I wonder how much push-back they'll get for the $45 fee. It's not a huge fee, and SPG points are nice, but it would be good if the card actually got you some tangible benefit for paying it.

The card has an added benefit, the 90 day satisfaction guarantee. If you buy a product and the store will not take it back within 90 days of purchasing, you can send it to Amex and get a refund up to $300.

The $45 fee is half of the Delta and still allows you to earn points. If you hardly use the card and have good credit I don't see why you would keep it. If you don't use it enough for free nights or don't travel you would be better off with a cash back card.

That statement by itself may be the reason AMEX was unwilling to provide you points when asked to waive the annual fee. You're not providing anything to AMEX.

Question about bonus points
 

Hi all,

I had a card from 08-09 for which I received the promotional 10K. I closed this account in end of 09 and started a new account in Jan 10. However, looks like I wont get the 10K points since I received them once. Is this new? Any way to convince them to give me the bons points? A friend has successfully cycled his card and didnt have this issue so I was wondering if I restarted my acc too quick or if they added this new condition.

TIA and sorry for duplication, if already discussed.

Question about approvel chance
 

Hello,

I'm wondering if I would be approved for the card with a credit score of around 700 on creditkarma.com and a short credit history (6 months). I have two credit cards with a total credit line of $4000 and I applied for the last one in March. Should I wait or should I go for it? What do you think? Anyone who got approved/denied with scores similar to mine?

Thanks,
Ngls

Most likely you will not receive the bonus points. I've heard of people who have waited 2-3 years and they stated that they received the bonus points, but so far that's been pretty rare. If you do a high volume of purchasing, several thousand a month since you've opened it, you could try and ask for a curtsey 1 to 3,000 in points. Not sure why you would close your account then open a new one a month or two later.

I would suggest waiting.

Does purchase of gift cards or cash cards (like the ones you spend at Costco) with the SPG AMEX count as "eligible spending" for purposes of earning points and/or meeting the "$15,000 in the first 6 months" threshold?

Anything that will post to your account as a purchase will earn you star points. Buying a costco gift card at Costco will count as a purchase and you will earn points that will help you to meet your spending requirement.

Address Change
 

My wife has an SPG card; I also have an SPG card, as well as two other Amex cards.

I am considering 'temporarily' changing the address on my SPG card (for online-order purposes). Three questions:
Any help is greatly appreciated!

1) Will this change affect the mailing address on my other two Amex cards?
No, the Amex website will ask whether or not you want the change to affect the other cards. You can tell it not to do so.
2) Will the address change affect transferring points between my wife's and my Starpoints accounts?
No, the address on your Amex does not have to match the address on your SPG account. The address on your SPG accounts must match for a transfer, but that doesn't mean that the addresses on your Amex account have to match.
3) Can I change the address back at a later date with no problem?
I don't see why not.

I suppose that your new "temporary" mailing address might could show up on credit reports.

you can call customer service and ask to setup an "alternate ship-to" address on the card. Vendors will be able to verify it and it will not change your normal billing address.

On some AmEx cards, you can set up several alternate shipping addresses.

There is a limit on the number of addresses (either one or three, I hope someone else knows more) and each address stays on your account for a maximum of (I think) one year, then you have to renew it.

Does this sound a little shady to anyone else? I've never had a problem shipping gifts to other addresses than my billing address...

CLG

No, it does not sound shady. To protect themselves from fraudulent charges, some online retailers require the credit card billing address and shipping address to be the same unless they can confirm a different shipping address through the credit card company.