My American Express Business Platinum Upgrade Offer Was Awful
American Express usually has some pretty juicy upgrade offers but not this time around. Minutes apart, my wife and I both got an upgrade “offer” phone call from American Express. I don’t think this was targeted–more like just calling anyone who has the American Express Business Gold Card. The offer was a “you’ve got to be kidding” upgrade offer for the Business Platinum card.
Details of the Offer
Here are the details of the offers my wife and I received minutes apart:
- Upgrade the Business Gold Card to the Business Platinum Card
- Pay the higher annual fee ($595 compared to $295)
- Get nothing — no points, no nothing
You read that right. There was no bonus or incentive. That’s why I wonder what Amex was smoking before calling us. After telling the rep “I already have the card,” both reps seemed at a loss for words. There could be an upgrade perk offered (maybe!) for someone who didn’t already have the Platinum version. They gave me no offer to make it worth upgrading. They asked if I wanted to upgrade and have a 2nd Business Platinum. I asked if there was any promotion to upgrade, and they said no. My wife got the same “no offer” phone call 5 minutes later.
Final Thoughts
American Express seems to be calling people with the Business Gold card. If you’re interested in seeing the offer, don’t tell them you already have the Platinum version. Maybe they’ll offer you something. I like Membership Rewards points, but it would have to be really good to justify paying the fee twice. It looks like American Express isn’t doing any homework before calling people, just hoping to rake in the extra fees by getting people to upgrade the Business Gold to Platinum. No thanks.
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Not looking to upgrade, but good tip to know for the future 🙂