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Welcome to the Frequent Miler Week In Review series. Every Saturday we recap what you might have missed from around the web. Enjoy!
This Week Around the Web
Rumor: American Express To Compete With Chase Sapphire Reserve, As Early As Q4 – Obviously Amex has to respond to the huge success of the Sapphire Reserve card, but can they really do it so quickly? Doctor of Credit says that Amex’s answer to the Sapphire Reserve may be introduced as early as October 5th!
Bonus Miles In-Store at Whole Foods, Lowe’s, Gap and More with HawaiianMiles Marketplace – This has been on my to-do list for a while now, but Rapid Travel Chai has necessary details. Make sure to read this one — there’s some juicy stuff for those who like to Ink points.
eBay Gift Card Policy Primer: An Easy Guide to eBay’s New Rules – With eBay gift card rules constantly changing, here’s a helpful all-in-one guide.
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or put differently, as your bio notes, you teach us how to earn gazillions of miles via this esteemed blog….
well, teaching opportunity at hand. Don’t ignore it.
Say Greg, ok, I get it and appreciate that you have a business relationship (at various levels) with Amex. As such, how ’bout reaching out to your handlers there to see if any of us who ms (like you do) on the new cards will face clawbacks AFTER the fact?
Seriously, real candor please. Will this new card have the same enforced policy against any and all forms of ms? (while I’m at it, are similar t&c bombs lurking in our Chase cards?)
I don’t currently have ANY direct contacts with Amex despite the business relationship. All communications go through the affiliate network middlemen. Regardless, the people who deal with affiliates have absolutely nothing to do with the departments that would know the answer to this question.
So, we’re left with my best guess. I believe (granted, without any proof) that the Platinum 100K fiasco was a one-off vendetta. I haven’t seen any evidence that clawbacks will happen with any other cards, nor do I expect to see that happen again until another meant-to-be-targeted link makes its way to the public.
That said, I do think it is now prudent with Amex, when trying to meet minimum spend, to avoid the types of ms that they explicitly bar from their signup bonus. Namely avoid buying prepaid products or other cash equivalents.
That’s pretty lame, and obviously a knee jerk reaction to the Sapphire card. I have a Amex PLT and everyday card, PLT for business have stopped using Everyday card using Sapphire now and easier with it being a Visa branded card.
Rumor has it Amex is coming out with their real answer fourth quarter, going to have to be good.
To all you above mad at Amex…you sure do get this game….Thanks Greg for all you do.
Some truth to the concerns over AMEX. They have gone past the pale in several cases where they have clawed back points 100% earned within the terms and conditions, clawed back points never given in the first place and made up rules on the fly not in the terms and conditions. AMEX must feel that Wells Fargo has been hogging all the free press and they want in on the action.
I cancelled all my Amex cards, not the company I want to do business with.
I don’t want anymore Amex cards after the 100K clawback.
I second that! Don’t trust Amex! Just walk away from any of their products.