Gold before, but cancelled more than 6 months-1yr. I'm hoping to do a MR points run now for some travel in 2019 so would appreciate some help in strategy:
Personal Plat -> Biz Plat (never held) = 75,000MR + 15,000MR from self-referral for $499
Personal Plat -> Biz Gold = 40,000MR + 15,000MR from self-referral for $0 (FYF)
Seems like getting the Biz Gold is a better deal? I intend to keep the personal Plat for its benefits.
Thanks in advance!
Personal Plat -> Biz Plat (never held) = 75,000MR + 15,000MR from self-referral for $499
Personal Plat -> Biz Gold = 40,000MR + 15,000MR from self-referral for $0 (FYF)
Seems like getting the Biz Gold is a better deal? I intend to keep the personal Plat for its benefits.
Thanks in advance!