Amex Screwing People Again?

Earlier this year, I posted some words about American Express (here and here). Those words were far from positive. To summarize, I headed pretty deep into is-it-possible-they-can-really-be-this-shitty territory. I had such a hard time understanding how Amex could (A) Promise bonuses, (B) Put terms in writing, (C) Refuse bonuses to people who met the terms, and (D) Defend their shady behavior by referencing words nowhere in the terms.

Well, over the last few weeks, I’ve been hearing from another batch of readers dealing with the exact same nonsense. Very annoying. If American Express is withholding a bonus that you’re entitled to…you’re not alone.

I’m pretty  sure most people try the customer service route. If that doesn’t work, make sure you read the two old posts above. And here’s another recent story…

Ok, got final resolution.
  • First, the credit card’s terms are where to find the statement that Amex will pay for arbitration.
  • I had to do all the mentioned things and file with JAMS.
  • Their agent was extremely responsive and helped me with any other forms and such needed.
  • The forms needed to be sent confirmed delivery, so it cost $5-10. I had to forward my proof of delivery to JAMS.
  • Amex responded to the demand from JAMS and asked for a 30 day extension to review my case.
  • On day 31, they emailed me and asked to be available for a call.
  • I talked to the person at Amex dealing with my case. She was very polite stating that I had mistakenly applied for a targeted bonus and was not eligible for the bonus and she wasn’t sure how I got/found/applied for it.
  • She said since they could not give me miles, they would give the money value in my original demand which I calculated wrong – whoops. But they are giving it as a statement credit on any of my Amex cards that need it.
  • All said, it was maybe 8 weeks from starting the filing to resolution.
  • Of course, I had to sign a non-disclosure and am sworn to secrecy about this case and anything pertaining to it and am not allowed to say anything bad about Amex ever (my favorite clause in the final agreement).
  • All’s well that ends 6 months later. I guess. Thanks for your help. Please anonymize me. 

 

End Of Week

  • Sunday through Saturday, buy $200 Mastercard gift cards at Staples with $5 off. Ain’t what promos used to be worth, but hey, it’s still something for Nerds With Inks.
  • Can’t say I’ve booked a Points + Cash stay with IHG in my life. Will I ever? Who knows. But now’s a better time than usual.
  • The Lyft All-Access plan is advertised as a possible replacement for owning a car. But is it actually a good deal? Not sure what to make of this.
  • Pro? $15 fares.
    Con? The airline is Frontier.

Have a great weekend, nerds!

Non-Airport Car Rental Deal

Thanks to reader Julie for sharing this strong weekend offer from Hertz. Looks like the sale at non-airport locations that we’ve seen in the past. Pretty nice prices (for under 100 miles per day) starting at $12.99 per day. Good one if it fits your needs.

Hertz also just became the part of the SkyTeam airline alliance, so we’ll see what extra benefits start showing up. You already get status if you’ve got anything with Delta.

Edit: Well…it turns out “the past” was a post last month. Damn, I’m old.

Sale Stuff

Quick-fire thoughts on the weekly sales…

  • JetBlue (pretty subpar)
  • Alaska (their sales always seem the same – decent)
  • Southwest (somewhere in the solid-to-good range for them)
  • Delta (great once again – shoot me now)

Chase Sapphire Checking

Thanks to reader Ravi for sharing this one. Probably too expensive for most ($75,000), but some of you thick-walleted types might feel differently…

If you have:

  1. A Chase bank account.
  2. A Freedom or Sapphire card.
  3. Lots of cash.

Then take a look at the offer to upgrade your checking account for 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points.