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my ihg account earning preference is for airlines miles and remains that way. can I buy “bonus points package” when booking (with the aim to get ihg reward points)? thanks.
Just got the email from Frontier and their new annual unlimited flying pass. It’s $599 for the first year and then $1,999 for future years. Not as exciting as I had hoped. It gives you $0.01 fare each way on flights but you still have to pay all their fees and taxes. Also doesn’t cover any of their nickel and dime fees on luggage, seating, etc. No frequent flyer miles either, which makes sense. Could be a deal at $599 of people that fly often. I’m wavering on whether I’ll do it or not. I have 100K status now but runs out at end of the year unless they run the same promo again and let us buy the status like they did last year for $199.
Just wanted to thank you for your timely post about getting the 4x travel offer for AMEX Business referrals. I saw your post yesterday and had my Player 2 refer me for Blue Business Plus. Now in addition 15k points each, Player 2 will get 6x (4x for travel plus 2x standard) for travel. With a cruise balance to pay, that’s another 30k points 🙂
Your travel blog is the best!
I have an existing Chase Ink business card. I am planning on shutting that business and doing something else. Can I close the old Ink account, open a new one for the new business and qualify for the bonus points?
Yes you can. But if the Ink card doesn’t have an annual fee, there’s no real reason to close it. You can still get a second one for the separate business.
Hi- new to this game. This is probably going to sound like a really stupid question, but what do you mean “searching award space” and award charts. I have point me, but beyond that I just going to various airlines and seeing whats available. Is there a more efficient way to do this?
on the ask me anything tim talked about using debit cards to pay citi and he mentioned redditt forums about this. But i can’t seem to find any of these redditt forums? Could you point me in the right direction?
amex mr
I have had the Amex Plat for several years and have gotten a handful of retention bonuses over that time. A few months ago I signed up for the Schwab card for the 100k bonus. My plan was to keep that and cancel my old Plat card. The AF on that card just came due and I am getting ready to cancel over chat. Do you think they will offer a retention bonus for that card since I now basically have a matching card? I feel a little funny even asking them for one. Thoughts?
I have called and chatted with AmEx, AmEx told me that additional cardholder spend does not count towards meeting minimum spending requirements to receive sign up bonuses. Do you know if AmEx has changed their rules in 2022 when it comes to having additional cardholder spend count towards meeting minimum spending requirements to receive sign up bonuses? Thank you, James
Just want to say, Frequent Miler is my favorite travel blog. I’ve been in this hobby since the 90’s and before I knew anyone else earning without flying/staying yet using points for free travel. Then I found places where hobbyists like myself could share ideas on the www. And, later FM! I enjoy seeing the continuous newsletters coming from FM into my inbox. Before I start work each day, I read my Bible and then right before work I enjoy reading FM. Keep up the great work! And, as someone who’s career has been media (TV producer, writer, radio, web, print, live events) I’ve watched as this site gained more and more graphics talent. Great job FM team! You’ve managed to keep me informed and entertained; a difficult task since I find it almost impossible to sit down and enjoy a well made movie or TV series since all of that is like work for me. Travel… I’ve missed it since the pandemic started and like many had vacations planned and then cancelled. At least I can keep up with the latest with FM. If I’m not subscribed to everything FM has to offer, I’d like to be. Now, I’m concentrating on home renovation and additions for my house, so I know I must plan another free vacation to a place we can really relax when this project is over and we’ll probably head back to the South Pacific.
Thanks Ed! Great to hear that!
As a Centurion cardholder of 22 years, I finally gave up my Centurion membership.
As a loyal Amex customer since 1988, I worked hard to help the team at Centurion understand how appalling their customer service had become, how untrained their agents were, and how their new team structure vs dedicated contacts has led to booking errors, mistakes, and the general feeling one gets when calling a remote call center that knows nothing about you.
This is everything Centurion claims it is not.
I tried reaching out to senior team members at Amex with no response. They simply don’t care.
I finally spoke at length with a very sweet and nice “executive customer service” team member I had spoken to a year ago when things started going off the rails and she promised me that she would discuss my issues with “management”, but in the end was given the run around with the obligatory “I’m so sorry we can’t meet your needs and that we are losing you.
I personally was mentored and coached for years by an old leader of American Express named Alan Loren. He would be turning in his grave if he knew how terrible the Centurion product had become. He was a believer in the customer experience and in those days management was willing to speak directly to a customer to understand their concerns. No longer 🙁
AEXP happily lost me as a Centurion customer after 22 years, without doing anything to try to make amends for the terrible service received.
Here are some of the shortfalls and issues with the card that everyone should know:
– Multiple booking errors leading to problems with travel, lost seats, lost flights, etc.
– Multiple times I received no call back from an agent I had spoken to at length and literally no way to get back in touch with them, since there is no longer a personal point of contact for Centurion members (just a large team who often isn’t available anyways and then your call goes into a pool). Centurion has become a faceless, nameless call center experience.
– There’s been a dramatic elimination of historical benefits, personalized events, and special perks – only to be replaced by a complicated grouping of “experiences”, which quickly become unavailable anyway – “Oh sorry”, they say on the same morning an event becomes available for booking, “the event you want isn’t available anymore We can put you on a waitlist”. They should be ashamed of this new experience program.
– Gone is Hyatt, United, and other airline and hotel programs where status was afforded.
– When booking flights, almost always, the travel team couldn’t even find the same rates I could find online. I literally booked 5 business class seats to Turkey last summer for 1/2 the cost they quoted. When I pointed it out and showed them, they simply said they couldn’t get the same rates – baffling, as they are supposed to be the experts. They don’t even take the time to shop, offer creative suggestions that any pro would offer, or even understand or know the properties and routes they are quoting.
– When trying to book a difficult restaurant reservation through the “concierge” they called back a day later saying that nothing was available, but when I called the restaurant right afterwards, they gave me a table.
Their concierges can’t even get what any normal person can get, making you wonder why they are even there. It’s become better to simply do things yourself vs working with the Centurion team.
– When I cut my spend a year ago, in protest of their terrible service, saying I would up it again when they proved they would improve, I never even got a call asking why. They simply don’t care and Centurion cardholders are treated like everyone else. There is no more special treatment or special feeling.
Which begs the question – what is one paying $5000 for each year? Do they even really want to have this offering anymore? Do they still care about the customer experience or is it just about the bottom line? Do they even customer Customer Lifetime Value anymore?
There are so many more examples of terrible service, whittled down options comparable to Platinum and many more instances of a lack of travel knowledge by their team.
It seems Amex has given up on their Centurion cardholders, many of whom are their most loyal supporters and brand ambassadors. I feel given up on and am saddened by what has become of this iconic card.
Arosan, to your point of the annual fee, here’s another data point regarding the concierge team.
I have had an opportunity to speak with a number of hotel concierges. When there is a punch list associated with a hotel stay — even a non-Centurion hotel program property — the Centurion concierge calls up and tasks the hotel’s concierge with a attitude of “if you know what’s good for you, you’ll do this.” Of course, the hotel concierges are gracious and take care of the punch list. But, the attitude is offensive.
When the hotel concierge sends the itinerary back to the Centurion concierge — get this — the Centurion concierge cuts and pastes the itinerary onto Amex stationery to send to the cardholder. How shallow.
One Centurion cardholder — after learning what’s what and upon arriving at the hotel — popped his cork. “Why the hell am I’m paying thousands of dollars in fees for a Centurion concierge when you guys are actually doing the work and I can call you directly?” True story.
It’s smoke and mirrors.
My wife and I put seven figures a year on Amex — and the first digit wasn’t a one. My Amex business relationship manager submitted me for the card. No thanks. And, for other reasons, I’ve ended my relationship with Amex. As you say, Amex doesn’t seem to be paying attention to its better customers.
Amex isn’t the same company it was decades ago. I also learned the hard way that the general attitude they have toward their customers and businesses is that they don’t care if they lose business. That company is too big for it’s own good. Their “Rat” team of just a few people took away a lot of MR points from me and family when they could see we were donating all the points to charity regularly. I even used their own charity program to donate through. Even those I donated to couldn’t tell I had even made any donations even though the checks were cashed (Amex got the credit.. tax deductions). I’ve never used any MR points earning card again and closed down accounts. Even getting to higher levels of customer service, they just don’t remedy anything. I know there are good people working there, but their hands are tied.
PS
There’s no saved “Centurion” table. If one asks a restaurant’s reception team about the saved “Centurion” table, they won’t know what you’re talking about. The concierge will simply call up the restaurant and brow-beat reception for a table — like the hotel concierge scenario that I mention below.
BBVA is dead. 🙁 Believe all cards have been product changed to garbage PNC cards. Rip 5x/10x deals
Ned from Boston
I recently logged into my American Express account and noticed that my posted purchases read “For a limited time: Use 40% fewer Membership Rewards points when you use them to cover eligible charges. Terms Apply.” For this purchase of $118.74, underneath it reads “Offer available ($118.74 = 11,874 pts). Tap to Use Points”. This was for a sporting goods store on my BBP. I have screenshots for my Platinum and BBP on posted charges. Platinum has Uber Eats and Udemy – my two recent posted purchases. Nothing on my Gold cards as I have no posted charges on that card. After speaking with a customer service rep, Karen, she confirmed it was indeed a targeted offer going to out to certain members.
These requests include any previous and future files, info, etc etc Retain it all.
Thank you!!