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.
Oct 15, 2018, 10:55 am
#601
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL, LHR
Posts: 219
I went from 0 interest in Membership Rewards to signing up and being approved for the new PRG. It'll replace my CSR on US dining, but I do have one question for the MR veterans - how liberal is Amex's definition of dining? Does it include bars that don't serve food? The CSR is very liberal with bars and nightclub establishments / concession stands at ballparks. Is Amex the same way?
Last edited by mia; Oct 15, 2018 at 11:05 am Reason: formatting
Oct 15, 2018, 11:03 am
#602
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: SFO
Posts: 3,879
It's definitely not "liberal" in my experiences. In terms of ballpark - I did not receive bonuses here in Philly at Citizen's Bank Park (authorized as Aramark Citizens Bank Park and coded as "Business Services - Other Services") which is kind of lame. That just might be an Aramark data point, though. I receive 4X at the Starbucks next to my house, but the cafe across the street: zilch. Doesn't Amex have a massive marketing spend around supporting Small Businesses? What's the deal? All the chains code in w/ bonuses, and so many locals don't...
Oct 15, 2018, 11:12 am
#603
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL, LHR
Posts: 219
Oct 15, 2018, 11:16 am
#604
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
Even though the bonus points are not showing at this stage, they may be awarded when the points actually post (a month after the statement closes). If not, this would be a good example to present to customer service, but in my experience they won't do anything until the points post.
Oct 15, 2018, 11:48 am
#605
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,790
Here's two recent examples. Top one got me the 4X, the bottom one did not. Both are in a category that says Restaurant - Restaurant. The transaction details are different (one says FOOD, the other says RESTAURANTS). I know it's all about the coding, but the irony is the top example is a small, corner gastro pub and the bottom one where I did not receive any bonuses is a large Center City restaurant. Which sucks, because if this is how the coding goes I'm going to miss out on thousands of bonus points per year.
Oct 15, 2018, 12:12 pm
#606
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AA EXP, IHG Diamond, IC Amb
Posts: 5,510
Oct 15, 2018, 12:35 pm
#607
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: SFO/TPE
Programs: UA GS slavery, *A Gold, Marriott/SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, Hertz Pres Circle
Posts: 281
Win some, loose some...
Happens a lot to me when i'm traveling with Chase Reserve. Lots of fine dining located in shopping malls, hotels, and etc.
Happens a lot to me when i'm traveling with Chase Reserve. Lots of fine dining located in shopping malls, hotels, and etc.
Oct 15, 2018, 1:13 pm
#608
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL, LHR
Posts: 219
I'll be curious to hear what you earn after the statement posts. Your bottom transaction, the restaurant seems to be using Toast as its POS system which may be causing an issue with the bonus points being awarded which feels like a similar issue that people are reporting at restaurants/bars that use Square.
From October 6th:
From September 29th (pre 4X bonus changeover).
Oct 15, 2018, 1:39 pm
#609
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: SFO/TPE
Programs: UA GS slavery, *A Gold, Marriott/SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, Hertz Pres Circle
Posts: 281
I have some weird Toast Data Points. Below are grabs from the exact same restaurant, and purchases a week apart. Both register as TST* (Toast) on my posted transactions but when I go into details an interesting quirk emerges. On the one from Oct 6th - when I did NOT received my 4X bonus - the Restaurant name is labeled as TST* TRIA TAPROOM. The one from a week earlier is labeled simply as TRIA TAPROOM and I DID receive my bonus (it was 2X at the time). Same restaurant, 1 week a part, different results. Thanks TOAST!
From October 6th:
From September 29th (pre 4X bonus changeover).
From October 6th:
From September 29th (pre 4X bonus changeover).
Oct 15, 2018, 6:04 pm
#610
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,380
I have some weird Toast Data Points. Below are grabs from the exact same restaurant, and purchases a week apart. Both register as TST* (Toast) on my posted transactions but when I go into details an interesting quirk emerges. On the one from Oct 6th - when I did NOT received my 4X bonus - the Restaurant name is labeled as TST* TRIA TAPROOM. The one from a week earlier is labeled simply as TRIA TAPROOM and I DID receive my bonus (it was 2X at the time). Same restaurant, 1 week a part, different results. Thanks TOAST!
From October 6th:
From September 29th (pre 4X bonus changeover).
From October 6th:
From September 29th (pre 4X bonus changeover).
https://www.visa.com/supplierlocator...pplier-locator
Amex Vicinity isn't as simple (can only search for specific categories)
http://amexvicinity.com
When I try your TAPROOM @ 19103, it finds "TST* TRIA TAPROOM" but not "TRIA TAPROOM"
fun ...
Oct 15, 2018, 7:58 pm
#611
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: SEA
Programs: Amex,AS,DL,Marriott,Hilton
Posts: 38
Hi everyone,
So, I finally received my gold card (after 10 days of applying) thanks to UPS losing it and taking a week to find the package.
I applied through a referral link that gave me an offer of 50,000 MRs after spending $2,000 within the first three months of account opening. Looking at my card member agreement, I noticed that the annual fee says $195 instead of $250 (I applied on October 4th). Does anyone knows if this is a system error or if that will be the annual at least for the first year?
So, I finally received my gold card (after 10 days of applying) thanks to UPS losing it and taking a week to find the package.
I applied through a referral link that gave me an offer of 50,000 MRs after spending $2,000 within the first three months of account opening. Looking at my card member agreement, I noticed that the annual fee says $195 instead of $250 (I applied on October 4th). Does anyone knows if this is a system error or if that will be the annual at least for the first year?
Oct 15, 2018, 9:54 pm
#612
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
Programs: DL GM
Posts: 515
So I may have figured out how to get this showing without waiting for statement close. If you go directly to the Statements and Activity tab, it does not show the multipliers.
But if you go to Home tab > scroll down > in the Account Activity box, there will be a link like "View Oct 20 Statement", click that > you may get a popup saying something like there is nothing for this period and it will load what looks like the normal "Statements and Activity" view. Actually, you should now see the multipliers for purchases posted more than a week ago.
Looks like Amex IT is still sorting out the bugs. Hopefully this trick will reduce anxiety for some people.
But if you go to Home tab > scroll down > in the Account Activity box, there will be a link like "View Oct 20 Statement", click that > you may get a popup saying something like there is nothing for this period and it will load what looks like the normal "Statements and Activity" view. Actually, you should now see the multipliers for purchases posted more than a week ago.
Looks like Amex IT is still sorting out the bugs. Hopefully this trick will reduce anxiety for some people.
Is there any way to do this for past statements? The paper statements don't show. I seem to remember being able to do this at one point, but either I forgot, or it changed.
Oct 15, 2018, 11:12 pm
#613
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 10
Nightclubs typically merchant category code as restaurants. The merchant category code - and the merchant category code only - is what should trigger the bonus.
As above - if the Square merchant has chosen a restaurant MCC, then AMEX better be giving 4x points. Problems arise when Square merchants don't put in the right MCC (or don't put one in at all). IME, many Square merchants in my area that primarily (or only) sell prepared food code as grocery stores for some reason, so I don't get bonuses on my CSR.
As above - if the Square merchant has chosen a restaurant MCC, then AMEX better be giving 4x points. Problems arise when Square merchants don't put in the right MCC (or don't put one in at all). IME, many Square merchants in my area that primarily (or only) sell prepared food code as grocery stores for some reason, so I don't get bonuses on my CSR.
My own personal experience shows that Amex Gold / Square does not result in 4x points. Hopefully they will fix this.
Last edited by mia; Oct 16, 2018 at 4:41 am Reason: Combine consecutive replies
Oct 15, 2018, 11:41 pm
#614
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
In fact, the examples listed of other "in most cases" in that section include cases where the MCC explicitly won't be a bonus-earning category (i.e., charges through third parties who won't be coded appropriately), which is precisely the point I've been trying to make in my last few posts.
If a Square merchant isn't coded as an MCC for which bonus points are earned, the bonus isn't going to trigger and it shouldn't be expected to. That's a merchant problem, not an AMEX problem. The key (and only) issue is if a Square merchant is coded as a bonus-earning MCC and the bonus isn't given.
Last edited by gengar; Oct 15, 2018 at 11:47 pm
Oct 15, 2018, 11:57 pm
#615
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 10
... and the fine print says "in most cases". Not sure what your point is.
In fact, the examples listed of other "in most cases" in that section include cases where the MCC explicitly won't be a bonus-earning category (i.e., charges through third parties who won't be coded appropriately), which is precisely the point I've been trying to make in my last few posts.
If a Square merchant isn't coded as an MCC for which bonus points are earned, the bonus isn't going to trigger and it shouldn't be expected to. That's a merchant problem, not an AMEX problem. The key (and only) issue is if a Square merchant is coded as a bonus-earning MCC and the bonus isn't given.
In fact, the examples listed of other "in most cases" in that section include cases where the MCC explicitly won't be a bonus-earning category (i.e., charges through third parties who won't be coded appropriately), which is precisely the point I've been trying to make in my last few posts.
If a Square merchant isn't coded as an MCC for which bonus points are earned, the bonus isn't going to trigger and it shouldn't be expected to. That's a merchant problem, not an AMEX problem. The key (and only) issue is if a Square merchant is coded as a bonus-earning MCC and the bonus isn't given.