[SteveJ]

@Misty main card holders needs to call or go on chat to cancel a supplementary card.

[SteveJ]

Fish Cheeks also credited. Toasttab.

[SteveJ]

At some point Amex may tighten their acceptance criteria. By ditching straight after a SUB you’re potentially being placed on a secret naughty list that could hamper future applications.

All theoretical, no idea if that time will ever come. but that is your risk.

[SteveJ]

Zipcar proposes to cease its UK operations
I’m writing to let you know that we are proposing to cease the UK operations of Zipcar and have today started formal consultation with our UK employees.

  We will temporarily suspend bookings, pending the outcome of this consultation. This means it will not be possible to make any new bookings beyond 31st December 2025, pending the outcome of the consultation.

Although we propose to cease operations in the UK, your account will remain open until the final decision is made following the consultation process.

This means you’re still able to use Zipcars until 31st December 2025. If you would like to see what other car sharing options there are in your area, please visit the national charity for shared transport, CoMoUK’s website.

If you have any questions, please visit our Help Centre. 

Yours sincerely,

James Taylor
General Manager, Zipcar UK

[SteveJ]

Kat78 wrote:

I hope not! Clicked the button and am only two weeks away from the 2 years since opening!!

Your OP says you opened the free card last year in Dec 24, does this mean you had the Plus card before and downgraded in Dec 24?

[SteveJ]

Thanks @annabh, useful data point. Definitely seems to be an upgrade post the 2 year trigger point will kick in another “welcome” bonus, regardless of prior awards.

[SteveJ]

JDB wrote:

It’s not speculation. I don’t have personal experience of this because I’m not messing about upgrading and downgrading cards. However, I have a specific interest in these matters, plus I can read and have noted people successfully do this directly either automatically or claiming the 5,000 points afterwards having received the initial free bonus and then the upgrade bonus within two years (and some can only be inside two from the date) but it doesn’t work if you got the Plus bonus at the outset. You didn’t send the upgrade terms as I asked above, but I have now seen them.

As you’ve now seen the terms you will know there is no mention of an upgrade bonus, only a welcome bonus. I’m not aware of where the ‘change your card’ terms can be downloaded without actually going through with the upgrade, so noting down the specific wording below, verbatim, for future reference:

“We’ll only apply one Avios Welcome Bonus to your British Airways Executive Club account during the lifetime of your card account. After you receive your Avios welcome bonus, if you close or change your Barclaycard Avios card account and then open a new Barclaycard Avios
card account within 2 years from closing your original account, you will not be eligible for another Avios welcome bonus”

As far as Ts&Cs go there is zero ambiguity.

Looking forward to hearing more from @annabh and @AndrewT with their real world experiences.

[SteveJ]

AndrewT wrote:

What personal experience do you have @JDB?

Am also interested in this answer, is there real world knowledge useful to the community or just speculation?

[SteveJ]

JDB wrote:

the upgrade promotional offer (with spend) is different in the same way as Amex offers upgrade from Gold to Platinum to receive the SUB for which you wouldn’t otherwise be eligible under the two year rule.

That’s not what the Ts&Cs or the upgrade application page say.

[SteveJ]

JDB wrote:

SteveJ wrote:

Afraid @JDB has this one wrong. The wording on the “change to a different card” card offers page is generic, i.e. is targeted at all card holders, not just the free Avios card, but the non Avios cards.

When you click through you can see in the detail under the 5,000 offer it clearly states “we’ll only apply one Avios welcome bonus …during the lifetime of your card account”, so if you’ve had a SUB before on the free card, you’re not getting the 5k.

Source: been there, done that, not got the 5k upgrade bonus.

I don’t see the basis on which they refused your bonus if challenged. Why would someone take the 5,000 Avios offer from a non Avios Barclaycard when they could (maybe having to wait six months) get 25,000 as a new customer. It’s an upgrade offer welcome bonus, that could reasonably bec expected to be separate from the standard one. Amex does the same, bypassing the usual two year rule. It was reported here last May although you mentioned the terms excluding it last February. Do you have the T&Cs?

It’s clause 3.2 of their current Ts&Cs:
https://www.barclaycard.co.uk/content/dam/barclaycard/documents/personal/existing-customers/barclaycard-avios-reward-rules.pdf

I thought the free Avios has always earned a 5K SUB, if that’s the case then per the Ts&Cs no additional bonus. If someone signed up for the free card without a SUB then they’d get it. @annabh was that maybe your situation, never received a SUB in initial sign up?

From those same Ta&Cs it would take cancelling the card and a 2 year gap (and presuming Barclaycard would let you back in, a big IF) to earn a second SUB.

[SteveJ]

Afraid @JDB has this one wrong. The wording on the “change to a different card” card offers page is generic, i.e. is targeted at all card holders, not just the free Avios card, but the non Avios cards.

When you click through you can see in the detail under the 5,000 offer it clearly states “we’ll only apply one Avios welcome bonus …during the lifetime of your card account”, so if you’ve had a SUB before on the free card, you’re not getting the 5k.

Source: been there, done that, not got the 5k upgrade bonus.

[SteveJ]

Don’t do it.

[SteveJ]

Interesting, I kind of naively assumed this was an Amex wide (or Amex Platinum wide?) referral block given the current enhanced SUBs, rather than specific to my account?

Assume this is computer says no, or anyone had luck contacting Amex to get this lifted?

[SteveJ]

Currently facing the same issue on my Platinum, ‘account is temporarily unable to access the referral program’. Wonder if that’s linked to the current boosted Platinum SUB.

[SteveJ]

chistery wrote:

I can now add my Barclaycard Avios card to Google Wallet!

Thanks for the update, finally! Curve is going to gather even more dust now.

[SteveJ]

Holy thread resurrection! Gone but never forgotten, the most incompetent card company I’ve come across, incompetence in allowing so much MS, incompetence in the way they threw their toys out of the pram at the end. Incompetence can however be the friend of a points collector!

[SteveJ]

Hyatt Centric Downtown. Walking distance to Broadway and the all points of interest around there, but not so close as to being annoying and loud. Good breakfast.

Booked via Emyr, which got us a guaranteed room upgrade, breakfast, $50 f&b credit plus early check-in/late checkout (subject to availability etc).

[SteveJ]

Misty wrote:

Rui N. wrote:

The trick is to do at least twice your credit limit per week. This way Amex doesn’t notice.

Right so say my credit limit was 4K, I need to put through 32K a month, and Amex won’t notice? ?

Hopefully stating the obvious, but trust you realise Rui N’s post was in jest.

[SteveJ]

doningtonphil wrote:

Thanks Northernlass.
I recently signed up for and have just earned welcome bonus on a business platinum card. But also have the basic BA rewards card.

It seems to be the basic ba card that is offering me the referral bonus, so is suggesting the bonus my friend would get if they applied for the same.
So, my question now is, if I send a link, can they chose which card they sign up for and potentially take advantafe of say the 40k Gold Card? Abd would i get my bonus regardless?

Or could they only sign up for the card I am linking them to?

Hope that makes sense.

Phil

When they follow your referral link there is an option for them to view other card options too. Once they apply you get the referral points regardless of which card they go for, does not have to be the one you referred them for.

Are you sure you don’t have a referral link on the Platinim card? Bonuses for the referee are usually much higher on Plat Vs free BA Amex, but I don’t have experience of the business platinum.

[SteveJ]

Rather than starting a new thread just popping it on here. Change of plans so am about to cancel 3 World Traveller Plus tickets on these Avios flights (20 Dec – 2 Jan).

I’ll cancel at 8am tomorrow, advance notice for anyone on HfP who might be after them and want to snap them up

[SteveJ]

douggy11 wrote:

How strict are American Express for the new card member offers? Had a BA Blue card about 12-13 months ago. Anyone had experience trying to get the sign up offer for gold or any other AMEX before the 24 month window?

You’d be eligible for the Platinum SUB

[SteveJ]

Rob Burgess wrote:

It’s a sunny day, I wouldn’t be wasting my time on credit card applications.

Nudge nudge, wink wink.

[SteveJ]

Nothing live on BAPP, which is unusual. If you can I’d wait until the offer on the free card expires, they’ll probably reinstate BAPP then.

Live link of which cards have bonus offers for adding a supplementary:
https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/benefits/supplementary-cards/

[SteveJ]

jmidds wrote:

Rob Burgess wrote:

You can look at Apron but they have VERY strict B2B requirements so you are unlikely to pass muster. You’d need to register as a company yourself and be paying a company for what looks like a B2B transaction.

Thanks Rob
I seem to remember that HfP suggested another company, a few months ago, similar to Apron who did not seem to be as strict. Does it ring any bells with the team?

You’re thinking of Bluechain, but they no longer work https://hfp2026mar.kinsta.cloud/2025/05/16/bluechain-and-american-express-part-ways/

[SteveJ]

JDB wrote:

flibbertigibbet

I know that’s a real word, but c’mon!