10,000 bonus points per 20 transactions

[glass]

remember to update the wiki

HomePage

anyone with screenshots of the orig T&C, postcards etc can add them to the wiki too!

 

[oliverd]

Meantime those who got in early to Financial Ombudsman Service :: Home Page have rulings that bind Amex.

Can someone clarify what this means? So far:
(1) I've been told by a Platinum Credit Card "executive" that I'm still enrolled in the 5T/5K program and the letter I received (telling me I was lon longer in this promo) was sent in error. This as been corroborated by many others.
(2) I was told again this morning by a member of the Rewards Team that I would be receiving an apology letter shortly. They told me this without asking any of my details, so I wonder if on legal advice Amex has decided to revoke all letters previously sent out?
(3) Their FAQ (reference by a number of posters - thanks!) also confirms the uncapped 5T/5K scheme is still valid for everyone who registered before 20 September. This must be legally binding?

Anyway, I'm still not 100% happy as I'm due a lot of points and the "playing field" seems to be changing daily, but I'm not sure I have any case against Amex... For those who registered after 20 September, I suppose it's a different story.

Oliver.

 

[glass]

Can someone clarify what this means? So far:
(1) I've been told by a Platinum Credit Card "executive" that I'm still enrolled in the 5T/5K program and the letter I received (telling me I was lon longer in this promo) was sent in error. This as been corroborated by many others.
(2) I was told again this morning by a member of the Rewards Team that I would be receiving an apology letter shortly. They told me this without asking any of my details, so I wonder if on legal advice Amex has decided to revoke all letters previously sent out?
(3) Their FAQ (reference by a number of posters - thanks!) also confirms the uncapped 5T/5K scheme is still valid for everyone who registered before 20 September. This must be legally binding?

Anyway, I'm still not 100% happy as I'm due a lot of points and the "playing field" seems to be changing daily, but I'm not sure I have any case against Amex... For those who registered after 20 September, I suppose it's a different story.

Oliver.

it means ur very lucky to get any response from amex
most others here seem to have been paid at 10t/5k rates
even tho I didn't get a mail saying i'd been moved.

 

[shump]

Like benhadi I registered, uninvited, for 5k/5T on 18 September. The last and only "official" communication Amex has given was the registration confirmation page:

You are now registered to receive 5,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points for every 5 transactions you make each month from 1 September to 31 December 2008, with no limit to the Bonus Points you can earn.

I remember at the time there was some confusion over when the actual start date was - 1 September, 10 September when the offer launched, or the date of registration.

Since I have not received any further "official" correspondence from Amex I can only presume the 5k/5T registration stands.

Now unlike benhadi, yesterday I received some more points. Yay! For the life of me, I can't figure out how they calculated the amount to credit. It seems to be the balance owed to me from 18 September minus 5000 still outstanding, or alternatively it's 5k/10T for the whole month.

Are people receiving points they expect from 1 September?

If not, are you planning to pursue points from 1 September to your date of registration?

 

[Zippy7]

Well, it appears that Corrina Davison is guilty of using template letters and not checking her facts before signing and posting to their customers. (it makes me wonder if the management know the basics of customer service!)

 

[baz123]

Just to recap, I signed up pre 20 Sept to 5T/5K, was uninvited, and only signed to the one promo.

I called MR today and said that the recent letter advising of the downgraded promo - moved from 5T/5K to 10T/5K, advises of the faq webpage which states that pre 20th signup people are eligible for the promo. I asked which was supposedly correct, the letter - saying i wasn't eligible - or the webpage, saying I was eligible. He said the letter was correct. and the webpage was correct. Huh? How can they both be correct if they're contradicting themselves? He was non-commital and apologised for the confusion.

I feel sorry for the poor buggers at MR as they're the pigs in the middle, squeezed between incompetent management and irritated customers. He said to write a letter of complaint and to pursue it with the ACCC if that was deemed necessary. So that's what Im now in the process of doing.

Also for the record I called the Amex executive phone number as provided by the ACCC, but was unable to get through and they haven't returned my call, which seems to be most people's (or everybody's) experience

 

[Andym]

Well well well I checked the mailbox today after being in hospital for the past 24 after a foot operation and had the same letter everyone has received. I called Plat Concierge and they transferred me to MR and I told them what irked me was the fact it said I did not receive a card and I did... They apologised and confirmed that i am still on 5T/5K and made a note in my account.

The gentleman - Nick - was very quick to tell me I had received all of my points for Sept - which I have, 25K for 28T - but seemed very surprised when i told him I keep receiving scattered points since the 1st Nov with no proper pattern.. ie, 5K after 7T, 5K after 4T etc etc.

I was furious when i got that letter, but after checking with them, I seem a little happier.

Can't be bothered doing any maths as I am in a little pain, but I beleive I have received about 50% of the points owed to me thus far...

I sincerely feel for the ppl in this thread who have been screwed by Amex, but unlike others, I will continue to use my card after the promotion... Amex are very good to me and I will give them the benefit of the doubt... this time...

PS
Any Plat card members from here going to the Maserati Day on the 6th Feb?

 

[Alanslegal]

This is a quick shout out to our friends at the FOS who is likely to be following this thread. And as well as a quick shout out to the Amex folks *waves hand saying hello to both of you* who will be sending some bonus points soon - voluntarily or co-ercively

FYI I registered to a 5/5t pre20 September w/o a postcard and now w/o any bonus points.

I am drafting my complaint as we speak......

 

[oliverd]

LFor the life of me, I can't figure out how they calculated the amount to credit. It seems to be the balance owed to me from 18 September minus 5000 still outstanding, or alternatively it's 5k/10T for the whole month.

After logging in to the Amex Web site, go to the Membership Rewards section. Select "View my Transactions" and it shows you every transaction on every linked card. The 5T/5K or 10T/5K bonus points are shows in a separate column - so you can tell whether 5,000 points are being allocated for every 5 or 10 transactions, and for exactly which period.I was receiving 5K points on every 5th transaction, up to 23/SEP when it stopped...

 

[JohnK]

(3) Their FAQ (reference by a number of posters - thanks!) also confirms the uncapped 5T/5K scheme is still valid for everyone who registered before 20 September. This must be legally binding?

Is it? As I did not receive a postcard and signed up for all promotions in the sequence they appered before September 20 I was switched to the 10T/5K promotion early in October. Do I have leg to stand on if I decide to pursue action in asking to be put on to the 5T/5K points promotion?

Anyway I would be just as happy if I was given the bonus points I am due under the 10T/5K promotion....

 

[oliverd]

Do I have leg to stand on if I decide to pursue action in asking to be put on to the 5T/5K points promotion?

I'm not a lawyer... but based on the FAQ (which I would print / save for reference!), I believe you are entitled to the 5T/5K promo you signed up for originally. Amex must realise they are on shaky legal ground when they transfer members to lesser schemes, and a call to Amex may be enough to reinstate you on the original promo.

 

[file51]

As a follow up to my previous message, and the communication I had with Amex and the executive service team last night.

Just received another phone call from Amex (1pm today) confirming the letter was sent in error regarding not being sent an invitation. Within the next week I will be sent a letter confirming this was an error.

In regards to what may have come out of complaining to the BFSO, well I was advised in writing that I was capped at 10k per month etc etc by Amex, yet after involving the BFSO I am on the original uncapped plan as offered.

It should also be stressed that I didnt wait around to start the complaint process, as soon as I had it in writing that I was not on the original promotion as per what I enrolled in, I sent a letter of complaint to Amex giving them 14 days to respond then once that didnt provide the results I wanted the BFSO were involved. A resolution was forthcoming from Amex within the 30 days required as stipulated by the BFSO.

 

[oliverd]

It should also be stressed that I didnt wait around to start the complaint process, as soon as I had it in writing that I was not on the original promotion as per what I enrolled in, I sent a letter of complaint to Amex giving them 14 days to respond then once that didnt provide the results I wanted the BFSO were involved.

Who did you write to - did you address the correspondence to a specific person at Amex?

 

[JohnK]

After logging in to the Amex Web site, go to the Membership Rewards section. Select "View my Transactions" and it shows you every transaction on every linked card. The 5T/5K or 10T/5K bonus points are shows in a separate column - so you can tell whether 5,000 points are being allocated for every 5 or 10 transactions, and for exactly which period.I was receiving 5K points on every 5th transaction, up to 23/SEP when it stopped...

While this is sound advice for those who continued to receive bonus points it will be a nightmare for the rest of us unless Amex makes the catching up of bonus points a little easier to reconcile. The 5,000 bonus points I received yesterday are in a line all by themselves with a simple description of "Bonus Points". Now try and figure out whether these are September bonus points owed, Octbober bonus points or December bonus points starting to post normally....

 

[oliverd]

While this is sound advice for those who continued to receive bonus points it will be a nightmare for the rest of us unless Amex makes the catching up of bonus points a little easier to reconcile. The 5,000 bonus points I received yesterday are in a line all by themselves with a simple description of "Bonus Points". Now try and figure out whether these are September bonus points owed, Octbober bonus points or December bonus points starting to post normally....

Sorry!
I'd only every received points in lots of 5,000, every 5 transactions. Didn't realise Amex had been posting these points as separate line items...

 

[simongr]

The gentleman - Nick - was very quick to tell me I had received all of my points for Sept - which I have, 25K for 28T - but seemed very surprised when i told him I keep receiving scattered points since the 1st Nov with no proper pattern.. ie, 5K after 7T, 5K after 4T etc etc.

PS
Any Plat card members from here going to the Maserati Day on the 6th Feb?

They tend to post the 5,000 against a transaction in day that you pass a threshhold. So if you were on 4T on Monday and had 6T on Tues then the bonus for 10T/5K could post against any of the Tuesday T's.

 

[codash1099]

I may or may not have received the 5000 points I am owed for September - I can't check.

I signed up for their new Rewards Maximiser card. At the end of November, my statement carried the notification that my account was now closed. I was, however, able to put through new transactions, so it obviously wasn't closed. I checked with Amex who said it was a stuff-up and I should expect my new card in a couple of weeks (or at least a month since I first applied). The old card would not been cancelled until I registered the new one.

When I checked my MR they had been transferred to a new account. Which is a bit strange since theoretically, the new account doesn't exist yet

 

[serfty]

If you are on a Rewards Maximizer earning @ 1½ points per AUD the transactions show as per the following examples after clicking the

symbols.

Normal transaction:

Date        Description             Amount spent  Points Earned   Bonus Points  Total Points
...
11/12/2008  QANTAS AIRWAYS MASCOT        $247.71            248            124           372
               -  Rewards Maximiser 		               0            124 	
...

Yesterday's 'ad hoc' crediting:

Date        Description             Amount spent  Points Earned   Bonus Points  Total Points
...
10/12/2008  Bonus Points                                      0         15,000        15,000
...

Transaction that has a 5K promotion credit applied to it:

Date        Description             Amount spent  Points Earned   Bonus Points  Total Points
...
24/11/2008  MOVEMBER FOUNDATION            $8.00              8          5,004         5,012
               -  5000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points        0          5,000 	
               -  Rewards Maximiser                           0              4 	
...

 

[simongr]

Found out today that my comic shop failed to charge me for one of my comics (some system issue - they didnt bill anyone for a particular comic) so that is through as 2 charges

 

[NSWhere]

I am yet to receive any bonus points, probably because in their little minds I still 'owe them' for being paid for all three promotions early on. I am raising the issues with the BFSO today, but in the mean time I thought I would share an observation with you: The more American Express play their silly games, the more I transact using Amex. Except, the transactions are decreasing in average size at an even faster rate....

I have had two hotel bills to pay in the past 10 days, each in the vicinity of AUD$6k. On Amex? Heck no - but my daily coffees, 6 inch subs, and occasionally parking are!