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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 Mar 17, 2014, 11:42 am
  #1261  
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 190
Originally Posted by TheDapperDon
I'm in the same boat. I have 3 cards with Amex and would like to maintain them. I didn't lie on my application, but I don't want to go through the FR process either. Luckily, my limit is good enough to meet my needs. They moved credit from my BCP that I don't use as much now.
American Express (Amex) has been very generous to us both in their credit rendering and reward offering. I know there are HHs as well as those with HH mentality. But like most of you, I am taking a long-term perspective for the BC card instead of going (x CLs) to test Amex boundary, patience, and tolerance.
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Old Mar 17, 2014, 11:56 am
  #1262  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist No More..., Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
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Please excuse my newbie question here but for multiple Amex accts do you require multiple logins?
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Old Mar 17, 2014, 12:06 pm
  #1263  
jyx
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ORD
Posts: 220
Originally Posted by cdancer20
Please excuse my newbie question here but for multiple Amex accts do you require multiple logins?
At least I got both of my two AMEX cards (personal and business) under one login access.
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Old Mar 17, 2014, 12:07 pm
  #1264  
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Join Date: May 2006
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Originally Posted by cdancer20
Please excuse my newbie question here but for multiple Amex accts do you require multiple logins?
No, you can add a card. It's not obvious how to do it and you have to look a bit after you log in.
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Old Mar 17, 2014, 12:17 pm
  #1265  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
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Originally Posted by rufflesinc
No, you can add a card. It's not obvious how to do it and you have to look a bit after you log in.
Thank you for answering. I tried to setup my new card right after I got the approval email. It had the option of logging into an acct or setting up a new one. It would give me an error when I tried to log into my other acct and show the screen to only create a new acct. I will search the website to find it. Thanks.
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Old Mar 17, 2014, 12:29 pm
  #1266  
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 190
Originally Posted by cdancer20
Thank you for answering. I tried to setup my new card right after I got the approval email. It had the option of logging into an acct or setting up a new one. It would give me an error when I tried to log into my other acct and show the screen to only create a new acct. I will search the website to find it. Thanks.
One can do both; for adding cards to existing online account, go to Profile and Preferences --> More Options --> add cards/authorized users.

But creating new online accesses is more beneficial in terms of getting multiple rewards (e.g., $25 for the $100 Staples spending some time ago) for the same offer.
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Old Mar 17, 2014, 12:47 pm
  #1267  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 322
Originally Posted by Henry II
One can do both; for adding cards to existing online account, go to Profile and Preferences --> More Options --> add cards/authorized users.

But creating new online accesses is more beneficial in terms of getting multiple rewards (e.g., $25 for the $100 Staples spending some time ago) for the same offer.
People say this, but I have to say I think it's a little over-the-top--think of the hassle of separate sign-ins, keeping it all straight, etc.

The question becomes, what are you more likely to waste more time doing: 1) signing into umpty-different accounts, or 2) finding the occasional offer you want on multiple cards?

Much cleaner to have one sign-in. If and when you find an offer you want to spread to multiple cards, simply open a separate window with each account in it, with the offer visible in each.

Then simply click it in each window, and voila. Offer is on three (in my case) accounts. (Even though I ended up only going to Tijuana Flats once.)

Last edited by AveApostle; Mar 17, 2014 at 12:50 pm Reason: add emphasis in original for clarity
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Old Mar 17, 2014, 12:49 pm
  #1268  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 322
Originally Posted by commdiver
I have searched the first 40+ pages of this thread and have not found anything concrete. Is the $400 gas limit a per transaction limit or is it a yearly limit?
Not to belabor the point, but your first $400 of every gas station transaction are rewarded at 5%; everything after is just 1%.

So a purchase of oh, say, 503.95, would yield $21.04 in rewards.
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Old Mar 17, 2014, 12:50 pm
  #1269  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 340
Originally Posted by AveApostle
Not to belabor the point, but your first $400 of every gas station transaction are rewarded at 5%; everything after is just 1%.

So a purchase of oh, say, 503.95, would yield $21.04 in rewards.
Nice point.
ericliujian is offline  
Old Mar 17, 2014, 12:58 pm
  #1270  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist No More..., Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,375
Thanks everyone with the tips for adding card to the acct. I think that I will stick to one login and use the multiple browser trick.
cdancer20 is offline  
Old Mar 17, 2014, 1:09 pm
  #1271  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: NYC
Posts: 415
I've seen plenty of people report that they didn't misrepresent their income on the application.

Yet I've never seen anyone claiming they did.

I'm just going to come out and say it. I did. Big time.
mittenfingerz is offline  
Old Mar 17, 2014, 1:12 pm
  #1272  
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 190
Originally Posted by AveApostle
People say this, but I have to say I think it's a little over-the-top--think of the hassle of separate sign-ins, keeping it all straight, etc.

The question becomes, what are you more likely to waste more time doing: 1) signing into umpty-different accounts, or 2) finding the occasional offer you want on multiple cards?

Much cleaner to have one sign-in. If and when you find an offer you want to spread to multiple cards, simply open a separate window with each account in it, with the offer visible in each.

Then simply click it in each window, and voila. Offer is on three (in my case) accounts. (Even though I ended up only going to Tijuana Flats once.)
Thanks much; learned something every day

Man, I missed several offers (several cards under one online account and accessed offer only once) that way.

Last edited by Henry II; Mar 17, 2014 at 1:23 pm
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Old Mar 17, 2014, 1:14 pm
  #1273  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: AA, SPG, MR, UR, Cash Back!
Posts: 606
Originally Posted by AveApostle
Not to belabor the point, but your first $400 of every gas station transaction are rewarded at 5%; everything after is just 1%.

So a purchase of oh, say, 503.95, would yield $21.04 in rewards.
Is that a "pay at the pump" only feature???

Last edited by Fuerza; Mar 17, 2014 at 1:36 pm
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Old Mar 17, 2014, 1:23 pm
  #1274  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Raiegh, NC
Posts: 300
You can have all your AMEX cards under 1 login page and still get the bonus offers for each card. Learned this on SlickDeals.
CrediPig is offline  
Old Mar 17, 2014, 1:38 pm
  #1275  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: KWI
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 806
Originally Posted by Fuerza
Originally Posted by AveApostle
Not to belabor the point, but your first $400 of every gas station transaction are rewarded at 5%; everything after is just 1%.

So a purchase of oh, say, 503.95, would yield $21.04 in rewards.
Is that a "pay at the pump" only feature???
No.
LoneTree is offline  


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