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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 $6,500¹ spend in a reward year², you will earn 1% on Everyday Purchases³ (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)

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
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%)].

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 Amex Blue (2013-2014)

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Old Nov 26, 2014, 3:37 pm
  #5731  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Down South, The Desert
Programs: Marriot Rewards, Southwest Rapid rewards, Emerald Club, Avis Preferred
Posts: 1,871
Originally Posted by slickjolly
I wonder why they don't just convert people to a more modern version of the card that pays out at the lower percentage rather than canceling them? And why leave that old link to apply active? Seems odd that AmEx is taking this approach. I was going to apply for this card, but it doesn't seem to make much sense now. Even if I went light on the MS, looks like I'd eventually get it shut down.
I think they have to be making some money here, somewhere. I think they had a threshold for RD they would pay out on these cards. When the threshold was crossed, they made cuts. Otherwise, we would have received a letter detailing changes for January with regards to the rewards program.
TheDapperDon is offline  
Old Nov 26, 2014, 3:41 pm
  #5732  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Just saw this post in the Amex subforum:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/23895695-post1.html

In particular:

CS also offered that I can email [email protected] with copies of my purchases and proof that they were eligible purchases.

So, if any one can explain why those gift cards were eligible....
silver6054 is offline  
Old Nov 26, 2014, 5:46 pm
  #5733  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,872
Originally Posted by cyclotron
Cancelled 30 minutes ago
can you tell me why in detail?
thanks
Blueskyheaven is offline  
Old Nov 26, 2014, 6:51 pm
  #5734  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: LAC
Programs: Regal Crown Club
Posts: 488
Originally Posted by slickjolly
And why leave that old link to apply active? Seems odd that AmEx is taking this approach. I was going to apply for this card, but it doesn't seem to make much sense now.
Just applied for my wife the other day and she was instantly approved. This is her very first Amex ever. Got her a Bluebird as well. She said she wants to save some money on the rent ^ I wonder where she got that idea from
Julian Brennan is offline  
Old Nov 26, 2014, 7:38 pm
  #5735  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 191
Originally Posted by Julian Brennan
Just applied for my wife the other day and she was instantly approved. This is her very first Amex ever. Got her a Bluebird as well. She said she wants to save some money on the rent ^ I wonder where she got that idea from
make sure she doesn't sign any long term leases
tommy14 is offline  
Old Nov 26, 2014, 8:01 pm
  #5736  
Formerly known as FTRox87
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: TX
Programs: AA/US 1M, AS, BA, CX, EK, EY, JL, KE, LH, NH, OS, QF, QR, TG, UA/CO | *$G
Posts: 1,428
Originally Posted by Jetsfan
For those closed, any reports on successful attempts in getting Amex to pay reward dollars owed?
why do you think people like MM stopped inciting folks to sue AMEX left and right? he got every penny of his $17k back thru one persistent method.

Originally Posted by gloobnib
Similarly, I think a lot of people underestimate just how expensive medications can be. 'Name Brand' newish medications can easily exceed $500 for a 30 day supply. Some are considerably more expensive than that. Multiply that by a family of 5 and you are talking some serious cash outlay. Sure, it gets reimbursed eventually, but again it is easy to come up with scenarios of $2k-$5k of legitimate CVS spend.

Point is, Amex risks pissing off some VERY affluent customers if they draw that line too low. As someone else up-thread said, I think annual income probably plays a significant role here as well.
cept with the bargaining power AMEX has, they are most likely getting L3 data and know what you're buying. so that excuse doesnt hold water. why do you think they partner with certain establishments for special promos and higher reward rates? you think these stores dont play ball when a behemoth like AMEX comes knocking? ... I'd deduce the deal is: eligible stores we'll (marginally) lower (or perhaps increase depending on negotiations) your IC rates in exchange for bringing a lot of business thru your doors guaranteed. and consumers we encourage you to goto these stores cause we'll pay you rewards above the industry avg. then you let impulse philosophy magic run its course in terms of spending beyond your means a bit for the avg consumer, esp without price comparison shopping and building loyalty for these stores. its a win win win.

may not be the best example, but I know before I had cards like these (reward CCs) I didnt step into very many drug or (new) grocery stores very often. now not only have I signed up for all their loyalty rewards program (CVS, K, WAGs etc) but many of the employees know me since I visit so often. complete 180 turnaround from this time 2 yrs ago. because of this a lot of my non-MS business is routed to these stores with random, last min purchases as well. whereas prev I'd much more discretionary with my cash.

Last edited by FTR 787; Nov 27, 2014 at 4:53 pm
FTR 787 is offline  
Old Nov 26, 2014, 8:07 pm
  #5737  
Formerly known as FTRox87
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: TX
Programs: AA/US 1M, AS, BA, CX, EK, EY, JL, KE, LH, NH, OS, QF, QR, TG, UA/CO | *$G
Posts: 1,428
Originally Posted by silver6054
OK, so a lot of the most valuable people have gone to private forums to discuss their great secret deals. So they are happy, and stuff that's posted here, short-lived quickly killed deals, will benefit some for a short time, and won't impact the private forum people (because there won't be cross-over because the deals are so secret, right?) So no need to keep complaining, just go to the private places and enjoy.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. the idiots who still hang around here/post here -- which indicates something of value still to be found here for them personally -- yet at every instance encourage folks who talk about private this that. do you not realize you're digging your own grave? unless its a self fulling prophecy which would be ironic to see from newer posters/accounts, you're working against yourself when you keep pushing the notion old timers arent around here or any of that non sense. you're wrong, they monitor this place, so dont fall for their selfish rhetorical traps.

Originally Posted by slickjolly
I wonder why they don't just convert people to a more modern version of the card that pays out at the lower percentage rather than canceling them? And why leave that old link to apply active? Seems odd that AmEx is taking this approach. I was going to apply for this card, but it doesn't seem to make much sense now. Even if I went light on the MS, looks like I'd eventually get it shut down.
the issue with huge corporations is that what one hand does, the other doesnt know about. just because one dept (rewards) is shutting down folks, doesnt mean that is the goal of another dept (marketing, sales, retention) etc. they each have diff goals -- rewards to pay out as little as possible, marketing to sign up as many as possible and get as much market share as possible.

plus as I noted above AMEX might already have deals and contracts in place with these EDS stores. programs like these dont come easily nor are they simple enough to just scrap. I bet complex back end deals are in play from unraveling this and will likely keep the card from being killed/or even overhauled completely unless they find loopholes to get out of it somehow. there are a lot of stakeholders, and like any bit of politics, diff folks are interested in diff results. that is the only silver lining for those of us who play this game, MS or otherwise -- opportunities/arbitrage in various forms will continue to exist as long as human nature continues to exist. lord save us from the day all of us turn into logical robots with only 1 or 0 for binary decisions.

Last edited by FTR 787; Nov 27, 2014 at 4:51 pm
FTR 787 is offline  
Old Nov 26, 2014, 8:08 pm
  #5738  
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 190
Originally Posted by silver6054
Just saw this post in the Amex subforum:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/23895695-post1.html

In particular:

CS also offered that I can email [email protected] with copies of my purchases and proof that they were eligible purchases.

So, if any one can explain why those gift cards were eligible....
"I have been with them for couple of years, never late payment, never carried a balance.
However I have used the Amex Blue cash to purchase lots of Gift cards 10-25K per month and I always send money from my bank account to Amex to avoid going over my credit limit."

Nice Amex card customer for sure
Henry II is offline  
Old Nov 26, 2014, 8:43 pm
  #5739  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 84
Originally Posted by FTRox87
why do you think people like MM stopped inciting folks to sue AMEX left and right? he got every penny of his $17k back thru one persistent method.

Care to share what said method is? Would be most appreciated ^


cept with the bargaining power AMEX has, they are most likely getting L3 data and know what you're buying. so that excuse doesnt hold water. why do you think they partner with certain establishments for special promos and higher reward rates? you think these stores dont play ball when a behemoth like AMEX comes knocking? ... I'd deduce the deal is: eligible stores we'll (marginally) lower (or perhaps increase depending on negotiations) your IC rates in exchange for bringing a lot of business thru your doors guaranteed. and consumers we encourage you to goto these stores cause we'll pay you rewards above the industry avg. then you let impulse philosophy magic run its course in terms of spending beyond your means a bit for the avg consumer, esp without price comparison shopping and building loyalty for these stores. its a win win win.

may not be the best example, but I know before I had cards like these (reward CCs) I didnt step into very many drug or (new) grocery stores very often. now not only do have signed up for all their loyalty rewards program (CVS, K, WAGs etc) but many of the employees know since I visit so often. complete 180 turnaround from this time 2 yrs ago. because of this a lot of my non-MS business is routed to these stores with random, last min purchases.
Walmero is offline  
Old Nov 27, 2014, 6:20 am
  #5740  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: PHL based
Programs: USAir, UA, AA, BA, Hyatt, HHonors, SPG, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 356
Got the dreaded cancellation email this am.

CL 24k. Had done about 5k per month until sept when started to ramp up. Never went above CL. ALL spend was MS
jiffyjiff is offline  
Old Nov 27, 2014, 6:44 am
  #5741  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: UA, CO, Delta, AA, BA, Hilton, Starwood, Marriott
Posts: 211
Originally Posted by jiffyjiff
Got the dreaded cancellation email this am.

CL 24k. Had done about 5k per month until sept when started to ramp up. Never went above CL. ALL spend was MS
Sorry to hear. Did your statement close yesterday?
karenfly is online now  
Old Nov 27, 2014, 6:54 am
  #5742  
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 50
I hate that my first post is a cancellation. Got it this morning. 25K CL with income to support it. Was doing under 10K/month spending on it recently. Got the card in January and was doing heavy (CL or more) spending until the demise of VRs. I experienced a FR at that time and passed with no CL changes.

I continued using the card even after the notices of cancellation appeared on this forum last month. I figured I was safe -- or at least the opportunity costs merited the risk of continued use. My closing date is today -- so AMEX waited until the optimum time for them to close the account. I'm out about $1K of Reward Dollars for the past 2 months of use.

I did pay off partial balances mid-month using BlueBird/Serve billpay.
Most (but not all the charges) were MS, mainly CVS.

I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving also, AMEX.
BostonAndy is offline  
Old Nov 27, 2014, 7:09 am
  #5743  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Florida
Posts: 274
To those that have been shutdown, has anyone tried to reallocate your credit line from the closed Blue Cash to another AmEx card that is still open?
DrForce is offline  
Old Nov 27, 2014, 7:44 am
  #5744  
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: CT
Posts: 9
Originally Posted by DrForce
To those that have been shutdown, has anyone tried to reallocate your credit line from the closed Blue Cash to another AmEx card that is still open?
affirmative. allocated 70K to another amex card. these are all cards over 10 years old. YMMV
gomathis is offline  
Old Nov 27, 2014, 8:01 am
  #5745  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: All of them
Posts: 1,664
Originally Posted by BostonAndy
...

I continued using the card even after the notices of cancellation appeared on this forum last month. I figured I was safe -- or at least the opportunity costs merited the risk of continued use. My closing date is today -- so AMEX waited until the optimum time for them to close the account. I'm out about $1K of Reward Dollars for the past 2 months of use.

....
That was the gist of my argument with them, when I called multiple times to demand my reward dollars for the month. They have every right to change rules for the future, but the way they handled it is a scumbag move, like a store kicking out a customer who brings in too many coupons.

I encourage everyone to call and let them know you won't be doing business with AMEX anymore if they don't pay out. I sure as hell will talk all my friends and relatives out of it. It's become a lot easier now, since AMEX lost a lot of clout in the travel card market.
littlewinglet is offline  


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