Amex D-Day Approaching (14/4/19)!

[SOPOOR]

Yesterday I open my mailbox and I saw a thin envelope from Amex
Since I had just recently received my statement it couldn't be my statement
My heart is pumping maybe it's the second round of doubling offers that some have received
All sorts of thoughts are going through my mind including I shouldn't have transferred to velocity and I don't need to transfer to Singapore anymore
I can now join the elite members of Amex
All this worrying about where I'm going to transfer my points has been for nothing
The four or five times I've called to try and get double in offer including chat and Australian call reps has been worth it

this has just made my day I'm super excited
I tear open the envelope with excitement

And inside is the cancellation letter I was told I would receive when i recently cancelled and reinstated my card to fish for retention bonus that I was told to ignore, that I had forgotten about!

I was a happy man for a few short moments

 

[lahlee]

As I don't know of any card that currently gives me 1.5 points per dollar on grocery shopping, and as my Platinum Edge card is effectively free given the Travel Credit, I'll be holding on to it and collecting 1.5 current points per dollar at grocery stores. Though I'll get better value from my Qantas Money Mastercard or Jetstar Mastercard anywhere where my Platinum Edge card currently only earns a point a dollar, as that will become effectively half a point per dollar.

I've been using up my Member Reward points booking hotel rooms for this year's trip. I had a stroke of luck the other night, when I'd accumulated enough points to book another room for a night in Lisbon. I cancelled my 7 night booking in Lisbon, bought the first night with the Member Reward points at about the same price as Booking.com had for it, then rebooked the remaining 6 nights at the same hotel at Booking.com. There was some Genius discount going on that day, and I saved around $200 on the last six nights relative to my previous booking. I most probably wouldn't have checked, had I not been trying to use the Member Reward points up.
Regards,
Renato

nicely played!

 

[Demonoid]

I will be ditching the Explorer card. My annual fee is due next month so perfect timing. Unless they waive the annual fee or give me a points incentive to stay.

Agree the krisflyer option is good and I certainly am making good use of it while I can (I am travelling to Europe this year on SQ in Business thanks to the Explorer card - plus a transfer of Velocity points to Krisflyer before they devalued at the start of this year). So I probably won't travel with Singapore again anytime soon. Who knows what the landscape will look like in the next year or two.

I do most of my shopping at a combination of Aldi, Costco and fresh food markets - all of which take visa only (and are mostly cheaper). So it's not worth going with say an Edge. And I have a novated lease so I don't get any bonus points for fuel.

My wife is serving her 18 month exclusion period at the moment, so once I kill the card, she'll probably got for the direct earn Qantas ultimate or Velocity platinum later this year. Travel credit (or free flight) offsets the fee and $1.25/dollar is good enough - hopefully with 100,000 bonus sign on points.

 

[nickfromeastryde]

Will most likely ditch my Ultimate and start serving the 18 month exclusion period. In the meantime rely on the Qantas Premier, 1 point per dollar domestically and 1.5 points per dollar internationally is a reasonable outcome in the current climate.

In the process of closing down a number of cards with a view to hitting the sign on bonuses first quarter next year

 

[thatsthatmattressman]

Grrr ..come on Amex fix the transfer to Marriott Bonvoy - it hasn't worked in a couple of months. This will mean multiple 30 minute calls to Amex to transfer over the phone before the devaluation! Pain!

 

[lilkid28]

Grrr ..come on Amex fix the transfer to Marriott Bonvoy - it hasn't worked in a couple of months. This will mean multiple 30 minute calls to Amex to transfer over the phone before the devaluation! Pain!

Can't imagine anyone still trying to convert Amex MR to Bonvoy? Surely one is getting bonvoyed with the current conversion rates

 

[Deleted member]

cancelled yesterday (Amex Biz Plat)

 

[pdonahue]

I have a co-branded Westpac altitude Black Amex card and the rewards points are managed by Westpac not Amex, I think, so I have not received any information about reduced earning or transfer value. I have spoken to the altitude phone line and they say thy are not aware of any changes. Does anyone have any other info about these Westpac cards?

 

[andye]

I have a co-branded Westpac altitude Black Amex card and the rewards points are managed by Westpac not Amex, I think, so I have not received any information about reduced earning or transfer value. I have spoken to the altitude phone line and they say thy are not aware of any changes. Does anyone have any other info about these Westpac cards?

It's only Amex-issued cards that are affected in this devaluation

 

[Tiki]

I'm in this camp as well: "As I don't know of any card that currently gives me 1.5 points per dollar on grocery shopping, and as my Platinum Edge card is effectively free given the Travel Credit, I'll be holding on to it and collecting 1.5 current points per dollar at grocery stores."

I'll be prepaying groceries with Wish cards for a couple months and sending everything to SQ. It's already easy enough to get QF and VA from Woolies and Coles.

 

[albyd]

I have a co-branded Westpac altitude Black Amex card and the rewards points are managed by Westpac not Amex, I think, so I have not received any information about reduced earning or transfer value. I have spoken to the altitude phone line and they say thy are not aware of any changes. Does anyone have any other info about these Westpac cards?

You’re right Westpac’s Program is separate to MR so aren’t affected by the impending changes. Westpac did their last devaluation in November last year.

 

[Jacques Vert]

I'm in this camp as well: "As I don't know of any card that currently gives me 1.5 points per dollar on grocery shopping, and as my Platinum Edge card is effectively free given the Travel Credit, I'll be holding on to it and collecting 1.5 current points per dollar at grocery stores.".

The other card that works for groceries and petrol would be the DJ's Amex. 3 points per $ which then converts to 1.5 Kris, QF, VA, MH, CX.

+1 has the DJ's card and I currently have the Plat Edge which is also converts to 1.5 for supermarkets and petrol as others have said.

I'm thinking I'll cancel the Plat Edge and sit out the 18 months exclusion; meanwhile we'll use +1's DJ's card to buy WOW egift cards for supermarket and petrol spend. Then look for a good sign on bonus for me, and rinse and repeat.

 

[Kevin Chan]

Only had the Amex Explorer card and never exchange for Kisflyer points. How long does that usually take? A few days?
I don't want to leave it too late...

 

[Jacques Vert]

Only had the Amex Explorer card and never exchange for Kisflyer points. How long does that usually take? A few days?
I don't want to leave it too late...

2-3 days max

 

[Kevin Chan]

2-3 days max

Thanks! I will do it a few days before the deadline just to be safe.

Disappointing that there is no special deal. Was certainly hoping for something with Krisflyer.

 

[MathNerd]

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to the percentage/proportion of AmEx users who will not do anything with their MR balances prior to devaluation (this includes those who either have no idea how the whole points ecosystem works, those who have low MR balances or both)?
I can imagine AmEx would have a field day with these customers, as their liability to these customers would be cut by 50% on April 15.

On the other hand, the sheer amount of transfers to KF does leave an impression that SQ may not be too impressed with the sudden influx and may retaliate by hampering award availability severely. I'm only saying this from reading many a post from people asking for advice, and the default answer seems to be "KF", presumably due to a few positive factors that other FF programs lack.

Of course this is all on a hunch, I have no contacts nor internal info that can shed light on the situation, and was thinking out loud, especially with D-Day approaching (and fast, at that too)!!

 

[Kevin Chan]

On the other hand, the sheer amount of transfers to KF does leave an impression that SQ may not be too impressed with the sudden influx and may retaliate by hampering award availability severely. I'm only saying this from reading many a post from people asking for advice, and the default answer seems to be "KF", presumably due to a few positive factors that other FF programs lack.

Of course this is all on a hunch, I have no contacts nor internal info that can shed light on the situation, and was thinking out loud, especially with D-Day approaching (and fast, at that too)!!

I expect Amex to be paying SQ for those KF reward points on some deal that SG thinks are on reasonable terms.

 

[MathNerd]

I expect Amex to be paying SQ for those KF reward points on some deal that SG thinks are on reasonable terms.

Of course. This would have been the case before too, I'm sure AmEx and SQ have a commercial relationship dealing in points and transfers.
What I was talking about was the biggest ever transfer of MR to KF in history is about to occur (I can't recall any other time such a massive amount of transfers needed to take place).
Competition for the key routes is now going to turn into a bloodbath.
Either that or I'm being way too cynical and the stress is getting to my head!

 

[leont13]

Does anyone know if there'll be changes to the buy rate of $25/1000 MR points post April 15?

 

[andye]

Of course. This would have been the case before too, I'm sure AmEx and SQ have a commercial relationship dealing in points and transfers.
What I was talking about was the biggest ever transfer of MR to KF in history is about to occur (I can't recall any other time such a massive amount of transfers needed to take place).
Competition for the key routes is now going to turn into a bloodbath.
Either that or I'm being way too cynical and the stress is getting to my head!

My hunch is that the effect will be diluted onward from SIN but that AU-SIN will become difficult (exacerbated by smaller F cabins).
Could prove stressful with the 3-year expiry for people with large balances if availability tanks.