Amex referral program is the best

[Anonymous]

Just like to share amex allows more than one referral per person. 

For instance I've referred my dw 4 times. Csr said "valid referral" and boom points are there.

She also referred me.

Imo- they just want ppl to get there cards otherwise they would track "NEW card members referrals " clearly after 7 referrals back and forth and getting the sub and referred points they dont mind.

Yes I wouldn't have grabbed a couple of my cards w/o the sub. But thats what they are there for.  

Love me some amex.

First approved may 2019. 

[Anonymous]

I'm glad this has worked out for you.  Personally I don't know that I'd chance potential AA down the road.  I have no knowledge of what Amex's referral bonuses are, so I guess it depends on the individual if the risk is worth the reward.

[longtimelurker]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Just like to share amex allows more than one referral per person. 

For instance I've referred my dw 4 times. Csr said "valid referral" and boom points are there.

She also referred me.

Imo- they just want ppl to get there cards otherwise they would track "NEW card members referrals " clearly after 7 referrals back and forth and getting the sub and referred points they dont mind.

Yes I wouldn't have grabbed a couple of my cards w/o the sub. But thats what they are there for.  

Love me some amex.

First approved may 2019. 

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Well, there was the Great Self-Referral Clawback!  And the same argument could be made there.    This is less obviously wrong, but who knows what the RAT will think about multiple mutual referrals.  CSRs view doesn't matter in this situation.

But you are probably OK, however you don't want too many other people to do it or it gets on the RAT radar....

[Anonymous]

I agree. And doing a personal referral is asking for trouble..
I even asked the csr if I could refer her after I already did. They said yes. Not sure if they looked into past referrals but it seems that they were happy I referred her.(my DW)

[Remedios]

Since this thread is your reaction to the other thread (your green card application), I think you missed the point.

The issue wasn't that you referred your wife multiple times, as much as you opening card, collecting SUB, referring wife, closing card. 

Because you never answered how long you had Gold card, it's kinda hard to gauge what kind of damage can result from your actions. 

As far as CSRs saying things...they say things, but it's not them looking at referrals, it's the internal algorithm.

It may see nothing wrong with your actions, or it might determine they are fishy. 

You're pretty Amex heavy, and if you don't care about the possibility of losing those cards or any other form of AA, you do whatever you feel like doing.

If you value them, stop before it's too late. 

[SOGGIE]

I wasn't aware that Amex allowed cardholders to refer family members. That is nice to know. I need to check if the same applies to BOA and Discover.

[Peteyglad]

I have referred my wife an Amex card twice now. Once was for the Delta Platinum. I wanted our family of 4 to fly for the price of 2. I also had her apply for the EDP since we would routinely hit our grocery cap on mine. It isn't the food that is pricey, but that is where our pharmacy is as well.

Both times I got the referral bonus and she got the sign up bonus. She has kept both cards open.

[FalconSteve]

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@SOGGIE wrote:

I wasn't aware that Amex allowed cardholders to refer family members. That is nice to know. I need to check if the same applies to BOA and Discover.

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My wife got a Cash Magnet card back in January and refered my Dad and then myself for the same card. I'm an AU on both cards and nmy wife is an AU on mine. The statement credits both posted. The really don't seem picky

[Anonymous]

I had the gold card for 17 months.
I told csr exactly what I was doing. This last green card approval was immediately after closing gold card.. thats when I showed pre qualified.
I am not worried about Aa. Since I screenshot my csr conversation.
Dw has kept all cards open. Ive closed one personal card. Like I said thats when I was pre approved for the green.

[K-in-Boston]

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@Anonymous wrote:
<snip> I told csr exactly what I was doing. <snip> I am not worried about Aa. Since I screenshot my csr conversation. <snip>

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I am not aware of a single case where a conversation with a CSR has resulted in a favorable outcome for the cardholder when the American Express Rewards Abuse Team has made a decision.  

Think of it this way: you go to the bank and deposit or withdraw $9,999 in cash.  You ask the bank teller if this transaction will be reported to the IRS.  The bank teller says no, they are not required to report cash transactions under $10,000.  Do this on multiple days and the bank teller will give you the same answer, however the Bank Secrecy Act still requires the bank to report patterns of large cash transactions to the IRS even if they are under the $10,000 threshold for reporting, and the IRS is then required to report this information to state and local law enforcement (and federal once it reaches certain thresholds).  You cannot then use the bank teller's statement to get around any taxation or legal issues arising from those patterns, even if each individual transaction met the guidelines.

While it may or may not be flagged for review by Amex RAT, 7 referrals between 2 parties in a year and a half is certainly excessive and when viewed as a pattern could be construed as abuse even if individually they are permissible.