Amex platinum Charge annual fee increase

[Masonic Phantom]

Visited the Amex site https://www.americanexpress.com/australia/microsite/the-platinum-card.shtml#sub3

I can't see any mention of Marco Polo Gold??

Can you help me?

Rono...... Try this, login required
https://www316.americanexpress.com/...=PlatBenefitEnrol_en_AU&evttype=0&evtsrc=link

Cheers M.P.

 

[Rono]

MP, thanks all done.

BTW, why is the website address you gave for Amex, different to the one I usually use to log on?

regards

Rono

 

[Rono]

Maybe - Highly unlikely.

Amex attitude is they are enhancing the benefits for the added cost. If you were to say, as I did, that you don't use/need all those benefits, then they answer you should consider their other products.

Foreigner, appreciate your thoughts, however, offer some of mine in return if I may.

dcooper on this thread stated that the $300 increase was only being applied to Aussie Plat Amex cards - they said that to their knowledge, that the US & UK cards were not seeing increases. If true, is this another example of where "special pricing' is applied to the Australian market place. Could be worth challenging on this basis.

Secondly, AFF has the Qantas Club membership discount in place (albeit using an existing mechanism/clause)

If we have 30-40 AFF Amex Plat card members plus their annualized Amex spend - is this significant enough to try for a special deal?

Your thoughts please,

regards

Rono

 

[Masonic Phantom]

Foreigner, appreciate your thoughts, however, offer some of mine in return if I may.

dcooper on this thread stated that the $300 increase was only being applied to Aussie Plat Amex cards - they said that to their knowledge, that the US & UK cards were not seeing increases. If true, is this another example of where "special pricing' is applied to the Australian market place. Could be worth challenging on this basis.

Secondly, AFF has the Qantas Club membership discount in place (albeit using an existing mechanism/clause)



If we have 30-40 AFF Amex Plat card members plus their annualized Amex spend - is this significant enough to try for a special deal?

Your thoughts please,

regards

Rono

Rono, U.S. Amex Plat is $450 us , https://www304.americanexpress.com/...6898&BUID=CCG&PSKU=PLA&CRTV=PLAPR&CID=4055899

The Old Down-Under rip off..... STILL!!!

Happy New Year..... M.P.

 

[Masonic Phantom]

MP, thanks all done.

BTW, why is the website address you gave for Amex, different to the one I usually use to log on?

regards

Rono

Rono,
You need to go DEEP into the bowls of the Labyrinth…. To find the True Amex!!!

M.P.

 

[mini2]

If we have 30-40 AFF Amex Plat card members plus their annualized Amex spend - is this significant enough to try for a special deal?

Effectively some sort of group buy process I guess - can someone please kindly provide their RM's details and allow us to kick start this process? Thanks!

 

[Foreigner]

Effectively some sort of group buy process I guess - can someone please kindly provide their RM's details and allow us to kick start this process? Thanks!

Officially there are no RMs for platinum cardholders as of (August?) this year.

 

[beni050385]

What supplementary card combo if any is everyone using to get the best bang for their buck? I keep looking to Plat Reserve for flight but is it going to be best bang for my buck

 

[The Rok]

Maybe there should be an AFF branded Amex.

 

[dsotm]

Just got my $1200 renewal in the latest statement. I wish it was closer to the US price, but I'm going to stick with it. I've been spending $300 on Accor for the past few years anyway, and the link by Masonic Phantom led me all those elite partner programs which I didn't know about. Thanks for the link!

 

[bluenics]

Just got my $1200 renewal in the latest statement. I wish it was closer to the US price, but I'm going to stick with it. I've been spending $300 on Accor for the past few years anyway, and the link by Masonic Phantom led me all those elite partner programs which I didn't know about. Thanks for the link!

I just got hit too. I have an insurance claim in, if they don't pull through it may be bye bye :arrow:,

Saying that for better peace of mind I did buy an additional policy for my most recent OS trip

Lounge access is great though, I've been transferring points to Velocity and using their lounges on the way out, it's all been terribly convenient.

 

[dcooper]

If they provided the same benefits as the US card then i'd be happy to pay the 1200... The US pay no foreign transaction fees.... That would pay for itself and would be a much better benefit than some of the items we are provided. I just had the worst service from american express concierge and travel. HOLIDAY was not what it should have been because of the level of service(or lack of service) that i recieved. Has anyone else noticed that the service is going downhill???

 

[Masonic Phantom]

If they provided the same benefits as the US card then i'd be happy to pay the 1200... The US pay no foreign transaction fees.... That would pay for itself and would be a much better benefit than some of the items we are provided. I just had the worst service from american express concierge and travel. HOLIDAY was not what it should have been because of the level of service(or lack of service) that i recieved. Has anyone else noticed that the service is going downhill???

Not yet... but we will see. as our man has transferred to U.K.:shock:

 

[ronnie66]

As long as nobody really complains or take it further they do get away with it. I put in a complaint with the ombudsman since I was accepted for the Platinum Charge (higher treshold) but rejected for the "complementary" Platinum Reserve (free international flight perk obviously made the additional fee of the Charge card acceptable). I think that rejection is without reason and devalues the reason to take a Platinum Charge while they happily advertise the benefit of the "complementary card".
I am taking it further. Currently under investigation by Ombudsman. Easy process. Also the increase of the fee compared the benefits and the US should be investigated.

 

[dcooper]

there seems to be alot of customers unhappy. who would investigate the fee increase? is that Consumer watchdog? the UK platinum is still 450 pounds which definately means we have an australia profit on our card.... considering alot of the customer service work is done outside of australia it definately cant be because of the cost to the business. How do we get everyone complaining?

 

[fersea]

Why would a consumer watchdog look into the increased fee? You are given notice and can then decide if you want to proceed or not. No one is having the wool pulled over their eyes here. If you don't think the product is value for money don't purchase it.

 

[ronnie66]

That is the easy way out. I think changes can be questioned before ones pull the plug. Nobody said we weren't informed - but we do question the raise in fees. Nothing more nothing less. If you are happy with a creditcard and they raise the fee, enhance the benefits than one has the right to question before just accepting everything and change cards. I encourage customers to question and challenge value for money.

 

[maninblack]

Why would a consumer watchdog look into the increased fee? You are given notice and can then decide if you want to proceed or not. No one is having the wool pulled over their eyes here. If you don't think the product is value for money don't purchase it.

I think this is right. The greater problem is offers that they don't really deliver on, or that disappear after a year or two or that are claimed to be exclusive and are not. Some years ago the ACCC took AMEX 'Platinum' to task over so-called 2 for 1 airfares which were essentially a sham offer.

But as always there is an element of 'caveat emptor' required.

 

[fersea]

That is the easy way out. I think changes can be questioned before ones pull the plug. Nobody said we weren't informed - but we do question the raise in fees. Nothing more nothing less. If you are happy with a credit card and they raise the fee, enhance the benefits than one has the right to question before just accepting everything and change cards. I encourage customers to question and challenge value for money.

i never said you can't question the raise in fees and decide whether to continue. That is exactly what I am telling you to do. What I am saying is why Would a consumer watchdog get involved. A product is presented and you have the ultimate power whether to continue or not. The watchdogs role is not to determine whether something is value for money especially for something that is completely discretionary and has hundreds if competitors.

I do actually think you have a genuine grievance. I think one has a right to assume that if you are approved for the Platinum Charge you will be approved for the Platinum Reserve. We're you able to cancel the whole thing and either get a full or partial refund on the $1200?

From my point of view I am happy with the card. One because I didn't pay for it! My girlfriend paid for it because the 80k bonus points enabled her to also fly RTW on the 140k oneworld award. It cost about $1500 in taxes plus $1200 for the card, plus 53k points that she had (I kicked in the other points). We thought this was better value than spending $5700 which was what we were looking at for the paid ticket. I know someone will come and say but then you would have got xx points and xx credits but we didn't worry about that.

The 80k bonus turned into 92k when they had the 15% bonus. I have been enjoying the benefits of the MP gold and Virgin lounge because I have had a few business trips that I didn't know would be happening when I got the card. I am only bronze on QF and Red on Virgin.

But for us the big benefit is this is going to be probably the only year of our lives when we spend more time out of Australia than in it due to the RTW trip. We get oneworld lounge access everywhere, and the priority pass will come in handy. I booked a couple of easy jet flights out of Gatwick the other day and see that even then we can use a couple of lounges with the priority pass. We also plan to use the hotel benefits as we will stay in a mixture of backpackers, B&Bs and hotels, so it will be nice to get an upgraded room at a Novotel or the like every so often.

We we plan to go up to Sydney and use the Free Accor night at the Pullman at some stage and I hope to sneak away to Queenstown for a few days a month or two after we get back, using one of us on the free flight through Platinum Reserve and the other the $200 travel credit.

If we do all that I think we would have got value!! I have also used some if the statement credits when buying things I would normally buy.

But I expect that will be a one off. We also got it not long after she moved into my place so It has also become our joint credit card so all the groceries etc we put on it and split the bill when it comes in.

 

[ronnie66]

I understand your point of view. In your case the introductory offer of the 80000 does make a big difference. Is it still in the following years?

My case is under investigation by the Ombudsman - while there is proof of misleading information also during the conversations with Amex reps ( told me minimum 3 months wait to apply for complementary card - which seems to be not true and followed by 6 months wait instruction etc.).

Will post outcome.