plannerboy

As I reported previously, I applied for the card and then called to check the status. The agent cancelled my existing card and transferred the balance ($1100) to the new card. No annual fee for one year with the new card. Must spend $1000 within three months to get the bouns. Checked my account today and AE considered the balance transfer as a spend, and the bonus SPG points are shown to be credited already. Gotta love that.

starwoodkid

Received my AE statment today and was billed $120 for renewal.

Called to inquire about waiving the annual fee and my request for a waiver was declined. When the request for the fee waiver was declined, I cancelled my card.

The CSR at what was clearly a very busy call centre based on my wait time did not offer any incentives to dissuade me from cancelling the SPG card. There was no mention of gift cards or Starpoints.

On the heels of my cancellation, my wife followed suit. No attempt was made to halt the cancellation of her card.

The two of us move forward with the no-fee MBNA Travel Elite MasterCards we received after MBNA and Starwood parted company.

Clearly, American Express has no real interest retaining SPG cardholders. AE was loathe to offer the SPG cards to Starwood members at no fee so their reluctance to waive the annual fee is no shocker.

Perhaps Starwood will entertain a new credit card partnership for we Canadians down the road.

jnswinnipeg

I called tonight after being charged the $120 renewal fee. I was quickly offered a $150 GC to keep the card. I accepted the offer. I had already received the 5,000 bonus points offer by mail and the points were in my account late last week.

It seems strange that they would give me a $150 GC when they will not waive the $120 renewal fee.

lardiop

Annual Card Spend: $3300

Was very up front with the cancellation agent. Told her I wanted 10k SPG points or I'm cancelling the card. Agent accepted.

I'll pay the $120 fee, get 10k SPG pointsthen cancel the card right after the points post. Apply online for another card, get 11,000 and a year for free.

Coles Notes: 21,000 SPG Points. $120 and $1000 Spend within 3 months. ($0.00571/Point)

TreeBoy

Sadly I have the same experience with the new Amex SPG chip card since day one. On first day the chip did not work at 4 vendors. It worked basically only at the Post office when I changed the PIN.
Called Amex and CSR suggested chip is faulty and ordered card replacement. I have waited 2 weeks for new card and it does not work any better. Last night I went for anniversary dinner with my wife and the restaurant couldn’t make the chip or the mag stripe work. I ended up using my M/C.
So after this AMEX “security improvement” I not only need to look for vendor accepting Amex, I need also select those that can work around the chip. Amex should work hard with the vendors to make the chips work in the card readers; otherwise it will cost them business and us points.

todd-r

I thought they were only offering 10,000 sign up bonus now and that first year free was no longer.

seanthepilot

Regarding the CHIP cards, do they require PINs in combination?

All my CHIP cards in Thailand are signature verification. I'm not sure I will ever use the card if they require me to switch to a PIN.

BenSenise

How would a signature be a "verification?" Photo ID is a verification. I don't think people accepting payment are qualified handwriting analysts to judge whether you signature is the same as the one on the back of the card.
Using a PIN is faster and more secure. Why wouldn't anyone want to use that?

jarusoba

Why do people like Chip & Pin?

There is no advantage to having a chip card except in places where you have to use a chip card, like some places in Europe.

When there is a fraudulent use of the card, as a cardholder, I just have to deny authorization and I won't be liable to the loss. But with the chip, the onus is on the cardholder to prove that he hasn't authorized the charge if the pin was entered. A chip card is hard to duplicate but nothing is impossible. The crooks who have successfully stolen or duplicate your card just have to somehow get your pin, you would become a victim of credit card fraud.

I still prefer the old fashioned way of using a signature to validate the authorization. It is safer for me (the client). The chip & PIN card is safer for the merchants and the bank.

This is a conspiracy of the banks and sometimes the merchant to claim that the chip card is safer because they can deny any liabilities when a transaction goes through with a PIN and make the cardholder liable.

seanthepilot

Chip & Pin is 2 seperate ideas, 'security' and a 'savings to administrative costs'. They are marketed as one security upgrade, but the post above is more acurate.

Chip ~ security enhancements such as -stronger encryption -much harder to duplicate -often the card stays in the consumer's hand and is inserted into a portable machine
benefit both the company and the consumer

PIN ~ uses electronic means to validate the identity meaning there is no reason for the merchant to print a copy, no reason for them to keep or send any paper, justifications, and merchant re-imbursement can be made electronically.

But, the PIN in no way makes your transaction safer. In fact, using the PIN makes you vulnerable to someone stealing/learning the PIN while you use it.

seanthepilot

Exchange fees updated?

The US Platinum card has recently announced that they will drop the foreign surcharge on foreign transactions.

As far as I remember, the Canadian card charges twice, once adding a surcharge to convert foreign to USD, then adding a surcharge when converting USD to CDN.

Does anyone know if the Canadian cards have followed the American lead on ending this money grab.

I would use my card with much more frequency if I could trust that I wasn't being ripped off on my foreign transactions.

mgislason

Have the points that people were given as an incentive to stay with the Amex Card for an additional year posted? ANd if they have, how long did it take?

About a week and a half a go I agreed to 5,000 points but nothing has posted to date.

maple

I am expecting the retention points to post along with the next statement (earned + bonus).

expressboy

My annual fee has still not posted. Not sure what to make of it.

taralc

I called this morning re: $120 fee. I was told the annual fee cannot be waived and was offered a switch to a non-SPG no fee card, which I declined. After putting me on hold for 30 seconds, the agent offered me $125 GC. GC shall be shipped within the next 7 days.
Happily accepted.