I’m sure that many of you have been taking advantage of Amex Sync Offers, saving yourselves some money over the past few years.
.
There are a couple of ways the program works. You can add offers which are pre-selected for you in your American Express card which save you money when using your American Express credit card. Another way to use the program is by syncing an Amex card to a social media channel like Facebook, Foursquare, Trip Advisor and Twitter.
Offers include dining, shopping and more. For instance, an offer from a few months back saved me $10 off $75 at Whole Foods. To get the offer, I logged into my Amex account and added the offer to one of my cards. (There is also a way to add offers to more than one Amex card.) I then made sure to charge at least $75 (I bought a gift card) and a $10 credit appeared on my next billing statement.
.
I often hear about or see people adding offers with a specific Amex hashtag on Twitter. This led me to a post by Jen from BoardingArea blog Deals We Like for an offer at one of my favorite burger places- Shake Shack.
.
I immediately went to my Amex account expecting to see the same offer. I checked my 3 current Amex accounts and Shake Shack was nowhere to be found. Total bummer! I know it’s only a $5 savings but that’s equivalent to getting one of their amazing shakes for free and doesn’t free make things taste even better!
.
This made me wonder- why do some people get offers while others do not? .I thought it might have something to do with geography but that wouldn’t exactly make much sense.
.
So what could it be???
The only way to figure out this mystery was to ask. I decided to log back into my Amex account and dig around for the not so easy to find live-chat option.
The only way to figure out this mystery was to ask. I decided to log back into my Amex account and dig around for the not so easy to find live-chat option..
After a brief wait, I was connected to a rep. He was friendly from the start and tried as best possible to explain how the Amex Offers work.
.
Here are some excerpts from my live-chat conversation.(FYI- I bolded some of the key pieces of info, deleted some irrelevant info and also deleted the reps name and changed it to Amex.)
.
you: I had a quick question about the Amex statement offers
Amex: Sure
you: Do you have an insight into why some people receive an offer while others don’t
you: I figured it was location based but now I don’t think that is the case anymore
Amex: Michael, I understand the curiosity, actually these offers are account specific and are solicited also sometimes
Amex: They are based on a lot of factors for example
Amex: the type of card, your payments history,
Amex: Your spending pattern
you: interesting
you: interesting
Amex: Etc
you: so those factors are stopping me from getting a $5 off Shake Shack offer that friends I know received
you: (they do have some cards that I have)
you: and also live in NYC
Amex: I got it
you: sure no prob
you: just would love to know how these things work!
Amex: Michael, the offers are one the above factors, added to them they also depend on the tenure of your card membership, but the major factor at time can be your spending pattern
Amex: All the eligible offers will reflect under the ‘my offers’ tab on your account home page
Amex: You may speak with our digital assist team
you: Yes I know where they show up but I was a bit surprised to not see the Shake Shack offer.
Amex: Regarding this if you think that the offers do not appear on your account Amex: They would be able to check if this is due to some technical error
you: well I have some offers there but not the ones I’d really like to use
Amex: Oh, okay,
Amex: Michael, we do not have a specific list of the factors on which the decision for an offer is taken
you: sure no prob
you: just would love to know how these things work!
Amex: Michael, the offers are one the above factors, added to them they also depend on the tenure of your card membership, but the major factor at time can be your spending pattern
Amex: All the eligible offers will reflect under the ‘my offers’ tab on your account home page
Amex: You may speak with our digital assist team
you: Yes I know where they show up but I was a bit surprised to not see the Shake Shack offer.
Amex: Regarding this if you think that the offers do not appear on your account Amex: They would be able to check if this is due to some technical error
you: well I have some offers there but not the ones I’d really like to use
Amex: Oh, okay,
Amex: Michael, we do not have a specific list of the factors on which the decision for an offer is taken
Amex: However the above mentioned points are the most relevant
you: Right. Just wish there was a way to get certain offers which are based on your location like this one. Especially since it is a place I frequent. Most offers I receive seem to be ones i’d never use.
Amex: I totally understand your point and I appreciate your feedback on this
Amex: This would help us to serve you better in the future
Amex: I will also put this as a note on the account
you: Thank you. Is there any way to get a specific offer added? I’m guessing it isn’t likely.
Amex: Michael, the offers are added automatically to your online tab, and we do not have the access to add them manually , If I could I would have been glad to do that for you
you: well thanks anyway.
Amex: I appreciate your understanding
Amex: Anything else for me at the moment?
you: no unless you have some bonus points for me! lol
Amex: (smile)
Amex: I wish I had them
you: Well have a great day and thanks for explaining.
Amex: Thank you!
Amex: You are most welcome!
.
What I took away from the conversation was that Amex Offers are based on a bunch of factors like card type, spending pattern and payments history. Offers can not be added to an account by a representative, they are only offered automatically.
.
I currently have an American Express Platinum Card and the SPG personal and business cards. I can’t imagine what is holding me back from receiving a $5 off $15 Shake Shack offer while receiving one for $50 off $200 at the Palm Steakhouse.
.
I’m much more of a Shake Shack kind of guy than Palm Steakhouse regular…
.
Do you usually take advantage of Amex Offers? Have you missed out on some offers that you would’ve liked to have taken advantage of?
Thanks for the link back! The targeted offers made absolute no sense to me either. With that being said, if you are ever trying to get an offer call American Express and ask for the team that works directly with Amex Offers. The representative on the line might be hesitant to connect you through and will want to help you with your concern first but insist on speaking to someone from that team.
You can ask them if they can make the offer available for you if a) you were not targeted, or b) if they already reached maximum capacity. They might be able to put a manual note into the system and once you spend the required amount you can call and ask them to credit your account. Won’t work every time, but sometimes they are good with making exceptions!