scubadu

Sure, of course she would "have" a Platinum card. However, you and I both know there are many nuances to this little game. I'm not entirely sure how Amex tracks these things. For example, if she upgrades and keeps the same card number as the Gold, does the system still "see" it as a Gold card, from the perspective of lifetime bonus offers, etc. (or does it officially "close" the Gold account and start the 7yr clock on that one, while re-starting the clock on the Platinum?) Also, I don't recall whether the ~7yr clock starts from when you originally applied for and received the card or whether its from when you closed the account.

Lots of variables here and certainly nothing I'm worked up about but its fun to play around with the game and see where I can generate some wins.

Regards

Dr Jabadski

LOL, guilty as charged . Isn’t there something about mixed or divergent analogies ? Actually mixed metaphors, which of course are a type of analogy . Speaking of analogies, you’re absolutely correct again. While you’re waiting for the train, be sure you don’t swing at a pitch in the dirt. Excellent summary and attitude!

Best to you.

Dr Jabadski

Multiple AmEx Cards Strategy Questions:

For those with multiple AmEx Biz Plats and/or Biz Golds, considering possible additional AmEx NLL offers and lucrative AmEx retention offers, what’s your strategy regarding closing (some of those) accounts?

Do we think there’s number (of open accounts) at which AmEx would NOT send additional targeted offers? Do we think it’s riskier to close accounts at 13 or 25 months (or any other time) than to maintain multiple open accounts?

All my targeted NLL Biz Gold and Biz Plat accounts have been instant approvals. After the first 2 or 3, I often thought that I would NOT make a recon call (if necessary and contrary to most other CC applications) because it’s challenging to think of a believable reason I need a 4th or 5th identical card. What’s your strategy in that regard?

To minimize confusion and to more easily track MR posting, I have all my other CC accounts (including 1 other MR account) set to close/bill on the 2nd of the month, all my Biz Plats on the 10th, all my Biz Golds on the 20th. Curious if and how others do it.

Thank you.

blitzen

1st Biz Gold - Platinum we’re up for renewal
(added 3 more of each until renewal)
kept Platinum open and closed Gold
and a few weeks later for offer to open another Platinum and a Gold

Dr Jabadski

Not many recent datapoints of new targeted NLL offers, I haven’t received anything for a couple of months. Think I’m in the early phases of (involuntary) withdrawal. Anyone (sticking with the train analogy) think the (relatively frequent targeted NLL offer) gravy train may have reached the terminal or been taken out of service?

blitzen

It might have slowed down - but I got a Biz Gold physical mail for 90k after $10k a month ago
Before everything was 100% electronic

Dr Jabadski

I’ve only been able to take advantage of this (AmEx Targeted NLL CC Offers) gravy train for a little more than 1 year, to the tune of multiple biz plats and multiple biz golds. I’ve noticed that recently, the past 2-3 months, NLL offers (of any kind; email, online in account, pop-up, snail mailed) have decreased to the point of vanishing. Wondering if other people also have disappearing offers. Thank you.

(Definition of gravy train, noun: a much exploited source of easy money. Knew it would reach the station eventually .)

Dr Jabadski

Okay, I spoke posted too soon, mea culpa. Few days ago noticed another NLL Biz Plat offer in only 1 of the 6 or 7 cards in my online account. Thought about waiting until closer to the 7/31 expiration date, then thought if approved I could meet the MS with an estimated tax payment (due 6/15) and for SUBs it’s almost always better to receive it ASAP upon eligibility. Pulled the trigger, mission accomplished. This is getting to be ridiculous, I guess the train was just delayed for a little bit, nice to know it hasn’t reached the terminal !

Holy ridiculous Batman, upon logging into my account a few minutes after this approval I was greeted with a pop-up Biz Gold offer. This is almost TOO much ... even for me! (2-3 weeks until 90 days from last Biz Gold approval, way too much time for me to obsess about it. )

krazykanuck

For real - I have NLL offers for both the biz gold (which would be my 2nd) and the biz plat (would be my 4th!) And I don't even have a business. I'm just a "business," man.

Amex's marketing dept has gone cray cray.

Dr Jabadski

Nice, I’m at “4 and 2” also, if I hop on the latest offer (and get approved) I’ll be at “4 and 3”, sounds like a team win/loss record . I’ve had to create a separate (sub)spreadsheet just to track AmEx card monthly activity, used to have all cards on a single spreadsheet.

Well written LOL . I’m on the same train, I’m mostly retired, my business is mostly notional (a word I recently relearned here ).

BTW, I’ve managed to get a little confused about one aspect of this game/train ride and although it’s not specific to NLL offers, I couldn’t find an appropriate thread and didn’t want to start a new thread or make it a different post. Are new AmEx cards supposed to automatically populate one’s online account profile? IME Chase usually does that for both biz and personal cards and new AmEx cards have required my manual entry to “Add a Card to Online Management”. Is that the way it’s designed to work for AmEx? Thank you.

Could say they’ve gone “krazy” ?

I Love to Travel

Nothing for me as of now... although I can't really complain. Since the offers started coming in last year, I was able to open 4 biz plats and 1 biz gold. Plus, I added employee cards, each with a SUB.

In my case, the new accounts never populate automatically (neither do the AU cards). The cards gets added during the activation process of the new card when using my amex login information.

Biggie Fries

Okay, now that I am perhaps on the right thread ...

What are you 4-and-2-ers, 4-and-3-ers doing (planning to do) after the first year on these cards? The conservative side of me says that I should take whatever retention offer I can get, buy some more Dell stuff, and add to my UA Travel Bank (even though I never seem to fly UA).

The optimization side of me says that the real value is in the SUBs, and that a retention offer than includes some spend, even, say, $4K, is eating into my capacity to go after new offers. Plus I never seem to fly UA.

Dr Jabadski

Great question which I often debate with myself. My current thoughts, which of course could change in the next 5 minutes, are to cancel at 12.9 months unless an outstanding retention offer. “Outstanding” in this context meaning the equivalent of the annual fee or perhaps a SUB.

Agree, the main value of this gravy train are the SUBs, with lounge access as second perk. I do try to put some spend on each card. For me it’s easy to put spend on the Golds, just do gas and dining so get 4x for all. Not a major part of my overall credit card spend, maybe a few hundred per month. (These days trying to eat healthy at home and driving less with a fuel efficient car.) Cycle a different Gold in use every billing cycle (which I asked AmEx to coincide so my Golds close with a day or 2 and my Plats close with a day or 2 about 2 weeks later) so only have 1 Gold to pay each month.

My major credit card spend is taxes (due, estimated fed and state, property) which I use to meet minimum spends and to occasionally put $5K (for 1.5x) on a Plat, try to have one Plat to pay every few months, some months pass with no Plat payment due.

At least 1 or 2 departments at AmEx are okay with this, they’ve sent multiple targeted NLL offers which have all been instantly approved (except for 1 Biz Gold which I erroneously applied for within 90 days of previous approval and which was instantly approved when I applied again 2 weeks later) and SUB posted with a day or 2 of meeting every minimum spend. Figure a year or 2 until there’s a pattern of closing Biz Plats and Golds at 12.9 months so if it is “risky” it will be a while until (? another department at) AmEx figures it out. If they do recognize it and if they decide to punish me, figure they wouldn’t excommunicate, maybe just a spanking and MR points would have been worth it.

Yeah, a big part of this. I’m lucky, I’ve been able to spend UA TB funds on ski trips and NY-FLA tickets which have been relatively inexpensive over the past few years. Uncertain future with increasing ticket prices making award tickets more likely and potentially arithmetically greater (due to more Plats) UA TB funds to spend after January 1st. Although the Airline Fee credit is certainly sweet, it could be argued that even without it a 150K MR SUB is worth a $695 AF (and/or 90K Gold SUB is worth $250).

Hoping not to (re)start the endless discussion of what a point or mile or award is “worth” but the popular bloggers each estimate the value of a MR point at $0.017 to $0.022 so 150K MR are debatably “worth” $2550 to $3300, much more than the $695 AF. I’ve gotten at least $0.02-$0.03 per MR ($3,000-$4,500) with international biz awards, sometimes much more so to me the SUB completely justifies the AF, even without the other credits.

And (I’m almost sorry to write that) part of it is simply the enjoyment, challenge and satisfaction of earning the SUBs, kinda like a collector. Being active in this game keeps me intellectually stimulated and challenged which supposedly decreases the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s or other demetia*.

(* Keeping the brain active may help prevent dementia, study suggests.)

(* ... this study found that participation in cognitive activities involving games and puzzles is related to better cognitive abilities and larger volumes in AD (Alzheimer’s disease)-vulnerable brain structures in a cohort of at-risk, middle-aged adults.)

krazykanuck

I'm planning to cancel any and all of them unless I get a full fee waiver with no spend required, which is what I got last year on two of the biz plats, so I'm not expecting anything this year on those two. No sense paying to renew them when it seems there is always another NLL offer coming!

Dr Jabadski

Is there a way to “keep” a one-time pop-up NLL Offer which appears prior to preferred application date? Would it work to click on the link and then bookmark the next page? Thank you.

BTW FWIW, some state that AmEx Offers are identical across all AmEx cards and some state that (some) Offers are different for different cards. One datapoint, my AmEx login a month or 2 ago, is that a NLL Plat offer was present on only 1 of my 6 or 7 card account Offers lists. 2nd datapoint is a pop-up NLL Gold offer upon login a month ago which has not reappeared. (No current concern for gravy train ending but “watchful waiting”.)

(“Watchful waiting” (also watch and wait or WAW):
Closely watching a patient's condition but not giving treatment unless symptoms appear or change. Watchful waiting is sometimes used in conditions that progress slowly.
and/or
An approach to a medical problem in which time is allowed to pass before medical intervention or therapy is used. During this time, repeated testing may be performed.)