10,000 bonus points per 20 transactions

[straitman]

Alright, now i have only just found this thread and going through 200+ pages is going to take me a long time.

Is there a post, or can someone provide me with a little info about the best one to sign up with?

Thanks

jingles,

Put simply. If you are not already signed up you have missed the boat/flight or however you wish it to be said.

 

[Mal]

Is there a post, or can someone provide me with a little info about the best one to sign up with?

To summarise:

If you didn't receive a postcard from Amex about this promotion, you are too late. Amex has firmly shut the gates on the promotion. (although this is subject to State and Federal laws that will be played out in Government tribunals and similar spheres as well as courts (potentially)).

 

[lovetravellingoz]

If I call tomorrow and am put on 5K/5T and bonus points are reinstated to the correct level then this is a non-issue for me.

I wish you well...if you don't ask , you don't get.I have had Amex fail to award bonuses in other past promos and only got them after repeated pushing.

However I expect Amex will argue that it is reserving the right to decide what rate the bonus is awarded on (based upon some internal formula)..
otherwise it would open the doors for everyone in the pre-Sep 20 multi- bonus group to ask to be on the most generous rate.

 

[Mal]

However I expect Amex will argue that it is reserving the right to decide what rate the bonus is awarded on (based upon some internal formula)..
otherwise it would open the doors for everyone in the pre-Sep 20 multi- bonus group to ask to be on the most generous rate.

Simongr fits into a very special category, and out of everyone here has the most ammunition to use against Amex in various ways. This is because he was able to take a screenshot of him being offered the 5/5000 promotion when he was on the Amex site.

Wiggle out of that one Amex!

 

[jingles]

jingles,

Put simply. If you are not already signed up you have missed the boat/flight or however you wish it to be said.

To summarise: If you didn't receive a postcard from Amex about this promotion, you are too late. Amex has firmly shut the gates on the promotion. (although this is subject to State and Federal laws that will be played out in Government tribunals and similar spheres as well as courts (potentially)).

Oh really, bummer
Generally i check the forums quite frequently however have been flat out busy lately

So those who signed up and did not receive the post card have been kicked from the promo and cannot receive the extra points or have they just stopped new people coming in?

 

[Mal]

So those who signed up and did not receive the post card have been kicked from the promo and cannot receive the extra points or have they just stopped new people coming in?

Maybe we need a Wiki page to point people to

Most info as available is now listed on the Amex site here:
www.americanexpress.com.au/myreward and
American Express, Bonuspoints FAQ

There are still lots of grumblings, and complaints happening to various Government and legal eagles - so things could change quite a bit.

 

[Kazi]

I think you will find that myself and others complaining about the letters are complaining about being on the 10T/5K promo rather than not being eligible for all three promos.

I expected to end up on one promo after the first information from Amex and if this had been 5K/5T then I would have been happy.

As Amex are not playing ball and if I don't go on the 5K/5T then I will push the all three promos line.

If I call tomorrow and am put on 5K/5T and bonus points are reinstated to the correct level then this is a non-issue for me.

Same here.

I would be happy if they had left me on the 5k/5T promotion.

Let me know how it goes when you call tomorrow.

In my case, I had actually called them early October to cancel the 10k/20T and 5k/10T promotions, and leave me on the 5K/5T promotion. The CSR also confirmed that I am now only on the 5k/5T promotion.

I strongly believe that they can't simply void our agreement and then conveniently placed me (us) on a 5k/10T without prior notice. That is an abuse of power. I don't not think they have legitimate power to do that.

 

[straitman]

The letter states:

"5000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points when you use your Card every 10 transactions, up until 31 December 2008".

Clearly, this means that I should get 5,000 points for every 10 transactions up to 31 December 2008.

My point being that the clause regarding starting from Zero transaction at the start of every month is OMITTED. So, if i have 9 transaction in Sep, then my first transaction in Oct should entitle me to 5,000 points.

They just dug themselves another HOLE? lol.

The above is just another point. I am not giving up the fact that they AMENDED OUR AGREEMENT (which was 5k for 5 transactions) without prior speaking to me. How is that possible when we are not in breach of any of the ORIGINAL conditions. That is just WRONG and UNACCEPTABLE.

Kazi,

Based upon the first part of your own post (which clearly states that 'I should get 5,000 points for every 10 transactions up to 31 December 2008.') Why do you think you are eligible for the 5k for 5 transactions part of the promotion :?:

I don't not think they have legitimate power to do that.

Why do you think that :?:

 

[Kazi]

Kazi,

Why do you think that :?:

Initially, I signed up for all three promotions. Because I did not intend to get credited from all three promotions, I specifically called up and asked them to put me on ONLY the 5k/5T promotion in early October. They agreed and confirmed that they have cancelled the other promotions which I registered for and maintained the 5k/5T promotions.

Therefore, since I have already cancelled my registration with the other promotions, I do not believe that it is within their power to register me back with the 5k/10T promotion which I EXPRESSLY CANCELLED. My point is they will NEED MY CONSENT before registering me back in the 5K/10T. THIS THEY DID NOT DO. They just simply signed me up although I had cancelled my registration.

So you tell me. Do they have the power to do that? If so, it seems like they would be able to sign people up to any promotions as they see fit!

There you go .

And don't get me started with them cancelling my 5k/5T registration when I do not believe that I have breached any T&C as stated originally (yes, I signed up before the cut-off date for unlimited points.).

 

[simongr]

OK - just called Amex. Spoke to Plat services chick who put me on hold and spoke to a MR person. I expressed my desire to be put on the 5K/5T and was transferred to the MR person who tried to explain the program - which I explained that I understood.

After some references to the fact that I had screen shots of the open offer etc. I was asked to fax those in so that they could be discussed with her supervisor.

Fax will be sent tomorrow

I did mention the ACCC a couple of times...

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Simongr fits into a very special category, and out of everyone here has the most ammunition to use against Amex in various ways. This is because he was able to take a screenshot of him being offered the 5/5000 promotion when he was on the Amex site.

Wiggle out of that one Amex!

Yes I had forgotten about that.

I think that anyone else wanting to claim that particular loophole will need to have called up or enrolled online at the time that it was on their website....or at least have screenshot which is not Simongr's computer

 

[NSWhere]

Yes I had forgotten about that.

I think that anyone else wanting to claim that particular loophole will need to have called up or enrolled online at the time that it was on their website....or at least have screenshot which is not Simongr's computer

Thankfully, I am also in this category. I look forward to them explaining that I wasn't targeted for a promotion when I have the screen complete with Ts&Cs. By the way, thanks to whoever suggested it at the time!

That said, I think others could benefit from our luck if we have it. After all, once they know there is proof out there of an open offer, one would expect they would be less willing to deny it.

I'll call Amex tomorrow, then send off a letter with the printout attached to the address posted a few pages back.

If this doesn't work, I'll push it further.

 

[simongr]

Having just printed the screenshot, unless people crop the one I posted on here they wont be able to use it as it is very obviously from my computer...

that is unless someone has already claimed that it is their computer...:-|

 

[drewbles]

.

I had a collegue in a situation once of having a large balance due on his CC, so he decided that he would work it off by making payments on pay day. Good idea you would think, but his statements typically were issued two days after pay day, so he was not actually making payments between the statement date and the due date, he was actually paying early. Kept getting hit with fees for not making the payments!

Wasn't Citibank by any chance was it? I have this problem with them. I keep making well above minimum payment per month, and because it's "late" in their eyes (when it's really early for the next cycle) they slap me $45 late payment fees monthly. I opened a case with their customer advocacy unit, but have not heard back. The sooner I can Citibank, the better

 

[NSWhere]

Having just printed the screenshot, unless people crop the one I posted on here they wont be able to use it as it is very obviously from my computer...

that is unless someone has already claimed that it is their computer...:-|

My screenshot is much more generic from the sounds of it, just a lenovo thinkpad running vista with no interesting background or anything.

That said, I have placed the cursor over the time to highlight the date, and there is another tab in internet explorer. Don't think they would be very happy with a bunch of people claiming to have accessed the site at the same date and time while surfing the same webpages, so I won't post the shot here for the time being.

 

[white22]

So you tell me. Do they have the power to do that? If so, it seems like they would be able to sign people up to any promotions as they see fit!

There has been 200+ pages of discussion on this point. Your suggested starting point is there.
After trawling through that you'll probably realise that there are a number of different thoughts on the topic and no simple anwer to the question you pose. That's the thing about law - it is rarely clear.

Relevant considerations are that the bonus promo T&Cs said that they were subject to the MR T&Cs. The MR T&Cs suggest that 1) those T&Cs can be amended unilaterally without notice and 2) that there was provision to allow AMEX to deal with you how it sees fit if it considers there has been fraud or abuse (this is from memory, but I think cl 14).

The bonus promo terms were very light and didn't clarify whether all three promos could be signed up for. One would have to think, reasonably, that it was clearly not the intention of AMEX that a person who put through 20 transactions in a month was to receive 4 x 5K (5t/5k) plus 2 x 5k (10/5k) plus 1 x 10k (20t/10k). Instead, one would reasonably think that each transaction would only count towards one bonus promo only, whatever that promo be.

Some people have thought about whether there has been an offer/acceptance or consideration and whether a contract has been formed. For my part, I don't think this is an issue. On a narrow reading, the terms of the contract would allow AMEX to make pretty much any changes it chose to. In my view, this is practically settled and not in issue. For me, the relevant question is can this be done having regard to the consumer protection laws? It has been said plenty of times before: just because a contract says something doesn't mean it is enforceable and doesn't mean that it isn't in breach of legislation.

The Trade Practices Act generally provides consumer protection, although does not apply to financial services. The ASIC Act is the relevant legislation in this regard and, in particular, Part 4 Subdivision D (s12DA, for example).

I suggest you read the Consumer Protection sections of the ASIC Act and form your own views as to whether the action that AMEX has taken is in breach of those legislative boundaries. As it applies to me, the conduct of AMEX seems to have breached the ASIC Act. However, I don't determine these things and I also don't know all the circumstances that apply to you.

 

[JohnK]

So you tell me. Do they have the power to do that? If so, it seems like they would be able to sign people up to any promotions as they see fit!

Yes Amex does have the power to sign people up to a specific promotion and not ask you if you feel they made the right decision. I think you will find that the recent Amex BP promotion people were automatically signed up for the promotion by Amex and if you did not receive the postcard there is no way you could sign up.

We will never see anything like this promotion again from Amex whether in terms of allowing anyone to signup for a promotion or the amount of MR points that could be earned from a promotion. And the more discussion, the more complaints, the more threats mentioned will make it even worse for the rest of us for future promotions....

 

[futaris]

The tricky thing is we're dealing with "Membership Rewards", and not with "American Express". They are two separate entities. I'm surprised if the ACCC has nothing to do with "Membership Rewards" since they have been listed on the ACCC's website a few times, e.g. American Express Australia Limited - Notification - N93326 .

If Amex changed your interest rate, then I'm sure it would fall under ASIC's jurisdiction. Not so sure for "Membership Rewards" points particularly as they are a essentially a "kickback" for using Amex's financial services.

 

[simongr]

Yes Amex does have the power to sign people up to a specific promotion and not ask you if you feel they made the right decision. I think you will find that the recent Amex BP promotion people were automatically signed up for the promotion by Amex and if you did not receive the postcard there is no way you could sign up.

Different situation. For a start there was only one BP promo. Secondly the T+Cs were very specific that only targetted people could register.

This promo was publicly advertised and no T+C prior to 24 Sep indicated either that only targetted people could apply or even that only registration was only available to one promo.

We may see something this "generous" in the future as the promo was not designed to be open to all. If only the targetted people had participated then the giveaway would not have been so bad for Amex and they could have easily weeded out abusive activity - and by that I do not mean people buying their coffees on Amex.

 

[Rambo]

I think you will find that myself and others complaining about the letters are complaining about being on the 10T/5K promo rather than not being eligible for all three promos.

I expected to end up on one promo after the first information from Amex and if this had been 5K/5T then I would have been happy.

As Amex are not playing ball and if I don't go on the 5K/5T then I will push the all three promos line.

If I call tomorrow and am put on 5K/5T and bonus points are reinstated to the correct level then this is a non-issue for me.

No reasonable person can really expect that they were ever going to get points from all 3 promo's. Even if the fine print does not say you cannot.