Deadline approaches to claim 5,000 points/5 txs, 20,000points/10transactions

[desiredusername]

Edit: oops: one promo was 10,000 points for 20 transactions 'no minimum spend': ie an average 500 points per transcaction for as little as $1 a transaction.

http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/american-express-rewards/10-000-bonus-points-per-14628.html

Fos' systemic problems area are looking into these promos from Sept 2008 where some Aff'ers made 3m ff points but many others gave up or never claimed or were cut out and blocked out by 'tactics'. Points didn't add up and people were unhappy and treated shabbily. If you missed out or if you weren't paid in full, ask the Financial Services Ombudsman to look into things because they say there's a 6 year limitation period that's closing soon.

Amex is very slow responsing to Fos as well, like the blocking tactic they used to put off complainers - apply sooner than later or miss out forever.

Fos can also re-open old cases under clause 3.1 of their current terms of reference so if Amex didn't tell you they had systemic problems that were concealing why they were accusing people and blocking claims, there's some $ compensation possible apparently, eg if you didn't get points in time for a trip and therefore bought flights for cash. Reading between the lines, Amex in Aust was in strife in 'requisitioning' points from the US actuarial estimates but, of course, Amex used 'terms' and stories to avoid paying up.

and there was:
There's an even better code to use "MYREWARD".

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.


There's an even better code to use "MYREWARD".

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.

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....000-bonus-points-per-14628-11.html#post190570 The promo was used to convince merchants that Amex was suddenly more popular than cash, V&MC, so popular thst people would walk out rather than buy coffee with coins or other cards. Trouble was that some regulatory people think merchants were conned ...by cardholders the Amex people sent flying out to shops with these hugely lucrative promos. But Amex was in strife - google its 79% plunge in earnings as at January 2009, and they tried to get out of paying.
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....000-bonus-points-per-14628-11.html#post190570

 

[JohnK]

Some people would say those were the good old days.

 

[desiredusername]

If you were part paid out or suffered consequential thing, apply before its too late. At the time a lot of cardholders simply accepted whatever they got, or didn't get, because Amex invented things. Who remembers the 'backdated' letters.

eg claim the useless things you bought, and weren't paid for, to unwittingly help them convince merchants that Amex was worth signing up with for 5 long years: shops weren't told the promos were shortterm ways to send people running around.

eg cash fares you bought because they resorted to tactics to slow down payouts. Who remembers the 'backdated' un-enrollment letters or the decision to unenrol people the crs enrolled because they initilally wanted everyone to run into shops.

eg claim the points they delayed awarding so you couldn't get into the Velocity 25% bonus in time to win flights on the Virgin group (like Virgin America, Etihad, Emirates) in the promos run with australian lottery permits. 25% on 100,000, 500,000 to 4,000,000 points is worth asking Fos to look into.

Even people who weren't enrolled can apparently claim: the lottery didn't say 'by the way, your $1:1 points you saved up are up against a zillion free points we gave JohnK for buying a $1 worth of chewies at every place he could". (The lottery authorities are scratching heads and maye don't want to see lotteries hand out free points/tickets to some while others aren'r entered because of the tactcs used).

As George Tattersalls says 'gotta be in it to win it'. If enough people say they want their points or say they want a redraw, who knows what'll happen.

 

[sampson]

Yep, the earnings plunged 79% when they started culling people and wiping off payouts. Are these points pooled in the USA and transmitted electronically from US soil to Australia to dole out?


http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&r...=ySNt9RIGeRbDwa1VWZAkSg&bvm=bv.65397613,d.dGI