Last edit by: TheDapperDon
Bonus category spending is now capped at $50k per year for new accounts. For now, this does not apply to existing cardholders, although Amex may continue to close accounts for excessive spend in bonus categories. This card is less viable as an MS instrument. Consider factors that may have led to these closures when sharing personal experiences.
Oct 22, 2014 onwards: Many people getting cancellation email from Amex. As of Dec 13, 2014, shutdown reports continue. Shutdowns appear to be triggered by spending on the card or upon statement closure, but not always
Some who have been shutdown are reporting back that AMEX is declining new non-OBC card applications due to "unsatisfactory relationship". (However, see here for an example where reconsideration was successful.) It is unclear at this time the length/extent of this Adverse Action/Ban.
Others have succeeded in getting new cards, including new OBCs, but consider your relationship with Amex and how much you value that and this card when deciding how to use it.
There might be some impact with other issuers. If AMEX sends you a cancellation it goes on your record as a cancellation by AMEX, not a cancellation by cardholder. While FICO score does not distinguish between closed by issuer and closed by cardholder, on manual review it may raise questions. However, issuers close cards for benign reasons as well (such as non-use) so unless several cards have been closed it probably won't cause a rejection by itself.
So, if you still feel it is worth it:
Application Link: Copy & paste the following link into a incognito window in Chrome or InPrivate Browsing in IE, Private Session in Firefox. There have been reports of people who got the card in the last couple of months getting shut down because of the rush to spend the initial $6,500.
Do NOT post "Link isn't working" until you have tried it incognito/private browsing and it fails there.
Up to 5% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations & select U.S. drugstores (Everyday Purchases). Up to 1% Cash Back on other purchases. For your first $6,500ą spend in a reward year˛, you will earn 1% on Everyday Purchasesł (5% after 6500⁴), and 0.5% on other purchases (then 1%).
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months.
Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Additional terms and restrictions apply. (Presume these T&Cs are standard and that all credit cards state this)
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
ą First '$6,500' is spend on all purchases.
˛ 'Reward year' is the 12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one in which the anniversary of your Card Account occurs.
ł 'everyday purchases' refers to U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations & select U.S. drugstores, not all purchases.
* Read the fine print for 'gas' purchases! Right from AMEX T&C's:
...Everyday Purchases are: ... $400 or less of gasoline at gas stations located in the U.S. (superstores, supermarkets and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are not considered gas stations)... A >$400 purchase at a gas station will get 5% for the first $400 and 1% thereafter. E.g., for something, say, $503.95, you would earn $21.04 CB [($400*5%)+(103.95*1%)].
⁴ 5% kicks in immediately after hitting $6500.(mid-statement). In fact, it will even kick in mid-purchase and a portion of the purchase will credit at the higher rate.
* Reward dollars for the previous statement period show up a day or two after the current statement period closes.
* Most cash back redemptions will be applied to your statement within 2–3 days.
* Helpful post regarding moving CL between cards. Thanks lad2
* How to Visually Distinguish the Three Types of Blue Cash Cards:
Blue Cash (old) has a "<" character to the left of the word CASH
Blue Cash Everyday has a circle to the right of the word CASH, with the "Everyday" wording at the back.
Blue Cash Preferred has the word PREFERRED printed vertically on the extreme left side.
If you get the error message "You cannot be logged in. Please contact the number on the back of your card." when trying to redeem Reward Dollars online, it may be because you have too many closed accounts still showing in your scrolling images of cards. Delete the closed ones, then try to redeem again.
Oct 22, 2014 onwards: Many people getting cancellation email from Amex. As of Dec 13, 2014, shutdown reports continue. Shutdowns appear to be triggered by spending on the card or upon statement closure, but not always
Some who have been shutdown are reporting back that AMEX is declining new non-OBC card applications due to "unsatisfactory relationship". (However, see here for an example where reconsideration was successful.) It is unclear at this time the length/extent of this Adverse Action/Ban.
Others have succeeded in getting new cards, including new OBCs, but consider your relationship with Amex and how much you value that and this card when deciding how to use it.
There might be some impact with other issuers. If AMEX sends you a cancellation it goes on your record as a cancellation by AMEX, not a cancellation by cardholder. While FICO score does not distinguish between closed by issuer and closed by cardholder, on manual review it may raise questions. However, issuers close cards for benign reasons as well (such as non-use) so unless several cards have been closed it probably won't cause a rejection by itself.
So, if you still feel it is worth it:
Application Link: Copy & paste the following link into a incognito window in Chrome or InPrivate Browsing in IE, Private Session in Firefox. There have been reports of people who got the card in the last couple of months getting shut down because of the rush to spend the initial $6,500.
Do NOT post "Link isn't working" until you have tried it incognito/private browsing and it fails there.
Code:
https://www304.americanexpress.com/credit-card/blue-cash/25330
Up to 5% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations & select U.S. drugstores (Everyday Purchases). Up to 1% Cash Back on other purchases. For your first $6,500ą spend in a reward year˛, you will earn 1% on Everyday Purchasesł (5% after 6500⁴), and 0.5% on other purchases (then 1%).
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months.
Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Additional terms and restrictions apply. (Presume these T&Cs are standard and that all credit cards state this)
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
ą First '$6,500' is spend on all purchases.
˛ 'Reward year' is the 12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one in which the anniversary of your Card Account occurs.
ł 'everyday purchases' refers to U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations & select U.S. drugstores, not all purchases.
* Read the fine print for 'gas' purchases! Right from AMEX T&C's:
...Everyday Purchases are: ... $400 or less of gasoline at gas stations located in the U.S. (superstores, supermarkets and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are not considered gas stations)... A >$400 purchase at a gas station will get 5% for the first $400 and 1% thereafter. E.g., for something, say, $503.95, you would earn $21.04 CB [($400*5%)+(103.95*1%)].
⁴ 5% kicks in immediately after hitting $6500.(mid-statement). In fact, it will even kick in mid-purchase and a portion of the purchase will credit at the higher rate.
* Reward dollars for the previous statement period show up a day or two after the current statement period closes.
* Most cash back redemptions will be applied to your statement within 2–3 days.
* Helpful post regarding moving CL between cards. Thanks lad2
* How to Visually Distinguish the Three Types of Blue Cash Cards:
Blue Cash (old) has a "<" character to the left of the word CASH
Blue Cash Everyday has a circle to the right of the word CASH, with the "Everyday" wording at the back.
Blue Cash Preferred has the word PREFERRED printed vertically on the extreme left side.
If you get the error message "You cannot be logged in. Please contact the number on the back of your card." when trying to redeem Reward Dollars online, it may be because you have too many closed accounts still showing in your scrolling images of cards. Delete the closed ones, then try to redeem again.
Old Amex Blue (2013-2014)
#3826
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Hilton, Hyatt, Priority, SPG - AA, Hawaiian Airline, United, US Airline
Posts: 608
I really dont know why many people want to show off their spending for this card. Some people show their true amount, and some show over their amount. I still dont know what is the point of showing off?
In addition, why are people curious about other people spending on this card?
In addition, why are people curious about other people spending on this card?
Last edited by happy9zz; Oct 17, 2014 at 11:50 am
#3828
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
I really dont know why many people want to show off their spending for this card. Some people show their true amount, and some show over their amount. I still dont know what is the point of showing off?
In addition, why are people curious about other people spending on this card?
In addition, why are people curious about other people spending on this card?
As others have pointed out, very much a flawed assumption that what is OK for A is OK for B. But still perhaps some value. If people were getting shutdown for $1K a month, or everyone seemed to be doing $200K a month without trouble, providing I could trust the stories (another big if), I get some low-value info
#3829
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: USA
Programs: Any and All
Posts: 198
Here's an idea: keep this conversation in PM's so it doesn't get shut down as fast as every other good loophole we've closed over the years due to overexposure. Let this thread die. If you have a question, send someone a PM rather than reply to the thread (yes I'm a hypocrite in replying, but this is my one post).
#3830
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 201
Hey guys...my first statement cycle closed on September 16 and no cash back posted. My second statement closed yesterday and still no cash back (shows zero). I don't want to call Amex to avoid drawing attention to the account. Does anyone have experience as to how long it takes for the cash back to post for a brand new card member with two billing cycles that closed?
#3831
Join Date: May 2013
Location: AZ
Programs: AA, UA, US
Posts: 525
Hey guys...my first statement cycle closed on September 16 and no cash back posted. My second statement closed yesterday and still no cash back (shows zero). I don't want to call Amex to avoid drawing attention to the account. Does anyone have experience as to how long it takes for the cash back to post for a brand new card member with two billing cycles that closed?
#3832
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 427
Here's an idea: keep this conversation in PM's so it doesn't get shut down as fast as every other good loophole we've closed over the years due to overexposure. Let this thread die. If you have a question, send someone a PM rather than reply to the thread (yes I'm a hypocrite in replying, but this is my one post).
#3835
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
Hey guys...my first statement cycle closed on September 16 and no cash back posted. My second statement closed yesterday and still no cash back (shows zero). I don't want to call Amex to avoid drawing attention to the account. Does anyone have experience as to how long it takes for the cash back to post for a brand new card member with two billing cycles that closed?
if you still can't figure it out, you may have to open a conversation if you don't like to call and ask the rep if they can help you understand.
#3836
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: WI
Posts: 181
the first statement is usually zero and the second reflects reward dollars for all qualified spend. In your case, was all your charges from 9/16 till statement cut limited to loading Serve? afaik, loads to Serve don't earn reward dollars but will count for reaching threshold. But if you made charges on items that qualify for everyday spend, there should be some RD posted in cents to a few dollars.
if you still can't figure it out, you may have to open a conversation if you don't like to call and ask the rep if they can help you understand.
if you still can't figure it out, you may have to open a conversation if you don't like to call and ask the rep if they can help you understand.
#3838
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 148
data point: called for a pc from BCE to old blue cash, CSR said "sorry we can't change to that card." i asked why and she said some cards just aren't available for product change. this goes against some of the data points in this thread, so i dont advocate trusting my experience 100%, but thought id share. maybe it's individual-specific?
went ahead and applied for the card and was approved, so im happy
went ahead and applied for the card and was approved, so im happy
#3839
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: So Cal
Programs: UA Gold/0.744MM, WN AL, Hyatt Diamond, MR Scum, Hertz PC, National Exec, Avis PC
Posts: 5,560
Got an email today from Amex. Extra 2% cash back at Whole Foods. It appears they don't play in the GC game, but I suppose there's a possibility they could run this promo again:
http://saverocity.com/chasingthepoin...rn-profitably/
That would allow you to turn an ~8% profit (giftcards.com is currently offering 92% for WF).
Promo sign up:
https://www.americanexpress.com/us/c...ash/index.html
http://saverocity.com/chasingthepoin...rn-profitably/
That would allow you to turn an ~8% profit (giftcards.com is currently offering 92% for WF).
Promo sign up:
https://www.americanexpress.com/us/c...ash/index.html