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 $6,500¹ spend in a reward year², you will earn 1% on Everyday Purchases³ (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)
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
¹ First '$6,500' is spend on all purchases.
² 'Reward year' is the 12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one in which the anniversary of your Card Account occurs.
³ '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 $6,500¹ spend in a reward year², you will earn 1% on Everyday Purchases³ (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)
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
¹ First '$6,500' is spend on all purchases.
² 'Reward year' is the 12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one in which the anniversary of your Card Account occurs.
³ '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)
#4081
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 13
Haven't been shut down. 15k CL. Have had the card for a few months now. Have done between 10-12k each month. Didn't make any purchases today. Last purchase was yesterday... 2k@CVS. Paid from all sorts of places including BB. Lots of regular spending mixed in too.
#4082
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 920
BTW, anybody remember just a week ago, the bragging of how much people spend and the subsequent pictures of proof that were put up?
No need to add fuel to the fire and I'm sure those that participated in that now see that...
No need to add fuel to the fire and I'm sure those that participated in that now see that...
#4083
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 25
data point:
spent about 90k this month (most ever by about 2x)
CL: 15k
last purchases was 10/21 in the evening ($3.5k)
not shut down yet
spent about 90k this month (most ever by about 2x)
CL: 15k
last purchases was 10/21 in the evening ($3.5k)
not shut down yet
#4084
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 151
We know that AmEx's terms say that it won't pay rewards on cancelled cards--but in the past it has done just that if I remember correctly. So let's panic about the closures--but let's not panic about lost rewards yet.
There's always time for that...if it happens. The fact that the closures seem limited to this particular card with other cards owned by the same customer left alone implies that AmEx doesn't want to kill off the entire relationship with the customer. I think that increases the chances that AmEx will pay the rewards on the closed accounts.
There's always time for that...if it happens. The fact that the closures seem limited to this particular card with other cards owned by the same customer left alone implies that AmEx doesn't want to kill off the entire relationship with the customer. I think that increases the chances that AmEx will pay the rewards on the closed accounts.
#4085
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Dallas
Programs: AA, Southwest
Posts: 175
Shut down today
Made a 1K purchase at Kroger and then received the email.
Done 100K-120K / month the last 3 months
What is the best way to get our accumulated rewards from AMEX? Should we write a letter?
Made a 1K purchase at Kroger and then received the email.
Done 100K-120K / month the last 3 months
What is the best way to get our accumulated rewards from AMEX? Should we write a letter?
#4086
Join Date: May 2013
Programs: DL PLT, AS 75k, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 391
I used this today at everyone's favorite three letter pharmacy, and generally do mid 5 figures a month. Have been doing this for the better part of this year. Still alive.......I'm the AU on an account that's about 10 years old.
#4087
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,060
Let's not jump the gun, wait and see if the rewards post to the inactive account.
#4088
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Madison,Wi.
Posts: 22
Have BC x2 , BCP and OBC. Used SO's BC yesterday. I can log into account. But when I try to redeem awards, I'm told account has been frozen. " Call customer service". No emails. All other accounts seem fine.
#4089
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 201
Now here's an interesting point...the email came on the 8th minute, just like the approvals/declines for agcs. So perhaps the cancellations were scheduled with some kind of auto-sweeping process.
My statement closed yesterday (or maybe the day before) and I put in a request to redeem ~$2k rewards yesterday morning. I hope at least those go through.
I do have other cards with Amex and those are unaffected. My home page still says member since 1997. Ha.
#4090
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: SAT
Programs: AA EXP BA Gold, TK Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, AS 100K, QR PLT, SAS Gold, IHG Spire, AMR
Posts: 5,898
What is the right course of action for those who have not been shut down?
A Slow down and see what happens?
B Continue and show no change in spending patterns?
C Go big and spend to the max of your CL tomorrow?
A Slow down and see what happens?
B Continue and show no change in spending patterns?
C Go big and spend to the max of your CL tomorrow?
#4091
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 201
Incidentally, I wasn't aware you could get more than one of this card, but it sounds like people have. Worth it to try and apply for another one?
#4092
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: SAT
Programs: AA EXP BA Gold, TK Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, AS 100K, QR PLT, SAS Gold, IHG Spire, AMR
Posts: 5,898
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.
Edit: Meant to add I was doing roughly double my credit line a month, mid 5 figures.
#4093
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: US Airways Gold, Marriott Platinum, SW A List
Posts: 1,575
You'd have to be an idiot to do option C. You risk not getting your next Rewards statement, and anything you spend tomorrow you will never see in rewards most likely.
#4095
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 13
That being said, I'm not brave enough to try that. Hoping my account lasts long enough for at least one more payout, not gonna put ANY more spending on it for quite a while.