topic Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum. in Credit Cards

Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

GoldenloveNY — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 12:59:40 GMT

So the rumor is true, Amex added Walmart+ as a benefit. Just use your Amex Platinum card to pay for the monthly cost of the membership and Amex will give you a statement credit.

In addition, you will also get an additional $300 statement credit on purchases of the SoulCycle At-Home Bike through Equinox+

Seems like the Platinum is becoming less of a travel card in mind and more for the average consumer.

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/american-express-platinum-adds-new-walmart-soulcycle-benefits/

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

NRB525 — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 16:02:22 GMT

AMEX Platinum

WalMart+

no comment.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

coldfusion — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 16:18:58 GMT

Chase has Amazon (at least for now) as does Synchrony, AMEX Platinum has Walmart.

Mmm, yeah. So much for trying to maintain an upscale branding.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

4sallypat — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 16:43:21 GMT

Not useful to me - never shop at Walmart and don't need a bicycle...

Guess my new AF is going to be a question when it comes for renewal...

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

SoCalGardener — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 17:17:12 GMT

@4sallypat wrote:
Not useful to me - never shop at Walmart and don't need a bicycle...

I had a Walmart+ account, and it turned out to be awful. I paid annually, as I is my habit with things like this. The only reason I got it was because my Cap1 WM Rewards card sent me a 5% cash back offer for grocery shopping online at WM. Now, I don't usually shop at WM, but I've been grocery shopping online for 25-ish years, so I thought, what the hell?! And I figured if I was going to shop there, I might as well get W+ because I don't like paying delivery fees. The super-short version: it was disastrous. WM doesn't carry many of the products I routinely use, and of the few products I could buy there, they were always out of stock. Not only that, but their substitution preferences suck--and as a result, I ended up with completely unusable products because the shopper was a...well, let's just say they weren't Albert Einstein. My best example: I ordered vanilla Silk soy (or almond?) milk, i.e., VEGAN milk, right? What did the shopper bring me? Non-fat, lactose-free DAIRY milk. Awful, just awful...

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

icednightpaper — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 17:31:37 GMT

I'm pretty surprised this actually exists. I can only hope that AMEX uses its influence to get Walmart to give up the fight on contactless payments...nah just kidding. Oh well, this is at least better than the SoulCycle nonsense.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

Adkins — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 19:44:18 GMT

Wow.🤔 I just don't see Amex Platinum fitting with Walmart+ and the SoulCycle credit unless the rumors of a new card between Platinum and Black turn out to be true. 🤷

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

UncleB — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 22:19:38 GMT

I read this just a little while ago and went ahead and added it to my account.

I wouldn't pay for it otherwise, but since I'll have the Platinum through next July I figured "what the heck," I might as well take advantage of the no-minimum for free shipping on Walmart.com orders. (The other Walmart+ bennies are useless to me.)

I already know I'll be canceling Walmart+ the same month I cancel the Platinum ~~coupon book~~ card.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

red259 — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 23:19:17 GMT

@GoldenloveNY wrote:
So the rumor is true, Amex added Walmart+ as a benefit. Just use your Amex Platinum card to pay for the monthly cost of the membership and Amex will give you a statement credit.

In addition, you will also get an additional $300 statement credit on purchases of the SoulCycle At-Home Bike through Equinox+

Seems like the Platinum is becoming less of a travel card in mind and more for the average consumer.

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/american-express-platinum-adds-new-walmart-soulcycle-benefits/

I don't think the platnium is for the average consumer with an AF of $695. I am highly likely to cancel this card next summer unless they add additional travel benefits. At the $550 price point I was making a profit off this card but at $695 I feel like I can just opt for a different travel card at a lower price point and retain most of the benefits. This soucycle crap is useless to me. I would imagine it is only good for someone who was planning on buying a soulcycle anyway. The walmart+ does little for me but that is because I don't have a local walmart. I'm not sure how the fuel codes at walmart (like if you can get the gas station bonus on your credit cards at walmart) and if the fuel is of similiar cost or cheaper than other local gas stations. Maybe that would be worth it to some people depending the answers to those questions. Also, for those with prescriptions I don't know what their out of pocket is and how all that works. Maybe there is some real savings there and maybe there isn't. What I do know is that it costs me nothing to use this while I still have the card so I will add it. In addition, I have an amex offer that gives me 4 additional points on every dollar spent at walmart which I added to my plat as well. I won't go out of the way to spend at walmart but when I need to order something online I will check their website and pricing first before going to Amazon. I may be able to derive some value there as I will sometimes go to walmart to stock up on things like socks/tshirts etc. Stuff that is fairly generic which I need to buy in bulk.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

FinStar — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 00:16:17 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
I read this just a little while ago and went ahead and added it to my account.

I wouldn't pay for it otherwise, but since I'll have the Platinum through next July I figured "what the heck," I might as well take advantage of the no-minimum for free shipping on Walmart.com orders. (The other Walmart+ bennies are useless to me.)

I already know I'll be canceling Walmart+ the same month I cancel the Platinum ~~coupon book~~ card.

@UncleB, I can't recall at the moment, but did you cash out your Schwab Platinum MRs? I'm assuming the cpp changed after September?

I had considered the CS at one point right before the rumors were floating around, but I dunno if I'd find much value on the Walmart+ benefit...or the bicycle thingy 😜

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

UncleB — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 00:27:55 GMT

@FinStar wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
I read this just a little while ago and went ahead and added it to my account.

I wouldn't pay for it otherwise, but since I'll have the Platinum through next July I figured "what the heck," I might as well take advantage of the no-minimum for free shipping on Walmart.com orders. (The other Walmart+ bennies are useless to me.)

I already know I'll be canceling Walmart+ the same month I cancel the Platinum ~~coupon book~~ card.

@UncleB, I can't recall at the moment, but did you cash out your Schwab Platinum MRs? I'm assuming the cpp changed after September?

I had considered the CS at one point right before the rumors were floating around, but I dunno if I'd find much value on the Walmart+ benefit...or the bicycle thingy 😜

Yep, I cashed-out about a week before the rate change, and I got the Schwab 100k MR bonus just last week and I cashed-out the same day, LOL. It's too bad I don't have a lifestyle that supports keeping the Platinum, since so far it's been flawless (even with me "hitting it hard," at least for my resources).

In my humble opinion, it's a great card for those who value lounge access and/or for those who can make good use of the various credits. Unfortunately, I don't fall into either group, although I love having the ability to cash-out MRs for 1.1¢ each.

My adventure with MRs has been fun, but it's probably best that I leave any further adventures to others.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

xenon3030 — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 00:44:59 GMT

Walmart groceries quality seems much lower than other places but the prices are also lower (you pay what you get). I used Walmart+ groceries only once in the trial period. Some of my items were not available and the total price went eventually slightly below the threshold for a free shipping (I think~35$). They charged me a ~5$ shippiung fee. I have not seen such an issue with Instacart and due to such low service quality, I stopped the trial service.

Anyway, I am not a fan of recent Amex business models, using Equinox, Walmart+ or the other monthly benefits. I prefer to have freedom to shop at quality locations and with quality services and at my will.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

wasCB14 — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 02:22:52 GMT

@SoCalGardener wrote:And I figured if I was going to shop there, I might as well get W+ because I don't like paying delivery fees. The super-short version: it was disastrous. WM doesn't carry many of the products I routinely use, and of the few products I could buy there, they were always out of stock. Not only that, but their substitution preferences suck--and as a result, I ended up with completely unusable products because the shopper was a...well, let's just say they weren't Albert Einstein. My best example: I ordered vanilla Silk soy (or almond?) milk, i.e., VEGAN milk, right? What did the shopper bring me? Non-fat, lactose-free DAIRY milk. Awful, just awful...

That's part of why I like Costco delivery (though I still shop there in person when convenient). Limited selection means limited potential for mixups and replacement requests are clear. And it's very unlikely that they'll ever run out of those three-packs of organic 1% milk.

Maybe in the distant future they'll win that business back and make Executive Membership a Platinum perk.

I shop on the Walmart site but mostly it's for household goods with next-day free delivery. Cleaning products, storage containers, etc.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

SoCalGardener — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 18:30:22 GMT

@wasCB14 wrote:
@SoCalGardener wrote:And I figured if I was going to shop there, I might as well get W+ because I don't like paying delivery fees. The super-short version: it was disastrous. WM doesn't carry many of the products I routinely use, and of the few products I could buy there, they were always out of stock. Not only that, but their substitution preferences suck--and as a result, I ended up with completely unusable products because the shopper was a...well, let's just say they weren't Albert Einstein. My best example: I ordered vanilla Silk soy (or almond?) milk, i.e., VEGAN milk, right? What did the shopper bring me? Non-fat, lactose-free DAIRY milk. Awful, just awful...
That's part of why I like Costco delivery (though I still shop there in person when convenient). Limited selection means limited potential for mixups and replacement requests are clear. And it's very unlikely that they'll ever run out of those three-packs of organic 1% milk.

Maybe in the distant future they'll win that business back and make Executive Membership a Platinum perk.

I shop on the Walmart site but mostly it's for household goods with next-day free delivery. Cleaning products, storage containers, etc.

Yeah, I'm still using WM for household products, because their prices can't be beat--but I'm shopping there using Instacart! At one point I was paying for Amazon Prime, Walmart+ and Instacart Express--just to get groceries! Before the pandemic it was SO EASY; I did virtually all my shopping at Vons (online) and everything about them was perfect--exemplary service, susbstitution preferences I could write out myself, delivery people who brought everything in and neatly placed them on my kitchen counters, etc. Now it's a whole other story. I find myself ordering groceries literally 2-3 times per week, whereas I used to order about 2-3 times a MONTH. But between the out-of-stocks and poor replacements and certain stores not carrying certain products, it's come to this. *shrug* But Instacart allows real, personally written, specific instructions for subs, so in that regard alone it's far better than W+.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

trumpet-205 — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 23:31:38 GMT

@SoCalGardener wrote:
Not only that, but their substitution preferences suck--and as a result, I ended up with completely unusable products because the shopper was a...well, let's just say they weren't Albert Einstein. My best example: I ordered vanilla Silk soy (or almond?) milk, i.e., VEGAN milk, right? What did the shopper bring me? Non-fat, lactose-free DAIRY milk. Awful, just awful...

I briefly worked at Walmart as a digital shopper and I can give some insights as to why this is happening. When a shopper couldn't find said item, the system may select a specific item for the shopper to substitute. While the shopper can substitute a different item in place if the system's pick is not ideal, managment generally don't want that, as doing so can hurt both the store's and the shopper's performance metrics (FTPR for those that worked as a shopper at Walmart). When I worked at Walmart I was told by my department manager to stick with the system's pick unless said pick has "absolutely nothing to do with the original requested item".

That may explain why you are getting substitutions that "sucks".

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

SoCalGardener — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 00:04:23 GMT

@trumpet-205 wrote:
@SoCalGardener wrote:
Not only that, but their substitution preferences suck--and as a result, I ended up with completely unusable products because the shopper was a...well, let's just say they weren't Albert Einstein. My best example: I ordered vanilla Silk soy (or almond?) milk, i.e., VEGAN milk, right? What did the shopper bring me? Non-fat, lactose-free DAIRY milk. Awful, just awful...
I briefly worked at Walmart as a digital shopper and I can give some insights as to why this is happening. When a shopper couldn't find said item, the system may select a specific item for the shopper to substitute. While the shopper can substitute a different item in place if the system's pick is not ideal, managment generally don't want that, as doing so can hurt both the store's and the shopper's performance metrics (FTPR for those that worked as a shopper at Walmart). When I worked at Walmart I was told by my department manager to stick with the system's pick unless said pick has "absolutely nothing to do with the original requested item".

That may explain why you are getting substitutions that "sucks".

Thanks for that information. It's good to know! And it certainly goes a long way toward explaining some of their seemingly inexplicable choices.

But--to me, as an ethical vegan for 33 years--receiving a DAIRY or MEAT product is not just a minor inconvenience. Another time, I ordered a frozen pasta meal with vegan 'meatballs'--and they subbed a similar product containing meat! That's not a little thing for me. It's an upsetting, disgusting, unacceptable problem resulting in unusable products, as I can't/won't use dairy milk, or pasta with meat in it. Using their own reasoning, i.e., a suggested replacement has "absolutely nothing to do with the original requested item," it should be obvious that meat is not vegan, and dairy milk has nothing to do with vegan milk (other than the word "milk"). The shopper had to be looking at a ton of products. Just one brand, Silk, has numerous varieties of soy milk (plain, vanilla, chocolate, high protein, low calorie, reduced fat, etc.)! Then ditto that for Silk's almond milk, and then their other milks. Now factor in all the OTHER brands of vegan milk and their varieties.... yet they chose DAIRY?! *SMH*

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

Remedios — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 01:44:19 GMT

Up next, Centurion gets $300 statement credit for Dollar Store purchases.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

trumpet-205 — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 02:02:48 GMT

@SoCalGardener wrote:
Thanks for that information. It's good to know! And it certainly goes a long way toward explaining some of their seemingly inexplicable choices.

But--to me, as an ethical vegan for 33 years--receiving a DAIRY or MEAT product is not just a minor inconvenience. Another time, I ordered a frozen pasta meal with vegan 'meatballs'--and they subbed a similar product containing meat!

One thing I encourge you to do is to voice your issues when you write the reviews. Besides the performance metrics managaments do care about reviews, particulary negative ones.

This is especially important because should a shopper opt to substitue an item that wasn't suggested by the system, it has to be approved by store managment before you even receive the email telling you a substitution took place.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

stonedog23 — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 04:43:46 GMT

@4sallypat wrote:
Not useful to me - never shop at Walmart and don't need a bicycle...

Guess my new AF is going to be a question when it comes for renewal...

I'm always amazed when someone says they don't shop at Walmart, as in never.

Re: Amex adds Walmart+ / SoulCycle benefits to Platinum.

UncleB — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 04:55:42 GMT

I've not used WM grocery pickup in a while, but I kept things simple and turned off substitutions... that way I was sure to get exactly what I wanted, and if something was out of stock I would just try again the next week (or look elsewhere).

Anyway, back to the topic of the Amex Platinum credit... I added Walmart+ a few days ago, and the charge posted to my card on Oct 7 but so far there's been no credit. Hopefully this is just a normal delay and I'm not going to have to pester Amex for a credit on something that is only marginally useful anyway.