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Walmart & Amex bring Walmart+ to USA Platinum Card (Paramount Plus added Sept 2022)

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Walmart & Amex bring Walmart+ to USA Platinum Card (Paramount Plus added Sept 2022)

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Old Oct 7, 2021, 11:27 am
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by MaxVO
I don't recall complaints of this nature before. Most complaints are about benefits not posting or working as intended. Since this benefit is monthly, it's almost guaranteed that at least a few months in the coming year the credits will not automatically post. Then there will be a dedicated thread titled "Platinum Walmart+ Benefits Not Posting".
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33588984-post1058.html

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33591033-post1076.html

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33591052-post1077.html

There’s more too.
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 11:47 am
  #17  
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Interesting, in 2008 during the recession, AMEX was known to close your account if you shopped at Walmart all of a sudden. This supposedly flagged that one was broke or lost their job. Now AMEX is encouraging shopping at Walmart.
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 11:57 am
  #18  
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Originally Posted by diesteldorf
Is anyone going to offer this to a family member and use the credits to pay for their membership?

Walmart does not deliver groceries to my area. I am curious how they compare to Instacart?

I realize I could still take advantage of the no $35 minimum free shipping, but that really isn't a game changer.
Walmart charges in-store prices for groceries, even when the groceries are delivered. And Walmart's grocery prices are often lower than prices charged for the same items by supermarkets.

Some Instacart supermarkets charge in-store prices; others charge higher prices for Instacart deliveries. And Instacart charges a delivery fee (waived if you pay for Instacart Express), plus a service fee for each order.

Of course, large supermarkets might carry certain grocery items not carried in Walmart stores.

I agree that if Walmart grocery delivery is not available in your area, Walmart+ has limited value for you.
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 12:00 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by seawolf
Platinum Card and Walmart. Match made in heaven. Maybe partner with Aldi and Lidl next?
The Walmart+ demographic is apparently different from the Walmart stereotype, and very similar to that of Amazon Prime:

Walmart’s membership program, Walmart+, is gaining momentum and attracting younger, higher-income shoppers, according to a research note published Tuesday by Deutsche Bank...

....About 86% of current Walmart+ subscribers have Amazon Prime, according to Deutsche Bank’s survey. They have similar demographics, too: About 61% of Walmart+ members earn an annual household income of more than $50,000, and 33% make $100,000 or more per year, versus 63% and 28% with Prime members, respectively.
However, the match seems to have been made the old fashioned way:

Walmart recently hired a new executive to oversee the membership program. It tapped Chris Cracchiolo, a 19-year veteran of American Express, who began in July. The credit card company, which charges a hefty annual fee, is known for its loyal following and members-only perks, such as early access to concert tickets.

Walmart’s Chief Customer Officer Janey Whiteside also worked at American Express before joining the big-box retailer.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/14/walm...estimates.html

Last edited by mia; Oct 7, 2021 at 12:16 pm
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 12:17 pm
  #20  
 
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I realize this benefit just rolled out, but for anyone that has signed up, does it appear possible to have the Walmart+ membership billed to the Platinum, while using a different form of payment for actual orders?

Thinking about offering this to a family member, but wasn't sure if this was possible.
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 12:19 pm
  #21  
 
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Originally Posted by seat38a
Interesting, in 2008 during the recession, AMEX was known to close your account if you shopped at Walmart all of a sudden. This supposedly flagged that one was broke or lost their job. Now AMEX is encouraging shopping at Walmart.
Not doubting the veracity of your claim, but I'd love to see an account/article of that happening!
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 12:23 pm
  #22  
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Originally Posted by seat38a
Interesting, in 2008 during the recession, AMEX was known to close your account if you shopped at Walmart all of a sudden...
I think this is a myth. American Express and Walmart were running joint promotions in 2008 to encourage use of the card at Walmart:

AMEX gives $20 for spending $40 at Walmart twice from Nov 18 through Dec 18, 2008
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 1:27 pm
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by mia
I think this is a myth.
Yep. It started with a general comment by Amex that they may take into account the merchants you use when considering whether or not to close an account. I think they were referring to MS situations. Then, somebody who had their account closed for whatever reason posted that they recently used their card at WalMart and soon thereafter their account was closed. Thus starts an internet myth that never goes away.
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 1:28 pm
  #24  
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Originally Posted by diesteldorf
I realize this benefit just rolled out, but for anyone that has signed up, does it appear possible to have the Walmart+ membership billed to the Platinum, while using a different form of payment for actual orders?

Thinking about offering this to a family member, but wasn't sure if this was possible.
yes it is possible. Membership payment method is on a different screen than default shopping payment method.
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 1:48 pm
  #25  
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Originally Posted by diesteldorf
Is anyone going to offer this to a family member and use the credits to pay for their membership?

Walmart does not deliver groceries to my area. I am curious how they compare to Instacart?

I realize I could still take advantage of the no $35 minimum free shipping, but that really isn't a game changer.
I just signed up and ordered some frozen food to be delivered tomorrow. There was no longer any shipping fee, but my order initially was $32 and the check-out page said there was a "minimum order fee" of $5 for orders under $35! Seems like cheating to me.
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 1:53 pm
  #26  
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Originally Posted by moe8555
Not doubting the veracity of your claim, but I'd love to see an account/article of that happening!
It was on the news in 2008 during the height of the banking crisis, people were interviewed who had their AMEX shutdown and all they did was shop at Walmart which they haven't done before.
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 1:55 pm
  #27  
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Originally Posted by mia
I think this is a myth. American Express and Walmart were running joint promotions in 2008 to encourage use of the card at Walmart:

AMEX gives $20 for spending $40 at Walmart twice from Nov 18 through Dec 18, 2008
It made primetime nightly news back then.
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 2:18 pm
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by seat38a
It was on the news in 2008 during the height of the banking crisis, people were interviewed who had their AMEX shutdown and all they did was shop at Walmart which they haven't done before.
If I recall, there was an episode on prime time television? I remember watching it. Though I never thought account closures were purely triggered by Walmart activity, I certainly wouldn't rule out completely that their algorithms, at the time, would have scored Walmart patronage as "less than ideal" sort of activity, at least historically for Amex cardmembers.

I certainly don't think it's true today, but, perhaps, it was once upon a time.
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 2:54 pm
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by RichardInSF
I just signed up and ordered some frozen food to be delivered tomorrow. There was no longer any shipping fee, but my order initially was $32 and the check-out page said there was a "minimum order fee" of $5 for orders under $35! Seems like cheating to me.
I think there is no minimum if you order things off walmart.com. Otherwise, there is a delivery fee under $35 if you order groceries/things from the store. It's like Amazon/WF, except WF is going to start adding a $9.99 service fee to grocery deliveries this month
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Old Oct 7, 2021, 4:00 pm
  #30  
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Originally Posted by seat38a
It made primetime nightly news back then.
There is a NYT article on this topic, written in 2009: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/31/y...s/31money.html There was evidence that American Express did look at where cardholders shopped, but there's no evidence that WalMart specifically was a trigger because American Express was very careful not to identify specific merchants. The article does explain the TV coverage:

Kevin D. Johnson, a 29-year-old Atlanta resident who runs a marketing and communications firm, received a letter from American Express last October saying that his credit limit was being lowered. One reason was that other customers who had used their cards at places where he had shopped were late in paying their bills.

The company couldn’t — or wouldn’t — tell him which charges had met with its disapproval. Frustrated, he told his story to the local newspaper and on “Good Morning America.”
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