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Existing Amex cards
- bonus points generally still seem to be applied, even where you have an existing card;
- applications should be done at your own risk though since the T&C specify that the bonus shouldn’t apply; and
- downside risk is actually minimal though (apart from a credit enquiry marker) as the financial cost can be recouped if no travel credit or points are transferred.
De-linking cards
- members with existing cards may have their explorer linked to an existing reward scheme (ascent premium), in which case the bonus points won’t be credited;
- call up to de-link the cards (split out to ascent and gateway) and once you hit the $1,500 spend the bonus points should be credited; and
- spend of $1,500 must occur on the gateway program for the points to apply.
Linking cards
- members have had luck linking the two reward programs together (suggestions indicate to call during late at night/weekends to hit international call centres US/Phillipines, etc and it’s a mixed bag in terms of whether you call the MR line or the back of the card number);
- I personally called the Platinum charge line, as the wait times are shorter and the staff seem more knowledgeable (but that might be exactly the issue, given it might be a glitch); and
- Risk to linking the cards is members are reporting missing points (some have been due to timing delays).
This article was compiled by members of the Australian Frequent Flyer community using the (now retired) Wiki. It is sourced from content posted on various Australian Frequent Flyer Forums, including this thread. It was last updated in January 2017. We would like to thank all our members who contributed to this resource which is freely available to all. Additional articles from Australian Frequent Flyer’s (now retired) Wiki can be found HERE. If you wish to contribute to this article please contact us.
