Amex Blue Price Matching Concern

[WyoMee]

I applied for and got an American Express Blue card because I saw it on Got Apex? I was most intrigued by the price matching guarantee -- if you find the same item for less in a printed/dated ad within 60 days, Amex will refund the difference.

It turns out that this will only apply to better prices found on internet web sites until September 1. You can still, in the next 3 days, find someting on the net and print it off with the date on the bottom of the page and have that count toward your refund. After September 1, only print ads will suffice.

The upshot is that for people like me who live in small towns and don't get big-city advertising supplements, this Price Matching Guarantee feature on the Amex Blue card is essentially rendered worthless.

Seems hardly worth it to keep the card.

Wyo

[Jago215]

Hmm, I think MasterCard came out with their own internet card which also pricematches. You may want to check that out.

[chinnboy]

Citibank has a card that has a 60 day internet price guarantee, plus a 1% cashback rebate on all internet purchases to boot. I happen to have an offer for one, but its directed to existing AT&T Universal cardholders. The toll free number is 800-967-7131m they might be able to tell you how you can get one.

The Citi card is called the Platinum Select.

[elfbomber]

You can take a look at the Citibank Platinum card by going to this site: http://www.citibank.com/us/cards/cardserv/cc_plat/acq.htm

I just talked to the Citibank insurance people and they told me that they will ONLY pricematch internet orders. It kinda sucks, but if you buy a computer or parts online, you can guarantee that you will get the low price in 60 days.
I also spoke with a American Express representative and they told me that they aren't going to cancel the price matching for items on the interne. They said at point they were looking into cancelling it, but decided not to.
Can anyone else provide any other information?

[This message has been edited by elfbomber (edited 08-29-2000).]

[elfbomber]

Where did you get this info WyoMee???

[AnimEva]

i hope amex doesnt cancel it, it is a great service and i havent used it yet though, but was planning to get a new video card soon. I think some people have abused that pricematching system. i hope they keep it.

[WyoMee]

Someone asked where I got my info about Amex cancelling price matching using internet sites.

I got it from the Amex Customer Service rep with whom I filed a claim on August 29.

[kylew3]

I'm interested in whether the pricematching will be discontinued. WyoMee claims he/she talked to the Amex Customer Service rep on August 29th, yet his intial post saying they are discontinuing the pricematching policy was orginally posted on August 28th. Can anybody else supply additional information on Amex's position on this topic?

[elfbomber]

see my above message. I talked to a customer service rep on August 28, and he said that he has heard nothing of not price matching items sold on the internet. He said at one point they were looking into it, but decided against it.

[s2]

I just talked to a rep on the 31st and told him that I was planning on buying a DELL from their online website. I asked if it got cheaper could I price match. He said just print the exact same configuration with the quote from the website and they would pricematch.

[grappa]

Not to mention, 99.9% of the time when credit cards change their policies, you get a little letter about all the changes. I'm sure we've all seen these; they usually entail raising the interest rate, raising fees for various items, lowering your benefits, etc. I've got a Blue card and I haven't gotten anything in the mail saying they're discontinuing it, so unless they're looking to get sued, they better notify their cardholders by mail of changes in policy.


G

[WyoMee]

Sorry to have caused any confusion or consternation. I did speak with American Express. I may have gotten the date wrong. The fact is that a customer service representative named Jessica told me that Amex was going to discontinue accepting printed-out copies of website ads for their price matching. Now, if folks have gotten other information from Amex contrary to that, I'm thrilled! I haven't called Amex to confirm, but I did write them a letter. I hope they respond.

Wyo (she, not he)

[gammann]

Well, I'm looking at the "FYI" thingy that comes with my AMEX Blue Card statement, and on the very last page under the Best Value Guarantee it says under the limitations section:

"Does not apply to Internet advertisements or items that the ads state can be purchased only on the Internet."

It says these changes are effective December 1, 2000.

[elfbomber]

I guess that’s a definite answer then. I’m wondering if there is another card that has a price matching program like Amex Blue.

[southy1978]

Does this apply only to the Blue Card from AMEX or to all of their cards with price mathching (ie. Gold Card and Platinum Card ) ???