Anybody get waiver of annual fee for second year on Qantas AMEX?

[lovetravellingoz]

Likewise, I don't believe in paying fees for credit cards.

I managed to convince Amex to completely waive both the Qantas Premium and Ultimate card fees while still pocketing the bonus points, QC passes and free flight.

Cheers
Sheriff

Well done.

However I was wondering (particularly with the Ultimate card) whether you hada very high yearly spend or not.

I tried this for the Ultimate abouta year ago (and there were no 30,000 point offers then for it), but they would only give me a $100 off at the time...so I waited and gained second free Premium card instead.

I have pumped through many $$ since and so perhaps they may now be more willing....if this is a factor.

 

[Sheriff]

No. I only recently applied for the Ultimate Qantas card through the online 40,000 bonus points promotion last Sept.

Four weeks after I received the letter of approval , prior to even activating the card I telephoned Amex to cancel.

I basically gave them two options :

A. full fee waiver or
B. cancellation.

They claimed that I was a valued client and attempted to convince me to accept a 50% fee waiver. However when I declined they offered a conditional full fee waiver after $30,000 spend.

When I declined this offer they put me through to the cancellation department who, ironically, activated the card and offered an unconditional full fee waiver which I happily accepted.

Due to the current flood of bonus point promotions I currently have Amex Premium, Ultimate and Maximiser cards all fee free.

Thanks Amex!

Now I only wish AMEX was more widely accepted.

 

[Nutcase]

No. I only recently applied for the Ultimate Qantas card through the online 40,000 bonus points promotion last Sept.

Four weeks after I received the letter of approval , prior to even activating the card I telephoned Amex to cancel.

I basically gave them two options :

A. full fee waiver or
B. cancellation.

They claimed that I was a valued client and attempted to convince me to accept a 50% fee waiver. However when I declined they offered a conditional full fee waiver after $30,000 spend.

When I declined this offer they put me through to the cancellation department who, ironically, activated the card and offered an unconditional full fee waiver which I happily accepted.

Due to the current flood of bonus point promotions I currently have Amex Premium, Ultimate and Maximiser cards all fee free.

Thanks Amex!

Now I only wish AMEX was more widely accepted.

Well Done.

I managed a reduction to $125 and a reduced APR to 12.74% on an Ultimate Card.

 

[justin23]

I rang to cancel my AMEX 2 years ago. Its an APESMA Gold AMEX (through APESMA, association for engineers, scientists and manager etc).

I said the fees were too high. They said sir good news the rules/fees on your card are changing in 2 months and you no longer have fees on your card. I then said that intereste was a bit high and while i try and pay it off on time the rate was too high. No problem sir and they gave me a 9.99% for 12 months.

I was surprised how easy it was. I also recently had an late payment fee reversed. I was overseas for 6 weeks.

 

[rocket]

Approx 3 months ago I called to cancel my card, just prior to fee being recharged, in the hope it would be waived for a year.
After insisting to the call centre staff I wanted to cancel, I was transferred to Australian customer service where after a very pleasant chat, the fee has been waived for life of my card.
I have an approx yearly spend of $20K is that makes a difference.

 

[Sheriff]

I just got off the phone with an Amex supervisor who, without hesitation, kindly waived my rewards maximiser annual fee for the third year.


Sheriff

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Haha... Same thought did cross my mind before. Even if the terms and conditions allowed, I worry about if it would affect how AMEX treat me in the future. I am pretty sure they score and record notes on customer behavior. Didn't want to take advantage of them too much. Maybe I am too soft, but afterall they have the power of reporting what they choose to the credit bureau.

Hope it works for you!

Well the 12 months is now up...and they just waived reversed the next's years fee on asking.


Meanwhile back last year I just rang up...and asked what they would give me to get a Maximiser as well....and am now sportinag a nice brand new coffee machine plus 3000 points.

so what they write about me cannot be too bad.

Indeed, last time I rang up about the fee reversal... I was put through directly to an "Aussie" superior rather than the normal process of talk to an overseas call centre person who has little ability to reverse decisions and who then has to escalate me...it was just an immediate agreement to revesre it.


Previous experience was that I always had to ask (ie points not posted, fees charged etc) and ask again several times to get points posted or reversed and this often took several calls.

I might now be labelled as give him what he asks for.

TIPS:

• always be polite
• always be firm
• never accept a no
• if you get a no always ask to talk to a superior
• if you get a superior and they still say no and that there is no one else to talk to , then politelyy ask that you wish to have a an official complaint registered (that gained me my coffee machine after they originally reneged by saying that the person who offered it to me should not have).

Now if you do not spend very much on the Card they may of course not be willing to waive the fee, but if you are putting a bit on the card I would be surprised if they do not.


My view is that if they want me to put $$ through them then they need to make it worth my while to do so.

I am doing them a favour and not the other way around.

 

[JonnoP]

I have had my rewards maximizer fee waived for the past 3 years also. The minimum spend according to the rep to get this done is 8K per year..

So there is your answer..

Jonno

 

[Sheriff]

I have had my rewards maximizer fee waived for the past 3 years also. The minimum spend according to the rep to get this done is 8K per year..

So there is your answer..

Jonno

Unfortunately thats about how much I have to pay a term in school fees

Fortunately the school accepts Amex (without surcharge)

Sheriff

 

[oz_mark]

Good to hear that there is some scope to get fees waived, and fair enough it it requires a certin level of spend. At least it sounds s though I my have a chance later this year.

I wonder if the points bonuses being thrown around and a seemingly new willingness to offer waivers/reductions is reflective of not meeting quotas for cards on issue though. If they manage to get enough cards out there, then these things may go away.

 

[JohnK]

Good to hear that there is some scope to get fees waived, and fair enough it it requires a certin level of spend. At least it sounds s though I my have a chance later this year.

I am faced with a dilemma but I guess it is worth a try next time around. I have an Qantas Amex premium card and was recently charged the $195 yearly fee. Did not ring up to complain but I am in no position to threaten cancellation of the card as there is an outstanding balance I cannot pay off immediately and I do not spend anywhere near $8,000/pa on the card. Although I must say that the interest I saved on the balance transfer for 6 months would have been around $400.

I am one of the reasons credit card companies make the sort of profits they do these days.

 

[oz_mark]

I am faced with a dilemma but I guess it is worth a try next time around. I have an Qantas Amex premium card and was recently charged the $195 yearly fee. Did not ring up to complain but I am in no position to threaten cancellation of the card as there is an outstanding balance I cannot pay off immediately and I do not spend anywhere near $8,000/pa on the card. Although I must say that the interest I saved on the balance transfer for 6 months would have been around $400.

I got sucked into the free for the first year and 30000 point ultimate card promotion, and with the free flight this is a good deal. But I think I may struggle to justify paying $395 when it comes up for renewal.

Fortunately, I am one of those that pays off cards as they come due (although I did once have a 6 month low interest transfer on another long forgotten Amex card). Don't know if $8000 will be enough to get a waiver on the Ultimate, but I would not be too upset if they say no waiver - I will just close the card.

 

[beardoc]

On the rewards maximiser, is there any particular amount that you need to be spending on it per year to get the annual fee waived each year if you call up and ask for it? For those that do this, what's the minimum that they've been able to spend and get a waiver on the phone?

 

[JohnK]

On the rewards maximiser, is there any particular amount that you need to be spending on it per year to get the annual fee waived each year if you call up and ask for it?

From a previous post it would appear that the magic number is $8,000/pa.

I have had my rewards maximizer fee waived for the past 3 years also. The minimum spend according to the rep to get this done is 8K per year.

 

[beardoc]

From a previous post it would appear that the magic number is $8,000/pa.

Ah, my apologies - I missed that one.

 

[creeno]

crikey, I do that in a month some times....might be time for me to give them a call and try my luck!

 

[beardoc]

Knowing that I could get the first year of the Rewards Maximiser free and then get it free every year after that (given I spend well over $8K a year on the Amex, this strikes me as a better deal than the cobranded fee-free Amex cards that they offer to professional associations (AMA, CPA, etc.) which are 1 point per dollar up to $10000 per year then 1.5 points per dollar. The professional association cards have no purchase security, no extended warranty so it is equivalent to the Rewards Maximiser but with 5000 points less per year (0.5 points per dollar on the first $10000 each year).

 

[JohnK]

Maybe I should swap my fee free Gold Amex for a Rewards Maximiser. I spend ~$20,000/pa on the Gold Amex as this is my primary credit card and I also pay $80/pa for membership in Ascent.

Given that type of spend if I get a Rewards Maximiser instead I should get an extra ~10,000 MR points/pa, save $80/pa on membership for Ascent and still not pay an annual fee assuming they waive the Rewards Maximiser fee.

Worst case scenario is I get the Rewards Maximiser fee free in the first year and then pay an annual fee from second year onward but saving the $80/pa I already spend on Ascent membership. What is the annual fee for the Rewards Maximiser? Has Amex removed this product or just stopped marketing it? I do not see any sign of it on the Amex website.

 

[oz_mark]

The Maximiser was $192 per year. Not sure if it is still available though.

 

[beardoc]

What is the annual fee for the Rewards Maximiser? Has Amex removed this product or just stopped marketing it? I do not see any sign of it on the Amex website.

Rewards Maximiser Gold Credit Card - American Express Australia

Annual fee is $192 after fee free in the first year. Seems that you are still able to apply for it - please do let us know if you get it!