Oct 4, 2018, 1:05 pm
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.
Feb 25, 2019, 7:23 pm
#1291
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 889
Amex would likely recognize this pattern, and you should worried that could close down all of your Amex accounts and throw away all of your MR points once they discovered this.
Amex doesn't establish such limits because they want you to think of ways around them. Amex establishes these limits because they don't want to give away that many points. Don't you think they've thought of this already? Why else would they have a limit on 4x at grocery stores (where it's easy to do MSing) and no limit on 4x at restaurants (where it's hard to do MSing)?
Keep in mind that Amex's official policy is against giving points for gift cards. The faster you get to the 25k limit, the harder Amex will look to see if you spent that on gift cards, and then possibly take back your points.
So I suggest you spread the 25k over the course of the year, and just find some other card at some other bank for the remainder, if you truly can't hold back from doing much more MSing.
Amex doesn't establish such limits because they want you to think of ways around them. Amex establishes these limits because they don't want to give away that many points. Don't you think they've thought of this already? Why else would they have a limit on 4x at grocery stores (where it's easy to do MSing) and no limit on 4x at restaurants (where it's hard to do MSing)?
Keep in mind that Amex's official policy is against giving points for gift cards. The faster you get to the 25k limit, the harder Amex will look to see if you spent that on gift cards, and then possibly take back your points.
So I suggest you spread the 25k over the course of the year, and just find some other card at some other bank for the remainder, if you truly can't hold back from doing much more MSing.
Feb 26, 2019, 6:48 am
#1292
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Columbia, MD
Programs: US Airways DM Silver, United Mileage Plus
Posts: 216
Hugely satisfied with the Amex Gold so far...my first fee paying Amex card since the Amex Blue Cash everyday, which I've had from 2013/2014. All the restaurants/eateries I've been to have coded as 4x without any issues whatsoever. Plus, just got my sign up bonus yesterday too, woohoo! No complaints at all till date (touchwood) 
Feb 26, 2019, 8:32 am
#1293
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DTW
Programs: TK E+, WY, Radisson R
Posts: 2,360
Hugely satisfied with the Amex Gold so far...my first fee paying Amex card since the Amex Blue Cash everyday, which I've had from 2013/2014. All the restaurants/eateries I've been to have coded as 4x without any issues whatsoever. Plus, just got my sign up bonus yesterday too, woohoo! No complaints at all till date (touchwood)
I understand there are some issues and hiccups (restaurant not coding 4X, etc) but they're slowly getting fixed.
Feb 26, 2019, 9:38 am
#1294
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Columbia, MD
Programs: US Airways DM Silver, United Mileage Plus
Posts: 216
To me this is a long term keeper card, even at the moment when I need to spend toward sign-on bonus for Marriott Bonvoy, all my groceries and restaurants bills go to this card (within US), especially since I can get more than 2 cents out of each MR point.
I understand there are some issues and hiccups (restaurant not coding 4X, etc) but they're slowly getting fixed.
I understand there are some issues and hiccups (restaurant not coding 4X, etc) but they're slowly getting fixed.
Feb 26, 2019, 4:14 pm
#1295
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: EWR
Programs: World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, UA Mileage Plus
Posts: 1,255
Feb 27, 2019, 1:20 pm
#1296
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: NY
Posts: 102
Changed from Plat personal to Gold personal around Oct1/2018.
I recently clued in that some restaurants and grocers were not showing my 4X MR points. Called in, was told "MR will call you within 10 days". MR called me, around 10 days later, left a message. Called me again next day, actually picked up. Over the next hour:
- MR rep told me that "I clearly was not in a restaurant, but likely was in a hotel or a gas station". The restaurant was standlone, had the name "Restaurant" in the merchant name, had "Restaurant" as a merchant type, and under the right side online MR area category says "Restaurant". They actually argue this with me around and around multiple times. Charge was around $300. I was so mad, I called the Gold phone number. Guess what - Same thing! She told me that "Amex has no control over merchant categories and the category on your statement isn't necessarily what the merchant's category is", and accused me of trying to claim points for a non-restaurant. Again, frustrated, I called the # on my Plat Business, as they've always seemed to be the best to deal with. That rep said they couldn't do a thing, and that if I wanted to close my accounts I certainly could. 5 cards, the longest going on 20 years history. Asked for a supervisor, told me one would call me another day. Sitting at the airport, get a call from Amex supervisor. Told him the entire story, he heard me, and said "well, I don't work in MR, so I can't really do anything, but I understand".
So that's where I sit. 5 months of history, and maybe a dozen or so charges weren't 4x. Tried to get them to give me my 3x, and instead got an hour's worth of headache. Went from a raving fan of many years to super ticked off.
As I said to each of the reps - "If I'm unsure if I'm going to get 4x points at a merchant, and know that there's a chance I would have to call and argue my point, likely fruitlessly, how would I ever be in the right mind to use this card over a competitor's?"
Back to my Chase 3X I guess. Fun while it lasted, but Amex other than my Delta Reserve is getting fully sockdrawered. F them.
I recently clued in that some restaurants and grocers were not showing my 4X MR points. Called in, was told "MR will call you within 10 days". MR called me, around 10 days later, left a message. Called me again next day, actually picked up. Over the next hour:
- MR rep told me that "I clearly was not in a restaurant, but likely was in a hotel or a gas station". The restaurant was standlone, had the name "Restaurant" in the merchant name, had "Restaurant" as a merchant type, and under the right side online MR area category says "Restaurant". They actually argue this with me around and around multiple times. Charge was around $300. I was so mad, I called the Gold phone number. Guess what - Same thing! She told me that "Amex has no control over merchant categories and the category on your statement isn't necessarily what the merchant's category is", and accused me of trying to claim points for a non-restaurant. Again, frustrated, I called the # on my Plat Business, as they've always seemed to be the best to deal with. That rep said they couldn't do a thing, and that if I wanted to close my accounts I certainly could. 5 cards, the longest going on 20 years history. Asked for a supervisor, told me one would call me another day. Sitting at the airport, get a call from Amex supervisor. Told him the entire story, he heard me, and said "well, I don't work in MR, so I can't really do anything, but I understand".
So that's where I sit. 5 months of history, and maybe a dozen or so charges weren't 4x. Tried to get them to give me my 3x, and instead got an hour's worth of headache. Went from a raving fan of many years to super ticked off.
As I said to each of the reps - "If I'm unsure if I'm going to get 4x points at a merchant, and know that there's a chance I would have to call and argue my point, likely fruitlessly, how would I ever be in the right mind to use this card over a competitor's?"
Back to my Chase 3X I guess. Fun while it lasted, but Amex other than my Delta Reserve is getting fully sockdrawered. F them.
Feb 27, 2019, 2:43 pm
#1297
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
Programs: AA Pro (mostly B6) OZ♦ (flying BR/UA), BA Silver Hyatt LT, Wynn Black, Cosmo Plat, Mlife Noir
Posts: 5,992
- MR rep told me that "I clearly was not in a restaurant, but likely was in a hotel or a gas station". The restaurant was standlone, had the name "Restaurant" in the merchant name, had "Restaurant" as a merchant type, and under the right side online MR area category says "Restaurant". They actually argue this with me around and around multiple times. Charge was around $300.
Feb 27, 2019, 3:50 pm
#1298
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ORD
Programs: AA PLT
Posts: 2,781
Given the reports from some users of getting 1x restaurant mispostings corrected to 4x yet while others have gotten outright refusals, I'm wondering if the purchase amount has anything to do with it. In my case, I was given a blanket refusal on all my complaints and they were all relatively high dollar amounts. It really feels like AMEX is playing a lot of games with this.
Feb 27, 2019, 9:16 pm
#1299
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 84
Any DP on buying a $10gc at shake shack store locations?
Wondering if buying a $10gc at shake shack stores will trigger the dining credit? Thanks
Feb 27, 2019, 10:51 pm
#1300
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,314
how do you see if it’s actually getting 4x. My paper statement and the App don’t show any points at the transaction level. In fact the paper statement doesn’t even show the total points.
Feb 27, 2019, 10:58 pm
#1301
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 539
Log in to your account online (computer) and select "Statements & Activity." Once on that page use the drop down menu to change from "Recent Activity" and select "Current Statement." It will then show all your transactions for the current statement and to the left of each amount it will tell you "4X" or "3X" if that particular charge earned the extra points. If there's no blue diamond with a "4X" or "3X" then that transaction only received the standard one point. Note that you can use the drop down menu and see previous statements and see this information also.
Feb 27, 2019, 11:35 pm
#1302
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,224
Log in to your account online (computer) and select "Statements & Activity." Once on that page use the drop down menu to change from "Recent Activity" and select "Current Statement." It will then show all your transactions for the current statement and to the left of each amount it will tell you "4X" or "3X" if that particular charge earned the extra points. If there's no blue diamond with a "4X" or "3X" then that transaction only received the standard one point. Note that you can use the drop down menu and see previous statements and see this information also.
Feb 28, 2019, 8:09 am
#1303
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DTW
Programs: TK E+, WY, Radisson R
Posts: 2,360
Any recent DP on airport restaurant spends, do they still get only X1?
Feb 28, 2019, 8:24 am
#1304
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
I think this will very much depend on the specific location, because airports have different concession arrangements. Do you have specific airport(s) in mind? Have you made previous purchases at the same restaurants so that you can see how coded?