Chase Ink shutdowns on the rise, LoungeBuddy becomes a dead program walking and Amex begins to put limits on the amount of yearly Priority Pass visits Platinum cardholders get. All that and more in this week’s Saturday Selection, our weekly round-up of interesting tidbits from around the interwebs (links to the original articles are embedded in the titles).
Chase shutting down some Ink credit cardholders
It’s almost Halloween again and, like every streaming service and cable channel on the planet, it’s time to drag out some scary stories that will send chills down the human spine. When an issuer decides that they don’t like you, either because your activity looks like a money-laundering drug dealer or because you figured out a unique chink in a bank’s anti-fun armor, they can decide to “shut you down.” This usually involves closing one or all of your accounts and then leaving you to spend some quiet time alone thinking about what you’ve done. Some banks even take your points, but Chase actually gives you a couple of months to use your Ultimate Rewards before they zero you out, bless their hearts. Usually, Chase is actually one of the less-likely banks to shut down folks who creatively maximize their credit, but it seems that there’s been a slight uptick recently. Doctor of Credit shares a reddit discussion that seems to indicate that these buzz-kills might be targeted at folks who have been taking an exhilarating ride on the “Ink Train,” as Ink Business cards don’t have the same draconian churning rules that Chase consumer and co-branded cards do. One might say that it can even get a little wild-westy. I think it’s too soon to say whether or not the points police are really on the hunt for serial Inkers, but it’s a good reminder to be safe out there.
American Express putting LoungeBuddy out to pasture
LoungeBuddy was founded in 2013 as a search, review and booking tool for airport lounges around the world. The idea was that, regardless of what elite status you hold, you could search for lounges in the airport that you’re in and then book a day pass in one fell swoop. Similar to kids born after cellphones can’t understand life without GPS, those folks used to ubiquitous credit card-based Priority Pass memberships and other types of free lounge access might ask the question, “why would I need that?” Evidently, we don’t. American Express bought LoungeBuddy in 2019, but has recently been hacking away at it, Black Knight-style. The iOS app went away in July, making the website the only way to find and book lounge access. Then, a few weeks ago, Amex removed the $100 annual LoungeBuddy credit from the Amex Green Card and told current cardholders that they’d be losing the benefit next January…and there’s a good reason why. LoungeBuddy will breathe its final breath on January 30th, 2025, after which it will be crossing the virtual rainbow bridge to join all of the other happy, defunct apps in the afterlife. RIP, buddy.
Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders get Air Canada lounge access
One of the more taxing experiences of my time in college happened during a winter trip to Québec. On the last night we were there, a group of us went to a sugar shack, a homey cabin-like maple syrup “farm” out in the countryside. The maple sap had just started flowing and to celebrate we were treated to a multi-course sampling of hearty Québecois fare: omelets, game, bacon, stew, potatoes…all of it bathed in copious amounts of maple syrup. I thought that I loved fresh maple syrup, but after an hour or so, I realized that I had a limit – and I had reached that limit about 45 minutes and 7,000 calories earlier. I’ve never experienced a sugar rush (or crash) quite like it, something which I’m eternally grateful for. Why do I mention this? Just to be very clear to folks with a similar background that Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounges have nothing to do with a sugar shack and can be very pleasant places to while away an hour before a flight. Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders now have complimentary access to around 20 Maple Leaf locations around the world when flying a Star Alliance carrier; Thrifty Traveler has the full list here. Note that the access is just for the cardholder, however. Guests will oddly cost 59 loonies, American dollars, euros or British pounds (I’d recommend paying in Canadian currency at current exchange rates).
Amex putting limits on Priority Pass lounge access
American Express has a long, ongoing and successful war on the happiness of Platinum cardholders. Amex’s high-end, $695/year, “luxury” card doubles as one of the more expensive coupon books in the world, carrying monthly, bi-annual, quarterly or yearly credits for: airline incidentals, prepaid Fine Hotels & Resorts stays, digital entertainment, Global Entry, Uber, CLEAR, Saks Fifth Avenue and Walmart+ (which is what really gives it that luxury feel). As the coupons have multiplied, some benefits have gone away. The Priority Pass that comes with the card no longer has access to restaurants, unlimited Delta SkyClub access will start to be very limited next year and using the $50 Saks credit now has a shipping charge attached (for orders under $300). Last week, Platinum cardholders in Spain were informed that their Priority Pass lounge access would no longer be unlimited starting October 24th. After that date, our Iberian friends will be allowed a maximum of 20 visits/year for primary cardholders; 10/year for authorized users. It’s thought that this will soon be implemented across Europe and eventually, barring mass revolt, on this side of the pond as well. Loyalty Lobby flagged the new changes and speculates on what next.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
Disappointed to see you guys sharing stuff off of Reddit that could be completely fictional. If you read the Reddit posts there is a user that got to what he thinks the real issues are. Anyone at FM have a u issues? I feel like the FM team does way more or used to do way more MS then these few accounts on Reddit
Sorry to hear that you’re disappointed, although I can’t say that I understand why. Both the DOC post and the original reddit thread are nothing more than a conversation of (public) data points regarding Chase shutdowns. Those data points are most likely real (although I suppose people could be sharing fake DPs). That conversation started before this post and will continue afterwards.
IMHO, these sorts of DPs (and where to find them) are very relevant to our community. In my little blurb I said that it’s too soon to tell what the actual reasons for the shutdown were. But regardless, it’s always worth being aware of when and why people might be running afoul of the banks to the point of getting shut down.
You are quite right sir, my apologies .
No way AMEX is going to nerf unlimited Priority Pass in the U.S. Too many other card issuers offer that.
Now, they can limit Delta and Centurion because others are not competing on those lounges. But PP, definitely too much competition.
You might be right. I also remember similar sentiments back in 2019 when they took away restaurant access and that “nerf” is now the industry standard.
Ha. And, let’s not forget that one US-based issuer already has a fixed number of visits on one of its cards. Another issuer includes the pay-as-you-go version of PP. People will convince themselves it’ll never happen until is does.
I would rather PP be completely removed as a benefit from cards, have a lower annual fee, and pay per PP visit.
Ugh. I have seen the Spain Amex Platinum news on multiple sites, but no one is asking the critical question: “Why Spain?” A brief look at the Spanish airport lounge situation, and you may realize that maybe there is something very unique there that prompted this policy. There are very few airline specific lounges in Spain. Iberia has a Schengen and a non-Schengen lounge at Madrid…and I think that is it? There are about 25 other lounges in other airports, and they are (almost) all on Priority Pass. BCN has a similar level of air traffic to SEA and PHX. All 5 of BCN’s lounges are on PP, with no airline specific lounges. SEA and PHX each have 1-2 PP lounges, a Centurion lounge, and a number of airline lounges. A Spanish person who does a lot of domestic travel for business will likely rack up dozens of PP visits. The percentage of US Platinum card holders who rack up dozens of PP visits is likely much much lower.
A Spanish person who travels domestic is more likely use the HSR instead of wasting time on airports tbh.
Maybe, maybe not. Definitely use HSR if you are going between Barcelona and Madrid. That is a no brainer. But large sections of the country are cutoff. Bilbao and San Sebastian? Not connected HSR. Wanna go down the coast from Barcelona to Valencia? Not connected by HSR (unless you wanna route through Madrid). And then you have the Canary and Balearic Islands (millions of people do live there).
Even for those technically connected by HSR, the routings may not be favorable. I have to go from Madrid to Granada in a couple months. It is about a 40 minute flight or 4 hours on the HSR.
Getting to the airport, security, boarding, getting to the city, while HSR starts from and drops down in the city center. 4 hours of train is very well competitive with 40 min flights.
Just a PSA for those unfamiliar with Spanish high speed rail. There are some countries where you can get to the station 5-10 minutes before departure if you already have your tickets. Don’t do this in Spain!! You do have to run your bags through security before you board your train. It is not rigorous (water bottles are fine), and usually takes only a couple minutes, though at busy times can be longer. I still try to get to Madrid Atocha around 30 minutes before boarding, because I have been stuck behind a slow tour group before. It is still better than an airport, to Lrdx’s point, but the difference in Spain is not as big as in other countries since there is still security for the HSR.
Lounges are an elevated travel experience. They go hand in hand with premium cabins. There’s a certain customer base that seeks and is willing to pay for those elevated travel experiences.
Card-based lounge access has *effectively* eliminated the cost for that particular elevated travel experience . . . and the flood gates opened. Lounge access has become a different form of pee-wee soccer trophy . . . to which everyone feels they are entitled. And, you see some enter lounges with an empty gym bag and leave with a full gym bag — a visual that utterly destroys the vibe. You’ve gone from an elevated experience to the $3 all-you-can-eat buffet at the Cal-Neva. (Enter shaking head GIF here.)
Sure it’s nice but you gotta climb the mountain if you wanna enjoy the view. Without specifying what, the lounge operators need to do something. I don’t know that limiting the number of visits will do it. A person can inexpensively obtain two (or more) Priority Pass memberships and does that leave us in the same position?
Consider the Chase Ritz Carlton’s Priority Pass benefit. Unlimited PP lounge guests. Authorized users receive PP and there’s no annual fee for authorized users. Ripe for abuse. Like the old Citi AA Executive.
Like your take on shutdowns including the photo!
The graphic was great!
You know, I gotta call out one thing (among many) you folks do really well, which is the images associated with the posts. Much more entertaining that the stock photos other sites use (and sometime reuse to exhaustion). It’s a small thing, but it adds a lot to the enjoyment. (I assume Ms Yoder is, in large part, the person to thank?)
Couldn’t agree more!
Tastes (and expectations) vary. Personally I find the graphics on this site (all essentially clipart) cringeworthy and amateurish.
I’m not sure where this ClipArt place is that you speak of, but it sounds magical.
Normally I only visit web sites that commission original works of art for each post, but I make an exception for FM.
Thanks Jimmy. That means a lot.
They are stock photos. Bad ones at that, IMHO.
You have no idea what we had to go through to get a pre-burial photo of LoungeBuddy’s gravestone.
That’s my second laugh from that photo. Admittedly I am easily amused.
How do you safely ride the train?
Data points suggest that one per calendar quarter should be fine.
Note that’s the time frame that the linked DOC/reddit discussion theorizes may be putting people at risk. Could be paranoia.
There is no safe train ride. All train rides – and pretty much everything covered on this blog – involves some level of risk. The advice doled out here is just speculation, and nobody can say exactly how risky various levels of activities are. You have to just choose the level of risk that you’re comfortable with and accept it, without really knowing how risky you are being. It’s tricky that way, lots of guessing going on.
While I see your point, I also think that it’s a bit of a broad brush in regards to this example. The vast majority of the stuff that we write about on this site is completely safe, so long as you pay your credit card off every month. When there is risk, it’s usually that points may not post in the way that we hope, a deal may not stack or something that used to work for an Amex incidental credit doesn’t this time.
Shutdown risk (especially for one of the main banks) is quite a bit more serious…and when there’s something we write about that’s been theorized to put you at risk for it, we’ll try to spell that out clearly…one of the reasons we’ve never encouraged (or discouraged) the quarterly Ink strategy that quite a few folks use.