Is the 29th Feb deadline to cancel a Platinum card for a refund set in stone?
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I am abroad until 1 March and am looking to cancel my wifes Platinum Amex card so wont be able to dine there or buy anything before then. Online isn’t a good option as deliveries difficult as I am away. So 1/ must I cancel by 29 Feb?
2/ Do online gift cards really work as they are specifically excluded in Ts snd CsThanks
For point 2, Gift cards for Harvey Nics (online and instore) and for Dine Locally, Ivy Gift cards are instore only i’m afraid
Just cancel it now Dark Horse. Extract your MRs beforehand though.
You can add her card to your Apple Pay and use it for ‘abroad dining’ credit, if you are in one of the places on the list.
Someone mentioned one of the German restaurant chains sells gift card online and it worked.
For UK dining credit, unfortunately gift cards can only be purchased in store. Ivy cards are good as you have multiple locations.
For HN, just order a gift card online.I also would love to know if the pro-rata refunds end on Feb 29th, has this been confirmed?
I also would love to know if the pro-rata refunds end on Feb 29th, has this been confirmed?
It has been indicated that the pro-rata refunds may continue after 29 Feb, but that is only an informal indication. The terms specifying no pro-rata refunds are already in place, so this informal arrangement can be changed without notice.
Only thing I will add is don’t count on the refund for the restaurant spend to come through before the 29th Feb. I’m still waiting for the credit 25 days after using the card in an Ivy. Email came through straight away but so far no credit. If you are thinking of cancelling, then do it now but after transferring all you MR’s as previously said.
I’ve come across people saying that the pro-data refunds aren’t getting removed because, “Rob from Head for Points” said so.
Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything set in stone. We’ll probably find out soon. Maybe after the 20th after the BA 50K promotion ends?
I didn’t have an Amex card at the time this was muted so never had any official communication but for those that did, does this grant Amex the power to now make the change without notice (notice already having been given) or will they have to provide another period to allow card holders to exit before the terms change?
I would assume, as a consumer facing contract, it’s the latter which should give people ample time rather than fixing on a rumoured date.
I didn’t have an Amex card at the time this was muted so never had any official communication but for those that did, does this grant Amex the power to now make the change without notice (notice already having been given) or will they have to provide another period to allow card holders to exit before the terms change?
I would assume, as a consumer facing contract, it’s the latter which should give people ample time rather than fixing on a rumoured date.
No, the terms as modified in October apply, so they can start to enforce them without further notice. They definitely don’t need to go through another notice period.
It is extraordinarily unprofessional of Amex to operate in the shadows like this, but they are using HfP as a proxy to cover their corporate embarrassment.
The (apparent) initial reason for deferring application of the rules was the Gold & Platinum price rise which seems to have caught Amex UK by surprise! Having given four months grace, one can only speculate as to why they might feel the need to extend the period beyond 29 Feb.
Used our two plats in Germany at the weekend, and refunds came through yesterday.
Hawkesmoor and HN in Edinburgh in mid-January – no sign yet. Chat confirmed yesterday that they were valid transactions (I never had email confirmations) and told me to wait.
Ah well, 200,000 points between the two of use and some (OK-ish) meals for a few hundred quid. Not too shabby.
Used our two plats in Germany at the weekend, and refunds came through yesterday.
Hawkesmoor and HN in Edinburgh in mid-January – no sign yet. Chat confirmed yesterday that they were valid transactions (I never had email confirmations) and told me to wait.
On a similar boat. Both 23/24 credits used in Thailand all came through after a couple days. UK 2023 credit used in Tattu London was the same but it seems Amex is doing something with delaying this as I have been waiting for UK 2024 credit used in Tattu Edinburgh more than 2 weeks now. I would not be surprised if they are not crediting till after 29th Feb.
I used my 2023 HN on Christmas Eve and the credit came through on Boxing Day.
Used my 2024 overseas dining credit in Mexico at the end of January and it came through within a couple of days.
Used my 2024 HN credit last Friday and so far nothing.
Just as a datapoint I used my dining credit in Gaucho in Glasgow on Saturday 10th and the credit came through on my account on Monday the 12th (along with an extra 10% credit due to it stacking with the dining offer) so it appears there is no shady conspiracy of AMEX delaying payments.
I am still waiting for my dining credit since Feb 4th, used it at the Ivy Glasgow. Contacted Amex and said to wait up to 90 days… if I downgrade the card to gold (instead of cancelling), would I still receive the credit?
Just as a datapoint I used my dining credit in Gaucho in Glasgow on Saturday 10th and the credit came through on my account on Monday the 12th (along with an extra 10% credit due to it stacking with the dining offer) so it appears there is no shady conspiracy of AMEX delaying payments.
I don’t think there’s a shady conspiracy but it is wildly inconsistent.
A friend and I both used our local dining credit in the same restaurant for the same meal paying within a minute of eachother. His credit came within a week and mine took almost three.
Likewise, with my HN credit, last time two days, this time at least a week now.
I am still waiting for my dining credit since Feb 4th, used it at the Ivy Glasgow. Contacted Amex and said to wait up to 90 days… if I downgrade the card to gold (instead of cancelling), would I still receive the credit?
I know this is off topic but I was very disappointed with the Ivy in Glasgow, I ordered a £50 steak that was verging on well done when I asked for medium rare and they were quite unpleasant about it when I had the audacity to point it out to them. I’m glad they added Gaucho as a second option in Glasgow as while it’s not somewhere I would probably chose to go otherwise, in my experience they can actually cook a steak properly.
I am still waiting for my dining credit since Feb 4th, used it at the Ivy Glasgow. Contacted Amex and said to wait up to 90 days… if I downgrade the card to gold (instead of cancelling), would I still receive the credit?
For me the T&C are very clear. Penultimate paragraph of the Dining Credit T&C. https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/benefits/diningbenefit/Terms-and-Conditions-GB.pdf
If we withdraw this benefit or your account is closed, and you’ve earned a statement credit which has not yet been added to your account, we’ll add this to your balance unless your account was suspended before closure or we have the right to reverse a statement credit as explained above
No, the terms as modified in October apply, so they can start to enforce them without further notice. They definitely don’t need to go through another notice period.
It is extraordinarily unprofessional of Amex to operate in the shadows like this, but they are using HfP as a proxy to cover their corporate embarrassment.
The (apparent) initial reason for deferring application of the rules was the Gold & Platinum price rise which seems to have caught Amex UK by surprise! Having given four months grace, one can only speculate as to why they might feel the need to extend the period beyond 29 Feb.
There must be a point at which the appropriate regulator would find this unacceptable. To have written T&C’s which you choose to not apply, but then expect to apply at a random time without a further notice period can’t be a reasonable manner to operate. Without any expertise in the area I find it hard to believe consumer regulation sits comfortably with this sort of thing, especially leaking what may or may not be enforced via a third party site rather than directly to the customers affected.
@dougzz99 – you are right! It’s an unfair contract term to have conditions that you don’t apply because every customer is entitled to rely upon the written terms. It leaves those who don’t have the inside track from HfP in the dark, so they might be wishing to cancel but don’t do so now because they don’t realise they can get a partial refund so they are being financially disadvantaged. Personally, I wouldn’t wish to be party to this; Amex should of course have immediately communicated to customers the temporary suspension of terms. Obviously they don’t because it would make them look like a bunch of clowns!
I am still awaiting an answer to the question – why might they extend the pro-rata refund period beyond 29 Feb? What is the further bad news pending? The other as yet unanswered, possibly connected, question is whether the HN and dining credits will continue in 2025.
The regulator is much more laissez-faire in respect of paid credit cards on the basis that those customer should be better able to look after themselves, so Amex operates policies that other credit card providers cannot understand they can get away with.
Do we think we might be able to downgrade (as opposed to cancel) the Platinum card post 29 Feb and still receive a pro-rata rebate?
I thought that’s what they did in the US? Though appreciate we’re just guessing hereI am still waiting for my dining credit since Feb 4th, used it at the Ivy Glasgow. Contacted Amex and said to wait up to 90 days… if I downgrade the card to gold (instead of cancelling), would I still receive the credit?
I know this is off topic but I was very disappointed with the Ivy in Glasgow, I ordered a £50 steak that was verging on well done when I asked for medium rare and they were quite unpleasant about it when I had the audacity to point it out to them. I’m glad they added Gaucho as a second option in Glasgow as while it’s not somewhere I would probably chose to go otherwise, in my experience they can actually cook a steak properly.
There are an increasing number of negative comments about the Ivy restaurants! Outrageously, the restaurant doesn’t have a lot of control over the cooking of your £50 steak as they receive them in a bag, pre-cooked sous-vide from a central kitchen and then just flash grill/pre-heat them; if it’s not right they wouldn’t know and they suffer if there is wastage. The staff in the kitchen are food prep people, not chefs so paid much less and probably not too bothered about what goes out as they just reheat food and dress the plates.
We have reached peak Ivy, so the owner is now trying to sell out to some unsuspecting Saudi Arabian investors…
I am still waiting for my dining credit since Feb 4th, used it at the Ivy Glasgow. Contacted Amex and said to wait up to 90 days… if I downgrade the card to gold (instead of cancelling), would I still receive the credit?
I know this is off topic but I was very disappointed with the Ivy in Glasgow, I ordered a £50 steak that was verging on well done when I asked for medium rare and they were quite unpleasant about it when I had the audacity to point it out to them. I’m glad they added Gaucho as a second option in Glasgow as while it’s not somewhere I would probably chose to go otherwise, in my experience they can actually cook a steak properly.
There are an increasing number of negative comments about the Ivy restaurants! Outrageously, the restaurant doesn’t have a lot of control over the cooking of your £50 steak as they receive them in a bag, pre-cooked sous-vide from a central kitchen and then just flash grill/pre-heat them; if it’s not right they wouldn’t know and they suffer if there is wastage. The staff in the kitchen are food prep people, not chefs so paid much less and probably not too bothered about what goes out as they just reheat food and dress the plates.
We have reached peak Ivy, so the owner is now trying to sell out to some unsuspecting Saudi Arabian investors…
Medium to well was a very charitable interpretation of the steak I got, many wouldn’t have been so kind. I tried to soldier on and gave it a go but after one bite it was like chewing on an old boot and I knew I couldn’t continue with the charade. The Ivy wouldn’t have been somewhere I’d have chosen to go in the first place (even more so if I had known it was glorified canteen food) but at the time was the only “restaurant” in Glasgow on the dining credit offer so we gave it a go, I definitely don’t know what the appeal of the place is if it’s not the food.
The line from Amex was that refunds will not end on 29/2 but they guaranteed it would not be before then.
Whether notice will be given is a different question.
Amex really are becoming an embarrassment. 75,000 retention points here, not enforcing the new t&c’s there. For God’s sake Amex, grow some balls before you permanently devalue your product and make the brand a complete laughing stock in the UK, just like Curve has become.
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