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 $6,500ą spend in a reward year˛, you will earn 1% on Everyday Purchasesł (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)
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
ą 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.
ł '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 $6,500ą spend in a reward year˛, you will earn 1% on Everyday Purchasesł (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)
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
ą 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.
ł '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)
#783
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,500
is there a difference between the old BC and the new old BC? Its the same card isn't it. As far as I can tell I have a friend who has had the Amex Blue Cash card for years and I asked him if I could see his CC to see if there are any differences and the "Cash" logo and the look of the card is exactly the same. I would assume the Amex system processes old BCs the same way as the new old BCs do.
#785
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 190
BTW, our (old) legacy BC card has an integrated circuitry (RF ID chip?) on it that new BC cards do not have.
Last edited by Henry II; Feb 5, 2014 at 11:54 am
#786
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Los Angles
Posts: 2,101
Guys, this is BC thread why are U confusing us with your BCP and BCE stuff. The T& C are totally different! are totally different cards.
U can start a new BCP-BCE threads
U can start a new BCP-BCE threads
#787
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: New Jersey
Programs: Delta P, SPG G, Marriott S, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,007
I got a call yesterday from Amex FR. Just FYI, they knew exactly that I was buying GC's, wanted to know why.
I was even cited the reason why others do it, for the bonus rewards, to meet minimum spending requirements, etc.
They ARE getting full transaction details from a bunch of merchants, so just FYI.
I would not be surprised if they start stripping out the gc's from the full reward.
I was even cited the reason why others do it, for the bonus rewards, to meet minimum spending requirements, etc.
They ARE getting full transaction details from a bunch of merchants, so just FYI.
I would not be surprised if they start stripping out the gc's from the full reward.
#788
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,184
I got a call yesterday from Amex FR. Just FYI, they knew exactly that I was buying GC's, wanted to know why.
I was even cited the reason why others do it, for the bonus rewards, to meet minimum spending requirements, etc.
They ARE getting full transaction details from a bunch of merchants, so just FYI.
I would not be surprised if they start stripping out the gc's from the full reward.
I was even cited the reason why others do it, for the bonus rewards, to meet minimum spending requirements, etc.
They ARE getting full transaction details from a bunch of merchants, so just FYI.
I would not be surprised if they start stripping out the gc's from the full reward.
#789
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 510
Got a call from Amex FR last night too. And they knew what was I buying.
Last edited by cowboyguy; Feb 5, 2014 at 2:01 pm
#790
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: New Jersey
Programs: Delta P, SPG G, Marriott S, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,007
For me, they asked me how much I will be doing in gift cards on a monthly basis.
I do have legitimate spend and reason for them. I am a business owner and have 4 employees, so a bunch of the cards I buy are for them.
That is what they wanted to hear.
It was funny, she actually gave me a few other scenarios... people were buying gift cards to resell them as well.
So I had my restrictions lifted, account noted for how much I am expecting to buy.
I do not yet know if I will get the points for it or not.
My account was also "referred" to her department.
She was very polite and friendly.
I think as long as you are honest with them and have LEGITIMATE use for the gift cards, they are a ok for them.
If you do not... they whip out the magnifying glass.
From their perspective, buying gc means one of three things...
1. Someone is loading up avail credit to gift cards and you are about to BK on Amex. (bad for business)
2. Money Laundering (illegal)
3. Taking advantage of their good graces (minimum spend, bonus points, etc.)(Not the customer they want).
Because of my conversation, I am 99.9% positive, most FR's they are doing when they see gift cards, is because of the MS community... not 1 or 2. Otherwise, she would of not lead off with the three examples I was given (min spend, taking advantage of rewards, reselling gift cards.).
So while Ms is nothing illegal, I do feel Amex is going to do what they can about it... particularly because they will be able to know exactly what you buy, and if the T&C exclude GC, that is exactly what they will do.
The Ms community costs them money, and while I don't think the game will be shut down, it will be more restricted, or the barriers to entry will be higher.
I think part of the reason they launched the "Old' Blue Cash again is to see how many people sign up, and odds are, most of those folks are doing it to take advantage.
... and I did tell the rep that my last purchase of $1,500, I bought cards to load prepaid account so I can write out a check for my office lease as my landlord does not take plastic.
The rest of my spend on that card was for employees.
datapoint, most purchases on it were $1k or lower, and got called same day I bought $1.5k.
I believe it was the CeeVeeS purchases.
[posts merged by moderator]
I do have legitimate spend and reason for them. I am a business owner and have 4 employees, so a bunch of the cards I buy are for them.
That is what they wanted to hear.
It was funny, she actually gave me a few other scenarios... people were buying gift cards to resell them as well.
So I had my restrictions lifted, account noted for how much I am expecting to buy.
I do not yet know if I will get the points for it or not.
My account was also "referred" to her department.
She was very polite and friendly.
I think as long as you are honest with them and have LEGITIMATE use for the gift cards, they are a ok for them.
If you do not... they whip out the magnifying glass.
From their perspective, buying gc means one of three things...
1. Someone is loading up avail credit to gift cards and you are about to BK on Amex. (bad for business)
2. Money Laundering (illegal)
3. Taking advantage of their good graces (minimum spend, bonus points, etc.)(Not the customer they want).
Because of my conversation, I am 99.9% positive, most FR's they are doing when they see gift cards, is because of the MS community... not 1 or 2. Otherwise, she would of not lead off with the three examples I was given (min spend, taking advantage of rewards, reselling gift cards.).
So while Ms is nothing illegal, I do feel Amex is going to do what they can about it... particularly because they will be able to know exactly what you buy, and if the T&C exclude GC, that is exactly what they will do.
The Ms community costs them money, and while I don't think the game will be shut down, it will be more restricted, or the barriers to entry will be higher.
I think part of the reason they launched the "Old' Blue Cash again is to see how many people sign up, and odds are, most of those folks are doing it to take advantage.
... and I did tell the rep that my last purchase of $1,500, I bought cards to load prepaid account so I can write out a check for my office lease as my landlord does not take plastic.
The rest of my spend on that card was for employees.
datapoint, most purchases on it were $1k or lower, and got called same day I bought $1.5k.
I believe it was the CeeVeeS purchases.
[posts merged by moderator]
Last edited by cbn42; Feb 6, 2014 at 1:03 am Reason: merged consecutive posts
#791
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 131
... and I did tell the rep that my last purchase of $1,500, I bought cards to load prepaid account so I can write out a check for my office lease as my landlord does not take plastic.
The rest of my spend on that card was for employees.
datapoint, most purchases on it were $1k or lower, and got called same day I bought $1.5k.
I believe it was the CeeVeeS purchases.
The rest of my spend on that card was for employees.
datapoint, most purchases on it were $1k or lower, and got called same day I bought $1.5k.
I believe it was the CeeVeeS purchases.
#792
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Down South, The Desert
Programs: Marriot Rewards, Southwest Rapid rewards, Emerald Club, Avis Preferred
Posts: 1,871
... and I did tell the rep that my last purchase of $1,500, I bought cards to load prepaid account so I can write out a check for my office lease as my landlord does not take plastic.
The rest of my spend on that card was for employees.
datapoint, most purchases on it were $1k or lower, and got called same day I bought $1.5k.
I believe it was the CeeVeeS purchases.
The rest of my spend on that card was for employees.
datapoint, most purchases on it were $1k or lower, and got called same day I bought $1.5k.
I believe it was the CeeVeeS purchases.
#794
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 920
Nah, 1k is peanuts when one has +10k CL.
1k when one has 2k CL is risky.
Pretty sure it's relative to your CL. Going over a certain percentage of your CL should ring bells, just not sure what the number is and how many times you can hit it before Amex sends black choppas to snatch you at night.
1k when one has 2k CL is risky.
Pretty sure it's relative to your CL. Going over a certain percentage of your CL should ring bells, just not sure what the number is and how many times you can hit it before Amex sends black choppas to snatch you at night.
#795
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Los Angles
Posts: 2,101
From their perspective, buying gc means one of three things...
1. Someone is loading up avail credit to gift cards and you are about to BK on Amex. (bad for business)
2. Money Laundering (illegal)
Really? without using any money? like doing your laundry without cloths in the machine?
Did U mean 'Credit Laundering'? because u are using AmEx credit card?
To do 'Money Laundering' U need to use real money! capiche?
3. Taking advantage of their good graces (minimum spend, bonus points, etc.)(Not the customer they want).
They want all customers 'able and willing' to pay back! Their 'good graces' are for U to avail, more U use-more they like if U are a good paymaster!