Global Card Relationship (fka Global Transfers) experiences
Aug 4, 2018, 3:18 am
#406
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Dubai, UAE
Programs: Avis - PP, Bonvoy - Plat, BA - Bro, Hilton - Dia, Miles&More - FTL, Skywards - Sil, Sixt - Plat
Posts: 258
I ended up doing it this way to finalise the application. I submitted it on Wednesday but received nothing confirming application was now received, so with the speed that DE stuff works who knows when I will next hear something 
I put my UK plat number in, so I'm hoping that it will go through the Global Transfer channels.
I put my UK plat number in, so I'm hoping that it will go through the Global Transfer channels.
Aug 4, 2018, 3:34 am
#407
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Dubai, UAE
Programs: Avis - PP, Bonvoy - Plat, BA - Bro, Hilton - Dia, Miles&More - FTL, Skywards - Sil, Sixt - Plat
Posts: 258
I was advised by Amex UK that the process for Germany was to apply for a new card, and use my UK Amex card number as an existing card when completing the application, which should mean it gets processed as a global transfer.
After doing a an online ID verification involving showing my passport to a webcam, I *think* that my application has now been submitted, but haven't received anything in my mails to confirm this.
German finances move very very slowly, so getting any kind of correspondence back could take some time. After reading some things in this thread, I am also not entirely confident that it will get processed via the Global Transfer route, but we will see.
After doing a an online ID verification involving showing my passport to a webcam, I *think* that my application has now been submitted, but haven't received anything in my mails to confirm this.
German finances move very very slowly, so getting any kind of correspondence back could take some time. After reading some things in this thread, I am also not entirely confident that it will get processed via the Global Transfer route, but we will see.
Aug 4, 2018, 3:56 am
#408
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: DXB
Programs: Marriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, BA Silver, A3 Gold, Sixt Diamond
Posts: 2,806
The ID verification is handled by an external company for Amex Germany, as far as I know. That’s why it will take some time in any case. I don’t think they’ll even process the application without ID verification.
Aug 5, 2018, 11:48 pm
#409
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Berlin
Programs: BA Gold; Accor Plat; IHG Diamond-Amb; Meliá & HH & Marriott Gold
Posts: 5,447
I spoke to Amex Germany and asked them to initiate Global Transfer. I completed ID verification and the card was issued. My account shows a joining year of 2018, however, and a conversation with an Amex telephone agent left me feeling that Global Transfer probably hadn't played a role.
Aug 6, 2018, 12:27 am
#410
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Dubai, UAE
Programs: Avis - PP, Bonvoy - Plat, BA - Bro, Hilton - Dia, Miles&More - FTL, Skywards - Sil, Sixt - Plat
Posts: 258
I started going through this process in late May (US to Germany). The final screen I saw told me that my application had been provisionally approved ("Ihr Antrag ist unter Vorbehalt genehmigt!"). At that point I hadn't had an opportunity to enter my US card number and had not completed the ID verification (which, as ChocolateFactory says, is handled by POSTIDENT). I was surprised by "provisionally approved", as I'd assumed I would need Global Transfer to persuade Amex to issue a Platinum card.
I spoke to Amex Germany and asked them to initiate Global Transfer. I completed ID verification and the card was issued. My account shows a joining year of 2018, however, and a conversation with an Amex telephone agent left me feeling that Global Transfer probably hadn't played a role.
I spoke to Amex Germany and asked them to initiate Global Transfer. I completed ID verification and the card was issued. My account shows a joining year of 2018, however, and a conversation with an Amex telephone agent left me feeling that Global Transfer probably hadn't played a role.
But because of being held in a queue and issues with light reflecting off of the hologram on my UK passport, it took about 30 minutes to go through the Post Ident process. When that was finished, I had a timed out page. I've not received anything from Amex DE apart from a mail sent just before the webcam post ident, telling me that I needed to provide ID in order to finalise my application.
I'll try calling Amex to see if I can find out whether this application did actually get submitted properly as not heard anything since Wednesday's Post Ident email.
Aug 6, 2018, 1:17 am
#411
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: DXB
Programs: Marriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, BA Silver, A3 Gold, Sixt Diamond
Posts: 2,806
JFTR:
POSTIDENT is where you go to the post office (this the name), it’s run by Deutsche Post.
The “videoident” thing (where you hold your passport in front of your webcam) is run by another third-party company. Not sure what they’re called.
POSTIDENT is where you go to the post office (this the name), it’s run by Deutsche Post.
The “videoident” thing (where you hold your passport in front of your webcam) is run by another third-party company. Not sure what they’re called.
Aug 6, 2018, 4:25 am
#413
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: DXB
Programs: Marriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, BA Silver, A3 Gold, Sixt Diamond
Posts: 2,806
Interesting! I didn't even know they have an app. The last time I did this video ident thing (in May, I think), it seemed like it wasn't connected to either Amex or Deutsche Post, and the whole thing seemed really unprofessional (some guy working from home or so).
Aug 7, 2018, 1:19 am
#414
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Dubai, UAE
Programs: Avis - PP, Bonvoy - Plat, BA - Bro, Hilton - Dia, Miles&More - FTL, Skywards - Sil, Sixt - Plat
Posts: 258
I spoke to someone at Amex DE today - it seems that they didn't have my full UK card number (odd as I remember you have to enter it in, in three parts) and there was a note on the application saying "possible global transfer but incomplete card number" so the application had just... stopped!
The guy on the phone manually populated my UK Amex card number, so hopefully it will start moving forward again.
EDIT: I then had a call 30 minutes later asking if I wanted the "member since" year to be the same as my personal cards or my corporate card; seems a bit premature to ask since I've not had my application processed and approved yet!
The guy on the phone manually populated my UK Amex card number, so hopefully it will start moving forward again.
EDIT: I then had a call 30 minutes later asking if I wanted the "member since" year to be the same as my personal cards or my corporate card; seems a bit premature to ask since I've not had my application processed and approved yet!
Last edited by Mackle; Aug 7, 2018 at 2:48 am
Aug 14, 2018, 3:39 pm
#415
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Dubai, UAE
Programs: Avis - PP, Bonvoy - Plat, BA - Bro, Hilton - Dia, Miles&More - FTL, Skywards - Sil, Sixt - Plat
Posts: 258
I guess this means that I've been accepted for something, since it appears to be welcoming me to the German Rewards Points:-
I'm not sure about the bonus point thing, but maybe this will end up being a better point collection card than my UK ones...
Guten Tag, Mackle
wir freuen uns Sie als Mitglied des Membership Rewards® Programms begrüßen zu dürfen.
Sie erhalten ab sofort für jeden Euro einen Bonuspunkt - Punkten Sie mit jedem Karteneinsatz und während Ihrer Mitgliedschaft ohne Verfallsdatum. Sammeln Sie weltweit überall dort, wo Sie mit Ihrer American Express® Karte bezahlen, und Ihre Zusatzkarten sammeln automatisch mit. Allein in Deutschland können Sie bei mehreren hunderttausend ausgewählten Adressen einfach und bargeldlos bezahlen.
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Bei Fragen erreichen Sie das Membership Rewards Service Team Montag bis Freitag von 8.00 - 20.00 Uhr telefonisch unter 069 9797-1515.
Wir wünschen Ihnen viel Spaß beim Punkten,
Ihr Membership Rewards Service Team
wir freuen uns Sie als Mitglied des Membership Rewards® Programms begrüßen zu dürfen.
Sie erhalten ab sofort für jeden Euro einen Bonuspunkt - Punkten Sie mit jedem Karteneinsatz und während Ihrer Mitgliedschaft ohne Verfallsdatum. Sammeln Sie weltweit überall dort, wo Sie mit Ihrer American Express® Karte bezahlen, und Ihre Zusatzkarten sammeln automatisch mit. Allein in Deutschland können Sie bei mehreren hunderttausend ausgewählten Adressen einfach und bargeldlos bezahlen.
Ihren tagesaktuellen Punktestand finden Sie jederzeit unter www.membershiprewards.de Hier können Sie sich auch gleich einen Überblick über die gesamte Membership Rewards Prämienwelt verschaffen.
Bei Fragen erreichen Sie das Membership Rewards Service Team Montag bis Freitag von 8.00 - 20.00 Uhr telefonisch unter 069 9797-1515.
Wir wünschen Ihnen viel Spaß beim Punkten,
Ihr Membership Rewards Service Team
Aug 16, 2018, 5:10 am
#416
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Dubai, UAE
Programs: Avis - PP, Bonvoy - Plat, BA - Bro, Hilton - Dia, Miles&More - FTL, Skywards - Sil, Sixt - Plat
Posts: 258
Received my DE Amex plat yesterday, so exactly two weeks from application to card in hand.
But no big welcome pack in a fancy box with the card inside, it was just an ansumming letter - unlike my UK. Is that because they don’t issue those in Germany or because I was transferred as an existing UK plat?
But no big welcome pack in a fancy box with the card inside, it was just an ansumming letter - unlike my UK. Is that because they don’t issue those in Germany or because I was transferred as an existing UK plat?
Aug 16, 2018, 5:20 am
#417
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Dubai, UAE
Programs: Avis - PP, Bonvoy - Plat, BA - Bro, Hilton - Dia, Miles&More - FTL, Skywards - Sil, Sixt - Plat
Posts: 258
Odd, I never received any of those mails. I got the Postident mail at the end of the online application, then 13 days later an email in German welcoming me to Rewards Points, and saying something about indefinite bonus rewards points but no actual details about it, and on the 14th day my card arrived in the post in an unassuming envelope, whereas my UK plat arrived in a box and really did feel special because of the way it was packaged.
I was able to sign in to Amex DE with my existing Amex ID, but when I tried to activate the card it told me I had to create a new ID and my existing ID couldn’t be used with that card.
Aug 16, 2018, 5:31 am
#418
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
Odd, I never received any of those mails. I got the Postident mail at the end of the online application, then 13 days later an email in German welcoming me to Rewards Points, and saying something about indefinite bonus rewards points but no actual details about it, and on the 14th day my card arrived in the post in an unassuming envelope, whereas my UK plat arrived in a box and really did feel special because of the way it was packaged.
I was able to sign in to Amex DE with my existing Amex ID, but when I tried to activate the card it told me I had to create a new ID and my existing ID couldn’t be used with that card.
I did have to recreate a new login for the D card.
Aug 16, 2018, 10:46 am
#420
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
