AMEX Platinum Charge Card - 90,000 bonus points [now 100,000 bonus points]

[Holysmoke]

Expensive card but worth it for the extra perks as detailed above.

Please use my link for 100,000 bonus points (I will get 20,000 points):

https://www316.americanexpress.com/...81A6BC897&mgmerSource&MGMURN=AAAABgQBHhcWFQ==

Thanks in advance.

 

[sambo]

"

• 90,000 Membership Rewards points when you apply, are approved and spend $1,500 on your new[SUP]1[/SUP] Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership[SUP]1"[/SUP]

[SUP]
Hi all,

happy to use someones referral link for my application - but just have a few questions regarding this card first I would appreciate some guidance on!

a) How long after the $1500 minimum spend is met do the 100,000 points credit to my MR account?
b) How long does the points transfer from MR to QFF take?
c) Does the Reserve companion card earn points in the same way that the Platinum card does? If not, does Reserve companion card allow Qantas points earn?
d) Has anyone had any luck getting Amex to discount the annual fee for year 2 and beyond?
[/SUP]
Many thanks in advance!

 

[M@rcoPolo]

"

• 90,000 Membership Rewards points when you apply, are approved and spend $1,500 on your new[SUP]1[/SUP] Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership[SUP]1"[/SUP]

[SUP]
Hi all,

happy to use someones referral link for my application - but just have a few questions regarding this card first I would appreciate some guidance on!

a) How long after the $1500 minimum spend is met do the 100,000 points credit to my MR account?
b) How long does the points transfer from MR to QFF take?
c) Does the Reserve companion card earn points in the same way that the Platinum card does? If not, does Reserve companion card allow Qantas points earn?
d) Has anyone had any luck getting Amex to discount the annual fee for year 2 and beyond?
[/SUP]
Many thanks in advance!

A. Very fast, usually a couple of days with some people reporting to receive the bonus even before hitting min spend!

B. 2 to 3 days max

C. Exactly in the same way, points from both are pooled together

D. It varies but lately people have been able to negotiate bonus points - around 30k to 40k - but no discounts. It depends on your spend, worth trying at renewal time

 

[sambo]

A. Very fast, usually a couple of days with some people reporting to receive the bonus even before hitting min spend!

B. 2 to 3 days max

C. Exactly in the same way, points from both are pooled together

D. It varies but lately people have been able to negotiate bonus points - around 30k to 40k - but no discounts. It depends on your spend, worth trying at renewal time

Wonderful, thanks for the rapid response!

I forgot to ask one last point:

E) I have an existing Amex issued "Gold Affinity Card" (going on 15 years now!) which I used to use a fair bit (250-350K p.a) - but haven't really used it in last 12 months, as have moved most spend to ANZ Black Amex.

From a credit assessment standpoint, would I better off cancelling this card first, then applying for the Plat card? Or is this immaterial to the process? The account has always been kept in good standing.

Thanks again,

 

[M@rcoPolo]

Wonderful, thanks for the rapid response!

I forgot to ask one last point:

E) I have an existing Amex issued "Gold Affinity Card" (going on 15 years now!) which I used to use a fair bit (250-350K p.a) - but haven't really used it in last 12 months, as have moved most spend to ANZ Black Amex.

From a credit assessment standpoint, would I better off cancelling this card first, then applying for the Plat card? Or is this immaterial to the process? The account has always been kept in good standing.

Thanks again,

As long as you meet income requirements and your credit score is good you won't have any issues, although you probably should cancel your gold card if you no longer need it before you apply for the complementary Reserve card.

 

[Hammando]

"

• 90,000 Membership Rewards points when you apply, are approved and spend $1,500 on your new[SUP]1[/SUP] Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership[SUP]1"[/SUP]

[SUP]
Hi all,

happy to use someones referral link for my application - but just have a few questions regarding this card first I would appreciate some guidance on!

a) How long after the $1500 minimum spend is met do the 100,000 points credit to my MR account?
b) How long does the points transfer from MR to QFF take?
c) Does the Reserve companion card earn points in the same way that the Platinum card does? If not, does Reserve companion card allow Qantas points earn?
d) Has anyone had any luck getting Amex to discount the annual fee for year 2 and beyond?
[/SUP]
Many thanks in advance!

Wonderful, thanks for the rapid response!

I forgot to ask one last point:

E) I have an existing Amex issued "Gold Affinity Card" (going on 15 years now!) which I used to use a fair bit (250-350K p.a) - but haven't really used it in last 12 months, as have moved most spend to ANZ Black Amex.

From a credit assessment standpoint, would I better off cancelling this card first, then applying for the Plat card? Or is this immaterial to the process? The account has always been kept in good standing.

Thanks again,

Hey Sambo,

a) Usually very quickly but for some reason mine did not automatically come through I had to call and chase them up. But to their credit the points were in my account before the call ended.
b) As M@rco Polo said only a couple of days.
c) The Reserve companion card pools its points to Ascent rather than Ascent Premium Membership Rewards Program, but is often automatically linked to the Ascent Premium account of the Platinum Charge. If it isn't automatically linked you can call Amex to have the accounts linked. Also note that sometimes Amex make you apply separately for the Reserve Account (they did to me, but not a friend). So it was another hit on my Veda file.
d) No but it is definitely worth calling Amex every year before your annual fee is payable. The last two years I have received 84,000 and 73,000 points on a similar level of spend to you.
e) I would definitely keep the other card when you apply. Amex love a track record with a customer and will make your approval easier if anything. You could consider lowering your credit limit on the Gold Affinity Card (never heard of that card btw, I assume its a credit card?) before you apply for the Reserve. Amex let you have 1 charge and 2 credit cards with them at any one time.

Also given your level of spend it might be worth looking at the Amex Explorer card, which is currently coming with 110,000 "gateway" program points if referred. There is a bit of a trick to it, but it is possible to get the bonus points and then earn 2 Ascent Premium Membership Reward points per $ spent on the Explorer card for everything except govt spend.

The thread is here,

http://www.australianfrequentflyer..../explorer-credit-card-new-amex-77925-106.html

but quite long now. Basically if you applied for the Explorer card after the Platinum Charge Card, it would come with the points pooling to your Platinum Charge Ascent Premium Account, call Amex have it separated to a Gateway rewards program and then make the minimum spend, the 110,000 points will post and then call Amex again to have your points consolidated and pooled back to the Platinum Charge Ascent Premium.

Not the simplest process but worth it for the points! Let me know if you have any queries.

My referral for the Platinum Charge is below for 100,000 points and I would get 20,000.

http://amex.com.au/refer/jameshyHTj

 

[Hammando]

I owe you a thanks Sambo. Writing the above reminded me I was due to call Amex saying I was considering cancelling my card.
They offered me another 84,000 points.
I gratefully accepted!

 

[blueythecat]

"

[SUP]d) Has anyone had any luck getting Amex to discount the annual fee for year 2 and beyond?
[/SUP]

Two different AMEX reps have explicitly told me that they have a policy of not offering annual fee discounts, but can offer retention bonus points instead. As you can see from the related thread (see below) some of the retention bonuses can be quite impressive (seemingly directly related to your spend!).

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ss-rewards/amex-im-going-cancel-my-71493.html

 

[sambo]

I owe you a thanks Sambo. Writing the above reminded me I was due to call Amex saying I was considering cancelling my card.
They offered me another 84,000 points.
I gratefully accepted!

You're most welcome!

As a data point, what is your tenure and approx average monthly spend on the card, given the substantial retention bonus offered to you?

Cheers,

 

[Hammando]

Hey Sambo,

I believe the most important factor is spend level, rather than how long you have had the card. I am at around $20k a month. I do take up a fair few Amex offers, not sure if that has a bearing.

I think the lady said something about 84,000 being the highest retention offer, she was nearly as excited as I was!

A friend of mine was offered 150,000 points a couple of years ago, but this year only got 84,000.

 

[sambo]

Hey Sambo,

I believe the most important factor is spend level, rather than how long you have had the card.

Hey Hammando, that is useful info, I hope they'll be as kind to me - I anticipate a similar spend level.

Amex has given me around 35k retention bonus points each year recently on my $0 annual fee Gold Affinity Card, even with massively reduced spend.

 

[Hammando]

Hey Sambo,

No worries. I have set up annual calendar reminders in my phone now for my three Amex cards. Amex are killing it the moment, retention offers, great transfer partners, Amex statement credits, local champion, referral bonuses.


Here are a couple more tips for anyone signing up for this card to derive even more value from it. If you find this useful I'd very much appreciate you using my referral link.

It is possible to add yourself as a supplementary card holder, I just did this with Amex. When you add yourself as a supplementary card holder it is called an "Account Card" or "A/C" card. I did this with my initials rather than full name to tell the cards apart. There are people on AFF who have had all 4 free supplementaries issued in their own name!

Why would you do this?

1. When I called up to add myself as my first of 4 free supplementary card holder I asked if they were still offering the 5,000 bonus points for adding an additional card holder. The lady went off and checked and said yes that wasn't a problem. These points have already been added to my account and I haven't even used the card yet.
2. One of the best things about Amex at the moment is their Statement Credit offers. I have saved a couple of thousand dollars from the cashbacks this year. Shop small, Harvey Norman, HCF, David Jones, Langtons, Westfield and Myer to name a few. Never hurts to have as many Supplementary cards as possible especially in your own name especially when this card comes with 4 free supplementaries.
3. The reason behind an A/C card is you set up all your direct debits on this card and then keep it safe at home somewhere separate from your other card/wallet. Then if you lose your wallet you don't need to change over all of your direct debits.

There are some great tips on this site on how to get the most out of this card, make sure you subscribe to these threads:

Amex Statement Credits have saved me thousands this year.
http://www.australianfrequentflyer.c...62256-291.html (New [Amex] statement credits)

Hope everyone is able to get some value from the above. Any queries please let me know. Love this site, love this card!

http://amex.com.au/refer/jameshyHTj

 

[sambo]

Basically if you applied for the Explorer card after the Platinum Charge Card, it would come with the points pooling to your Platinum Charge Ascent Premium Account, call Amex have it separated to a Gateway rewards program and then make the minimum spend, the 110,000 points will post and then call Amex again to have your points consolidated and pooled back to the Platinum Charge Ascent Premium.

Amazing info there Hammando - very helpful summary of the process!

Am I right in thinking that the Explorer is the best choice here because of the different rewards bucket (Gateway, rather than the Ascent Premium), hence the ability to get the bonus points for both the Plat card and Explorer?

Or is there another reason that the Explorer is more preferred as a companion card than the Reserve?

 

[sambo]

It is possible to add yourself as a supplementary card holder, I just did this with Amex. When you add yourself as a supplementary card holder it is called an "Account Card" or "A/C" card. I did this with my initials rather than full name to tell the cards apart. There are people on AFF who have had all 4 free supplementaries issued in their own name!

Thanks again Hammando - can I ask how long ago it was that you got your supp card bonus?

Does anyone know if this 5k points per supp card is still on offer?

I can completely see the benefit in what you've outlined there .

 

[Steady]

Does anyone know if this 5k points per supp card is still on offer?

It was a few months ago and it is over now

 

[Hammando]

Hey Sambo,

Yep the different rewards program appears to be the key in getting the two lots of sign on bonus. While the Reserve card is free and I believe still comes with the free flight every year, it does not come with any sign on bonus points. While the Explorer comes with 110,000 if you are referred and then has the $400 Amex travel credit to help offset the $395 annual fee.

Amex does allow you to hold 1 personal charge card and 2 personal credit cards with them at any one time, but the Explorer and Platinum Charge cards in combination are hard to beat.

Linking the Explorer back to your Platinum Charge Card's Ascent Premium program then means you will earn 2 points per $ spent on the Explorer card. The key seems to be calling at night Australia time to get an o/s call centre. If they say no just hang up and try again later.

In terms of the 5K points for adding a supplementary card holder, I did this just over a month ago. I asked if the points were still available for adding an additional card holder, she said that the promotion had recently finished, but checked with her manager quickly and said that wasn't a problem and added them to my account. A friend tried earlier this month and was told no, but then called back a day later and got a yes. It is at their discretion and by no means guaranteed, but worth a shot.

 

[M@rcoPolo]

The key seems to be calling at night Australia time to get an o/s call centre. If they say no just hang up and try again later.

Interesting - I wonder if anyone managed to convert the "free" Reserve that comes with the Platinum Charge to a free Explorer... that would be top

 

[Hammando]

Interesting - I wonder if anyone managed to convert the "free" Reserve that comes with the Platinum Charge to a free Explorer... that would be top

That would be brilliant!

 

[blueythecat]

Interesting - I wonder if anyone managed to convert the "free" Reserve that comes with the Platinum Charge to a free Explorer... that would be top

I tried asking AMEX the other night if the Edge or Explorer could be added as a companion card (aka the "free reserve), but no deal. The phone operator said only the Reserve can be a companion card for the Platinum Charge.

 

[MikeeB]

Last day to take advantage of this one. Signup for a Platinum Charge card from American Express using my referral link and you will get 100,000 points after $1500 spend in the first three months of card membership.

Full disclosure, I just checked the AMEX website and it looks like the 100,000 points for new card members is available whether you signup through a link or directly with American Express. The only difference with signing up through my link appears to be the 20,000 points I will receive if it is used.

If you were thinking of signing up to take advantage of the 100,000 points anyway, I would be super grateful if you used my link

http://amex.com.au/refer/michabSHmf