-
This is interesting…. Managed to redeem my overseas dining credit last week. Came to £141. Amount refunded was £138 (give or take on both) so clearly they stick you for the FX fee on the underlying charge then only refund the GBP equivalent.
Seems a bit sharp, but hey ho.
(I would have left a generous tip to drive it towards the £150, but the restaurant didn’t give me the option…)
Same here and now have to figure out where I’m going to spend my remaining £14 overseas credit… 🙂
It’s in the T&Cs of the offer:
“You won’t receive a statement credit for the following charges or transactions: booking fees, deposits paid towards your meal, any upfront charges made by the restaurant, non-sterling transaction fees…”
Yeah, I guess it’s just a bit sharp as the 3% is pure profit for AMEX and by default you have to spend that money in a foreign currency. I’m happy to write off the remaining £12 as I didn’t get to use the overseas dining credit at all last year and it was a nice meal so I won’t lose any sleep over the £3, just thought it was worth flagging.
Yeah, I guess it’s just a bit sharp as the 3% is pure profit for AMEX and by default you have to spend that money in a foreign currency. I’m happy to write off the remaining £12 as I didn’t get to use the overseas dining credit at all last year and it was a nice meal so I won’t lose any sleep over the £3, just thought it was worth flagging.
This was raised when the credits were first introduced and it is in the very brief summary terms as well the full terms. Amex tends to exclude fees and charges from most calculations including reaching SUBs or spend thresholds to trigger offers. It seems a little unfair to accuse Amex of being “sharp” when they have been fully transparent.
Also, if you are travelling, rather than being worried about being asked to contribute the shocking sum of £4 towards a £138 dinner, I would be much more worried about the shortcomings of the travel insurance two of which have been highlighted by posters this week. They might cost someone an awful lot more than £4 so when writing to complain about the “sharp” practice it’s worth raising that as well.
Fear not. I have pre-existing medical conditions so complex that AMEX almost laughed when I suggested that perhaps I could pay an additional premium to make any use of this. Instead I have to pay for a stand alone travel insurance policy, hence my desire to ensure I get decent value from the other benefits on the cards.
Fear not. I have pre-existing medical conditions so complex that AMEX almost laughed when I suggested that perhaps I could pay an additional premium to make any use of this. Instead I have to pay for a stand alone travel insurance policy, hence my desire to ensure I get decent value from the other benefits on the cards.
Actually, it’s not just the medical section which is overall OK save the huge caveat you highlight of not only the very restrictive exclusions but also no ability to buy them out. In the last seven days the fact Amex Plat restricts you to economy if they fly you home for medical or other reasons like bereavement, burglary etc. and also that the policy offers you no personal liability cover. The car hire insurance I don’t think covers eg tyres and windscreens which may not affect people driving in the US, but if you drive in South America, or as I recently discovered in Tasmania you will have a lot of unmade roads.
On top of that the travel inconvenience section is pathetic vs competitors. There are lots of other lacunae as well, and the whole issue about paying with the card/card account is badly drafted and an unnecessary minefield, but the whole policy lacks clarity.
I wouldn’t rely on the policy, but those who do should be campaigning to get it improved at least in line with competitors.
Hey all, new to having an Amex platinum.
Question on exchange fees. Currently £150 is about $175.
So if I wrack up a $175 bill, £150 would be credited to my account?The principle is right, but the numbers are wrong! As at today £150 is nearer $200 however the international dining credit is now £100 in each half calendar year, £200 total, not £150 over the year as before. So if you spend around $130 now, the credit will roughly cover your bill, but you still pay the 3% FX fees.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
