Jan 8, 2014, 2:22 pm
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)
Dec 29, 2014, 5:09 pm
#6316
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Los Angles
Posts: 2,101
Should?
Sure, some card issuers will be gracious and not hold you to the terms you agreed to. And the cancellations are of course unfair when the real reason is that you've exploited the rewards programs but haven't done anything that is ruled out by the terms. But bottom line, the card issuers have every right to void the rewards--says so in the terms, and there's no law that says they can't follow those terms.
Sure, some card issuers will be gracious and not hold you to the terms you agreed to. And the cancellations are of course unfair when the real reason is that you've exploited the rewards programs but haven't done anything that is ruled out by the terms. But bottom line, the card issuers have every right to void the rewards--says so in the terms, and there's no law that says they can't follow those terms.
not true, this was discussed, read the thread about a month back.
Dec 29, 2014, 5:58 pm
#6317
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 50
hi, it has been my experience that credit card companies usually pay out the rewards in instances like this.
for ex, my statement says i have $300 in rewards but i am unable to redeem them because my account was cancelled.
is there a place for people like me to go to file a formal complaint? or are there any class actions going on for me to tag onto?
i understand cancelling my account, but if you want to do that you should let me cash out my earned rewards.
thanks.
for ex, my statement says i have $300 in rewards but i am unable to redeem them because my account was cancelled.
is there a place for people like me to go to file a formal complaint? or are there any class actions going on for me to tag onto?
i understand cancelling my account, but if you want to do that you should let me cash out my earned rewards.
thanks.
I called this morning to try to redeem those RDs and was unable to as the RDs are still marked as 'pending'. The representative that I spoke to (after leaving me hanging on the phone for 10 min) said that she researched the matter and that I should get credit for the unredeemed awards 8 weeks after the account suspension -- so mid-Jan.
I don't entirely believe this -- but I had her note this assurance in my file.
I'm not fully paying off my balance in the hope that keeping the account 'active' -- in the sense that AMEX needs to continue to generate statements -- will make it more likely that such action will be taken. I have 0% interest for another few months anyway.
Dec 29, 2014, 8:11 pm
#6318
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL
Posts: 930
Is there any evidence or accounts of the $50,000 limit applying to existing accounts? The wiki says no, and I have not received an email or anything yet.
Dec 29, 2014, 8:32 pm
#6319
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SAN
Programs: Delta Gold. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Explorist.
Posts: 1,674
Dec 29, 2014, 8:38 pm
#6320
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 27
Should? The terms of the card say the rewards are forfeited when the card is cancelled. You got those terms with the card.
Sure, some card issuers will be gracious and not hold you to the terms you agreed to. And the cancellations are of course unfair when the real reason is that you've exploited the rewards programs but haven't done anything that is ruled out by the terms. But bottom line, the card issuers have every right to void the rewards--says so in the terms, and there's no law that says they can't follow those terms.
Sure, some card issuers will be gracious and not hold you to the terms you agreed to. And the cancellations are of course unfair when the real reason is that you've exploited the rewards programs but haven't done anything that is ruled out by the terms. But bottom line, the card issuers have every right to void the rewards--says so in the terms, and there's no law that says they can't follow those terms.
Dec 29, 2014, 8:47 pm
#6321
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SEA
Posts: 1,887
Plaintiff: AMEX violated the implied covenant of good faith by confiscating my rewards
AMEX: The plaintiff purchased cash equivalents to generate the rewards. The terms state that purchases of cash equivalents do not earn rewards.
Judge: Case dismissed.
AMEX: The plaintiff purchased cash equivalents to generate the rewards. The terms state that purchases of cash equivalents do not earn rewards.
Judge: Case dismissed.
Dec 29, 2014, 9:34 pm
#6323
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SEA
Posts: 1,887
Possession is nine-tenths of the law.
Dec 29, 2014, 10:31 pm
#6324
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SEA
Posts: 1,887
The risks you've outlined are inherent with many different credit cards and many different MSing techniques. In fact there are no guarantees whatsoever in MS land.
Also, you should know some people are lucky enough (myself for instance) to be able to MS with this card in a 5% category at no cost to myself whatsoever. That whole YMMV thing.
Also, you should know some people are lucky enough (myself for instance) to be able to MS with this card in a 5% category at no cost to myself whatsoever. That whole YMMV thing.
Profit from MSing $56,500 with capped OBC: $6,500 x 1% + $50,000 x 5% => $2565 (less expenses)
Profit from MSing $56,500 with 2% Card: $56,500 x 2% => $1130 (less expenses)
Value added of MSing with capped OBC = $2565 - $1130 = $1435
Last edited by HikerT; Dec 29, 2014 at 10:37 pm
Dec 30, 2014, 2:19 am
#6325
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 96
.....
Last edited by SilverGGA; Dec 30, 2014 at 4:02 am
Dec 30, 2014, 7:51 am
#6327
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: MGM
Programs: United Silver, PC Plat/Amb, HH Dmnd
Posts: 805
My acct was cancelled on Thanksgiving. I was able to call in a couple of days later and redeem the awards earned in Oct. My Dec. statement posted on the 27th and shows additional RDs that represent spending in Nov up until the account cancellation.
I called this morning to try to redeem those RDs and was unable to as the RDs are still marked as 'pending'. The representative that I spoke to (after leaving me hanging on the phone for 10 min) said that she researched the matter and that I should get credit for the unredeemed awards 8 weeks after the account suspension -- so mid-Jan.
I don't entirely believe this -- but I had her note this assurance in my file.
I'm not fully paying off my balance in the hope that keeping the account 'active' -- in the sense that AMEX needs to continue to generate statements -- will make it more likely that such action will be taken. I have 0% interest for another few months anyway.
I called this morning to try to redeem those RDs and was unable to as the RDs are still marked as 'pending'. The representative that I spoke to (after leaving me hanging on the phone for 10 min) said that she researched the matter and that I should get credit for the unredeemed awards 8 weeks after the account suspension -- so mid-Jan.
I don't entirely believe this -- but I had her note this assurance in my file.
I'm not fully paying off my balance in the hope that keeping the account 'active' -- in the sense that AMEX needs to continue to generate statements -- will make it more likely that such action will be taken. I have 0% interest for another few months anyway.
PS: My call was very similar to what you describe. US-based Agent originally said "you, my friend, are SOL." [paraphrase] Then "researched" the matter with a supervisor and came back with the "since we cancelled the card, in 8 weeks you'll get a credit or a check representing rewards earned through the date of account closure."
Dec 30, 2014, 9:01 am
#6328
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: MDT
Programs: DL, AA
Posts: 390
Dec 31, 2014, 11:01 am
#6330
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Northeast USA
Posts: 300
wondering if there have been any more data points recently on getting new non-OBC cards after OBC shutdown?
i've read through the last several pages and the wiki, saw evidence of people getting declined as well as approved (in some cases on recon)
i'm thinking of going for the 75k biz gold and wondering if it's a waste of an inquiry - any input would be appreciated!
i've read through the last several pages and the wiki, saw evidence of people getting declined as well as approved (in some cases on recon)
i'm thinking of going for the 75k biz gold and wondering if it's a waste of an inquiry - any input would be appreciated!