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Forums Payment cards American Express BAAP switch to Plat – is it worth it for the current 100k offer?

  • Crey 39 posts

    Hi

    I nearly have reached my 2-4-1 Voucher for this amex year and was wondering if anyone had advice to whether its worth switching to Plat once I receive the 2-4-1 to maximise the 100k points offer (plat offer). Once I receive this offer ideally I’d like to go back to BAPP as I value the 2-4-1 voucher.

    Does amex not like people switching back and forth too much and also what is the travel insurance like on amex is it as solid as a premium travel insurance that cover skiing holidays, scuba etc

    please can you guys advise 🙂

    BBbetter 1,247 posts

    There is no ‘switching’. It’s a new application for plat. If you don’t want to hold BAPP, you’ll have to cancel it manually by calling them or by chat.

    Crey 39 posts

    Sorry yes this is what I was referring to

    memesweeper 1,546 posts

    I am not eligible for the Plat bonus, nor do I hold the BAPP.

    If I were holding BAPP and happy with it, had just scored a companion voucher, and were eligible for Plat with bonus, I think I’d sign up and see how quickly I could hit the sign up bonus spend. After that point, of course, you need to make a choice — keep one, both or neither cards long run.

    If you regularly exceed the companion voucher spend on BAPP a second Amex held long term could be a good idea, maybe Marriott or MR Gold.

    BJ 738 posts

    If @Crey wanted to cancel Platinum for a refund they would have to spend £10k anf hope the 75k points hit their account to transfer out before the end of February. If they want the full 100k then they’re in for two fees nonrefundable.

    JDB 6,216 posts

    @Crey – your question on the Plat insurance depends on your individual needs and it’s worth checking re pre-existing conditions and allowed sports/activities. Unfortunately there isn’t a rating system for packaged policies as there is for standalone ones, so Amex gets away with a few things, but it does include the car hire excess cover which most travel policies don’t. Overall the Plat insurance is middling and it has good bits and bad bits – good on medical (although most are), for allowing postponement as opposed to just cancellation, good for car hire excess. The weak points are the exclusion of many very common pre-existing medical conditions, confusion over whether you need to use THE card or any Amex, poor travel inconvenience cover (extent and quantum), fairly low baggage cover/per item limit, absence of public liability cover. The wording of the policy is diabolical.

    Obviously if you choose to go for the SUB and cancel, the cover isn’t going to matter much/for very long, but if you are planning for this to replace an existing standalone policy, it’s worth checking quite carefully. Note that unlike an annual policy, the terms of the ‘rolling’ Plat policy can be changed during your card year.

    BJ 738 posts

    @JDB, provided you’re happy to share I would be interested to know if you rely solely on your Platinum insurance for travel or if you back it up with a travel-specific policy in light of your comments above? I let our LV policy lapse on upgrading to Platinum early last month but I’m now thinking of taking it out again ahead of our winter travels for extra peace of mind.

    JDB 6,216 posts

    @JDB, provided you’re happy to share I would be interested to know if you rely solely on your Platinum insurance for travel or if you back it up with a travel-specific policy in light of your comments above? I let our LV policy lapse on upgrading to Platinum early last month but I’m now thinking of taking it out again ahead of our winter travels for extra peace of mind.


    @BJ
    – I don’t have a Platinum card but my wife does and our son is the supp. It’s OK for both of them, but I can’t use the policy because I have high blood pressure, something that affects c.25% of the overall adult population, albeit with a slightly lower propensity in women. I don’t have high cholesterol or take statins prophylactically, but that rules out another 10% or so. If you can get over those hurdles, the Plat policy is weaker than the premium policies Amex used to sell on a standalone basis.

    Whether you are happy to use the Plat as your sole insurance is really a question of your appetite for risk and/or ability/willingness to absorb cost if something goes wrong. On the medical cover, it should be totally fine as long as they don’t quibble on any pre-existing conditions, but on Plat, the £300 travel inconvenience doesn’t get you far and nor does the £2,000 total / £500 max item limit get you that far if you have an iPhone or smart clothes and if you add up the value of your case and contacts, it’s quite easy to go over as one of our wonderfully adventurous but slightly accident prone posters recently demonstrated.

    The absence of public liability cover is one of those things that you won’t need 99.9% of the time but the events where you could claim do happen. Cases I am aware of on one side or the other include accidentally setting fire to an Airbnb and accidentally knocking over someone in the street. It’s obviously worse in the US or other more litigious jurisdictions and it’s not only the money but also having someone to deal with the matter. Amex Plat car excess policy adds some cover for car related incidents which many of the cheaper standalone policies don’t and the basic cover in the US can be very low.

    Sorry, that’s a rather long winded way of saying I wouldn’t entirely rely on Plat, even if medically eligible but I’m fairly risk averse; despite having the financial resilience to bear cost, I would rather pay a bit for someone else to wear it!

    I have the HSBC Premier insurance which I think is overall better (with the exception of no car hire element and no postponement as opposed to cancellation) but I really rely on Nationwide FlexPlus which at £13/month I consider the travel element as free since I get AA cover which costs more than that annual cost and i definitely want that AA cover.

    Lonli-Lokli 15 posts

    Now Amex has new rules for platinum – you should not hold ANY amex cards in previous 24months

    The 80,000 Membership Rewards bonus points will be awarded onto your Account if you are a new customer and you have applied after midnight 11 October 2023 and before 11:59pm GMT 9 January 2024 and once you have been approved and you have spent and charged £10,000 within the first six months of Cardmembership.

    Andre182 29 posts

    Now Amex has new rules for platinum – you should not hold ANY amex cards in previous 24months

    The 80,000 Membership Rewards bonus points will be awarded onto your Account if you are a new customer and you have applied after midnight 11 October 2023 and before 11:59pm GMT 9 January 2024 and once you have been approved and you have spent and charged £10,000 within the first six months of Cardmembership.

    That’s incorrect. You should not have held any “ Membership Rewards enrolled American Express Card ” which does not include the BA Amex cards.

    Lonli-Lokli 15 posts

    Seems like they have different rules if you are applying via referral – bonus is bigger but restrictions are set to allow only completely new amex users

    zapato1060 843 posts

    If @Crey wanted to cancel Platinum for a refund they would have to spend £10k anf hope the 75k points hit their account to transfer out before the end of February. If they want the full 100k then they’re in for two fees nonrefundable.

    The Feb date has been postponed as per Rob.

    zapato1060 843 posts

    @Crey just sign up for Plat and keep the BAPP. One doesn’t affect eligibility for the other.

    Scott 337 posts

    Seems like they have different rules if you are applying via referral – bonus is bigger but restrictions are set to allow only completely new amex users

    This isn’t correct, the qualifying criteria are the same whether applying via referral or directly from Amex application page.

    Lonli-Lokli 15 posts

    Seems like they have different rules if you are applying via referral – bonus is bigger but restrictions are set to allow only completely new amex users

    This isn’t correct, the qualifying criteria are the same whether applying via referral or directly from Amex application page.

    I generated my own referral for BAPP and opened Platinum T&C under the offer details
    The 80,000 Membership Rewards bonus points will be awarded onto your Account if you are a new customer and you have applied after midnight 11 October 2023 and before 11:59pm GMT 9 January 2024 and once you have been approved and you have spent and charged £10,000 within the first six months of Cardmembership. Cardmembership begins from Card approval. Please note that it can take up to one month for bonus points to be awarded to your Account. You will receive an additional 25,000 Membership Rewards® points if you make a transaction within month 15 of Cardmembership. You must apply for The Platinum Card® by 9 January 2024 to be eligible for this limited time offer.

    Please note that your offer is correct at the time of viewing. This offer may change or become unavailable at a later date if you return to your Referral Hub or Mobile App Account. Your offer could be subject to change if your Card is lost, stolen or replaced. At least 80,000 Membership Rewards® bonus points will be awarded onto your Account once you have been approved and you have spent a minimum of £10,000 on goods and services purchased and charged to your Account within six months of Account opening. To qualify for the additional 25,000 points in month 15 of Cardmembership, one (1) purchase of any amount must be charged to your Platinum Card® within month 15 of Cardmembership and subsequently posted to your Account. All spend must be made on the Card you were originally approved for to be eligible. You must apply via the button on the previous page to ensure you both receive your bonus. Applicants must be UK residents aged 18 years old or over. If you have already applied for The Platinum Card® without using this referral, you will not be eligible for the bonus points. All introductory offers are subject to change and can be withdrawn at any time. You will not be eligible for any welcome bonus offer if you hold or have held any personal American Express Cards in the past 24 months.

    yorkshireRich 264 posts

    When did that change? I’m sure it didn’t read like that the other day

    Scott 337 posts

    If @Crey wanted to cancel Platinum for a refund they would have to spend £10k anf hope the 75k points hit their account to transfer out before the end of February. If they want the full 100k then they’re in for two fees nonrefundable.

    The Feb date has been postponed as per Rob.

    Is this correct? Isn’t it the case that the original Oct date was postponed to Feb?

    Rob
    HfP Staff
    2,701 posts

    The line now from Amex is that pro-rata refunds will be available until AT LEAST 29 February. It seems in reality it will now be extended further.

    yorkshireRich 264 posts

    The line now from Amex is that pro-rata refunds will be available until AT LEAST 29 February. It seems in reality it will now be extended further.

    what happens Rob if 2 weeks ago I referred someone for the platinum who originally had the free BA Amex (never used it). Will they be able to trigger the generous offer of MR points if they hit the 10K spend?

    JDB 6,216 posts

    The line now from Amex is that pro-rata refunds will be available until AT LEAST 29 February. It seems in reality it will now be extended further.

    Is there more bad news lurking that still can’t either implement the policy or say when it will be implemented? They need to confirm that HN + dining credits will continue into 2025 and hopefully beyond rather soon.

    shub 114 posts

    @Lonli-Lokli is right, the t&c are different now for Platinum card when going direct vs via referral link. However, OH applied via my referral on 1st December and currently hold BAPP. The tracker for welcome bonus is still visible so hopefully should still be eligible for welcome bonus.

    Crey 39 posts

    @Crey just sign up for Plat and keep the BAPP. One doesn’t affect eligibility for the other.

    how does the plat fee get refunded if I cancel before the membership year end?

    for example what happens if I cancel 6 months in?

    JDB 6,216 posts

    @Crey just sign up for Plat and keep the BAPP. One doesn’t affect eligibility for the other.

    how does the plat fee get refunded if I cancel before the membership year end?

    for example what happens if I cancel 6 months in?

    It’s a little odd, but in theory your fee should be refunded pro-rata at least up to 29 February 2024. However, this is unofficial – the terms you sign up to say there is no fee refund if you cancel early (which was officially introduced in October) but Amex has let it be known via HfP that they will not implement this term until 29 Feb, but there has been no official communication to that effect.

    This was seemingly done because the end of pro-rata fee refunds bizarrely coincided with a fee increase. It should all be totally fine, but if Amex chose to do the dirty on people, you could be held to the actual terms.

    paulg0 24 posts

    @Crey just sign up for Plat and keep the BAPP. One doesn’t affect eligibility for the other.

    how does the plat fee get refunded if I cancel before the membership year end?

    for example what happens if I cancel 6 months in?

    I really hope this is the case. I just self referred for platinum yesterday and found this thread today. I’ll be really upset if I’ve screwed myself. I kind messed up all around really applying too late in the year to get the dining credit unless the card arrives just before new year.

    Rob
    HfP Staff
    2,701 posts

    Rhys applied last week. No sign of the card BUT he rang Amex and they activated the card, gave him the card number (so he could add it to his iPhone) and activated the dining credit, which he redeemed for his birthday this week.

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