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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 Oct 22, 2014, 11:28 am
  #3886  
Suspended
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
Originally Posted by gallen2000
Six months, and I've been activaly using the card for about 4 months for about 30k each month. Not sure what will happen to the pending rewards from the previous month and current month.
Can you access your rewards?
Stoughton is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:33 am
  #3887  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 286
Wow...that's not good to hear of all these cancellations today. Fingers crossed but I'm going to slow down a bit if I'm still active. Currently did $13K out of my $25K CL. Were you guys maxing your CL or even doing multiples of it each month?
crapz1 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:38 am
  #3888  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Originally Posted by IBJanky
How long have you had the card?
Since the beginning of 2014.
silver6054 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:39 am
  #3889  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
So were the other cancellations today?
silver6054 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:40 am
  #3890  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 168
Also cancelled today. Bought a GC at Walgreens, ten minutes later tried one at CVS and the card had been cancelled.

thorax is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:40 am
  #3891  
xp0
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 774
Not to jump no the band wagon or to try and employ scare tactics. My account was just closed without warning. I got the email.

On to the next one...

Last edited by xp0; Oct 22, 2014 at 11:46 am
xp0 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:41 am
  #3892  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 58
Originally Posted by JimR1998
Same deal here. Cancelled after being a card holder probably 10 years or more. Wonder if we will get to keep the rewards already earned?
How much were you spending each month on the card?

You can PM me if you're not comfortable posting here.
IBJanky is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:42 am
  #3893  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: IAD, TPE
Posts: 465
same here, got the cancellation email today around noon.
fangtl is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:43 am
  #3894  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Originally Posted by Stoughton
Can you access your rewards?
I can't. Info is gone from the main page. If I go to my other card, and "Explore Rewards", the Blue Cash does show, but if I select it my user id is invalid.

So lose two months of rewards, which was the risk we all new about.
silver6054 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:44 am
  #3895  
xp0
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 774
We should get our rewards for the next 2 months (Upcoming closing and the next months rewards that we earned this month)
xp0 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:45 am
  #3896  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Originally Posted by xp0
We should get our rewards for the next 2 months (Upcoming closing and the next months rewards that we earned this month)
Probably not. Most T&Cs say points forfeited if the account is closed.
silver6054 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:46 am
  #3897  
xp0
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 774
Originally Posted by silver6054
I can't. Info is gone from the main page. If I go to my other card, and "Explore Rewards", the Blue Cash does show, but if I select it my user id is invalid.

So lose two months of rewards, which was the risk we all new about.
Which sucks because thats like 15-20k
xp0 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:49 am
  #3898  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,760
Originally Posted by silver6054
Just received an email from Amex cancelling my Blue Cash. So no FR or anything, just cancelled, although my BCE appears to be open.


For those wanting details, CL was $50K and I was spending about $25K per month on MS, and maybe $2K or so on real 5% spending.

They are sending a letter but doubt if it will give details!
Originally Posted by JimR1998
Same deal here. Cancelled after being a card holder probably 10 years or more. Wonder if we will get to keep the rewards already earned?
Originally Posted by gallen2000
Mined was cancelled too without any warnings. ...!
Originally Posted by Evant80
Same thing here...
Originally Posted by thorax
Also cancelled today. Bought a GC at Walgreens, ten minutes later tried one at CVS and the card had been cancelled.

Originally Posted by xp0
Not to jump no the band wagon or to try and employ scare tactics. My account was just closed without warning. I got the email.

On to the next one...

Try to find common factors that might lead to review / AA.

Any request to increase CL
Frequency of purchase and where
Ratio to your CL (one closure had only 50% utilization)
Amount earned
History with AMEX (does not seem to matter)
History have the card

If you guys could share the info may be we would learn something.

Last edited by Happy; Oct 22, 2014 at 11:56 am
Happy is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:52 am
  #3899  
xp0
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 774
from the sounds of it, moderate hitters and light users were affected. Doesnt look like any rhyme or reason.
xp0 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2014, 11:54 am
  #3900  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: AA EXP, DL-Plat, WN-CP | Hotels: Choice-Gld, IHG-Plt, Rad-Gld, HH-Dia, Hyatt-Glob, Marriott-LtPlt
Posts: 2,889
Originally Posted by fangtl
same here, got the cancellation email today around noon.
Could someone post the text of the cancellation email?

TIA.
FindAWay is offline  


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