AMEX : 250 bonus points per $20 spent

[Flashback]

Got the folding packet with the promo in the snail mail yesterday. Platinum co-brand with Engineers Australia credit card here.

Too bad I'm heading overseas in a bit, although will put some spending on the card overseas, but overseas merchant transactions don't count

Mum has a supp card, so perhaps she'll put it to some good use.

So you still haven't got that Wizard card then?

 

[anat0l]

So you still haven't got that Wizard card then?

I got the Wizard card.... alright I should say there is a possibility that I will put some overseas spending on the card.

 

[wmetz]

My Blue got the bonus showing from the day I HOP the 250 . Thanks for the promo update.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Status Report:

• Well all 250 point bonii posting within a day, including for my two Supplementary Cardholders.
• 25% of the way there without going out of my way too much
• Just need another 75 tx in 60 days now as I will be overseas from Dec 18. So should get there pretty easily without the need to be too "inventive".

 

[moa999]

Confirm hitting my Plat Credit (professional affiliate) but not Plat Charge.

4 txns down, 96 to go.
Be so much easier if it was a $10 limit.

My regular cab fare is only $15 and I generally don't spend $20 on lunch!

--

Anyhow a good promo (albeit not as good as previous amex promos!)
and well timed to try and capture credit card spend up to christmas.

 

[anat0l]

Good to know supplementary cardholders count (I suppose there would be no issue, but good to know that it'll work).

Mum's planning to pay some bills when she gets back. They're rather big and of course paying them in "instalments" can be constituted as fraud. A little bit afraid of that fact when she told me she's paying a superannuation bill in three chunks (probably alright; better than $1 instalments).

I probably won't get the 100 transactions to max out the promo. Last time we had the ill-fated promo I bought at least two coffees everyday plus some other small items. None of those cost over $20 each (and if they did, I wouldn't be able to afford it).

 

[Diesellife]

They're rather big and of course paying them in "instalments" can be constituted as fraud.

Got the promo today and I intended to use "instalment" method to pay my bills...
I don't believe AMEX would treat it as fraudulent activity given the following reasons:

A.) It is not a fraudulent act by law.
B.) I am not falsifying my spending activities within the scope of law.
C.) My spending is within the normal card usage governed in their T&C.

Of course a simple clause within the promotion T&C would solve the issue above but not this time :mrgreen:

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I think the T&C of both this specifc promo, as well as the T&C of the Mileage Reward Program itself (which were exercised in the Everday Promo to exclude people) allow Amex to act on bill-splitting if it chooses to..

This promo states it is 250 points per purchase. Splitting a bill to get multiple lots of 250 would give Amex the ability to exclude if they wished to.

The general provisons of the MR T&C give it great freedom to deem what is "abuse" of any promotion.

16.1 Fraud and abuse relating to the earning of points in the program or redemption of
rewards, including transfer of points to participating frequent traveller programs, may​

result in forfeiture of points as well as cancellation of the program account.


From memory the test in the Everday Promo was what could be deemed reasonable (and certainly was the argument I used to justify all my tx after I was initially excluded from the program , with points reversed and others not awarded.)...and if so, is splitting a $1000 bill into $20 payments reasonable? Probably not. Is paying it over two months in two increments? Probably, but what Amex would regard is open to guessing.



However this promo is clearly capped at 25,000 points and so Amex may be more relaxed in checking.

 

[Diesellife]

I think the T&C of both this specifc promo, as well as the T&C of the Mileage Reward Program itself (which were exercised in the Everday Promo to exclude people) allow Amex to act on bill-splitting if it chooses to..

This promo states it is 250 points per purchase. Splitting a bill to get multiple lots of 250 would give Amex the ability to exclude if they wished to.

The general provisons of the MR T&C give it great freedom to deem what is "abuse" of any promotion.


However this promo is clearly capped at 25,000 points and so Amex may be more relaxed in checking.

The hopscotch's T&C is here American Express and didn't mention anything related to splitting the bill or something similar.

But your point was still valid with the "abuse" clause within the MR's T&C to a certain extend.
https://catalogue.membershiprewards...t_Premium_Terms_July2010.pdf&languageId=en_au

Using the "Abuse" clause will only be effective if the act is objectively abusing the system. Will I cut my coming 8500 maintenance paying into $20 each? No, as it would look like im abusing the system.

But what if I cut the bill in 500 each to assist my cash flow, I could explain my "purpose" of doing such act and simply not abusing the point system?!

 

[Flashback]

The hopscotch's T&C is here American Express and didn't mention anything related to splitting the bill or something similar.

But your point was still valid with the "abuse" clause within the MR's T&C to a certain extend.
https://catalogue.membershiprewards...t_Premium_Terms_July2010.pdf&languageId=en_au

Using the "Abuse" clause will only be effective if the act is objectively abusing the system. Will I cut my coming 8500 maintenance paying into $20 each? No, as it would look like im abusing the system.

But what if I cut the bill in 500 each to assist my cash flow, I could explain my "purpose" of doing such act and simply not abusing the point system?!

In order to do that though the tx would need to be split over a time period, so couldn't see any problems. In the case where 5x $X tx are done over a few days I would say this may be seen to be in breach of the T&C.

 

[Diesellife]

Let's just plan it safe and play it smart and get the free bonus!

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The hopscotch's T&C is here American Express and didn't mention anything related to splitting the bill or something similar.

?!

It states:
Eligible Cardmembers must register online to earn 250 additional Membership Rewards Bonus Points when transactions are made in Australia to the value of AUD$20 or more on each purchase during the promotion period.

I think Amex could argue that each bill is one purchase, and that splitting a bill does not become multiple purchases.

It certainly did in the Everday promo

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Fortunately Xmas is coming up, and so that should provide extra opportunities for all.

I have yet to hit First Choice, or Dan Murph'ys again yet....or the main department stores.

Unfortunately I had already opted for paying my rates quarterly, rather than monthly

 

[moa999]

I suspect some will be fine although 10x$20 txns may be pushing it.

not much difference to filling the car at two different petrol stations (done), or splitting the weekly shop into smaller trips (doing)

 

[kpc]

When you are checking out at the supermarket, I think it is OK (from the viewpoint of the people behind you in the Q) to split your shopping payment into 2 transactions....how about 3? Is that pushing your luck too far?:shock:

 

[sampson]

I recall $20 was Amex's threshold for presuming anything less was the trigger for reversing points first, and asking for reciepts. Bill splitters will be treated the same way again. They'll read your posts (like the 5k/5t thread) and then target everybody with multiple $20 txs to the same shop. Please delete your posts and use p.ms when debating your unqualified legal opinions.

 

[kamchatsky]

Another option, is if you are planning to do some donation to charities this year, you can just donate it to different organisations in $20 increments

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I suspect some will be fine although 10x$20 txns may be pushing it.

The other thing about multiple small tx to the one company is that it can set of CC company alarms designed to catch fraudsters.

not much difference to filling the car at two different petrol stations (done), or splitting the weekly shop into smaller trips (doing)

Except that your two methods are both 100% individual purchases and based on my experience 100% safe. Splitting a bill is gambling on being caught.

Repeated tx at the one register may not be safe though. Again is there are argument one can use to say it was reasonable to do so? And yes there can be if one purchase was say for work an another for private use and you wanted seperate receipts. If you can justify it if queried, then you are probaly ok.

 

[lovestotravel]

americanexpress.com.au/hopscotch

Is this link working for anyone else ? Not working here now and I was going to try to register one of my gold cards....

 

[Flashback]

Is this link working for anyone else ? Not working here now and I was going to try to register one of my gold cards....

Redirects to https://americanexpress.com.au/hopscotch?om_rid=AGOJNb&om_mid=_BMrnR9B8U-Hbf4& but doesn't load from the UK.