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Forums Payment cards American Express Dear Amex, are you on glue???

  • The real Swiss Tony 948 posts

    So just had an offer of an extra 2500 avios if I spend 5k on my bapp by the start of November.

    I haven’t spent 5k on it since May! This just seems like a pitiful excuse of an offer!

    /end rant

    davefl 1,999 posts

    Same, ironically 5 mins after I downgraded to free. Not a chance I’ll spend another penny on it.

    lambshank13 53 posts

    On my free card I got this:

    “Save to Card to receive 1,000 Avios back when you spend £3,000 or more cumulatively anywhere with your British Airways Classic Card by 01 December 2023. Valid once per Card for the first 100,000 UK Cardmembers to save the Offer.”

    BBbetter 1,252 posts

    “I haven’t spent 5k on it since May! ”

    Isn’t that the whole purpose of the offer? To make you spend? The entitlement of some of the users here… ‘I haven’t spent much, so Amex must give me free avios!’

    AFKAE 187 posts

    I received the email and logged on within 5 minutes to save the offer to my card……but there was nothing there to save. Garbage.

    JDB 6,241 posts

    Seriously? The title is ridiculous.

    The BAPP is the only card in the Amex UK portfolio with a USP which explains why it also has by far the lowest retention offer at less than half the annual fee. What offer are you expecting Amex to provide in these circumstances?

    The real Swiss Tony 948 posts

    “I haven’t spent 5k on it since May! ”

    Isn’t that the whole purpose of the offer? To make you spend? The entitlement of some of the users here… ‘I haven’t spent much, so Amex must give me free avios!’

    Not sure how that translates to entitlement. Perhaps you can explain?? I’ve been spending about 1k a month on that card since the start of the account year. It just seems odd that they think I’ll randomly find a way of increasing my amex spend 5x in what is probably a historically quiet time for transactions anyway. The offer window is too short, the reward is too low or the spend target is too high at least for me.

    Make it to Dec 1st and it might be possible, but even then it’s only an extra £20-30 worth of Avios.

    I was hoping I was the outlier as a result of putting a big txn through in March, thereby confusing the system, but evidently not.

    And as a responsible lender, right now is probably not the time to be encouraging rampant spending.

    davefl 1,999 posts

    @JDP This isn’t a retention offer, this a marketing led offer to current cardholders to try and induce them to put more spend on the card.

    It’s not a good effort in our opinion!

    Angelamc11 200 posts

    I received the email and logged on within 5 minutes to save the offer to my card……but there was nothing there to save. Garbage.

    It wasn’t showing on my card either, but when I clicked the save to card button on the email, it took me to the offer and I was able to save it from there.

    JDB 6,241 posts

    @JDP This isn’t a retention offer, this a marketing led offer to current cardholders to try and induce them to put more spend on the card.

    It’s not a good effort in our opinion!

    I’m quite aware that it’s not a retention! I mentioned the low level of retention on this card as it’s indicative of the fact they don’t need to do much for BAPP cardholders in particular so to diss this offer in that manner because it doesn’t suit some cardholders seems rather gratuitous and also rather greedy/entitled.

    The real Swiss Tony 948 posts

    The fact the offer window straddles the cut off point for pro-rata refunds on the card fee also smacks of desperation a bit. There was a very good interview in the FT about 10 days back with the boss of Amex. Covid initiated retention schemes mean Customers now have it too good apparently, so lots more kickings – and fairly perverse incentives – to come, I assume.

    JDB 6,241 posts

    The fact the offer window straddles the cut off point for pro-rata refunds on the card fee also smacks of desperation a bit. There was a very good interview in the FT about 10 days back with the boss of Amex. Covid initiated retention schemes mean Customers now have it too good apparently, so lots more kickings – and fairly perverse incentives – to come, I assume.

    I think that is all rather self evident. I don’t think you can really call it ‘kickings’ if Amex were, for instance, to reduce retentions. The costs of customer acquisition and retention have got completely out of hand. Also, only having a two year gap before they shower you with points as a ‘new’ customer is absurd.

    Retentions are requiring some explaining at the moment following the introduction of the ‘value for money’ test. Why do you have to pay people to keep the card if it offers ‘value for money’?

    JDB 6,241 posts

    I’m sure the launch of a card between Platinum and Centurion will cause a lot of squealing as well, particularly if they withdraw benefits like Centurion lounge from Platinum to address the overcrowding. Plus changes already introduced in the US on the cost/number of Plat supps.

    All stuff they need to do to protect higher value customers.

    The real Swiss Tony 948 posts

    If you have an ft account the story is here https://www.ft.com/content/f1518d40-b065-44a6-ada2-7ee4a074d839

    But the bottom line is revenue growth is double pre-covid levels, yet presumably at the expense of way higher costs.

    So they are happy to see revenue growth fall whilst maintaining margins. Will the HN and dining offers last on the plat card? Hard to see them not at least being diluted. And @JDB to address your point I guess that depends whether these recurring offers are retention ones…

    WaynedP 258 posts

    Well, someone on HfP recently posted a request for more descriptive thread titles, and this response has made my day 🤣

    Thank you, real Swiss Tony !

    The real Swiss Tony 948 posts

    Well, someone on HfP recently posted a request for more descriptive thread titles, and this response has made my day 🤣

    Thank you, real Swiss Tony !

    I live to serve… Also fills a dull evening on the road..

    BBbetter 1,252 posts

    I’ve been spending about 1k a month on that card since the start of the account year. It just seems odd that they think I’ll randomly find a way of increasing my amex spend 5x in what is probably a historically quiet time for transactions anyway. The offer window is too short, the reward is too low or the spend target is too high at least for me.

    Ooh. There’s an offer I cannot use. So Amex must be a crap desperate useless company.

    BBbetter 1,252 posts

    Will the HN and dining offers last on the plat card? Hard to see them not at least being diluted.

    I’ll be happy to see them gone. Instead improve the insurance benefits.

    The real Swiss Tony 948 posts

    Ooh. There’s an offer I cannot use. So Amex must be a crap desperate useless company.

    Not sure if you need some more bran or come from a different generation or what. At least some folk appreciated the humour. But read the FT article- it’s telling as to where things go with Amex next and it ain’t pretty….

    yorkieflyer 264 posts

    “I haven’t spent 5k on it since May! ”

    Isn’t that the whole purpose of the offer? To make you spend? The entitlement of some of the users here… ‘I haven’t spent much, so Amex must give me free avios!’

    Not sure how that translates to entitlement. Perhaps you can explain?? I’ve been spending about 1k a month on that card since the start of the account year. It just seems odd that they think I’ll randomly find a way of increasing my amex spend 5x in what is probably a historically quiet time for transactions anyway. The offer window is too short, the reward is too low or the spend target is too high at least for me.

    Make it to Dec 1st and it might be possible, but even then it’s only an extra £20-30 worth of Avios.

    I was hoping I was the outlier as a result of putting a big txn through in March, thereby confusing the system, but evidently not.

    And as a responsible lender, right now is probably not the time to be encouraging rampant spending.

    Spot on my sentiments exactly

    yorkieflyer 264 posts

    Well, someone on HfP recently posted a request for more descriptive thread titles, and this response has made my day 🤣

    Thank you, real Swiss Tony !

    Yes it was I and I’m not sure my initiative has gained traction yet….

    Aston100 1,738 posts

    Well, someone on HfP recently posted a request for more descriptive thread titles, and this response has made my day 🤣

    Thank you, real Swiss Tony !

    Yes it was I and I’m not sure my initiative has gained traction yet….

    Stick around.

    Super Secret Stuff 396 posts

    This title made me laugh a lot. Interestingly the Amex card agent when I rang up about something else and voiced my displeasure about the lack of spend offers and pro rata fee change mentioned they are currently planning to push the BAPP card more and offered a switched.

    So I think it’s the first of a few to come. I suspect Amex being hammered with cancellations at the moment which no doubt damage someone’s end of year bonus…

    They’ll have another cancellation once my Virgin card turns up

    TooPoorToBeHere 296 posts

    Glue is more for the Vanquis end of the market.

    Amex should be on coke.

    AFKAE 187 posts

    I received the email and logged on within 5 minutes to save the offer to my card……but there was nothing there to save. Garbage.

    It wasn’t showing on my card either, but when I clicked the save to card button on the email, it took me to the offer and I was able to save it from there.

    I did try that also, but it just took me to the offers list which didn’t have this offer.

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