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-   American Express | Membership Rewards (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards-410/)
-   -   American Express Canada application and reward strategies (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards/1886843-american-express-canada-application-reward-strategies.html)

gspurr Jan 1, 2018 8:41 am
American Express Canada application and reward strategies
 
Does anyone know when the $200 travel credit for 2018 for the Platinum card will appear? I have a booking to make and it is not showing up on the amex travel website. I know where it should appear on the amex site as I used my 2017 credit only a few days ago. Thanks.

JJonahJ Jan 1, 2018 1:43 pm
Originally Posted by gspurr (Post 29236061)
Does anyone know when the $200 travel credit for 2018 for the Platinum card will appear? I have a booking to make and it is not showing up on the amex travel website. I know where it should appear on the amex site as I used my 2017 credit only a few days ago. Thanks.
If you don't see the 2018 travel credit online you could go ahead and book first and then call AMEX to get the $200 credit applied afterwards. Or, if you want to do it in one shot, just to be sure, then call and ask a rep to help you with the booking and the travel credit at the same time.

JetLife Jan 2, 2018 9:16 am
How long do you need to wait before churning the same AMEX product? Is it based on when you signed up for the last card or when you cancelled?

JJonahJ Jan 2, 2018 12:25 pm
Originally Posted by JetLife (Post 29239924)
How long do you need to wait before churning the same AMEX product? Is it based on when you signed up for the last card or when you cancelled?
It depends, but the simple answer is, you should wait at least 3 months after cancelling before reapplying for the exact same card product, minimizing the chances that they re-open a recently closed account. Many people have reported much (MUCH) shorter wait times with success, but I can't recommend that you take that type of risk.

There are other factors the come into play too, such as Personal vs Business card churns, but that's another chapter. :)

Smiley90 Jan 2, 2018 2:18 pm
Originally Posted by JetLife (Post 29239924)
How long do you need to wait before churning the same AMEX product? Is it based on when you signed up for the last card or when you cancelled?
Officially churning isn't possible at all, so really, anything is fair game... but I'd recommend at least 6 months since closing.

JJonahJ Jan 2, 2018 2:36 pm
Originally Posted by Smiley90 (Post 29241306)
Officially churning isn't possible at all, so really, anything is fair game... but I'd recommend at least 6 months since closing.
Hmmm. Officially? Maybe on the personal cards, which have wording such as "we may approve your application, but you will not be eligible for the welcome bonus". But that wording doesn't appear on the Business Gold MR nor Business Platinum MR cards' footnotes. Also, I can't recall seeing anyone report that an existing account was re-opened when reapplying beyond 3 months after cancellation, but fair enough, I can agree on the YMMV factor.

Smiley90 Jan 2, 2018 3:09 pm
Originally Posted by JJonahJ (Post 29241361)
Hmmm. Officially? Maybe on the personal cards, which have wording such as "we may approve your application, but you will not be eligible for the welcome bonus". But that wording doesn't appear on the Business Gold MR nor Business Platinum MR cards' footnotes. Also, I can't recall seeing anyone report that an existing account was re-opened when reapplying beyond 3 months after cancellation, but fair enough, I can agree on the YMMV factor.
True about the Business, but OP only specified "same amex product", so if it only works on two cards (or 3, I don't recall if the SPG Business has the language added by now), then that's the minority! But as someone who's gotten an extra Personal Gold signup bonus just in the last few months after having had it before, it still works on personal cards too.... but I wouldn't count on it. Definitely YMMV.

JJonahJ Jan 3, 2018 1:45 pm
Well, FWIW, the business churns are definitely still alive and kicking in our household. It was my 6th stab at the Biz Gold, and was my 3rd churn after the July 2015 Amex "Thou-Shall-Not-RinseRepeat" Declaration day (one-welcome footnotes :) ), and all three times I had reapplied within a month after cancelling (1 week, in once instance).

I've pretty much lost instant approval status years ago, and in years past I would have called them the next day to get the application pushed through, but with recent reports of additional review requirements by a "back" team, I decided to wait for confirmation without calling. Plus, even though it is a business card churn and technically Ok for churning, the phone reps have demonstrated an ability to mix-up the one-welcome rules so I didn't want to poke them into doing something unfavourable to my application. The first hint of approval came in the form of bonus points for my wife's source referring card, two days after my application. Met the $5K spending right away with a planned large expediture, and the 40K welcome points posted without delay.

heraclitus Jan 3, 2018 3:33 pm
Originally Posted by JJonahJ (Post 29240769)
There are other factors the come into play too, such as Personal vs Business card churns, but that's another chapter. :)
It sounds like business churns have a reasonable shot at success, but is personal dead in the water? I'm feeling an itch for another SPG personal, but $120 is a lot if all I wind up getting is 5,000 referral points from my SPG biz... what to do, what to do.

JJonahJ Jan 4, 2018 8:24 am
Originally Posted by heraclitus (Post 29246373)
It sounds like business churns have a reasonable shot at success, but is personal dead in the water? I'm feeling an itch for another SPG personal, but $120 is a lot if all I wind up getting is 5,000 referral points from my SPG biz... what to do, what to do.
Hey Greekie,

I would say Business churns have a VERY good shot at success, whereas Personal card churns have a reasonable shot, based on the continued reports from within our circle of family/friends, as well as from datapoints of others in the public forums. Does that make sense?

And I'm basing my "reasonable" assessment of Personals in light of the reports of some people saying that when they called in to get the application status, they were notified that a "back" team would review further - at this point, some said they were told they would NOT get the welcome bonus again as they opened the card recently, while others said that they were approved and things went swimmingly as planned. So, YMMV, but reasonably good mileage still available. :)

heraclitus Jan 4, 2018 10:50 am
Originally Posted by JJonahJ (Post 29249043)
Hey Greekie,

I would say Business churns have a VERY good shot at success, whereas Personal card churns have a reasonable shot, based on the continued reports from within our circle of family/friends, as well as from datapoints of others in the public forums. Does that make sense?

And I'm basing my "reasonable" assessment of Personals in light of the reports of some people saying that when they called in to get the application status, they were notified that a "back" team would review further - at this point, some said they were told they would NOT get the welcome bonus again as they opened the card recently, while others said that they were approved and things went swimmingly as planned. So, YMMV, but reasonably good mileage still available. :)
That's roughly how I understood things to be... I figure that between the 5,000 referral points + whatever I get from the spend, it's not like it would be a total bust even if I was refused the signup bonus. So I guess I'll roll the dice and hope that the Amex gods are smiling down on me ;)

JetLife Jan 4, 2018 4:45 pm
Whenever I call AMEX to get an application approved, they always tell me I've been identified as a "high value" customer of AMEX. Today the guy said since I'm high value they want to ensure it was actually me that applied to protect me. Is this "high value" thing something they say to everybody or is it some sort of designation they give certain customers? As a point of reference, I just churn AMEX cards but have spent tens of thousands on them over the years.

SurlyJoe Jan 4, 2018 5:08 pm
Originally Posted by JJonahJ (Post 29249043)
Hey Greekie,

I would say Business churns have a VERY good shot at success, whereas Personal card churns have a reasonable shot, based on the continued reports from within our circle of family/friends, as well as from datapoints of others in the public forums. Does that make sense?

And I'm basing my "reasonable" assessment of Personals in light of the reports of some people saying that when they called in to get the application status, they were notified that a "back" team would review further - at this point, some said they were told they would NOT get the welcome bonus again as they opened the card recently, while others said that they were approved and things went swimmingly as planned. So, YMMV, but reasonably good mileage still available. :)
Any recent experience with churning personal Plat? My Business Plat will expire soon and I’m considering going back to the personal. It will have been about a full year since I cancelled.

jasdou Jan 4, 2018 5:26 pm
It's been close to a whole month since I self-referred to the Business SPG from my personal SPG and haven't heard anything from Amex. Should I be worried or just chalk it up to the Holidays period? I am not very keen on calling Amex to enquire. Or should I call?

nli007 Jan 4, 2018 6:25 pm
Originally Posted by JetLife (Post 29251237)
Whenever I call AMEX to get an application approved, they always tell me I've been identified as a "high value" customer of AMEX. Today the guy said since I'm high value they want to ensure it was actually me that applied to protect me. Is this "high value" thing something they say to everybody or is it some sort of designation they give certain customers? As a point of reference, I just churn AMEX cards but have spent tens of thousands on them over the years.
Sounds like BS to me, I spend $150k/yr and never been called "high value" :(

DealAddict Jan 11, 2018 7:52 am
Has anyone heard of a financial review on credit cards (not charge cards, because I have had that) in Canada?

Admiral Ackbar Jan 18, 2018 7:45 pm
Sounds like BS to me, I spend $150k/yr and never been called "high value"
I just had to call Amex for a gold application, I got the same "you are a high value customer bla bla bla"

Sounds just like their secure message emails, canned overly enthusiastic marketing drivel. Meaningless.

erik19283 Jan 19, 2018 1:18 am
In the Wiki, it says the first year is free for the Amex Gold, but if I go to Amex Canada's site, it seems to be $150. Is it free if I use a referral link or is it a mistake?

viracocha Jan 19, 2018 6:11 am
Originally Posted by erik19283 (Post 29311743)
In the Wiki, it says the first year is free for the Amex Gold, but if I go to Amex Canada's site, it seems to be $150. Is it free if I use a referral link or is it a mistake?
They ended the first year free late last year. The wiki hasn't been updated.

CanuckFan Jan 20, 2018 8:00 am
Is there a way to refer From: SPG Amex To: Amex Cobalt ? Thanks for your help.

gspurr Jan 20, 2018 8:30 am
Originally Posted by JJonahJ (Post 29236904)
If you don't see the 2018 travel credit online you could go ahead and book first and then call AMEX to get the $200 credit applied afterwards. Or, if you want to do it in one shot, just to be sure, then call and ask a rep to help you with the booking and the travel credit at the same time.
Just an update, the 2018 travel credit did end up appearing in my account for use after a couple of days into 2018. I used it no problem.

dominick Jan 20, 2018 8:48 am
Not sure if this has been posted, but I applied and received Personal Platinum late 2016. I used the $200 travel credit.

Later in 2017, I used the travel credit of $200 again for this calendar year. I was credited.

As the $699 charge came up, I cancelled the card.

I just received a letter statement in the mail showing a $200 charge in that they refunded $499 from the annual charge.

I haven't called them yet, but has this happened to anyone, and what was the result?

dominick Jan 20, 2018 8:52 am
Is the SPG card now 20k signup (not 25k as indicated in the wiki?)?

gspurr Jan 20, 2018 8:55 am
Originally Posted by dominick (Post 29316639)
Not sure if this has been posted, but I applied and received Personal Platinum late 2016. I used the $200 travel credit.

Later in 2017, I used the travel credit of $200 again for this calendar year. I was credited.

As the $699 charge came up, I cancelled the card.

I just received a letter statement in the mail showing a $200 charge in that they refunded $499 from the annual charge.

I haven't called them yet, but has this happened to anyone, and what was the result?
It happened to me the last time I had the Platinum Card. If you look back you will find posts discussing this. It seems that you are fine using the travel credit twice just as long as you cancel before you get the $699 charge for the next year. If the charge gets applied and then you cancel after using the travel credit for that year you will only get $499 back.

dominick Jan 20, 2018 9:26 am
Originally Posted by gspurr (Post 29316668)
It happened to me the last time I had the Platinum Card. If you look back you will find posts discussing this. It seems that you are fine using the travel credit twice just as long as you cancel before you get the $699 charge for the next year. If the charge gets applied and then you cancel after using the travel credit for that year you will only get $499 back.
Thanks... yes, I was likely 2-3 days late - lesson learned not to procrastinate! :(

jubberly Jan 20, 2018 11:49 am
Originally Posted by dominick (Post 29316657)
Is the SPG card now 20k signup (not 25k as indicated in the wiki?)?
Yes,20k signup....for both the personal and business(after min $1500 spend within first 3 months of opening)

JJonahJ Jan 22, 2018 2:20 pm
Originally Posted by erik19283 (Post 29311743)
In the Wiki, it says the first year is free for the Amex Gold, but if I go to Amex Canada's site, it seems to be $150. Is it free if I use a referral link or is it a mistake?
Updated the WiKi regarding Gold's loss of FYF and 5,000 referring bonus.
  • Amex Gold MR lost its FYF status on Sep 14, 2017. The $150/yr annual fee will appear on the first statement.
  • The Personal Gold MR can refer to another Personal Gold, or the Cobalt CC (and vice versa), for 5,000 MR.
  • The Personal Gold CAN NO LONGER refer to the Business Gold, Personal Platinum nor Business Platinum.
If you want to open the Personal Gold to keep your MR points alive from another concurrently opened MR card (Biz Gold, for example) which needs to be cancelled, and you have a partner to refer you, then the 25,000 + 5,000 (adding supplementary cardholder during referred application), then this works out to 30,000 MR points, which has a minimum value of $300 as a statement credit, and more value if converted to Aeroplan or Avios and redeemed 'well'. Plus your partner earns 5,000 MR for referring, and thus a total 35,000 MR for your team/partnership. So, it COULD be worthwhile, if it suits your needs/preferences.

Other options:

GCR - Earn a $50 or $60 (varies from time to time) cash back when you apply through their channel. Welcome offer is 25,000 MR after $1500 spending.

PERKOPOLIS - if you work for an organization/group that has a Perkopolis association, you can still open the Personal Gold through their special link using an RSVP code, and their offer for the Personal Gold MR card is 25,000 MR and FYF, after just $500 spending (regular channels require $1500). Plus if you choose to keep the card after 1 year the annual fee is $99 (vs. $150).

peroorim Jan 23, 2018 6:46 pm
Originally Posted by JJonahJ (Post 29325831)
Updated the WiKi regarding Gold's loss of FYF and 5,000 referring bonus.
  • Amex Gold MR lost its FYF status on Sep 14, 2017. The $150/yr annual fee will appear on the first statement.
  • The Personal Gold MR can refer to another Personal Gold, or the Cobalt CC (and vice versa), for 5,000 MR.
  • The Personal Gold CAN NO LONGER refer to the Business Gold, Personal Platinum nor Business Platinum.
If you want to open the Personal Gold to keep your MR points alive from another concurrently opened MR card (Biz Gold, for example) which needs to be cancelled, and you have a partner to refer you, then the 25,000 + 5,000 (adding supplementary cardholder during referred application), then this works out to 30,000 MR points, which has a minimum value of $300 as a statement credit, and more value if converted to Aeroplan or Avios and redeemed 'well'. Plus your partner earns 5,000 MR for referring, and thus a total 35,000 MR for your team/partnership. So, it COULD be worthwhile, if it suits your needs/preferences.

Other options:


GCR - Earn a $50 or $60 (varies from time to time) cash back when you apply through their channel. Welcome offer is 25,000 MR after $1500 spending.

PERKOPOLIS - if you work for an organization/group that has a Perkopolis association, you can still open the Personal Gold through their special link using an RSVP code, and their offer for the Personal Gold MR card is 25,000 MR and FYF, after just $500 spending (regular channels require $1500). Plus if you choose to keep the card after 1 year the annual fee is $99 (vs. $150).
Can you transfer the points from personal platinum to Personal Gold to keep your MR points ?

longtimeflyin Jan 23, 2018 7:02 pm
Originally Posted by peroorim (Post 29331257)
Can you transfer the points from personal platinum to Personal Gold to keep your MR points ?
Can't you just merge the two MR accounts so they become one? I used to have the Platinum and the Gold card (years ago when it was $499 for both cards) (charter member is what I think it was called), and I just had them both deposit into one account.

JJonahJ Jan 23, 2018 7:10 pm
Originally Posted by peroorim (Post 29331257)
Can you transfer the points from personal platinum to Personal Gold to keep your MR points ?
Sure. When you are ready to cancel your Personal Platinum (or Biz Gold or Biz Plat), just ask Amex move your MR points from the closing-card to another MR card that is still active (except NOT to the Colbalt CC). This will keep your MR points alive for another card's generation.

You can call or send a Secured Message to request for the cancellation, but DO make sure you mention that those MR points are to be moved to the other non-cancelling MR card account.

JJonahJ Jan 23, 2018 7:29 pm
Originally Posted by longtimeflyin (Post 29331311)
Can't you just merge the two MR accounts so they become one? I used to have the Platinum and the Gold card (years ago when it was $499 for both cards) (charter member is what I think it was called), and I just had them both deposit into one account.
You CAN request for this, if two MR cards aren't automatically merged when you activate a second/new card. Some people like them merged so that the points are pooled, and when it comes time to cancelling a card (eg., to avoid annual fees) then you don't even need to request that the MR points stay alive and attached to the non-cancelling card.

It was a bit of a chore prior to 2015, to request for merged MR accounts (Platinums are MR First, versus Golds are regular MR points), but in the past couple of years very few people are met with flack for requesting a merger of the two different MR points.

FlyWhere Jan 23, 2018 8:16 pm
Originally Posted by JJonahJ (Post 29325831)
PERKOPOLIS - if you work for an organization/group that has a Perkopolis association, you can still open the Personal Gold through their special link using an RSVP code, and their offer for the Personal Gold MR card is 25,000 MR and FYF, after just $500 spending (regular channels require $1500). Plus if you choose to keep the card after 1 year the annual fee is $99 (vs. $150).
Thanks for letting us know about the Perkopolis benefit!

JJonahJ Jan 23, 2018 8:32 pm
Originally Posted by FlyWhere (Post 29331532)
Thanks for letting us know about the Perkopolis benefit!
As with Amex, Perkopolis membership has its benefits! :)

Low Roller Jan 24, 2018 6:13 am
Originally Posted by CanuckFan (Post 29316500)
Is there a way to refer From: SPG Amex To: Amex Cobalt ? Thanks for your help.
No, SPG cards can only refer to other SPG cards and only the gold or cobalt cards can refer to cobalt.

MasterGeek Jan 24, 2018 8:22 am
Any recent data points of welcome bonus not posting immediately after reaching the minimum spend on a Biz card ? AmI right in suspecting that they are delayed to 8-10 weeks if a refund occurred while working towards achieving the minimum spend ?

seankearns Jan 25, 2018 5:21 am
Originally Posted by MasterGeek (Post 29333395)
Any recent data points of welcome bonus not posting immediately after reaching the minimum spend on a Biz card ? AmI right in suspecting that they are delayed to 8-10 weeks if a refund occurred while working towards achieving the minimum spend ?
Recent business platinum posted day after spend hit. Referrals from it posting day after as well. Gold may be different?

theranj Jan 25, 2018 3:47 pm
I got a Business Platinum in November and Personal Platinum in December; got both bonuses immediately upon hitting spend

MasterGeek Jan 26, 2018 8:28 am
Originally Posted by theranj (Post 29339820)
I got a Business Platinum in November and Personal Platinum in December; got both bonuses immediately upon hitting spend
Thanks. My gf had her welcome bonus for the Biz Gold delayed to 10 weeks. During the course of working towards achieving the $5000 minimum spend she received one or two refunds to her card. I wonder if that's the cause that delayed the posting of the welcome bonus

khkchan Jan 27, 2018 11:38 am
Got a Biz plat and would like to self refer to personal plat. I will get 25k for referral and 60k on personal plat. Am I correct? Later I can request two MR accounts to merge, right? Many thanks.

Low Roller Jan 27, 2018 1:22 pm
Yes that’s correct


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