Jan 2, 2018, 8:58 am
Last edit by: ChrisFlyer66
This is the thread for 2018. The previous discussion can be found here.
When reporting/posting here please give as many details as you can or you will be asked for it anyways. Copy and paste the text below and alter as needed.
1. SHUTdn by Bank, Credit Card info. (@m3x, chs3 ,c1t1 and brcl@y)
2. Length of account before closure and CL?
3. Average monthly account balance checking and savings?
4. Volume of ms per month and how many months?
5. Cycle CL?
6. Did you BP using both options?
- BP by issuing bank (@m3x, chs3, c1t1 and brcl@y)
- BP by Vis/MC
7. Did you spell out the bank's full name in an internet forum?
When reporting/posting here please give as many details as you can or you will be asked for it anyways. Copy and paste the text below and alter as needed.
1. SHUTdn by Bank, Credit Card info. (@m3x, chs3 ,c1t1 and brcl@y)
2. Length of account before closure and CL?
3. Average monthly account balance checking and savings?
4. Volume of ms per month and how many months?
5. Cycle CL?
6. Did you BP using both options?
- BP by issuing bank (@m3x, chs3, c1t1 and brcl@y)
- BP by Vis/MC
7. Did you spell out the bank's full name in an internet forum?
2018 Shutdown Thread
Aug 28, 2018 | 5:46 pm
#271
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: LAX
Programs: F9 Gold, peon and loving it everywhere else
Posts: 4,018
Not exactly a shutdown, but I got a huge CLD from brcl@y last week... the very next day after I paid my $3K card balance in full (mostly MS) my credit line went from $15K to $1K. Haven't gotten a letter yet explaining the reason for the CLD. Account is still open, but I've tested it... $200-500 purchases at CVS or grocery stores are declined, but small charges elsewhere (restaurants, etc) still go through.
I rotate my cards so used the brcl@y only sporadically, when I needed to top up my AA miles. Best guess is, the larger than normal purchase volume, followed by a large payment a couple of days later, must have raised some sort of red flag. Not a huge loss but this is the first adverse action I've received in 3 years + of casual MS.
Any other recent DP on brcl@y?
I rotate my cards so used the brcl@y only sporadically, when I needed to top up my AA miles. Best guess is, the larger than normal purchase volume, followed by a large payment a couple of days later, must have raised some sort of red flag. Not a huge loss but this is the first adverse action I've received in 3 years + of casual MS.
Any other recent DP on brcl@y?
Aug 29, 2018 | 5:20 am
#272
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: BOS, MHT
Programs: AA ltg, B6, DL, UA, AS, SPG/Marriott Plt, HH, Hyatt
Posts: 10,062
Aug 29, 2018 | 5:30 am
#273
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
Not exactly a shutdown, but I got a huge CLD from brcl@y last week... the very next day after I paid my $3K card balance in full (mostly MS) my credit line went from $15K to $1K. Haven't gotten a letter yet explaining the reason for the CLD. Account is still open, but I've tested it... $200-500 purchases at CVS or grocery stores are declined, but small charges elsewhere (restaurants, etc) still go through.
I rotate my cards so used the brcl@y only sporadically, when I needed to top up my AA miles. Best guess is, the larger than normal purchase volume, followed by a large payment a couple of days later, must have raised some sort of red flag. Not a huge loss but this is the first adverse action I've received in 3 years + of casual MS.
Any other recent DP on brcl@y?
I rotate my cards so used the brcl@y only sporadically, when I needed to top up my AA miles. Best guess is, the larger than normal purchase volume, followed by a large payment a couple of days later, must have raised some sort of red flag. Not a huge loss but this is the first adverse action I've received in 3 years + of casual MS.
Any other recent DP on brcl@y?
Aug 29, 2018 | 5:34 am
#274
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: BOS, MHT
Programs: AA ltg, B6, DL, UA, AS, SPG/Marriott Plt, HH, Hyatt
Posts: 10,062
In those months leading up to the end of spg as we knew it, I put at least $120k ms spend across many amx accts I have and those of family on which I am AU. Mostly mall, mostly $9575.05 a clip. Some are biz spg cards.
got a letter from one asking us to call in. Figuring this could be a fr we ignored it.
Then they raised the cc limit a week or so later. So thats what it was about lol.
I am not sure when the hammer will drop but it worked so far
I also did put a good 30k+ on my cards for my business. Maybe even 40k
got a letter from one asking us to call in. Figuring this could be a fr we ignored it.
Then they raised the cc limit a week or so later. So thats what it was about lol.
I am not sure when the hammer will drop but it worked so far
I also did put a good 30k+ on my cards for my business. Maybe even 40k
Last edited by Marathon Man; Aug 29, 2018 at 5:50 am
Aug 29, 2018 | 6:30 am
#275
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 305
In those months leading up to the end of spg as we knew it, I put at least $120k ms spend across many amx accts I have and those of family on which I am AU. Mostly mall, mostly $9575.05 a clip. Some are biz spg cards.
got a letter from one asking us to call in. Figuring this could be a fr we ignored it.
Then they raised the cc limit a week or so later. So thats what it was about lol.
I am not sure when the hammer will drop but it worked so far
I also did put a good 30k+ on my cards for my business. Maybe even 40k
got a letter from one asking us to call in. Figuring this could be a fr we ignored it.
Then they raised the cc limit a week or so later. So thats what it was about lol.
I am not sure when the hammer will drop but it worked so far
I also did put a good 30k+ on my cards for my business. Maybe even 40k
Aug 29, 2018 | 6:54 am
#276
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: BOS, MHT
Programs: AA ltg, B6, DL, UA, AS, SPG/Marriott Plt, HH, Hyatt
Posts: 10,062
A good friend of mine did just that...he figured his spg would be pretty useless after the merge and hit it hard...then received a 'courtesy call"...I advised him not to answer, but the second such call he answered and was informed that Amx decided to make a "business decision" to terminate his accounts...not just spg - all of them, even though he didn't do any MS on the other cards...at least they gave him 30 days to transfer the MR points from his Platinum...but still...he has great FICO, high income, long history with Amx...yet here he is...
One thing many of us learned about American Express was that the only cards you could really do MS on with great frequency of the ones where they transfer the currency to another program like Hilton and Starwood Preferred Guest.
Ones that are resident within the card like MR were not as an good idea to do it because they more own and can take the points away very easily.
A lot of this was realized on one of the 100K sign-up deals that existed a year or so ago and some people got snagged and some people were able to get their points and get out of there.
Personally, I was never much of a fan of MR and while I did some ms transactions with it I never thought the currency was as valuable as Starwood was at the time and so I really didnt use it too much and ended up canceling my am our cards anyways so I didnt have that problem going forward.
Of course everyone has their own needs and likes and dislikes but for me the only currency that was really good with them was Hilton and Starwood and now we have to reshuffle to see if that is still viable at all.
I have learned however, that people who did what I did but also happen to have an MRI card as well, would run into shut down concerns more than me. And this post proves it
Aug 29, 2018 | 2:16 pm
#278
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 305
Whereas he was regularly doing around 15K a month on each of his personal and business SPG, in view of the merge he ramped up his spending around 3x above that...still within his credit lines, and no credit cycling...perhaps that's what brought some eyes on his account, or perhaps he paid with MO once or twice (even if I warned him that was a huge 'no")...now he wonders if he could get back with Amx, but I think - perhaps like with their bonuses - it's pretty much "for life"...
Aug 29, 2018 | 2:57 pm
#279
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 106
Whereas he was regularly doing around 15K a month on each of his personal and business SPG, in view of the merge he ramped up his spending around 3x above that...still within his credit lines, and no credit cycling...perhaps that's what brought some eyes on his account, or perhaps he paid with MO once or twice (even if I warned him that was a huge 'no")...now he wonders if he could get back with Amx, but I think - perhaps like with their bonuses - it's pretty much "for life"...
I know about paying with MOs for cards with banks that have locations. How does one pay Amex with MO? On phone? (No plan of doing this..)
Aug 29, 2018 | 3:27 pm
#280
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 305
As far as I know he was mailing MOs for his partial payments and paid the rest from his bank account. He says he did it only now and then, but I am convinced it was a huge contributing factor to his shutdown. The thing is - he didn't do ANY MS on his other Amx cards (Platinum and Hilton), yet they were shutdown all together.
Aug 29, 2018 | 3:44 pm
#281
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: UR, Marriott, AA, WN, Chick Fil A Red
Posts: 182
As far as I know he was mailing MOs for his partial payments and paid the rest from his bank account. He says he did it only now and then, but I am convinced it was a huge contributing factor to his shutdown. The thing is - he didn't do ANY MS on his other Amx cards (Platinum and Hilton), yet they were shutdown all together.
Aug 29, 2018 | 4:24 pm
#282
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: MSP
Programs: DL, BA, AA
Posts: 270
Mailing in money orders to card issuers is a big no no. Eventually you will be shut down.
If you have to mail in money orders, mail them in to a throw away bank or credit union, because with volume you will be shut down there as well.
If you have to mail in money orders, mail them in to a throw away bank or credit union, because with volume you will be shut down there as well.
Aug 29, 2018 | 4:36 pm
#283
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: BOS, MHT
Programs: AA ltg, B6, DL, UA, AS, SPG/Marriott Plt, HH, Hyatt
Posts: 10,062
But what happened is they lost or destroyed them by mistake as they told me automatic letter openers and machines credit payments and they got stuck or something. I had to fight off fees and issues for weeks but it got sorted out. But in the meantime, I also had to get the MOs replaced. With both MG and WU, you have to pay $15 per MO and wait a couple months to get money back. You cannot talk to anyone live and it is a pita. It is NOT recommended to mail MOs. Mail can get lost sometimes
Paying an equity line at a bank can be good to do with mos. One reason is because you get credit for it right away as a payment, and they can sit on the funds for the max ten days it may take to actually clear and collect the funds without you needing to worry as you wont be using that money anyway. But yeah, paying a place where you have a CC is a bad idea.
I was shut by BofA not for depositing mega MO, rather, it was because when they merged w Merrill Lynch, ML had eyes on whatever I was up to and they told BofA who now put eyes and did not like it.
With Citi I think it was when they pulled all their banks from MA. That made them put eyes on accts like mine and that was that with them too. I had been depositing MOs there a lot.
Aug 29, 2018 | 8:33 pm
#284
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 105
I know its hard to predict these things, but if Im reading correctly, these shutdowns normally happen in response to either a new Chase card application or suspicious spending? Ive added 3 new Chase cards this year (Marriott, Southwest, and United) the last being back in June. I dont foresee any Chase cards Im gonna be itching to jump on till maybe next year at the absolute earliest. However, Im looking at a Citi Premiere, and I dont want that application to jeapordize things with Chase. I assume as long as I dont do anything suspicious in my spending on Chase cards, they wont have reason to look at my credit or even know about the Citi and it shouldnt jeopardize things?
Aug 29, 2018 | 9:04 pm
#285
Join Date: Oct 2017
Programs: Lots
Posts: 320
I know its hard to predict these things, but if Im reading correctly, these shutdowns normally happen in response to either a new Chase card application or suspicious spending? Ive added 3 new Chase cards this year (Marriott, Southwest, and United) the last being back in June. I dont foresee any Chase cards Im gonna be itching to jump on till maybe next year at the absolute earliest. However, Im looking at a Citi Premiere, and I dont want that application to jeapordize things with Chase. I assume as long as I dont do anything suspicious in my spending on Chase cards, they wont have reason to look at my credit or even know about the Citi and it shouldnt jeopardize things?