American Express Business Gold Rewards 75,000 Signup Bonus for $10,000 Spend Via Phone (Rumor Last Day 11/07/2018)
DoC is reporting a rumor from his comments section that the call-in 75k MR BGR offer is coming to an end tomorrow, 11/7/18.
When I called in for the Biz Plat over the summer, my Amex rep also offered the BGR to me with a 75k MR/$10k MSR/4 months offer. Others have received targeted mailers for the BGR with a 75k MR/$5k MSR/3 months offer. I’ve been very on the fence about the call-in offer’s $10k MSR. I don’t MS, and having just finished the Biz Plat’s $10k MSR recently, it’s not something I really look forward to doing again. Besides, one could potentially self refer with up to a 15k MR bonus to the BGR’s 50k MR/$5k MSR/3 months standard offer, net 65k MR with a lower MSR. But Amex’s one bonus per lifetime rule favors getting the highest offer possible on any card product. There’s some good discussion about the numbers on Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/9unf4e/comment/e96ztf6?st=JO6OZIFS&sh=96ba05cc
This offer is not for everybody, but if it’s something you’ve been eying, you should call in for it tomorrow. The comment indicated the number on DoC’s writeup is no longer working. We have some direct lines to Amex reps who can probably help you with the offer, so let me know if you need that information. A call into an Amex rep to apply for a biz card is nothing intimidating. They’ll ask you about your “business” only in a chatty sort of way; just have a story to talk about before calling, and all the numbers and information that’s required by the standard online application ready to provide to your rep. The rep just inputs your information into their application; their computers make the decision, not the reps.
There’s speculation that Amex may announce changes to the BGR after tomorrow. Over the weekend, DoC mentioned that his sources said Amex is up to something and would be making some big announcement. Unclear if this is it, or part of it. DoC had previously posted a new design for the BGR, but didn’t expect any other significant changes.
New American Express Business Gold Rewards Card Design – Will Other Changes Follow? (Our Sources Say No) [Update: New Card Name].
ETA: American Express Business Gold Card To Relaunch – $295 Annual Fee, 4x Categories 25% Points Back When Booking For Flights
Some key takeaways:
• AF increases from first year waived and $175 afterwards to $295 not waived.
• Revamps the earning structure from 3x on one select category, 2x on other categories, 1x on everything else to 4x on two select categories, 1x on everything else. Bonus categories are:
- Airfare purchased directly from airlines
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases for shipping
- U.S. computer hardware, software, and cloud computing purchases made directly from select providers
• Introduction of 25% points back after you book a flight with Pay with Points (the Biz Plat has a similar 35% rebate). Likely limited to flights booked with points in any class on your selected airline, or first and business class on any airline.
Unlike the Amex Gold update, I don’t think these changes are particularly good. Amex is not offering any cash value benefit to justify the raise in AF, and first year AF will no longer be waived. For many, this is a card you sign up for one year, then cancel. The 4x categories might appeal to actual businesses, not so much churners. The most obvious picks aren’t really compelling if you have the personal Plat and Gold — the Plat earns 5x on airfare, the Gold earns 4x at supermarkets where you can buy gas gift cards and possibly earn fuel rewards. Shipping could be useful if you have an eBay biz, but the CIP earns 3x UR and I’m not sure how broadly defined Amex’s shipping category is. The introduction of a 25% rebate (1.33 cpp) of MR points used to book flights with Pay with Points is interesting, but the Biz Plat offers a better 35% rebate (1.54 cpp) and both benefits will likely share the same limitations.