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Amex Business Platinum – Pay With Points Rebate Timing

ByDW
The image shows an American Express Business Platinum credit card. The card is silver with a detailed design and features a chip on the left side. The card has the text "AMERICAN EXPRESS BUSINESS PLATINUM" at the top. Below the card number, there is text indicating the cardholder's name and company, "C F FROST" and "REXPORT INC." The card also shows "Member Since 95" on the right side.

Back in April, American Express announced that the Business Platinum ‘s 50% Membership Rewards points back posting (after you use the Pay With Points feature on selected airline or First Class airfare) would move from a speedy 24 hours to an extended 6-10 weeks!

I wish that was the only devaluation that American Express announced that month…

We thought that was bad, until we heard another announcement from our friends at Amex that the 50% rebate would turn to just 35% as of June 1st!?

Bummer man!

Any Good News?

While we were all bummed on the 50% to 35% devaluation, some of us (including myself) caught a break in that “New” Business Platinum cardholders (new, meaning customers who signed up October 5th through May 31, 2017) would continue to receive the 50% rebate for a full cardmember year.

Delayed Bonus Rebate Timing

While I avoided the rebate decrease (for now), it seems that the delay in timing of the rebate posting is already in effect. Here is a flight I booked using the pay with points option back in March, BEFORE the Amex announcement:

The image is a screenshot of a rewards program activity summary for an individual named Derek S Winter. The summary lists transactions from March 2017, detailing the date, category, description, and points for each transaction. The transactions include earning points from various activities such as Premier Rewards Gold Card, Dollar Shave Club, and Business Platinum Card, as well as using points for an Amex Travel purchase. The last two transactions are highlighted in red, showing a 50% bonus on Pay with Points (earning 15,306 points) and using points for Amex Travel (deducting 30,612 points).

Note the redemption and rebate posting dates – just 24 hours!

Speedy, eh!?

Now take a look at another flight I booked with the pay with points option AFTER the Amex announcement:

The image is a screenshot of a points summary from a rewards program account. It shows a list of transactions with details such as date, category, description, and points earned or used. The account holder's name is visible at the top left. The transactions are listed in a table format, and two specific transactions are highlighted with red boxes. The first highlighted transaction shows points earned on 05/02/2017 for "Airline Bonus: Pay with Points" totaling 9,319 points. The second highlighted transaction shows points used on 05/05/2017 for "Points for Amex Trvl" totaling -10,658 points.

That’s a 5/5/17 redemption and a 6/5 rebate… a full month!

Definitely a delay compared to March, but to take a glass-half-full approach (more like glass-quarter-full), the rebate points took just 1 month to post – compared to the 6-10 weeks as advertised by Amex! Your experiences may vary here, so feel free to leave a comment with your timing!

Final Thought

American Express Business Platinum cardholders can still benefit from the pay with points rebate – though only “new” cardholders will enjoy the it at the historic 50% level. All you other folks will be stuck with a much less rewarding 35%… sorry, guys!

Additionally, ALL cardholders will experience the significant delay in that actual posting of the Membership Rewards rebate compared to the previous 24-hour timeframe… though it is possible that these points come a few days/one week prior to the 6-10 week timeline as advertised by Amex!

Not a cause for celebration, but some good information for those really itching to have that rebate post!

What has been your experience with the Amex Business Platinum pay with points % rebate devaluation? How long do your rebate points take to post?

Happy Travels!

DW

The image shows a white outline of a paper airplane on a blue circular background.

6 Comments

  1. At this point I am just converting all my MR’s to Alaska (my selected airline) flight credit at 2cpp as fast as I earn them. That way I can take advantage of 50% rebate before it ends for me in October.

    Reply

    1. Good call! I’m not ready to burn all my MRs yet… but if I have the opportunity to get 2cpp on Delta flights prior to November, I will be all over it!

      Reply

      1. They do expire after one year.

        Although I am not 100% sure, but I think when you add to you balance, the date is reset to 1 year from the date you add to the balance.

        Reply
  2. Pingback: Why I Always Carry A Platinum Card, Should You? - AcCounting Your Points

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