"Enhancements" to MR earn on Platinum Card, Reserve & Centurian

[lovestotravel]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

It would make for an interesting business study. If they are now making less than 1% on transactions, before costs, and given they are borrowing money themselves to front our spending per month .. at what? 5% PA, is about 0.4-0.5% / month its easy to see that suddenly there is no money left in the business unless Amex globally has access to very cheap funds (which they might ... who knows?).

Indeed! At 3% in the "good old day" all is well for Amex

But with very low merchant fees now, and the same amount of points being issued (before enhancements) something had to change

The fact that the ATO earns 0.5 points indicates the wide/large use of Amex to pay large ATO bills.....

 

[aasz1978]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

I think the biggest problem with most people is how are people not feeling silly to keep paying the same amount of annual fee (whatever it is) and getting these "enhancements". At the very least, they should lower the annual fees but I am not going to see that happening.

Thus, people just have to vote with their feet.

Furthermore, if this is their strategy to go mainstream (that is, higher acceptance rate by lower the fee percentage), I don't think it's working. AMEX has already a built-in reputation as being expensive and it won't be easy to shake that off.

In the meanwhile, more people are dropping off to the point they may have to downgrade services further then more "enhancements" will come and the cycle continues.

In other words, they won't win. Better jump now before they start fiddling with the points...

 

[flycop]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

I'm looking to dump my Platinum card ASAP to recover some of the fee thanks to these enhancements...

The Citi Select looks the goods at the moment but I was wondering...

Does the Virgin Platinum AMEX card earn bonus points with partners in membership rewards (eg use GIO for insurance)? Some of these bonuses work out to be good value and I might keep my Reserve card just for those. Thanks.

 

[Arrow29]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

I recently paid my water rates on my new AMEX (first one; professional association gold credit card) and received 1 point per dollar. Thought utilities were at 0.5 points per dollar so was quite a nice surprise.

 

[k3nnis]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

I thought the 0.5 points change only starts in October?

 

[StevePER]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

I only got 0.5 when I paid last month.
[TABLE="class: dataTable dataTableTop"]
[TR]
[TH="class: desc"][/TH]
[TH="class: charge"][/TH]
[TH="class: basepts"][/TH]
[TH="class: bonuspts"][/TH]
[TH="class: totalpts"][/TH]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TABLE="class: dataTable"]
[TR="class: rowEven"]
[TD="class: date"]24/07/2012
[/TD]
[TD="class: desc"]WATER CORPORATION
[/TD]
[TD="class: charge"]$444.90[/TD]
[TD="class: basepts"] 222 [/TD]
[TD="class: bonuspts"]0[/TD]
[TD="class: totalpts"]222[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[thehound]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

I only got 0.5 when I paid last month.
[TABLE="class: dataTable dataTableTop"]
[TR]
[TH="class: desc"][/TH]
[TH="class: charge"][/TH]
[TH="class: basepts"][/TH]
[TH="class: bonuspts"][/TH]
[TH="class: totalpts"][/TH]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TABLE="class: dataTable"]
[TR="class: rowEven"]
[TD="class: date"]24/07/2012[/TD]
[TD="class: desc"]WATER CORPORATION[/TD]
[TD="class: charge"]$444.90[/TD]
[TD="class: basepts"] 222 [/TD]
[TD="class: bonuspts"]0[/TD]
[TD="class: totalpts"]222[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

If I were you I'd call them and have that corrected. The points earn shouldn't change for another month.

 

[serfty]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

To be specific, Gold Charge and some other Credit Cards changed July 1st - the Platinum "Card", Reserve and Centurian change on the date k3nnis refers to.

 

[Moopere]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

I think the 0.5p/$ started 1st July for some of the other Amex cards, like the Edge and whatnot.

 

[k3nnis]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

I also thought the EDGE cards were 1st OCT but I may be wrong. Lucky I changed my utilities from my EDGE to the platinum charge for now

 

[Arrow29]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

Yeah, in the terms and conditions that I got sent with my card it had 0.5 points per dollar for utilities/tax etc, which is why I was surprised when I got the rate that I did. Not complaining though! Maybe my card is October as well (being an association gold card it's not listed on the website under the rest of them)

 

[StevePER]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

If I were you I'd call them and have that corrected. The points earn shouldn't change for another month.

I am confusing the Platinum Reserve and Platinum Edge. Platinum Reserve doesn't change for another month. I downgraded to the Platinum Edge when the changes were announced, which is already on 0.5. Apologies for the confusion.

 

[Chicken]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

Received a request to complete a survey on Reserve card. First part of the survey was how happy you are with the card, what you like what you don't like; then started tweaking all the extra goodies like insurance and ask how you feel; then what other card you have, and how much you spend on every card, how likely you will renew your card. One of the last questions was whether you prefer more extra benefits and forget the points, or kill the benefits and have more points.

 

[Jane-Doe]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

RIP Amex 2.10.2012

I was a loyal member from 1997.

Now with Citi - and an unused EDR Mastercard in the drawer.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

So last night I treat Cruiserette to that salubrious establishment The Mentone Hotel at Mentone, Victoria - truth be known it is 100mtrs from my front door so that is why we occasionally tolerate it.

Sat in the restaurant - shared a bottle of red - and had a terribly overcooked tough scotch fillet each.

Bill total - $135.70 - no tip - waitress just plonked bottle of red on table with glasses and left us to poor - steak tough - so no tip.

But got me pondering under new pts scale - do I get 3 or 1 / $1?

If The Mentone Hotel is a hotel - then 1pt/$1 - if The Mentone Hotel is restaurant - 3pts/$1.

Jeez does this mean we gotta go check every goddam individual transaction we now undertake with Cent to ascertain correct pts earn? OMG

I think I might just raise the workload on my Amex Relationship Customer Care Professional - I hope many others do the same - might just be a way to entice Amex into re-thinking this new pts earning regime.

 

[serfty]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

...
But got me pondering under new pts scale - do I get 3 or 1 / $1?

If The Mentone Hotel is a hotel - then 1pt/$1 - if The Mentone Hotel is restaurant - 3pts/$1.

Jeez does this mean we gotta go check every goddam individual transaction we now undertake with Cent to ascertain correct pts earn? OMG

I think I might just raise the workload on my Amex Relationship Customer Care Professional - I hope many others do the same - might just be a way to entice Amex into re-thinking this new pts earning regime.

For 3 points it needs to be on this list: http://www332.amexnetwork.com/?id=29193&selectedlanguage=Australian+English

 

[deluxeflyer]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

So last night I treat Cruiserette to that salubrious establishment The Mentone Hotel at Mentone, Victoria - truth be known it is 100mtrs from my front door so that is why we occasionally tolerate it.

Sat in the restaurant - shared a bottle of red - and had a terribly overcooked tough scotch fillet each.

Bill total - $135.70 - no tip - waitress just plonked bottle of red on table with glasses and left us to poor - steak tough - so no tip.

But got me pondering under new pts scale - do I get 3 or 1 / $1?

If The Mentone Hotel is a hotel - then 1pt/$1 - if The Mentone Hotel is restaurant - 3pts/$1.

Jeez does this mean we gotta go check every goddam individual transaction we now undertake with Cent to ascertain correct pts earn? OMG

I think I might just raise the workload on my Amex Relationship Customer Care Professional - I hope many others do the same - might just be a way to entice Amex into re-thinking this new pts earning regime.

As it could be a Hotel ie accomodation it's 2 pts / $1.
Amex re-think would be nice, might see a pig fly before then.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

As it could be a Hotel ie accomodation it's 2 pts / $1.
Amex re-think would be nice, might see a pig fly before then.

No definitely no accom here.- - although I do think I saw serfty snoozing on the footpath one morning at 3am.

 

[serfty]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

No definitely no accom here.- - although I do think I saw serfty snoozing on the footpath one morning at 3am.

Not at mentone ---- see my post above for link.

 

[kpc]

Re: "Enhancements" to Membership Rewards scheme for Platinum Card / Platinum Reserve

4 days into October, both my Amex Platinum Reserve and Charge cards remain unused...whereas my Westpac Earth and Altitude Platinum cards have had a sudden surge in activity...

The only 2 possible reasons for me to keep the Amex Platinum Reserve card (no reason to keep Charge!) is that the free DJ flight covers the yearly annual fee; also as foreign transactions attract 2 pts per $ spent, I might use the card for claimable work expenses overseas as the ridiculously high 3% Fx charge would be reimbursed as well.