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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 $6,500 spend in a reward year, you will earn 1% on Everyday Purchases (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)

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
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.

'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 23 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 23, 2014, 9:06 pm
  #4351  
Moderator: Manufactured Spending
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,584
Originally Posted by gloobnib
I respectfully disagree.

Isn't knowing what causes a shutdown entirely relevant to this discussion? IMHO it is very "on-topic" for everyone here to exchange information surrounding the shutdown and try to collectively determine which actions may have contributed/led up to the shutdown.

If that type of discussion is now "off topic", then we may as well just close the thread; this method of MS is done.

Gloob
Just to clarify, the posts that I removed were mostly debating what causes companies to shut down entire avenues for MS. Those are the types of debates that end up cluttering Flyertalk with endless repetition of the same arguments. Debating what causes Amex to shut down an individual's account is very relevant and can be discussed here. Sorry for any confusion.
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 9:11 pm
  #4352  
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: MCO
Programs: AA 1MM, BA, UA, HH Dia, CC Gold, SPG Plat
Posts: 795
Originally Posted by BigDawgFT
Still alive. Haven't used the card at CVS since OVs stopped working reliably at WM. Now, I'm more of a grocery type of guy.
But have you used your card today?
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 9:15 pm
  #4353  
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: a hotel room, somewhere...
Posts: 962
my surrogate account which does about 10k/ month just got an email from amex blue... the 2% at whole foods promo. whew. still alive. now just ~3 days from statement end, so laying low in accordance with the golden rule: don't be dumb

that said, was anyone shut down today? if they're doing a purge, they sure did leave a lot of heavy hitters standing...
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 9:17 pm
  #4354  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 59
Originally Posted by Hilbe
Has anyone that got shut down called AMEX? I'm debating making a call to see what they say. Any chance of getting prior rewards?
I posted this earlier...but this is what happens when you call them:

My wife and I both have had this card for over 6 months with no issues. We have not spent anything since yesterday. My friend attempted to purchase GCs today and received a cancellation e-mail soon afterwards.

He actually called American Express support and was told the following: "The spending was a violation of purchasing only "personal / family " related items, which was sufficient grounds to cancel the card.

He also requested they provide him the pending cash back and they said because the terms of use were violated the cash back would not be paid.

Background: My friend had this card for about 3 months, about 11,000 CL, spent about 20k to 30k per month with no issues until yesterday.
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 9:17 pm
  #4355  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 12
Originally Posted by aGeist
I learned from fw ironically... Didn't know of ft till a while after. I'm a hh but I'm not so sure thus forum killed it...no I believe the real hh did... At one point they will notice, now we know when. It wasn't the small fish but us doing six figure ranges each month in 5% cat...

My card is still open....

Edit: forgot to add...fw would red anyone WHO posted useful advice too...
You understand a public company like Amex has to explain why certain line items on the financial statements increased QoverQ or YoverY? When the CEO and CFO must sign off on those financials and it is in their face a huge increase in rewards expense, they ask questions and demand changes. It is the total of that expense, not what a few people are doing, but the aggregate $ amount. Several hundred million in additional rewards expense isn't a few people doing 6 figures monthly. Got it?
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 9:41 pm
  #4356  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 48
Originally Posted by jdcbomb
My friend attempted to purchase GCs today and received a cancellation e-mail soon afterwards.
Where?
Bryant Leeds is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2014, 9:55 pm
  #4357  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Midwest
Programs: AA LT Gold 1MM ,Hyatt Explorist,Marriott Platinum,HHonors Diamond
Posts: 364
False Alarm!

Originally Posted by uncommonsensical
my surrogate account which does about 10k/ month just got an email from amex blue... the 2% at whole foods promo. whew. still alive. now just ~3 days from statement end, so laying low in accordance with the golden rule: don't be dumb

that said, was anyone shut down today? if they're doing a purge, they sure did leave a lot of heavy hitters standing...

Yeah ...I was finally ready to accept my fate and the imminent account closure when I got the AMEX email in my inbox .....about the 2% at whole foods....still breathing.....for now.....I signed up for it just in case my account(s) survive the massacre........they don't sell GC's do they?
OHijAAzi73 is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2014, 9:56 pm
  #4358  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: San Antonio, TX
Programs: UA Premier Gold, AA, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum Elite, Hyatt Gold
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Just confirmed with local reps of AMEX that this was a result of a review of spending behavior and merchants termed an FR. They have no line item data, only high level purchases. They just identified accounts that exhibit behaviors that are typically synonymous with MS and shut them down. They don't truly know if they are MSing or not, but they are calling bluff.
KhaiGoBed is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2014, 10:07 pm
  #4359  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 349
Originally Posted by jcohen73
You understand a public company like Amex has to explain why certain line items on the financial statements increased QoverQ or YoverY? When the CEO and CFO must sign off on those financials and it is in their face a huge increase in rewards expense, they ask questions and demand changes. It is the total of that expense, not what a few people are doing, but the aggregate $ amount. Several hundred million in additional rewards expense isn't a few people doing 6 figures monthly. Got it?
[redacted personal comment]

it had to end sometime, did it not?

Last edited by aGeist; Oct 23, 2014 at 10:49 pm
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 10:12 pm
  #4360  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: LAX
Posts: 546
Originally Posted by KhaiGoBed
Just confirmed with local reps of AMEX that this was a result of a review of spending behavior and merchants termed an FR. They have no line item data, only high level purchases. They just identified accounts that exhibit behaviors that are typically synonymous with MS and shut them down. They don't truly know if they are MSing or not, but they are calling bluff.
what do you mean by local resps of Amex

Originally Posted by uncommonsensical
that said, was anyone shut down today? if they're doing a purge, they sure did leave a lot of heavy hitters standing...
I, too, want to know this. How many people received shutdown notice today?
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 10:13 pm
  #4361  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,511
Originally Posted by KhaiGoBed
Just confirmed with local reps of AMEX that this was a result of a review of spending behavior and merchants termed an FR. They have no line item data, only high level purchases. They just identified accounts that exhibit behaviors that are typically synonymous with MS and shut them down. They don't truly know if they are MSing or not, but they are calling bluff.
What do you mean by "termed an FR"? Are you saying that the few select merchants requested a review of people's financial capability of their purchases to see if they are solvent?
ericdabbs is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2014, 10:19 pm
  #4362  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
Originally Posted by Songer5
I wonder when it will be safe to go back into the water. I'm not shut down yet (only did $8-10k/mo), but I'm staying completely out for the time being.
I've used my account as usual. No problems.
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 10:21 pm
  #4363  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Los Angles
Posts: 2,101
Originally Posted by jcohen73
You understand a public company like Amex has to explain why certain line items on the financial statements increased QoverQ or YoverY? When the CEO and CFO must sign off on those financials and it is in their face a huge increase in rewards expense, they ask questions and demand changes. It is the total of that expense, not what a few people are doing, but the aggregate $ amount. Several hundred million in additional rewards expense isn't a few people doing 6 figures monthly. Got it?
Seems like this thread has business analysis from MBAs and corporate lawyers, they all posts here pro bono
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 10:27 pm
  #4364  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: San Antonio, TX
Programs: UA Premier Gold, AA, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum Elite, Hyatt Gold
Posts: 21
...... FR is a financial review. Local means local, reps in India aren't local.
KhaiGoBed is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2014, 10:34 pm
  #4365  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 342
Originally Posted by Hbax
I've been following the bloodbath since yesterday, so here's my question. Has anyone not doing MS @ CVS been shutdown ? Not counting regular spend, but ZERO MS spending @ CVS ?
Targeting the druggies first, perhaps, but grasping at straws if you don't think more cancellations are soon to follow.

Last edited by sybloc; Oct 24, 2014 at 6:30 am
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