A way to earn additional points, miles or cash back with American Express is to refer others for AMEX cards. For instance, we’ll provide a link to sign up for a card on many of our reviews and if you apply through that link, we’ll get a bonus. We appreciate it when someone uses one of our links but the only way we know is when the bonus shows up in our account. Due to privacy rules, there’s no mention that Jamie Q. Public signed up for the AMEX Platinum. Referrals aren’t our reason for writing the blog so we don’t mind the lack of transparency and it’s always a happy surprise when we see someone used our link.
However, there’s a targeted promotion for AMEX cardholders where knowing someone used your link is important. With this offer, cardholders can earn an additional 5x rewards at U.S. supermarkets when someone signs up via a referral link.
I don’t pay attention to the current referral offers (although I probably should), so I didn’t know we were eligible for this promotion. Out of the blue, I received this email from American Express.
From experience, I know that banks are experts at wording emails to make it seem like you’re enrolled in an offer when you’re only eligible once you meet specific requirements. I went to AMEX chat to see if I would earn bonus points at supermarkets or if I could earn points if someone signed up with my link.
I thought the email meant I could earn points after referring a friend. I considered the case closed until a week later when I received an unexpected boost to my Membership Rewards account.
I remembered a post that mentioned an increased bonus for AMEX referrals (I found it but the bonuses mentioned are no longer available.) I have no idea when someone used our link and if it was before or after I received the first email and chatted with the AMEX rep. But now that I knew someone used our link, I checked to see if we’d get the bonus at supermarkets.
It took 8 days but the 5 additional Membership Rewards points eventually appeared in our account. I also confirmed that my Platinum card and the free additional cardholder gold card earn 5x points with the offer.
The date of the offer is important because you only have 3 months from the time the referred card is opened to earn the 5x points.
Qualifying Card Members will receive these rewards on their Card account (for the Card referred) for three months on up to $25,000 in combined purchases, starting from the first date the referred friend’s account is opened.
I’ve already put Sharon’s AU “Platinum Gold” card in her wallet and told her to use it only at grocery stores (not including Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs). I must be on her good side because she agreed to have more than 1 card she’ll use until further notice. [Note from Sharon: Yes, I love you that much… #sigh]
Final Thoughts
Several things don’t sit right with me about how this offer was presented.
The first is how referral offers are done in the first place. I understand that banks can’t tell you when someone gets a credit card but they can alert you that you’ve received a referral bonus. That would have been helpful.
If the email from AMEX saying I’m eligible for an offer was that notice, it was poorly executed. That may be due to the vague wording in their other promotional emails where a real bonus is easily confused with a proposed offer.
When I contacted AMEX, there was either no way for the representative to see if I was earning 5x points at supermarkets or if there was then they didn’t use it.
Finally, it takes 8 days for the bonus points to show in your account and when they do it’s listed as a cryptic code K50X:0022 b 5 BNS. It’d be much easier if AMEX listed the bonus miles for supermarkets as “5X Supermarket Referral Bonus.”
I realize this article is me griping about getting 30,000 points and 5x extra reward points at supermarkets as a referral bonus. But if AMEX wants to keep customers happy, it takes more than throwing points at us (although that doesn’t hurt). In addition, they need to explain things better and make the process more user-friendly for both employees and customers.
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