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I also had an issue with SUB but a different issue. They marketed to me the 50k MR bonus for $2k spend in 90 days. I met the spend pretty quickly with all the nice AMEX offers and bonus categories.....this was even prior to the revamped program. When I called to check on my spending progress they told me I had a 25K MR SUB and I flipped out. I called 3x and escalated the issue because a CSR telling me "call back when you feel like it" or "we'll reach out to you in some way, it might be email it might phone call, i'm not sure" are not acceptable responses. I kept all of my documentation. They investigated like others here have described but when they called me back finally they said I had check pre-qual somewhere else(which I did just to be thorough on the validity of my credit standing) and that by doing so I disqualified the 50K offer. Something with IP addresses more powerful factor than the actual pre-approval invitation code I submitted.
I'm sorry to hear about other members experiencing disappointing results.
I have tried escalating this issue via phone and got nowhere. I had submitted all documentation and the 5 invitations that were mailed to me.
Does the forum know of an address that I could mail a formal complaint? I totally would have waited to apply for the Gold card if I knew it would be such a disappointment getting the standard public SUB versus what they targeted me for. I'm guessing written complaint is the only chance I have left for getting what I think is fair and owed.
thanks in advance.
@mongstradamus wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
In response to no SUB on BCE in 2015: Same card, same year, same problem. First AMEX card. Immediately hit the spend and waited waited waited for the SUB. Finally called to asl when it would post... they told me I wasn't eligible. I even sent them a screenshot that I had saved. They didnt care. I.was.not.impressed.Pretty much if they don’t see it on their screen in front of them there isn’t anything you can do . There is an actual rant i went on on these forums few years ago when i got my EDP , i was supposed to get free year of amazon prime which i never got.
For this gold card while SUB would be nice i am not holding my breath , i have gotten two different answers from CSR one said i am eligible for 2k/50k , the other said i am not. I am probably keeping the gold card long term for the 4x restaurants and groceries that could net me around 45-50k MR a year with no MS.
Not sure if this was the case with yours but if you had amazon prime from a different amex card in the past you don't get it from new amex cards. I had called in and been denied amex prime for that reason. I had the PRG in the past and got the SUB on the gold but I know amex was not seeing me as having had the PRG in the past which may make the difference.
@NRB525 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
I'm probably 75% toward the spend req. Though it occurred mostly organically since I dine out a lot.Gotcha. Will you be keeping the card paat the 1st year if you don’t get the SUB?
To everyone who has called a AMEX CSR to ask “Am I getting the SUB”, I agree it would be frustrating to hear “No.”.
It is is possible that their CSR screens are not caught up to the concept of “cardholder 1 gets this bonus, but not on card #2, cardholder 2 should not get this bonus”.
If a cardholder is is not finished with the spend to get the SUB, then it is too early to say “I did not get the SUB”. I get that we all on MF want to know exactly what will be happening, but it appears that may not be available.
@Anonymous when you use the card for dining and for proper grocery stores, you do earn the 4MR so you have been earning that. Its not like you get no points at all, no 4MR bonus category because of this report.
If the $2k spend is not complete, the real AMEX computer has not had a reason to give you the SUB. How much is the foregone 2% if you SD the Gold? $40 of cash rewards? Seems to me like you’d want to finish the spend on the Gold.
There could very well be a glitch in their algorithm. Tightening down the SUB denial logic could be picking up some other datapoint and being confused. The earlier denials in 2015 may be similar to this, since that is when they first went to Lifetime SUB limits.
I do do hope this works out favorably. The SUB is indeed quite valuable.
To everyone calling Amex to see if they are getting the SUB. Why are they calling Amex in the first place??? The OP only had one other amex card. What was the purpose of calling Amex to begin with vs just meeting the min spend and then calling in if the points did not post? I can understand if someone may have had the card in the past in which case I would call before even making an app. Almost wondering if OP with their call created a situation and that by just making the spend they would have got the points automatically.
@red259 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
In response to no SUB on BCE in 2015: Same card, same year, same problem. First AMEX card. Immediately hit the spend and waited waited waited for the SUB. Finally called to asl when it would post... they told me I wasn't eligible. I even sent them a screenshot that I had saved. They didnt care. I.was.not.impressed.Pretty much if they don’t see it on their screen in front of them there isn’t anything you can do . There is an actual rant i went on on these forums few years ago when i got my EDP , i was supposed to get free year of amazon prime which i never got.
For this gold card while SUB would be nice i am not holding my breath , i have gotten two different answers from CSR one said i am eligible for 2k/50k , the other said i am not. I am probably keeping the gold card long term for the 4x restaurants and groceries that could net me around 45-50k MR a year with no MS.
Not sure if this was the case with yours but if you had amazon prime from a different amex card in the past you don't get it from new amex cards. I had called in and been denied amex prime for that reason. I had the PRG in the past and got the SUB on the gold but I know amex was not seeing me as having had the PRG in the past which may make the difference.
I have never had prime in my life , so never had that issue of having it with another card. Their claim was that offer i got wasn’t one with prime. Even though I gave them the exact link i used that stil had the amazon prime offer. If it doesn’t show up on their system they can’t really do much. I figure they read off their script and if something doesn’t show up they cant do anything.
I am getting close to finishing up my Gold SUB so we will see what happens if i get the SUB. I am not counting on it but we will see.
@Anonymous wrote:I also had an issue with SUB but a different issue. They marketed to me the 50k MR bonus for $2k spend in 90 days. I met the spend pretty quickly with all the nice AMEX offers and bonus categories.....this was even prior to the revamped program. When I called to check on my spending progress they told me I had a 25K MR SUB and I flipped out. I called 3x and escalated the issue because a CSR telling me "call back when you feel like it" or "we'll reach out to you in some way, it might be email it might phone call, i'm not sure" are not acceptable responses. I kept all of my documentation. They investigated like others here have described but when they called me back finally they said I had check pre-qual somewhere else(which I did just to be thorough on the validity of my credit standing) and that by doing so I disqualified the 50K offer. Something with IP addresses more powerful factor than the actual pre-approval invitation code I submitted.
I'm sorry to hear about other members experiencing disappointing results.
I have tried escalating this issue via phone and got nowhere. I had submitted all documentation and the 5 invitations that were mailed to me.
Does the forum know of an address that I could mail a formal complaint? I totally would have waited to apply for the Gold card if I knew it would be such a disappointment getting the standard public SUB versus what they targeted me for. I'm guessing written complaint is the only chance I have left for getting what I think is fair and owed.
thanks in advance.
In this case, were you replying to a specific mailer? I think those have a particular web address you are to go to, fill the application, then ( or as you are starting the app ) enter the code on the mailer?
What was the specific offer on the mailer?
Did you go to a different web link and apply through that?
I was hoping to ask Amex to give me an update when they finish the investigation instead of expecting me to call them to find out "in a few weeks", and this time app chat rep tells me that he sees the offer on my account, 50k and 20%. I guess we are moving toward a good direction but it also seems implausible that they resolve the issue so quickly. Anyway, I haven't see any of the 20% but it might just be taking time. Or, like others, I am getting trolled.
Will keep you guys updated.
@nrb525
yes it was a specific mailer. I received 5 separate mailers offering 50K MR for signing up and spending $2k. yes there was a website and an invitation code specified in the mailer.
3rd time I called to get status of escalation they finally asked me for documentation. I sent copies of the mailer.
person who called me back claimed that the offer was valid until I checked my pre-approval status right before I applied. they said at that point I was supposed to continue with the browser session I initiated and apply for the card versus coming back to my invitation session.
I informed him at that point I had been offered the Platinum 100K offer but did not see the PRG 50K offer(gold card was prequalified but did not show 50k) so I went back to my invitation. They said when I checked pre approval my offers changed and I was no longer qualified for the 50k Gold offer. ugh. such a T&C bore. I asked if I could get the Platinum card with the 100K offer and they said I did not currently qualify for the Platinum 100K offer but I could keep checking back.
I have not checked back and I have not opened any additional personal cards with them. Have since traveled a lot more, enough that the Gold card would be worth the 4x on dining and grocery alone while putting flight spend on Platinum and still getting value out of Hilton/SPG status while also using lounges. But on principal not going into that strategy and taking the card unless I get the 100K Platinum SUB and then opening a BCP for the 6x grocery bonus. I could cancel the Gold card at that point(have a savor for 4x cashback on dining and entertainment). For now just holding steady with Gold. DW likes it and the Rose Gold metal design. was just hoping to find a real address to send a real, honest gripe with the red tape. At this point I just want them to say, 'yes this stuff is complicated and a pain in the butt, but the customer shouldn't have to jump through so many hoops and be on top of their qualification system and know not to check status, etc. we'll give the SUB balance as a one time exception'
have not closed any cards in 8 years. Some of my cards had lame or no SUB. Not churning, just trying to continue the rebuild and enjoy the fruits of midlevel credit status so my spend is not in vain. My spend only drops on older cards that won't grow or lack rewards.
I'm sure there's plenty of people who unabashedly game the system in bad faith and get their SUBs, frustrating to play the long game and lose out.
I can see where the SUB is a tempting reward to app for the card, but it shouldn't ever be the only driving force behind getting it. If you have no use for it beyond a one time benefit, then it probably isn't going to be worth getting at all. And just furthers their stance on churners etc.
I do agree that it's frustrating if you app with a SUB/other perks in mind, and do not receive it in the end. I have a couple that I wouldn't have even applied for had it not ben for the SUB, so it was a nice feature for them to roll out that pop up informing you of inelgibility.
As the SUB is what determins which card you'll ultimately go with. If Amex yanks the SUB after the fact, you're left with a Card you may not see as valuable compared to another CC you were eyeing. While it's not a HP, it is a new accnt. Which could have been used elsewhere. As that is a bigger hit than a HP.