Amex Charge Card MR Rewards Refunds?

baileywin

When you get an Amex gold card, and spend £2,000, you get 20,000 MR points - roughly £100 in Amazon vouchers.

https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/content/gold-card/

Now once you've redeemed the points - I can't see how they can be reclaimed?

I wonder what would happen if you bought something, got the 20,000 MR points as a bonus, redeemed them, but then got a refund?

jonesMUFCforever

Ask Amazon how they would refund?

Deadbeat

You can turn MR points into Avios points (BA group airlines only), or other Amex-linked loyalty programme points 1:1.

Alternatively you can turn them into a statement credit at a much lower rate.

As to your 2nd question I suspect Amex would take back the points making your MR balance negative so you would have to re-earn the applicable number of points through spending before you could accumulate a positive MR balance again. If you cancelled the card instead of that they may make a charge to compensate themselves but that is not certain. They may just decline any future card applications from you.

SLZ

Your points would be reclaimed by making your balance negative (if there's no points) upon any refund being processed into your account. If you're trying to hit the bonus requirement and then get a refund, it won't work and you'll end up screwing yourself over.

baileywin

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

Ask Amazon how they would refund?

I doubt that they would be able to refund the item or gift card - what if I'd transferred the points to PC World, walked in, bought something and left?

I think it's likely that if anything happened - it would Amex doing it.

Deadbeat wrote: »

As to your 2nd question I suspect Amex would take back the points making your MR balance negative so you would have to re-earn the applicable number of points through spending before you could accumulate a positive MR balance again. If you cancelled the card instead of that they may make a charge to compensate themselves but that is not certain. They may just decline any future card applications from you.

I wouldn't be keeping the card long term - I get a card, spend £2k (legitimately) to get the bonus, then cancel the card. Wait 6 months then apply again.

Much better using the intro offer to get 11 points per £ than the normal rate of 1 point per £.

SLZ wrote: »

Your points would be reclaimed by making your balance negative (if there's no points) upon any refund being processed into your account. If you're trying to hit the bonus requirement and then get a refund, it won't work and you'll end up screwing yourself over.

Once the threshold is hit, the reward is credited virtually instantaneously. You can then redeem (going back to 0 points). Then the refund would go through?

I asked as I've ended up in this situation by accident - spend the money, cleared out the points (0 MR points) - but then some things I bought on the card were faulty (eBay) and I got a refund. I'm now at -15 MR points.


I've Googled further and it seems I'm not the first to come across this:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards/1283314-negative-reward-point-balance.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards/1047471-transfer-amex-rewards-then-cancel-card.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards/1013462-claw-back-mr-if-charges-refunded.html

Consensus is that when you close the account, they'll charge for you any negative points - but there is discretion for small amounts.

I'll see what they say when I cancel the card with -15 points outstanding.

SLZ

baileywin wrote: »

Once the threshold is hit, the reward is credited virtually instantaneously. You can then redeem (going back to 0 points). Then the refund would go through?

I asked as I've ended up in this situation by accident - spend the money, cleared out the points (0 MR points) - but then some things I bought on the card were faulty (eBay) and I got a refund. I'm now at -15 MR points.

Consensus is that when you close the account, they'll charge for you any negative points - but there is discretion for small amounts.

I'll see what they say when I cancel the card with -15 points outstanding.

It appears you've been refunded and the points deducted which is what happens, there's a 90% chance you'll be charged upon cancellation. Be nice when you call, especially as this is a clear churn.