AMEX is ripping me off and probably you too.

[mikelo22]

Yeah as others said, sometimes the delay can be as long as two months for the cash back to finally appear in your account.  This, coupled with the $25 minimum redemption threshold is very annoying. 

You also need to make sure the places you're shopping at qualify as a Supermarket, gas, etc.  Amex's coding is a lot more refined and precise than the vendor descriptions Visa and Mastercard use, which can lead to your detriment if you use a store like Walmart, Target, or Meijer for groceries.  Or if you buy your gas from a supermarket (like Kroger, Walmart, Meijer, etc) this doesn't qualify as a gas station for Amex either.

[Anonymous]

Having dealt with Capital One, Chase, Discover, and Amex, I can say that I do like the nearly-immediate rewards posting that Capital one does. As for the delayed rewards posting, Amex is the most frustrating. The only reason that I can imagine that they like to take such a long time is so that they can threaten your MRs if you have any delay in payment.

I do not mind the statement date wait that Discover and Chase put you through as it is not too long. Having said that, I really appreciate the way that Chase gives you a break down on every purchase of the URs they are applying...I find that helpful and relatively transparent.

[Anonymous]

X2. On amex coding. Where I live we have a really big grocery stores and supermarkets of the same size but you only get your higher point values or higher cashback values if they code is a supermarket I got burned a lot of times going to stater brothers instead of Ralphs for example

[Cory]

OP,

I've had this similar problem before in the past. AMEX definition of catagories are extremely "restrictive" and sometimes a "rip-off" depending on where you use the card. As others have mentioned the long delay-lag with MR's or Cashback posting is just, I don't know, "unacceptable" For these reasons, I have cut my relationship with AMEX and now just use Citi Cards. Citi's rewards and statement which I like, post like "clockwork"

I will keep my two AMEX cards for credit utilization, but that's all. Even if AMEX finally "catches' up with the rest, my mind is still pretty much made. Citi, Navy and Barclays are the best at posting rewards on time.

[sreneesa]

---

@Anonymous wrote:
X2. On amex coding. Where I live we have a really big grocery stores and supermarkets of the same size but you only get your higher point values or higher cashback values if they code is a supermarket I got burned a lot of times going to stater brothers instead of Ralphs for example

---

Thank you for the heads up. Almost wasted hard inquiry on amex. I shop at staters half the time and if this card doesn't acknowledge them then it is not worth it to me. Looks like I will not have Amex in my wallet; as all I wanted from them was the 6 percent grocery category....

[Runitup]

AMEX codes my local 7-11 as a supermarket, lol.

[tcbofade]

---

@Runitup wrote:

AMEX codes my local 7-11 as a supermarket, lol.

---

...which is uniquely awesome, I'll grant you... but even at a 6% reward rate, that $7 gallon of milk isn't worth it. 

[Anonymous]

---

@sreneesa wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:
X2. On amex coding. Where I live we have a really big grocery stores and supermarkets of the same size but you only get your higher point values or higher cashback values if they code is a supermarket I got burned a lot of times going to stater brothers instead of Ralphs for example

---

Thank you for the heads up. Almost wasted hard inquiry on amex. I shop at staters half the time and if this card doesn't acknowledge them then it is not worth it to me. Looks like I will not have Amex in my wallet; as all I wanted from them was the 6 percent grocery category....

---

Stater Brothers codes as grocery for me and gets 6% on BCP. It states GROCERY STORES, SUP. I thought, looking back, maybe Sprouts wouldn't have counted, as it doesn't say grocery store but doing the math, it does. So it could be a YMMV thing. sreneesa you may want to see how your local Staters codes on some other card before counting AmEx out. 

[sreneesa]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@sreneesa wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:
X2. On amex coding. Where I live we have a really big grocery stores and supermarkets of the same size but you only get your higher point values or higher cashback values if they code is a supermarket I got burned a lot of times going to stater brothers instead of Ralphs for example

---

Thank you for the heads up. Almost wasted hard inquiry on amex. I shop at staters half the time and if this card doesn't acknowledge them then it is not worth it to me. Looks like I will not have Amex in my wallet; as all I wanted from them was the 6 percent grocery category....

---

Stater Brothers codes as grocery for me and gets 6% on BCP. It states GROCERY STORES, SUP. I thought, looking back, maybe Sprouts wouldn't have counted, as it doesn't say grocery store but doing the math, it does. So it could be a YMMV thing. sreneesa you may want to see how your local Staters codes on some other card before counting AmEx out. 

---

Thank you. Good advice. I was actually trying to figure that out with the one cc that I use for groceries...

Edit: My BOA cash rewards does code Stater bros as grocery for me...but would that still mean Amex will? I probably would need to contact Amex and ask them since it seems it is a ymmv... Are you in the Southern California area? 

[Anonymous]

I ripped AMEX off by churning the platinum card.  I actually felt kind of bad about it too, to be honest.