Strategy to obtain US Amex

[DC3]

The Motley Fool $99 cash backs are arriving. It has just been credited to my Aspire (from 29/1/21). No miles from AA as yet (via eshopping portal) but I read some conjecture on FT about this.

I also bought the fool subscription via aa shopping portal on 29/Jan. But no Amex credit yet. AA side shows the fool transaction but no miles.

There’s some comment on FT on the AA miles. Can’t locate it just now. It seems that some will receive them and some won’t. Unfortunately, there was a (sneaky) cut-off based on the ordering date, made somewhere around 28/29th (?). I’m in the same boat, having ordered on 29th through the AA shopping portal.

 

[jbmemories]

There’s some comment on FT on the AA miles. Can’t locate it just now. It seems that some will receive them and some won’t. Unfortunately, there was a (sneaky) cut-off based on the ordering date, made somewhere around 28/29th (?). I’m in the same boat, having ordered on 29th.

Does that mean those who purchased the Fools subscription via AA won't get the miles but will still get the money back/credit statement still?

As some cards like AMEX Plat (or Gold) have bonuses for "shopping" US gas stations and supermarkets, is there a way we can take advantage of this here in AU by buying gift cards?

I know most likely we won't need travel insurance anytime soon, but is there a T&C written anywhere that the final destination must return to the US; similar to the Aussie cards here?

 

[DC3]

Does that mean those who purchased the Fools subscription via AA won't get the miles but will still get the money back/credit statement still? ..

The $99 credit has been appearing over the past several days. Certainly since 11th. The separate matter is the AA miles. Some will receive the miles, but it seems that others (including me) may not, based on the ordering date.

If I find the FT link about this, I will post it.

Edit: My guess is that I will not get the AA miles, due to (unknowingly) applying too late (on 29th)

 

[steveyyf]

Does that mean those who purchased the Fools subscription via AA won't get the miles but will still get the money back/credit statement still?

As some cards like AMEX Plat (or Gold) have bonuses for "shopping" US gas stations and supermarkets, is there a way we can take advantage of this here in AU by buying gift cards?

I know most likely we won't need travel insurance anytime soon, but is there a T&C written anywhere that the final destination must return to the US; similar to the Aussie cards here?

The Amex credit is still in the air. I made the order via aa portal on 29 Jan and still no Amex credit yet. Never know I still will receive or not

 

[nj12]

I have spoken with Amex today about getting the card delivered to here in Oz and took me around long 20 minutes. It was nearly two weeks since the approval and the card never shows up in my STE. I was passed on to 3 different agents and almost HUCA a bit nerve-racking, to be honest, At one point asked me for SSN said " Nah I don't have one yet, why don't you look me up with my other(Aspire) card" finally did the trick. It seems like they had trouble finding me with my existing account, kept asking me " how many Amex cards do you have?" almost gotten to a point asking me to do a notary cam. I was like "why not, let's do this". All of the sudden " there you go I found your account, where you want me to send your new card Mr Sapz Smooth sailing afterwards. I can already see my card number has changed and updated with DHL tracking to Oz. Seems everything is on track. Few things to note.

Thanks for sharing. Your experience sounds promising at least as a way of ensuring we can actually receive our cards. I also tried calling today and the first operator refused to even try and look up my account without SSN. She said I needed to provide either my full card number (don't have yet) or last name and SSN. She apologised and said there was no other way to proceed so I HUCA. The second call I made was to the Amex customer care line and this operator could bring up my account with my first and last name and see my card but he said the option to send the card to Australia was possible but not yet available on his system. It's been around 12 days since approval but I don't think it's been 10 BUSINESS days yet so i'll try again at the end of the week and report back. The difference with my situation is I don't have another US amex card they can use to find my account only Aus amex. As you suggested it might be just a matter of HUCA until an experienced operator is able to action it properly.

 

[DC3]

... the first operator refused to even try and look up my account without SSN ... She apologised and said there was no other way to proceed so I HUCA ... The second call I made was to the Amex customer care line and this operator could bring up my account with my first and last name and see my card but he said the option to send the card to Australia was possible but not yet available ...

Yours is the Green card and you now have the ‘Mail’ option at MyUS? It wouldn’t surpirise me if the original card actually ends up in your new ‘M’ suite at some point, even though mailed to your old suite. Be interesting to see how that pans out. Frustrating, I realise, and we all want to get our hands on the cards.

Now we are all holidaying in Oz, from Sarasota, during a pandemic. . Very limited options, unfortunately.

Yes, definitely look at HUACA. Not having a SSN sends some of them into a spin, it seems. Although we were warned about this upthread.

 

[DC3]

The $99 credit has been appearing over the past several days. Certainly since 11th. The separate matter is the AA miles. Some will receive the miles, but it seems that others (including me) may not, based on the ordering date.

If I find the FT link about this, I will post it.

Edit: My guess is that I will not get the AA miles, due to (unknowingly) applying too late (on 29th)

Motley Fool update, and AA miles. Here’s the FT link:

Amex Offers (fka Sync Offers) - FlyerTalk Forums. See post # 1014.

[Update: Don't get Fooled, The Motley stack is dead] Hugely Profitable/Rewarding The Motley Fool Subscription With Amex Offer

Edited

 

[mrsquare]

Instead of your Point 3: Using the TW app, >USD balance>Add, then specify the USD amount, then it will show “You’ll pay” (in AUD). Click “Continue”. “How would you like to pay”. I use “Manual bank transfer”.
When you go to make the AUD transfer from your own financial institution to TW (in AUD), make sure that you include your TW membership number as the reference/message (mine is in the format Pxx_xx_xx, one letter and 8 digits), so as TW can identify your transaction.
Then, in your Amex app, pay into your card. The Amex account transaction may take some hours, or overnight to appear, although Amex may send a notification alert much sooner.

Thanks for the tip DC3! I used PayID instead of the manual transfer and it got transferred pretty quickly, probably under a few minutes.

Next step is to get the TW account added to my Amex account using your process too. I’ll update on how that goes. When you pay the balance using the Amex app, does the credit limit get topped up immediately or does it take some time to get updated too? Noted on the account transaction part, believe the Oz Amex performs that way too.

 

[DC3]

... When you pay the balance using the Amex app, does the credit limit get topped up immediately or does it take some time to get updated too? Noted on the account transaction part, believe the Oz Amex performs that way too.

When paying through the Amex app, you may receive an alert that the payment has been transacted by Amex, shortly afterwards (or maybe not?). In any case, the crediting appeared in my Amex account overnight. I’ve only done this once (last month), but it worked surprising well. Anyway, it was quicker than my Oz payment version.

 

[DC3]

There’s a Federal holiday in the US on Monday 15th February. Washington’s Birthday (aka Presidents’ Day, and a few combinations of Washington/Lincoln, depending on the State) on the 3rd Monday in February, affecting most States (and maybe including Florida. Maybe, because I’ve seen conflicting reports). Our residents of Sarasota may know more.

So, things may, or may not, be a bit slow(er) at My US, and elsewhere on that day.

 

[jbmemories]

Motley Fool update, and AA miles. Here’s the FT link:

Amex Offers (fka Sync Offers) - FlyerTalk Forums. See post # 1014.

[Update: Don't get Fooled, The Motley stack is dead] Hugely Profitable/Rewarding The Motley Fool Subscription With Amex Offer

Edited

Does that mean the Fool option is still available though? (Just not allowed to stack it up AA of course).

And those who have Plat/Cent (I am not sure whether other cards have it too), the one that is known to work is using Shoprunner + Saks 5th av + Rakuten (either Cashback or MR points) to get your credits worth.

Its a bit interesting how the US version doesn't split the MR like here in Australia with the two versions

 

[nj12]

Yours is the Green card and you now have the ‘Mail’ option at MyUS? It wouldn’t surpirise me if the original card actually ends up in your new ‘M’ suite at some point, even though mailed to your old suite. Be interesting to see how that pans out. Frustrating, I realise, and we all want to get our hands on the cards.

I initially applied for the Green through Postscan mail address which led several calls to Amex including being told the post scan mail address was showing as a mail forwarder. I eventually tried again online using MYus address this time for the Surpass card and received instant approval. However now my address is different to the application because of the +mail subscription so whilst it's possible that it somehow ends up there I think it's unlikely. MYus customer support indicated in their response to that very query that if there was mail addressed to my previous address that it won't end up in my current +mail account. I will wait until the end of the week before calling again so that it's well past 2 weeks but I think the only option left at this stage is to find the right operator who will expedite the card to Australia preferably with minimal verification process. Tough ask it seems reading upthread.

 

[Sapz]

Thanks for sharing. Your experience sounds promising at least as a way of ensuring we can actually receive our cards. I also tried calling today and the first operator refused to even try and look up my account without SSN. She said I needed to provide either my full card number (don't have yet) or last name and SSN. She apologised and said there was no other way to proceed so I HUCA. The second call I made was to the Amex customer care line and this operator could bring up my account with my first and last name and see my card but he said the option to send the card to Australia was possible but not yet available on his system. It's been around 12 days since approval but I don't think it's been 10 BUSINESS days yet so i'll try again at the end of the week and report back. The difference with my situation is I don't have another US amex card they can use to find my account only Aus amex. As you suggested it might be just a matter of HUCA until an experienced operator is able to action it properly.

Well, I think the main hassle here is getting you identified and yes having an existing card will certainly help. However, there were few people up in the thread who successfully managed to get their first card delivered here in the past. Possibly can find more info up thread. Did any of the operators suggest you do a Notary Cam? Because at one point I was told that they can call me back on my number to identify me if I can complete their NC. Keep HUACA after few weeks, they were pretty firm on not reissuing cards withing first 10 days. Good luck!

 

[jbmemories]

Well, I think the main hassle here is getting you identified and yes having an existing card will certainly help. However, there were few people up in the thread who successfully managed to get their first card delivered here in the past. Possibly can find more info up thread. Did any of the operators suggest you do a Notary Cam? Because at one point I was told that they can call me back on my number to identify me if I can complete their NC. Keep HUACA after few weeks, they were pretty firm on not reissuing cards withing first 10 days. Good luck!

As Sapz said, they really don't issue it for the first 10 days (as said so by Customer Rep to me). They need to issue it to a US address first; then after 10 days they can issue it anywhere in the world (that isn't restricted/country-sanctioned).
There definitely are other sites that provide accepting mail; bear in mind that they only accept mail and no 'big' packages like MyUS does with their subscription.
They will need NC Form 1583 filled and sent to them via letter mail. - Note! Make sure to check with USPS that they are not labelled as CMRA/Fowarding Address! This will reduce instant recognition by AMEX's algorithms as a "mail forward" address like MyUS has become.
Hope this helps!

 

[DC3]

Has anybody tried/received $20 credit for Starbucks card load for the offer on their Bonvoy/Aspire cards?

The $20 credit just landed in my Aspire account for Starbucks app reload made on 1st February.

Edit: Now I just need to reload $20 each month on the Starbucks app to get the rest of the $220 benefit. Starbucks balances do not expire, so they will remain there until used.

 

[steveyyf]

The $20 credit just landed in my Aspire account for Starbucks app reload made on 1st February.

Edit: Now I just need to reload $20 each month on the Starbucks app to get the rest of the $220 benefit. Starbucks balances do not expire, so they will remain there until used.

i loaded 10+10, will it work?

 

[DC3]

i loaded 10+10, will it work?

When I saved the offer to my Aspire, the T+C included “... you will earn one $20 statement credit each month after spending $20 or more in combined eligible purchases on your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card at US restaurants (including takeout and third party delivery services) per month, during the Purchase Period, up to a total of $220 in statement credits...”

So, “combined eligible purchases”. Anyway, it’s per month, and not per statement, so still plenty of time to put your mind at rest.

Edit: Not still paying taxes are you?

 

[DC3]

I registered a new account via web browser on the phone. Failed to load fund. Will contact Starbucks. This means I cannot close the web browser now.

So, this was eventually sorted out.

 

[jbmemories]

When I saved the offer to my Aspire, the T+C included “... you will earn one $20 statement credit each month after spending $20 or more in combined eligible purchases on your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card at US restaurants (including takeout and third party delivery services) per month, during the Purchase Period, up to a total of $220 in statement credits...”

So, “combined eligible purchases”. Anyway, it’s per month, and not per statement, so still plenty of time to put your mind at rest.

Edit: Not still paying taxes are you?

AMEX is sort of tricky; with the Paypal statements on Amex Plat it can be various paypal purchases, and it will reimburse up to that $30 point.
So it could possibly be the same thing with the Starbucks loading.

Also a bit jealous that you guys have Starbucks to spend!

 

[nj12]

Well, I think the main hassle here is getting you identified and yes having an existing card will certainly help. However, there were few people up in the thread who successfully managed to get their first card delivered here in the past. Possibly can find more info up thread. Did any of the operators suggest you do a Notary Cam? Because at one point I was told that they can call me back on my number to identify me if I can complete their NC. Keep HUACA after few weeks, they were pretty firm on not reissuing cards withing first 10 days. Good luck!

Thanks for the info. Yes identification appeared to be an impossible hurdle for the operator on my first phone call. On the second phone call after some careful explanation on my behalf the operator managed to look up my account with my first and last name and saw that I was waiting on the Surpass card. The issue seemed to be that I hadn't waited the full 10 business days. He said it would be no problem to send it to Australia after that timeframe. This might include needing to do a verification involving Notary Cam but because I was still within 10 days he didn't elaborate on the next steps. Hoping to avoid doing another NC (my third) but if it's the only way to get the card then I'll oblige.

I was able to set up online account with Amex US after being approved and the card shows in my account as Hilton Honors Surpass (-3xx_x). I'm assuming these numbers are the last 5 digits of the card I will receive (hopefully)?

Make sure to check with USPS that they are not labelled as CMRA/Fowarding Address! This will reduce instant recognition by AMEX's algorithms as a "mail forward" address like MyUS has become.
Hope this helps!

Thanks for the tip. I did look up both my MYUS and Postscan mail addresses using USPS and neither displayed as a CMRA. I'm convinced now that I must have incorrectly filled in the initial Global Transfer online application for the green card on my first attempt triggering a phone call in which the operators seem to use a more thorough address identification system. Had I tried the second time (Surpass application) with the same Postscan mail address for online Global Transfer application it's possible that I would have been instantly approved (as I was with MYUS address) and be in possession of the card by now. I have looked up 3 or 4 other mail forwarders and all the addresses I searched showed up as CMRA hence why I went with MYUS successfully for the second online attempt.