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Old Jan 8, 2014, 2:22 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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.

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 6500), 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%)].

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.
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Old Oct 22, 2014, 5:22 pm
  #4066  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 1
I had to get a new user id because I'm paranoid since my user id is the same as my American Express user id.

But someone asked earlier did any of the shutdowns use Bluebird to pay off the card partially or in full? I didn't see anyone who's been shutdown respond. Or anyone that uses bluebird to pay off their balance respond either.

I for one do not use Bluebird to pay. I spend about 20k-30k per month and am still alive. I did use the card earlier (5pm EST) and no emails and I'm still alive online. My statement closes Monday so I will keep my fingers crossed.
mtc1222 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 5:23 pm
  #4067  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
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its gonna go like this...

every type of person gets shut down.

a % of those people fight it in court etc.

eventually the dust settles

amex revises the tcs

the card is still useable but at a different rate or capped etc.

the new people are safe.

Same as citi TYP.
Marathon Man is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 5:23 pm
  #4068  
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,057
Can some kind soul please upload a copy of the original terms and condition of OBC? We need documentation in case AMEX changes it again.
Rommie2k6 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 5:25 pm
  #4069  
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Join Date: Nov 2002
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Posts: 10,052
Originally Posted by aGeist
Marathon, are you really this upset after the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, you got off this card?
I knew there'd be someone who thought like this. Let me ax ya... since you already make money every month in your job, will you send me your paycheck from this month since you already make money? It's no big loss in the grande scheme of things, right?



yes. If not just cuzza the money, I am upset out of principle. Is what they did RIGHT to you?
Marathon Man is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 5:27 pm
  #4070  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Socal
Posts: 133
Originally Posted by Marathon Man
4) The original TCs which I have do say, among other things,

Eligible purchases do NOT include:

Purchase or reloading of prepaid cards or purchases of any cash equivalents.
Doesn't that settle it right there? Not sure about other products, but at least the U.S. Bank VGC starts its cardholder agreement with "The U.S. Bank Gift Card is a prepaid card issued by..."
voodoomonkey is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 5:28 pm
  #4071  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 349
Originally Posted by Marathon Man
yes. If not just cuzza the money, I am upset out of principle. Is what they did RIGHT to you?
I do 90-100k/volume month, I put on the card in a week what I make in a year.
Yes, not your level but certainly not low either.

But lets not fool ourselves here, this wasn't a 'job,' this was income. We weren't actually producing anything of value, it was simply using a loophole in the system to move money around on paper (kind of like what those big hedge fund people do - make billions off other's hard work).

I only wish I utilized it as long as you had been.
aGeist is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 5:41 pm
  #4072  
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Originally Posted by voodoomonkey
Doesn't that settle it right there? Not sure about other products, but at least the U.S. Bank VGC starts its cardholder agreement with "The U.S. Bank Gift Card is a prepaid card issued by..."
But this is "Eligible purchases", i.e. those that get rewards, not "Permitted purchases" (where buying something not on the list would be forbidden).
So I can use the card to buy a VGC. I have never phoned Amex and demanded points for that purchase, they gave them to me (and maybe I never realized).

So I don't think that buying non-eligible purchases really should matter, as both MM and I have said, the onus is on them not to give rewards on such purchases.
silver6054 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 5:47 pm
  #4073  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: Delta Platinum, Air Berlin Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Platinum, SPG Platinum
Posts: 53
Shutdown here - haven't received an email. Actually got a fraud alert on the card (someone tried to use it to make purchases at a subway in Miami), called in to the fraud department, then when the fraud department tried to give me a new card they told me that my card had been cancelled by the credit department for some reason. Checked online and my account had been cancelled. Low 5 figures a month on this card at drugstores/grocery stores for maybe 6 months or so.
pointsaddict3326 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 5:52 pm
  #4074  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Socal
Posts: 133
Originally Posted by silver6054
But this is "Eligible purchases", i.e. those that get rewards, not "Permitted purchases" (where buying something not on the list would be forbidden).
So I can use the card to buy a VGC. I have never phoned Amex and demanded points for that purchase, they gave them to me (and maybe I never realized).

So I don't think that buying non-eligible purchases really should matter, as both MM and I have said, the onus is on them not to give rewards on such purchases.
Fair enough, but wasn't the conversation about suing them for points that are clearly "non-eligible"? I'd be more worried about them taking a hard line and demanding repayment for past cashback given erroneously.
voodoomonkey is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 5:52 pm
  #4075  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: 718
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, IHG Diamond
Posts: 966
Dear all-- just wanted your opinion on this. I currently have a Blue Sky in my amex portfolio. (opened it back then when they gave $500 for travel after $500 spend in 3 months) and kept it since for the Amex offers. Do you think it is still possible TODAY to ask amex to switch my Blue Sky to this Blue Cash credit card? I would like your opinions and if there are any success stories so I know it is still possible to get it.
zzrayzz is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 6:28 pm
  #4076  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 201
Oh man, I just got a shutdown email. I'm so crestfallen, this was my best card. I thought Amex was pretty safe from shutdowns so I was really surprised, and then i come here and see it's been common as of late. Ugh.

Edit: Meant to add I was doing roughly double my credit line a month, mid 5 figures.
unkinected is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 6:32 pm
  #4077  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Warm, sunny Florida
Posts: 251
Originally Posted by unkinected
Oh man, I just got a shutdown email. I'm so crestfallen, this was my best card. I thought Amex was pretty safe from shutdowns so I was really surprised, and then i come here and see it's been common as of late. Ugh.

Edit: Meant to add I was doing roughly double my credit line a month, mid 5 figures.
Did you use the card today? That's the data point folks are interested in.
nuclfusion is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 6:37 pm
  #4078  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 139
Old Amex Blue

I figure I'll add my data for what it's worth... Not shut down, used the card Monday for 400$ at a gas station, used it for 1$ Just barely at gas station. I have 2k cl and put about that in 5x category each month. Rarely exceeded cl though. Had card since January I think
whitey4545 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 6:39 pm
  #4079  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: Delta Platinum, Air Berlin Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Platinum, SPG Platinum
Posts: 53
Anyone that thinks that this is going to be solely triggered by a transaction made today is a fool. This is an obvious concerted action to shutdown large spenders in bonus categories at the very least, if this is not the beginning of a phased shutdown of the product altogether.
pointsaddict3326 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 6:46 pm
  #4080  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 920
Originally Posted by pointsaddict3326
Anyone that thinks that this is going to be solely triggered by a transaction made today is a fool. This is an obvious concerted action to shutdown large spenders in bonus categories at the very least, if this is not the beginning of a phased shutdown of the product altogether.
Plenty of whales still floating around here. If you still have yours open, why don't you test this theory for us and spend some credit today ^
hitman1420 is offline  


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