lkar

+1. I used it for utility bills and a few other miscellaneous local merchants.

FlyingBoat

Me too, 40K on my business card, 30K on my personal card. Nothing bought from open marketplace.

KidB

well i guess i'm just unlucky to get 30k on the biz. no surprise there, i run bad.

abcx

Got 40k on the biz. Dad got 30k on the personal SPG. Hoping that another 10k will post but seems unlikely based on your reports.

mangoMan

30K bonus pts. posted 3 days after statement closed; personal card; applied before 7/6 deadline.

MISH714

We applied for the card on July 28, got it on the 30th. On August 1, we bought a mattress we had already planned to buy to fulfill the $1,000 purchase requirement. On August 16, the 30,000 points posted and we were able to book 5 free nights at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto for the upcoming film festival in September! (They had a buy 4 get the 5th night free promo offer.) Very impressed that the offer said it would take 6 to 8 weeks to get the points and we got them before the statement even cycled.

I would have preferred the cash plus points option, but it wasn't available for our dates. The Starwood agent told us to keep trying over the next couple of weeks.

We are totally new at this - we've been to the filmfest several times but were wavering because of the cost this year - last year I was able to get an Orbitz package with airfare and 5 nights at this hotel for half of what they wanted for it this year! This Amex offer made it do-able for us, and I'm very excited.

Now if only Porter Air would post a promo code...

Happy

Actually someone has reported this several weeks ago, when the bonus points just started to show up.

You would think all these postings are automatically done, thus should come in a more standardized fashion...

We did not meet our spending in the first statement which came less than a week after actually got the card. We met our spending requirement early in the 2nd statement cycle. The bonus points posted between 6 and 8 days BEFORE our 2nd statement closing dates. Yet there are people whose bonuses have not posted after 2nd statement date even they have met their spending requirements in the first statement cycle...

Happy

Me too, was denied the business card applied on July 31st, after already have an instant approval (decent credit line no less) on the personal card when the offers first came out.

One of the reasons given is, "Lack of open and active bank cards..."

I have 4 Citicards, 2 Chase cards, 2 FIA cards and 1 dormant AMEX Gold. One citicard, one chase card and one FIA card are actively used each month but still below 20% utilization of their respective credit lines.

I had 2 SPG biz cards in the past. Last one was closed in 2009. All AMEX cards applied in the past received instant approvals, including an AMEX Biz Gold Card (closed in 2009 before 2nd year annual fee.)

My suspicion of the denial is because I picked the "wrong" business area on the application form. I provide accounting services. On the application form the closest category of business is "Finance / Real Estate", so I picked that. With my address in Florida and the business being "Finance / Real Estate", I suppose this immediately triggers the risk factor into high gear - as I am told "Your American Express Acquisition Risk Score is too high".

I applied the biz card using my SSN, and everything is the same as on the app of personal card which got an instant approval. The ONLY difference is the information of business category. I could not think of anything else to cause the denial. I guess the rumors in the past about people have problems with AMEX if their zip codes are in the "high risk" areas identified in AMEX system is true... The category of your business also can be a factor in the risk assessment model! I suppose if I lie and pick Retail Trade, there would be no issue!

In the denial letter it said I was welcome to reapply again after 30 days... So I am deemed a high risk to AMEX yet it invites me to reapply after 30 days?!

widukie

I got my 30K points. Earlier in the thread some folks were skeptical as I held an active AMEX Starwood card, but, I got it anyway.

May have helped that I made a few phone calls to try and get some points for people I signed up - 2. They gave me 6K, so something is better than nothing. I at that point confirmed that I was getting the 30K.

Yay Starpoints!

swag

Existing consumer cardholder. Opened the business account, got 10K after the 1st billing cycle (didn't meet the threshhold), and 20K last night when the 2nd cycle closed (after meeting the threshhold). So 30K for my business account (so far).

For those getting 40K, did you all meet the threshhold in the first month?

FlyingBoat

I got the 40K and definetly did not meet the threshold the first month. My first month was only $77.

normandy7

My personal card

+1871 SPG AX BASE SPEND - CONSUMER (08/10/2010), no bonus points yet.

My business card

+10000 SPG AX 1ST PURCHASE OPEN (AX) (08/26/2010)
+1313 SPG AX BASE SPEND - OPEN (08/26/2010)

My Dad's card

+10000 SPG AX NEW MBR BONUS (08/16/2010)
+20000 SPG AX NEW MBR SPEND BONUS-CSR (08/16/2010)
His 6k plus spend has yet to show up but oddly did show up on his statement.

My Mom's card

+10000 SPG AX NEW MBR BONUS (08/18/2010)
+20000 SPG AX NEW MBR SPEND BONUS-CSR (08/18/2010)
+1404 SPG AX BASE SPEND - CONSUMER (08/17/2010)

All cards were applied and accepted on the same date.

bocastephen

I got 10K then 20K - definitely not 40K. Why are some getting 30 and some 40 when the published program was 30??

What say the Amex lurkers?

ddsohn

That's a good question! From what I was told (after having phone conversation with CSR), they were giving out extra 10K for first time customers as a bonus. I'm not sure if you have to be completely new SPG AMEX or not. I forgot the exact dates that I applied but it was prior to the original first deadline (July 7?). Met my threshold within the first billing cycle. 30K posted on 7/29 after meeting my threshold. And another 10K "1st purchase open" posted 8/23 which was AFTER my billing cycle. Total of 40K!

+10000 SPG AX 1ST PURCHASE OPEN (AX) (08/23/2010)
+10000 SPG AX DEFAULT (07/29/2010)
+20000 SPG AX NEW MBR SPEND BONUS-CSR (07/29/2010)

Best

Okto

I can't answer that, but I can say that by following the great advice provided in post #248 in this thread by SkinsFan0521, one could end up with 45,000 bonus points