I just got this promo in the mail . Don't know if it's targeted. It's such a good deal, I'll have to put off the minimum spend for the Sapphire 50K bonus (got that in the mail too). wj

read the fine print. 2x miles only applies to merchants in certain categories. I was excited by this too until I read what it actually applies to.

Thanks Glenaa I'm not real good w/the fine print. Just read 'em. Only 2X miles after $1000/month spend on ALL purchases. No 4X miles for CO purchases. Says it's non-transferable. Still pretty good. Mine must be a little different from yours. wj

These are targeted (as they were the last go around) considering different customers are getting different promos. Mine is double miles after you reach $500 spend/month.

Interesting...I got a flyer for 2X miles on groceries through end of July...

pretty sure the grocery one was the one I got too. But it said it would not apply to supercenter, mass merchandisers and a bunch of other stuff. So it seemed a lot less useful than at first glance. And since I have still been in the process of hitting the BA card spend it wasn't something I could pursue anyway.

I just received one too. Strange, it says Valid from May 11 to July 11, but I just got it. Mine is in Retail, entertainment, and dining.

I got a similar offer in Feb, for March-May, and was able to put the bill for our wedding on the card and it counted as a restaurant. That time, and this time there are no minimum spend requirements in the fine print.

Sadly, mine sounds like it isn't including grocery, from the T&C:
Bookstores, clothing stores, convenience stores, department stores, dining establishments.
Excludes: Superstores, warehouse clubs, discount stores and affiliates.

Mine is 5/11 to 7/11 but just arrived a few days ago.

2 x for Gas, Dining and Grocery. This would be good for those who drive many miles a day but of little use for us.

I got the offer for double miles after $500 spend. But, the $500 spend each month cuts the value quite a bit.

Still, always nice to get double miles.

PS checked the mailed brochure again, my offer is only for 50% bonus after $500 spend.

Phooey!

I just got one of these for 2x on dining and entertainment. Like the 2x on groceries and several promotions I got for the BA card last year, it came halfway through the eligibility period. I'm not sure if Chase is trying to limit their costs here or just needs to find a new contract mailer that can meet a deadline.

I got this a couple of month ago and when my bills closed, it didn't give me any bonus for Trader Joes. I was wondering if I should call Chase. But I guess you answered my question, no mass merchandiser. Hmm, I don't know if there is any mom and pop grocery store left in the country. That's pretty snicky of Chase

I would absolutely call... it can't hurt, and can only help. I doubt it will work too, but hey, why leave it open to chance? Maybe they can over-ride manually to keep you (the customer) happy?

Actually the mass merchandiser is referred to Sam's Club or Costco and the like.

Trader Joes probably has not coded its merchant code correctly. The bank has no control on how the merchant identify itself via the merchant code. If you read the small print you would find the explanation of such - that it depends on how the merchant codes the purchase.

I actually had purchases made at Target but paid at the Pharmacy Counter being coded as those categories earned extra points in the past but payment made at regular check out line at the SAME Target did not!

Also Chase promotion the bonus shows up on the next statement or even 2 statements later. It is near impossible to reconcile them even the CSRs admit that many customers are very confused because most think the bonus would show up on the same statement the charges appear. It doesn't. If you are so inclined, you could meticulously add up your grocery spending on Month 1, and then see if the statement of Month 2 has a bonus item that match the approx amount you think you should earn...

My take is, unless you spent a $$$$ so the bonus would be meaningful, else it does not worth the time and effort to play reconciliation.

Does this mean if I run a porn store I can code it as a bakery and benefit from the lower merchant fees for non-"adult" stores?

Kinda doubt it.

IMHO the banks are in charge of the coding.

The card issuer only reports on what data's sent. The merchant acquirer is to acquire and set up the merchant. Sometimes merchants are accidentally coded wrong, sometimes someone owned a retailer, closed the retail business and started a bakery yet kept the same merchant # so their merchant number may still show up as a retailer if no one changed it (and no one is incentivised to correct it, so it typically doesn’t happen).Each individual store typically has a unique merchant number that rolls up to a parent relationship (there can be a multitude of roll-up levels).

In this example the pharmacy has unique merchant number as does the retail checkout lines that both eventually roll up to Target parent.