Amex Membership Rewards Question

[Anonymous]

This is for those of you who have had Amex for a while. How long does it normally take for earned points to actually post to the account?

I opened my Blue account in mid-March and my first billing cycle ended on 3/27, PIF on 3/28. My MR account still shows 0 points, and if I look at my statement detail it shows those points as still pending. My second statement will drop next week, and I still don't have the points from the first. Is it normal for points to show pending for 3 weeks, or is that a new account thing with Amex?

[haulingthescoreup]

I noticed that myself this morning. I found an explanation on the site, and now I can't find it again. (Without a doubt, the AmEx website is the most confusing mess I have ever wrestled with! ) The gist of it is that they will post next month.

If you are on your Summary of Accounts page, look over on the right and click on View Rewards Statement. Once you're on the Points Summary page, click on the Statement Details tab, and you should see your accumulated points listed as "pending."

Where the heck did I see that explanation...

[Anonymous]

They do take a while to post. Here is what happens in my experience. Pending points do not become available until the next bill cycle and you must have paid your bill. If you only pay a portion of your bill then only that portion will post, you will get additional points as the payments are made.

If I understood some of the jargon I got when I first got this card, you can also forfeit points if you do not pay your balance in full. I always PIF (have 0 forfeited points), I have 525 pending and 4626 earned. These points seemed to take forever to post, and they are always 30 days behind the cycle, and they do post but a cycle after I have made the payment, it is a slow process.

For example my pending points will become available when my next cycle hits. Even though I have a zero balance on my card. It can be a bit frustrating.

I prefer the clear, not as fancy but after each $2500 they send you an American Express Gift card. it is automatic and pretty fast!

Hope this helps and is not too confusing!

[unknown_entity]

Here is what it says for the Gold Delta Sky Miles Amex.  I was approved on 04/05 and there are 5,000 miles in my account already that I just noticed.

1 15,000 bonus miles will be awarded after your first purchase on the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card in the increments of 10,000 as a Welcome Bonus and 5,000 for this special offer. Please allow 8 to 12 weeks after your first purchase for the bonus miles to appear in your Delta SkyMiles account. This offer is valid for first-time Delta SkyMiles Cardmembers only. If you already have or had any other Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express Account(s), you are eligible to receive only the incremental difference between the Welcome Bonus miles offered herein and the amount offered with such other Account(s). You may be permitted to have more than one Delta SkyMiles Credit Card account; however, you are eligible to receive bonus miles for only one Card account. Additional Cardmembers are not eligible.
2 2,500 bonus miles will be awarded to your Delta SkyMiles account in 8 to 12 weeks for an approved Additional Card submitted with this application.

[Anonymous]

Found the info:

Pending Points

When you earn points from spending with your Card, they initially appear on your billing statement as pending. They only become available as redeemable points after a full monthly billing cycle has passed, provided that you have paid your current bill prior to the "Payment Due" date.

Adjusted Points

Your point balance has been adjusted to reflect points purchased, as well as Customer Service corrections to your Membership Rewards account.

Forfeited Points

Points accrued may be forfeited if the amount due on any Card account is not paid in full within one month of the closing date on your monthly billing statement

[Anonymous]

Perfect explanation. Thanks!

I thought it must be something like that, but I just couldn't find it on the Amex site or any of the literature that came with my card.

[haulingthescoreup]

Thanks, miahmarie! I was starting to think I had dreamed it all.

I was on the AmEx site yesterday, attempting to figure out something about rewards. A window popped up, asking if I would be willing to take a survey, and I figured, sure, why not?

Turns out the survey was evaluating how people feel about the site. I let them have it! (in a polite, Southern way.) They asked me to list the last five cards I'd app'd for online, and they picked the first one I listed (BofA) and asked me to compare ease of navigation, etc of their site with AmEx's. They also asked who I did my regular online banking with (USAA), and how I thought their site compared as well.

They asked whether I found it easy to compare the various AmEx cards when applying (snort.)

And bless their hearts, they had a comments box at the end. heh heh heh

If any of you see that survey box pop up, and you think that the site could be cleaned up some, don't miss the opportunity. I wasn't logged into my account when it appeared.

[Anonymous]

Yes Hauling, they do need to make the site more user friendly! It is work trying to find what you are looking for. LOL..

Is your USAA site more friendly? I am not looking for any more cards, I have actually found that in my cards the site I like the best is Chase. I get to see so much information and it is organized so well.

[haulingthescoreup]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Yes Hauling, they do need to make the site more user friendly! It is work trying to find what you are looking for. LOL..

Is your USAA site more friendly? I am not looking for any more cards, I have actually found that in my cards the site I like the best is Chase. I get to see so much information and it is organized so well.

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I love the USAA site! That's why I'm so spoiled. It was my first online banking experience. It's very clear, and I find it easy to flip back and forth. The only place that gets a little clunky is on the investments screens, when I'm trying to move back and forth among my Roth funds.

I have to admit, the only negative thing that I can say about PenFed is their site. There are a couple of extra hoops to jump through for the CC info, but the car loan (and the share account) are right there, easy to review. I do seem to get lost there pretty easily, lol.

[fused]

I have had great success when calling Amex's membership rewards customer service. So long as my balance is posting PIF, I simply ask the CSR to remove the pending status and give me the points. It's actually quite easy.