Didn’t u/WalterBoudreaux claim to have gotten shut down by Amex last month? I remember his handle, his crazy DPs, and constant updates during that time. I don’t think Amex reinstated anyone. Could be a fake DP.
Not saying Amex can’t or won’t do it. If this DP is real or something like this happens, it sucks because it opens you up to “rewards abuse” and therefore potential shutdown by Amex because of the actions of someone else.
So the implication is you better know who you’re referring and that they’re not going to play games with the card they’re opening with your referral. Amex updated the terms of their referral program recently, and it says referrals are meant to be shared with “only your interested personal friends, family and known acquaintances” and “You should not publish or distribute your referral links in locations where the audience is likely to include individuals you do not know.” (Emphasis added.) There’s also language that “You are not eligible to participate in the Refer a Friend program if you have a history of referring friends who cancel their Card within their first three months of Card Membership.”
That post is also concerned about another term: “You cannot earn a Referral Bonus for those who already currently have the Card you recommended or for individuals who have been referred by someone else.” As the discussion points out, this term is not currently enforced and points are still awarded for such referrals, but Amex could decide to go after churners who refer a P2 to multiples of the same cards that lifetime language makes them ineligible for the SUB, but from which P1 would get the referral bonus. (Amex is already going after self referrals, regardless whether to new cards or duplicate cards.)
