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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 Dec 12, 2014, 10:50 am
  #6106  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 97
Originally Posted by prasha11
Dec 27th, my year will be up. What is the best way to accomplish 6.5k spend and qualify 5% CB?
Start giving it to the cashier at the end of the checkout process.
mbaker4096 is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 12:47 pm
  #6107  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 91
Originally Posted by silver6054
It depends if they impose the $50K cap on your anniversary, in which case you don't want to use EDS for the $6.5K
My understanding of the new term is that the $50K cap is on 5%, not including the spending for $6.5K. If you have the cap, everyday spending is better to meet the requirement (without the consideration of costs).

"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 in purchases in a reward year, you will receive 1% on Everyday Purchases, and 0.5% on other purchases. After your first $6,500 in purchases, you will receive 5% on Everyday Purchases up to $50,000 and 1% on other purchases."
romeogg is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 12:55 pm
  #6108  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Originally Posted by romeogg

" After your first $6,500 in purchases, you will receive 5% on Everyday Purchases up to $50,000 and 1% on other purchases."
Yes, probably you are right, but it is a little ambiguous, would like something like "up to an additional $50,000" to be certain, but probably...
silver6054 is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 1:41 pm
  #6109  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: BOS
Posts: 105
Originally Posted by romeogg
My understanding of the new term is that the $50K cap is on 5%, not including the spending for $6.5K. If you have the cap, everyday spending is better to meet the requirement (without the consideration of costs).

"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 in purchases in a reward year, you will receive 1% on Everyday Purchases, and 0.5% on other purchases. After your first $6,500 in purchases, you will receive 5% on Everyday Purchases up to $50,000 and 1% on other purchases."
Just crossed the 50K mark after deducting the first 6.5K... Will find out soon enough
if I'm on the naughty or nice list.
nopoints is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 2:29 pm
  #6110  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 56
Originally Posted by Nucstorm
For people getting shut down yesterday, were you guys over the $50k/year limit?
Once you use your cash back 4 statement credit, you are done.

Hold all your shopping for Chase Freedom's 5% 1st quarter.

Or use Discover's 1000/100 & 1000/75 for the Xmas shopping season until next year.

Last edited by k81689; Dec 12, 2014 at 2:44 pm
k81689 is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 4:12 pm
  #6111  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 374
After seeing these posts I figured my time was coming so I decided to go out with a bang and did a lunchtime MS run. I don't know if I just managed to beat the clock or if my spending triggered it, but I'm suspended now too. Data: CA, around $150K this year, stayed under my $20K CL until the last two or three statements when I've gone over by 10% or less.
Wonko is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 5:10 pm
  #6112  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 56
Originally Posted by Wonko
After seeing these posts I figured my time was coming so I decided to go out with a bang and did a lunchtime MS run. I don't know if I just managed to beat the clock or if my spending triggered it, but I'm suspended now too. Data: CA, around $150K this year, stayed under my $20K CL until the last two or three statements when I've gone over by 10% or less.
Not only that, you wasted 2 month work and charges, since cash back are 2 months late.

So if you are heavy hitter, you need to hold the heavy carges and wait for all the "cash back", than redeem them once(make sure to charge out all the the credit first) and get shut down next day.
k81689 is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 5:36 pm
  #6113  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL
Posts: 930
Are you getting an email for this recent shutdown, or is it just showing up online?
commdiver is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 5:56 pm
  #6114  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 357
Originally Posted by 22calbr
True, but you never know when you're in the clear. I'll update when they cancel my accts
CA resident. Canceled today. No email, just a suspension note on my account when I login online. Not a HH by any means, but spent > $50k in EDS. Oh well, was fun while it lasted. Have about $3k in RD pending, hopefully get some of it when my statement closes on the 26th.
22calbr is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 6:00 pm
  #6115  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 156
Originally Posted by commdiver
Are you getting an email for this recent shutdown, or is it just showing up online?
It is showing first online and followed by email next day. That is what happened to me.
tech2011 is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 7:03 pm
  #6116  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 131
Originally Posted by 22calbr
CA resident. Canceled today. No email, just a suspension note on my account when I login online. Not a HH by any means, but spent > $50k in EDS. Oh well, was fun while it lasted. Have about $3k in RD pending, hopefully get some of it when my statement closes on the 26th.
On the same boat, but I am not sure if I can get my pending RD back when the last statement closes.
Johnnycomeslater is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 8:00 pm
  #6117  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 27
I guess it's CA time now. I didn't get any notification yet, but I can see in my online account my credit limit is 0.
unstableone is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 8:11 pm
  #6118  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 140
Originally Posted by rabatt
California's Song-Beverly Credit Card Act of 1971 requires 30 days written notice unless certain extenuating circumstances.

The closure of Californian accounts was just delayed. My guess is that Amex had to meet certain requirements in closing their accounts, so they waited until they figured out all their legal obligations before cutting them off.
Good thing they did. The 2 month delay is just the right amount of time needed to collect all our RD. Here's lol... at you Amex. ...
TheGreatMongo is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 8:48 pm
  #6119  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Los Angles
Posts: 2,101
Appeared today on my account log in

"Charging suspended. Please call 1-800-678-xxxx if we haven't already spoken with you."

Anyway to salvage or minimize the damage?
prasha11 is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2014, 8:49 pm
  #6120  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Originally Posted by nopoints
Just crossed the 50K mark after deducting the first 6.5K... Will find out soon enough
if I'm on the naughty or nice list.
Is this on a card with old or new conditions? i.e. are you seeing if $50K+ gets you shut down or if you still get 5% up to $56.5K?
silver6054 is offline  


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