10,000 bonus points per 20 transactions

[QF WP]

bravoecho, that's my current method. simongr obviously hasn't met me yet, he assumed I had basic Excel skills...well, my basic is very basic

 

[simongr]

I will be testing the "no overseas transactions" this week. Being in HKG I am racking up a few transactions that between me here and mrssimongr in SYD we should have 10+ trans this week and a bonus should be paid. If I have 3 HKG transactions, I expect to get my bonus on transaction 13... we shall see.

 

[serfty]

I had two "ineligible" Hampton Inn stays earlier this month; the 5K/10T did not post when MR showed 10 transactions including these.

The next time I checked, 3 more eligible transactions had posted - along with the 5K bonus ...

 

[simongr]

I had two "ineligible" Hampton Inn stays earlier this month; the 5K/10T did not post when MR showed 10 transactions including these.

The next time I checked, 3 more eligible transactions had posted - along with the 5K bonus ...

Dash it all - I guess the system works

 

[Flashback]

Dash it all - I guess the system works

For those lucky enough to actually be receiving points this month, that is ...

 

[serfty]

SWMBO had a fun weekend; any way enough transactions occurred for another 5K bonus to post - now onward to the next 10 - let's see if this account is capped ...

 

[Danger UXB]

OK so i've got the plat amex and I signed up for the 10k /20 trans when I got the post card (can't remember the date). 30 transactions for Sept, the bonus was paid as 5k on 10/11 and 5k on 15/11. Any idea why it's is seperated like this into 2 5k's.
Also does anyone know what a "Platinum Points Accelerator" is ?My plat card is 1:1 with 0.5 bonus points per dollar. Since about early Oct I've been getting an extra 0.5 bonus (therefore 2 points :$1). Amex no nothing about it so I don't know how long it will last. Any comments?
Cheers Danger UXB

 

[beardoc]

OK so i've got the plat amex and I signed up for the 10k /20 trans when I got the post card (can't remember the date). 30 transactions for Sept, the bonus was paid as 5k on 10/11 and 5k on 15/11. Any idea why it's is seperated like this into 2 5k's.
Also does anyone know what a "Platinum Points Accelerator" is ?My plat card is 1:1 with 0.5 bonus points per dollar. Since about early Oct I've been getting an extra 0.5 bonus (therefore 2 points :$1). Amex no nothing about it so I don't know how long it will last. Any comments?
Cheers Danger UXB

I've been getting the same since I got my Platinum Credit Card. I'm just running with it and not questioning too much. CSRs couldn't tell me why I was on it, either.

 

[Flying Fox]

Well I have read every post over the many weeks that this thread has been running and I now have something that I think is of value to add -

1. Many thanks to those who have contributed good information as it has allowed me to get onboard and start collecting bonus points

2. After speaking to an Amex consultant, I don't think anyone needs to get worried about their points arriving until 10 weeks after the end of Sep when Amex said would be when they would post bonus points - so I make that around 10 Dec

3. If you are looking for a way to add a transaction to your count, support Movember (raising funds for Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia). All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible and you can use your Amex card (http://au.movember.com/)

Thus on point 3, you are helping to find a cure for cancer, securing a tax deduction and gaining some Amex bonus points.

Good luck to all with your points !!!

 

[vet]

Am I correct in thinking Amex refused to register people in a mere 2-4 days of mailing out postcards? I believe Amex is assisting official enquiries into a) excluding people, b) Velocity's website suggesting 24 hour allocations rather than 8-10 weeks, c) Luisa's post saying they extended the offer with purported retrospective backdated effect, and d) complex overlapping laws that might override 'terms and conditions'. Seems some regulators are also looking into claims that call centre staff were not kept up to date with senior management's urgent changes too thereby giving out 'wrong info' that the public relied on. Can you buy with Amex a can of worms?

 

[futaris]

Can you buy with Amex a can of worms?

You can get CAN-O-WORMS at Bunnings and they accept Amex.

 

[QF WP]

vet, interesting point but I don't believe corrrect.

1. We don't know how many postcards Amex mailed out for the promo
2. We don't know whether they were all posted on a single day (unlikely if it was a large number, based on Aust Post requirements) or was a staggered posting over a couple of days / up to a week (as often happens with big mailouts)
3. Assuming postcards were sent to members in every State & Territory, then they would have been received at different times (based on whether GPO, PO, street address - suburbs, regional or county), based on nomal mail receipt times.
4. How quickly postcard receiving members (and non-receiving members) registered - telephone, online? Viral marketing certainly increased the numbers :shock:

I can't recall the exact date registration was closed to only members with the postcard - I'm sure somebody will know/remember the correct date and post it. But I don't believe it was 2-4 days of mailing out the postcards (and those members could still enrol as they had the postcard, Amex were merely closing registration to the "me-too's" that they had not specifically blocked correctly in the beginning). That's the (points) liability that Amex should be specifically concerned with minimising - thus they also capped points earning subsequently.

 

[QF WP]

Month      Transactions       Points Credited      Points Owed 
September^      23                5,000                  5,000
October         70                    0                 35,000
November#       48                    0                 20,000

^ from date of registration (18/9)
# up to and including 16/11, with at least 1 transactions to post from yesterday/today (plus any from my wife). Goal is 90, so I'm right on target

Got a Conference on the Gold Coast Wed night, Thursday and Friday so conference drinks at the bar should help my transaction numbers. Then I have the cricket on Saturday with more drink transactions...oh yeah!

Still no points coming through for me, so I'm looking forward to whatever date Amex decide to credit them.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

b) Velocity's website suggesting 24 hour allocations rather than 8-10 weeks,

What was on a Virgin Website...you would have to deal with Virgin on, as it would not be any responsibility of Amexes. However if it had anything it probably was just referring to the normal AMEX MR which post daily apart from Sundays.

Amex has only ever had either allow upto 8-10 weeks (originally) or upto 10 weeks (amended T&C). that they did award some bonuses early on is irrelevant.

So I would suggest that you give up on this point...at least with Amex anyway.

 

[simongr]

Please don't start the "I missed out on a DJ promotion because..." we did this to death 30 pages ago...

 

[AnonymousCoward]

, b) Velocity's website suggesting 24 hour allocations rather than 8-10 weeks,

Amex are saying 8-10 weeks to point MR points into your MR account.

If you are talking about the time to transfer MR points to Velocity points, that's a completely different issue.

And whatever Virgin puts on their website is not Amex's problem anyway. You will need to take that up with Virgin. Amex can not be responsible for errors that Virgin might make on their website.

 

[ColinP]

Month      Transactions       Points Credited      Points Owed 
September       46               25,000                  20,000
October        134                    0                 130,000
November        58                    0                  55,000

My initial target was 5 tx per day. I'm a little short of that but I'm sure the lead up to Christmas will ensure a bumper crop of points for December.

MrsP has made a charitable donation as suggested a few posts ago and I'll probably do the same a bit later ;-) There was only one AFF member that I'm able to identify. I'm sure there are others?

 

[JohnK]

b) Velocity's website suggesting 24 hour allocations rather than 8-10 weeks...

As far as I recollect Velocity do not run the Amex MR program.

Easy way out for Velocity is to extend the 25% bonus promotion for transfers from Amex MR for another 8-10 weeks.

 

[futaris]

On a somewhat related note, it looks like Dell are in trouble again for not honoring their mistake rate:

Uproar as Dell claims half-price offer a mistake


I wonder what the terms of a binding contract are for Amex / Membership Rewards in this case...

 

[beardoc]

I've had increasing difficulty from some merchants on accepting an Amex Card for small amounts. The reason being I buy the paper usually from a supermarket or a service station (previously it had been a newsagent each day), and when driving after a night shift, I will buy a coffee or a can of some caffeinated drink (Coke/Pepsi) to enjoy on the drive home. Most 7-Eleven Service Stations in NSW as well as Mobil/Woolworths Plus/Caltex/Coles Express/Shell stations will accept Amex for things like newspapers.

However, on some cases at 7-Eleven stations, I've had very negative responses when trying to buy a coffee or a paper - in one case, the shop assistant became quite angry, complaining about people buying things with Amex for small amounts. My solution was to ask him one more time, "will you sell me the paper with an Amex or not?" and when he raved again, I said "thank you", left the paper with him, and walked out. I then went 500 metres down the road, and bought the paper at a Mobil, with no questions.

But the issue here is micropayments, and what it costs a merchant to accept Amex. Some merchants are trying to tell me that it costs them over $1 to accept a payment of $2 on an Amex card. It was covered in only superficial detail many pages back in this forum, but it wasn't ever really sorted. Are there merchants that pay large amounts for micropayments on Amex, or is it always a flat percentage of the sale? If it's the latter, then the merchants really don't have a leg to stand on.

The other thing is that some employees of merchants (like Starbucks) believe that I get stung with additional fees for charging small payments to the card. I have to keep explaining that I don't and that if I charge a $3.05 coffee to my Amex, then that's all I pay Amex - no extra.

Does anyone that has knowledge of Amex merchant agreements give the definitive word on how merchants are charged by Amex (flat fee/flat percentage/mix of the two)?