I signed up for this deal last year https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/637529 and have received my second travel credit in the 11th month before the amex annual fee is charged as was advised would happen in the comments in the deal.
I'm unable to use my travel credit in the next few weeks before I get charged the annual fee. If I were use the credit to book accomodation for example in September and then close the amex card so I'm not slugged the annual fee, will the booking still be valid?
I had an AmEx with travel credit as part of the benefits. Booked flights and then cancelled the card. Couldn't fly due to covid so I called and they gave me a credit, rebooked said flight not long ago approx. 5 months after the card had been closed with no issues.
Thanks for the reply, sounds like it will be valid.
I will book some accommodation in October and then cancel the card. I'll call the hotel a week beforehand to confirm the booking. Nothing to loose.
I am planning on closing my 3 amex cards before due and so will have to watch this timing as well as timing of annual fees.
Separately, what will happen if they bill me for my annual fee before I time my cancellation. Am I obliged to pay the fee or do I just let them block the card etc.?
Ask live chat when the annual fee will be charged so you can close it before that date
Yep booking will still be valid. You can probably call the accommodation provider directly to change the booking as well if you needed to. I did this exact thing, except for a qantas flight.
Yes, or as suggested in other threads, they sometimes give refunds.
I heard about getting a second $400 travel credit but never received mine.
That could be because I recently spent my first $400 credit and closed the account straight after?
Did I have to wait to receive the second credit? As only one showed prior to using the 1st credit..
Yes you had to wait to the 11th month before the second travel credit triggers
I waited till the 11th month but it didn't show, just my initial credit.
Did you have to spend your 1st credit for it to be visible on your account?
I would believe so, I used my first travel credit months ago.
Oops I never realised my travel credit came in till now, and I am due to be charged the next annual fee in 2 days. Was going to cancel the card today, but I've just made a booking with the credit now haha…
Hopefully the transaction and booking is locked in and I can safely cancel the card tomorrow without affecting the booking!!
Was going to cancel my Amex Explorer (just days before Annual Fee kicks in), but got told that because I've used the newly available Travel Credits, I'd be charged the next Annual Fee even if I cancel it…
Has this happened to anyone else? May now have to end up keeping the card against my will!
Couldn't find any specific details on Terms and Conds regarding the use of new anniversary benefits and the legality of being charged for the next CC Annual fee because of this (that's what they're saying)
I've just made this mistake. Literally just got off webchat now, rep confirmed that if you use the new travel credit, you are automatically billed the annual fee, even if you cancel the account before the billing date.
Did not know what was a thing and I couldn't find any specific info on it online either. I made my booking based on the above comments and the other main thread saying that it works, but it didn't for me, and now I'm stuck with a very expensive 5* hotel booking ahaha…
I'm going to just keep i the card for another year now :/
A shame haven't been getting many good offers
(explorer too)
Oh no I am in same boat. May cancel the accomodation and then cancel the card
would that negate having to pay the fee though? I'm worried it's already been applied to your account and you have to pay it on your next/appropriate statement either way, unless you go to customer service and somehow argue that because you didn't know this and so cancelled the accomm and didn't 'use' the credit, you don't need to pay the fee?
Yeah. Suppose this wasn't an issue in the past, but they must have changed their policy and final checks at cancellation time.
Still unsure if this legally binds one to the next anniversary bill though, as couldn't find any clear mention to it.
Admittedly I may have tried to bend the card intents and take advantage of the benefit, but it's also sneaky on their end to have the Travel Credits available earlier without any alerts or mentions to consequences on T&C's (I never had annual benefits in previous CC's, so wasn't really sure)…
Nevertheless, don't think I stand a chance debating this against them… So lesson learned the hard way!
Are these the T&Cs you read? Yea I'm having troubling seeing how any of these clauses illustrate our situation or states what the rep told me. It could be point 1, or 7 maybe, but nothing mentions the fact that we will be charged the next annual fee, if we use the credit?
I do understand that all this is stretching the terms yup, but let's say I was clueless and saw the credit sitting in my account and randomly used it, I wouldn't understand it when I find that I got charged even though the account was closed long before the next annual fee date.
Or maybe I'm interpreting those causes in the t&c's wrong and looking at it from the wrong direction…
@sakurakiks: No, they weren’t! Thanks for sharing. I suspect point 1 probably clears it out, once one is acquainted with the “anniversary year’” term (which I must say I wasn’t exactly)…
I had only checked the generic TCs the Rep provided me with (which makes no mention to any of this in 40 or so pages), as well as some TCs I found within the app (Membership/Card benefits/Travel credit section), which states that card holders are eligible for one Travel Credit per year. So pretty poorly worded if you ask me!
And yeah, that’s what I was referring to – having the Credits sitting in the account can be very misleading (and I’d dare to say, almost a bait to the unaware?!) – me included…
Which really makes me wonder if this practice of theirs is actually acceptable…
Back to google, and maybe over to the media! Lol
Lucky I booked refundable accommodation. Cancelled the accommodation and cancelled the card
Exactly in same boat didn't realize 2nd travel credit would show up. I recently booked a 2 day trip to Canberra using $400 travel credit. When do you think the 2nd credit would show up?