Local Champion - Very hit and miss

[theevilmuppet]

Hi all,

I've been enjoying the earning benefits of the American Express Local Champion competition with my Platinum Edge card recently (if you want a referral link to increase your signup bonus, please message me) but have encountered an issue.

After the BP Velocity announcement, I decided to buy a few things at my local BP store and then fill up my car there (and the cars of two friends who were happy to have my swipe my Velocity card and owe me dinner in the future).

The payments showed up in my transaction listing however the particular BP store did not show up in my Local Champion "Places" listing.

It turns out that many American Express merchants simply aren't eligible for selection in the Local Champion competition. The Terms and Conditions make statements about limits of cardholder participation, but not statements about not all merchants participating and getting this cleared up took multiple exchanges with the staff at American Express (they sent the T&Cs for the competition without actually reading the questions posed).

Has anyone else had this same experience?

 

[medhead]

Have you updated you local champion merchants? I have a BP listed.

 

[moa999]

Its still only an iOnly thing u/f

 

[burmans]

Have you updated you local champion merchants? I have a BP listed.

Ive been a Local Champion at a BP (no more as I'm doing the 5% off Woolies thing).

 

[psi999]

Hmmm i'm currently the local champion at my BP of choice...

 

[theevilmuppet]

Have you updated you local champion merchants? I have a BP listed.

I have. The issue isn't whether BP participate as an organisation as it's decided on a merchant-by-merchant basis. It's quite possible that every BP store has their own merchant arrangement with American Express, hence the sign out the front has no bearing on whether the particular store will be eligible for Local Champion selection.

 

[theevilmuppet]

Hmmm i'm currently the local champion at my BP of choice...

I suspect the BP store of your choice has a different merchant arrangement to the one around the corner from me then. American Express confirmed that my local option is not eligible for the Local Champion competition.