American Express Clawing Back (Prorating) the Dell Credit on Business Platinum to Adjust for Amex Offer Discount

Update 11/23/19: American Express is sending out a paper statement to people who have closed their card. Hat tip to Eurynom0s

[Update 11/10/19: apparently, Amex is still crediting the Dell credit + Amex Offer for new purchases. Presumably, they’ll claw/prorate it back at some future date.]

Amex is getting extremely pedantic: Lots of people are seeing a small Dell clawback on the business Platinum card. American Express is clawing back a prorated amount of the $100 Dell credit on the business Platinum card to adjust for the 10% discount people got from their Amex Offer. They are even clawing back for purchases made many months ago. These clawback are coming even on closed Amex cards (you’ll have to pay up to avoid credit default).

For example, if you spent exactly $100 at Dell, you’d have received a $10 credit from the Amex Offer (10%) and another $100 credit from the $100 business Platinum benefit. But since you got the $10 Amex Offer credit, your true spend was only $90 and you thus only deserve a $90 credit for the $100 Dell benefit.

Going forward, the remedy is to spend $111 or more. That way, after the $11 discount from the Amex Offer, you’ll still have a full $100 spend amount remaining, and you’ll be entitled to the full $100 credit. (From crunching some numbers, my understanding is that Amex first counts the Amex Offer discount, and then figures out the $100 Dell benefit based on what remains. Thus, doing $111 will work, I think.) Update: Data point here of this not working.

They are also clawing back for anyone who made a return (1).

Hat tip to my friend S. and to r/churning
    Chuck
  • On November 23, 2019, 20:52

View Comments (153)

  • I just got a $10 charge to my card with the label "Shop Dell with Business Platinum Credit". I checked my past Dell transactions and they all made sense except this one, so I think it's a clawback.

  • The primary offender guilty of "sketchy behavior" is Amex itself. They are getting downright ABSURD. Literally *trying* to push people out the door. Fine. So be it. I already have plans to close 7 of my accounts.

  • I used 2 cards (Biz Platinum and Biz Gold). Biz Platinum had the $100 credit and gold had the 10% + 4 pts/$. Do you think I'll run into any issues?

  • Actually AMEX is going to the extreme. In August, I purchased a $30 item from Dell, charging it to my business platinum card. It did not arrive, so I called Dell. They found that the item was lost in transit. So they shipped it to me again and gave me full credit back to my card as a courtesy credit. So this was a gift from Dell to me. Few months later, in November, AMEX took back part of this credit, claiming that it made my $100 half-year credit to go beyond that amount!! My call up to a Supervisor did not help.

    And I have been an AMEX customer for over 30 years, paying annual fees for personal AND business card for years, and they remind me of that every time I call, and still they did this to me!!

    AMEX is becoming PLAIN NASTY!!

    • The same sort of thing happened to me a year go, but it was with a Saks order that was lost...refund issued by Saks...order cancelled. I asked Amex if I needed to place a 2nd Saks order to qualify for the $50 credit. They said, no, you did the order, and it was Saks' fault for losing it. Like 6mon later, they reversed the $50 credit. I told them the EXACT date & time the rep told me that would not happen via chat. They looked it up. Gave me a $50 adjustment. But told me the next time, they would not fix it the same way. Major ordeal. Amex has extremely poor & dishonest customer service. I've been lied to 20+ times the last 12mon by every level from chat reps to phone supervisors all the way up to the Executive Office level.

  • I received a bill last weekend for $9.52 on the biz plat I closed in January, right after I used the Dell credit and offer together. I called last week and explained that I closed the card almost a full year ago and was very confused as to why I was receiving a bill for this card. The CSR waived the new bill for me, but I still need to call back and confirm because I don't have any online access to the card.

  • Does anyone know what is actually allowed? If I get a $500 laptop and use the $100 credit, 10% off offer and 1 extra MR, will Amex eventually claw back the 10% off ($10) that was part of the $100 credit. Accountant 69 says below he got a bill for $100, which does seem really strange.

    • I think he meant he got a $10 bill in the mail against the $100 Dell Credit.

  • "These clawback are coming even on closed Amex cards (you’ll have to pay up to avoid credit default)."

    Wow.

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