Last edit by: roberto99
Faq amex: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/campaigns/gold-card/gold-update-faqs.html
For existing and new cardholders
For new cardholders (Oct 4 2018 and after)
For existing cardholders (Oct 3 2018 or before)
For existing and new cardholders
- Changes below are effective immediately
- 4x US grocery (25k/calendar year), 4x US dining* (*pervasive reports that many dining transactions are not coding as 4x, including but not limited to those from Square or Toast-based POS systems. Scroll down in thread for more reports and information.)
- $120 dining credit ($10 monthly in certain restaurants)
- No change
- $100 calendar year airline reimbursement
- Other
- $250 AF (see below for existing cardholders)
- No 2x gas (removed, see below for existing cardholders who have it till Oct 2019)
- Metal card (contactless)
- Rose gold card - limited edition until Jan 9 2019
- Regular gold card
For new cardholders (Oct 4 2018 and after)
- You may be able to find targeted/referal 50k/$2k, but first AF is not waived
- Signup bonus: You get 20% off restaurant up to $500 restaurant spend (3 month)
- You do not get 2x gas (only for existing cardholders, see below)
For existing cardholders (Oct 3 2018 or before)
- AF will change to $250 for anniversary dates after April 1 2019
- 2x gas will be removed after Oct 2019
- You can chat/call for the gold/rosegold metal card. AU card will get whatever primary cardholder is getting, cannot be different
Premier Rewards Gold refresh: 4x USA dining, groceries, $10/mon dining credit. $250.
#496
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: IND
Posts: 1,961
I'm one of the unlucky people that doesn't have Grubhub or seamless in my town, nor do I have a Cheesecake factory, Ruths, or Shake shack. What are my options or am I SOL?
Has anyone tried buying an online gift card yet to see if it triggers the credit? Cheesecake Factory and Shake Shack allow you to buy $10 gift cards where Ruth Chris has a $25 minimum.
Has anyone tried buying an online gift card yet to see if it triggers the credit? Cheesecake Factory and Shake Shack allow you to buy $10 gift cards where Ruth Chris has a $25 minimum.
If you have a family member, relative, or a close friend living at another town with any of them, treat them using your card through shake shack app order or cheesecake factory online order (we don't know app/online order works or not though) or grubhub/seamless.

#497
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: SFO/TPE
Programs: UA GS slavery, *A Gold, Marriott/SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, Hertz Pres Circle
Posts: 280
Is Starbucks coded like a restaurant? I have my Csr as the auto-reload card, wondering if I should switch to the gold.

#499
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
Programs: DL GM
Posts: 510
Yep. Pretty remarkable for a card with such a significant annual fee. In fact, it's mind-blowing when you consider that the Chase Sapphire Preferred has Trip Delay and Trip Interruption coverage, along with primary CDW for rental cars.
If I were to purchase standalone travel insurance to cover the lack of such a benefit with the PRG, it would cost me more to use my PRG and purchase travel insurance than it would to just use my CSR and get the free insurance. That would hold true even for the Amex Plat, for which the flights would net 5 points per dollar instead of the 3 for the CSR.
The omission is glaring, to say the least.
If I were to purchase standalone travel insurance to cover the lack of such a benefit with the PRG, it would cost me more to use my PRG and purchase travel insurance than it would to just use my CSR and get the free insurance. That would hold true even for the Amex Plat, for which the flights would net 5 points per dollar instead of the 3 for the CSR.
The omission is glaring, to say the least.
Now, what the American Express Platinum does offer is emergency evacuation insurance, with no cost cap, and without even having to have used it to book the trip you're on. That is a benefit that is, as far as I know, unmatched by any credit card anywhere else in the world and one that most certainly gives me more peace of mind than any delay insurance might. I had a family member have a minor medical emergency on a cruise earlier this year and Amex was very helpful in orchestrating medical help ashore at no cost to us, though luckily it didn't require a full fledged evacuation and the trip was concluded normally.
Definitely wish Amex would offer it, but it's hardly a dealbreaker and I'd much rather use my various Amex cards to book travel than I would using a CSR/CSP just on the off chance I need the delay insurance.

#500
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
Programs: DL GM
Posts: 510

#501
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: FRA/SXB
Programs: AF/KLM FB Gold, AccorHotels Gold
Posts: 1,259
I'll have to try again but I know contactless has never worked in Europe on my Amex in the last couple years (error in reading), whereas my Paypal Debit MC always does.

#502
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: FL, USA
Programs: AA Plat, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriot Gold
Posts: 1,652
Shake Shack on the 4th, credit posted yesterday although it says the 8th but it didn't actually appear until yesterday.

#504
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Boston
Posts: 249
Why does Apple Pay code correctly and sometimes doesn't? Another poster said Apple Pay uses MSD (magnetic strip data)?? I don't see how one type of data is better than the other (MSD vs. EMV). Bu if the data is "better" on the EMV chip, why wouldn't they upload EMV data when we set up Apple Pay?
BTW, what happens if a pay terminal uses EMV (dip and chip), but I swiped instead? Would the purchase code correctly? Perhaps the payment wouldn't even go through?
BTW, what happens if a pay terminal uses EMV (dip and chip), but I swiped instead? Would the purchase code correctly? Perhaps the payment wouldn't even go through?

#505
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: SFO/TPE
Programs: UA GS slavery, *A Gold, Marriott/SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, Hertz Pres Circle
Posts: 280
Is it best to avoid Google Pay, in case it doesn't code correctly?

#506
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: GE, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,219
Another poster said Apple Pay uses MSD (magnetic strip data)?? I don't see how one type of data is better than the other (MSD vs. EMV). Bu if the data is "better" on the EMV chip, why wouldn't they upload EMV data when we set up Apple Pay?
BTW, what happens if a pay terminal uses EMV (dip and chip), but I swiped instead? Would the purchase code correctly? Perhaps the payment wouldn't even go through?
BTW, what happens if a pay terminal uses EMV (dip and chip), but I swiped instead? Would the purchase code correctly? Perhaps the payment wouldn't even go through?
As for your other question, the terminal will make you insert if you try to swipe. The exception is if the chip fails a certain number of times (usually 2-3). Regardless, there should be no difference in merchant coding for bonus purposes.
In my experience there's no difference in merchant coding with the physical card compared to using any mobile wallet. The one issue you may run into is if you use something like Rewards Network or Yelp Cash (although recently mobile wallet transactions have been counting for both despite not having the virtual card number on either).
However, there are T&C in AmEx Offers etc. that indicate that mobile wallet transactions may not count. That's likely CYA language, though.

#507
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,004
Update - my replacement (requested morning PST on 10/4) Gold card still says today for expected delivery. Reached out to CSR via chat and she said it had shipped (even though I never got an email that it shipped). I'm sort of curious if it will show up in my mailbox today or tomorrow.'
She couldn't tell me what day it shipped on or a tracking number - its coming USPS standard mail
She couldn't tell me what day it shipped on or a tracking number - its coming USPS standard mail

#508
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: SFO
Posts: 3,611
Just received 15k MR bonus for self referral ^ Applied and approved on Oct 9th.

#509
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: BAY AREA
Posts: 1,076
Update - my replacement (requested morning PST on 10/4) Gold card still says today for expected delivery. Reached out to CSR via chat and she said it had shipped (even though I never got an email that it shipped). I'm sort of curious if it will show up in my mailbox today or tomorrow.'
She couldn't tell me what day it shipped on or a tracking number - its coming USPS standard mail
She couldn't tell me what day it shipped on or a tracking number - its coming USPS standard mail

#510
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,004
You should see this:

