Important dates for your diary – offers about to close which you shouldn’t miss (June 2018)

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• Londoner says:

  24 Jun24 June 14:36

  O/T As no bits today:

  Just been on the phone with Amex. I have a £ 1.500 credit limit on my BA Amex, but spend between £ 2.000 and 4.000 per month. When my available credit goes below £ 500 or so I normally pay off the credit, so that I get my full credit limit available again.

  Today I’ve received a letter saying that I have gone over limit, charging me £ 12. I called up Amex, and the representative told me, that my £ 1.500 credit limit is fixed, and that I cannot spend more than £ 1.500 per statement period without defaulting, even if I pay off the credit during the statement period.

  I have had 1 letter before (in April), where the representative told me that it was because I used the card to make a big payment on the same day as I paid off my credit, hence it went “over limit” because they had not received my money yet, but that it was a flaw in their system, and she waived the fee. I have spent roughly £ 17.000 on the card since end of October and have never had any issues (my credit limit was £ 1.000 in the beginning) or fees, even when I have spent 3-4 times my credit limit in a month.

  I tried to explain this to the representative (and how I could have a spending goal of £ 20.000 in a year on an Amex that had £ 1.000 credit limit, which would never be possible without defaulting), but he said that I was wrong and the information I got last time was wrong.

  Can anybody explain who is right or wrong in this?

  TL:DR – Amex representative told me that paying off my credit during a statement period did not make that credit available to spend again within the same statement period.

  • Peter K says:

    24 Jun24 June 15:02

    That sounds like a load of rubbish from the person you most recently communicated with. Try ringing rather than live chatting if that’s what you did.

    • Londoner says:

      24 Jun24 June 15:05

      I did call Amex. I asked to talk to a colleague or supervisor, but he said that no supervisor was at work today because it is Sunday. He said that he requested my £ 12 fee would be waived because of the information I got the last time, but that they would have to listen to my conversation first.
      But glad I had it right. I tried 2-3 times to explain this to him, and that I have been going “over limit” every single month since I got my Amex, and that it has never been a problem. My OH just got her first Amex and is about to go “over limit” as well, so just reassuring.

      Thanks!

      • the real harry1 says:

        24 Jun24 June 15:17

        There’s no ‘making polite representations’ with some dolts – I’m very annoyed because on one long-standing (so I want to keep it) Tesco card the credit limit is a paltry £1200 – but both my wife & I have 2 other Tesco credit cards where the limits are more like £10K.

        Will they up the limit on the £1200 card? Will they Donald Duck. Bunch of idiots.

        Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

  • Mark2 says:

    24 Jun24 June 17:11

    In the past transactions have been denied because I had spent more than the limit but paid some of it off. When I rang up they put me through to another department who sorted it out so that I could do it in future.
    As an aside, why are you spending on a blue Amex card which will only give you 12 month life on a 241?

    • Londoner says:

      24 Jun24 June 17:18

      It has never been an issue before and I have not had any denied payments. Everything has gone through and the available credit on my Amex app is updated when I make payments. But it should be alright! OH just came home an hour ago and have now went “over limit”, so I’ll see whether she receives a letter as well.

      As for your aside, I will need my 2-4-1 for June/July 2020 (as I won’t have summer holidays next year), and I am therefore waiting until the end of July to upgrade to the PP card. Leaving the UK for good in end of August, so will be downgrading to blue Amex in middle of August again, so that I have the free card to pay taxes with (as Amex is not available in my new country of residence).

  • Anna says:

    24 Jun24 June 17:29

    That’s just bizarre – I got my first BAPP recently (previously just used the OH’s for the companion vouchers but we had a big spend which justified getting a second one). I was a bit concerned that I would need to pay my upcoming bill in separate chunks, however the credit limit from the outset was nearly £7k. I’m sure there’s method in the madness but I can’t see it!

  • Londoner says:

    26 Jun26 June 20:15

    Update:
    Called Amex again today and the agent on Sunday was in fact incorrect.
    They couldn’t tell me why I got the letter (as they said I had too many payments to go through manually), but agreed to waive it. Apparently it can happen if a payment going over the limit is tracking before they track the debit card payment, even if the debit card payment is made first. I haven’t been near the limit recently, so do not know what caused this.

• Max says:

  25 Jun25 June 19:43

  Slightly O/T – I have 1000 Accor Hotel points which expire soon. Minimum transfer to Avios seems to be higher, any suggestions on what I can do with them?

  • the real harry1 says:

    25 Jun25 June 19:50

    Research our hack into transferring any number of Accor points to IB @ 1:1?

    • Max says:

      26 Jun26 June 11:54

      Where’s the hack? I thought there was a minimum transfer amount

      • Rob says:

        26 Jun26 June 12:01

        No. There is a link which, when it works, sends over your existing balance however small. I got it to work a couple of months ago.

• Johnny Tabasco says:

  25 Jun25 June 22:14

  So 2 weeks on I still haven’t had an email from Virgin money regarding an invitation to the new card. I’m opted in to everything and have been a high spender on the Black card for 5 years now. Anyone else in the same boat?

  • Rob says:

    25 Jun25 June 22:26

    Give it another week and then email me.

    • Johnny Tabasco says:

      26 Jun26 June 07:07

      Will do – many thanks Rob

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