Question
WE'RE ENHANCING YOUR REWARDS PROGRAM:mad: :mad: :mad:
That is what the bold print at top of letter says. With phrases like "we're pleased to tell you about exciting changes" and "we're looking for ways to improve your rewards because you deserve the very best."
How can they lie that way?? (I know the answer is just because they can)The following are changes that I have found in just a quick 15 min read. I can hardly wait to really go through it.
1. My annual fee will be $29. I don't have an annual fee now.
I just called the customer service rep. and I was told two things.
First that my card does not have a fee, just the Travel Rewards part. I told them that the Travel Rewards part of my card DOES NOT HAVE A FEE and that is why I changed to them 6 months ago. They looked at my record and says "yes" your card does not have a fee. I asked if the new changes would include a fee for my card and they said "no" Why don't I believe them?
2. I have family in Alaska and it presently cost 25,000 points to go. They have "enhanced" both Alaska and Hawaii to 35,000 points starting in July. 25,000 used to get you to 50 states, now it is 48.
3. Max paid for 25,000 points per ticket presently is $500. The "enhanced" amount in July goes down to a max of $400.
Thanks for letting me vent. I feel robbed :( but what is new. My MBNA rewards cards was "enhanced" 3 years ago. Now Chase has caught up with the pack. I wondered when it would happen.
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Havent gotten the letter yet but Just like my MBNA Card.... Another one bites the dust.
-UFFA
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Wait until you get to the fine print. Instead of lasting 5 years, points now expire after 2 years. Grrr.
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Wait until you get to the fine print. Instead of lasting 5 years, points now expire after 2 years. Grrr.
Rule #6 the fine print says miles will expire on a first-earned basis, and will expire 48 months from the month in which the miles were earned.
At least that is what my new Program Guide says.
Still 4 years is not as good as 5 years. Hope yours says 48 months and not 24.
On the positive side, I talked to the miles rep. and asked about the 22,000 miles certificate and they three way conference with Continental for availability before you "Buy" the certificate.
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In addition to the listed enhancements, the first one that got my attention was the redemeption for 1000 Continental Onepass miles went from 1000 points to 2000 points! The only benefit was the addition of gift certificates for your points. THe new program starts July 2005. Will cancel my card once it is time for renewal.
with respect to the no fee, I got that for the first year, but had to pay $25 thereafter. Was this the same thing?
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Yeah, I noticed the Continental devaluation as well. As far as some of the other rewards the redemption values are lower like Europe although they offer you less. The big thing is that I don't use the card frequently enough to reach 25000 points in 4 years and thus with the devaluation of Continental miles can't justify carrying the card. Additionally, my card was specifically a Chase Travel Rewards card and carried no annual fee including travel rewards and thus if I have to pay $29 a year for this card just to keep Chase Travel Plus I am converting to an affinity card from bankone with Flexible rewards added for no cost.
Sincerely,
JC
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with respect to the no fee, I got that for the first year, but had to pay $25 thereafter. Was this the same thing?
For the last two years I had a Chase card with travel rewards added on which was like you said free for the first year, but $25 thereafter. BUT about 6 months ago I saw Chase was offering a Chase Travel Rewards card (not added on) which was advertised fee free. I called and asked why I should be paying $25 for a card when Chase was offering the exact same benifits on a new card for free. One c/s person said I could apply for the "NEW" free card, but could not transfer my miles to the new card. Another C/s person said of course we can transfer the miles over, because after all it is the same miles program. Needless to say I transfered from one card to the NEW "free" one only to be told that I lost my 22,000 miles when I transfered cards. After a three month fight with them, and many manager discussions, the miles transfered over.
Now this is 4 months later and I don't know if this new card is REALLY FREE or if a bill will come in March. The c/s people on the phone say there is a note in my file that the card is "FREE". The Travel Rewards people say they know of no FREE miles card that Chase has ever offered and that I will have a fee. I am at the 50,000 point range, so I will keep it till I use the points.
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I haven't seen the new awards booklet yet, but why do they only offer CO in Y? Who would want to do that, especially Internationally?
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Chase "enhanced" me by telling me Experian told them I owed too much, so my interest rate was going to 30%. Excuse me?
Got my nether regions in gear and refinanced to a lower rate and paid the suckers off, 100%. Instead of getting lots of interest from a lazy guy, they're gotting NOTHING NADA NIENTE RIEN from a pissed-off guy.
Way to go JPMorgan. You sure have consumer banking all figgered out. Yep!
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Called Chase Customer Service to transfer my newly "enhanced" Travel Rewards Card to a Platinum Card!!!!
CS: Unfortunately, this cannot be done until after the merger with BankOne is complete sometime in AUGUST Mr. UFFA.
UFFA: Can I apply for a New Platinum Card and then Transfer my Credit Line over and close the Travel Rewards Card.
CS: No Mr. UFFA you cannot do that either!
UFFA: OK make a note on my account that I will NOT be paying the $29 annual Fee for a card with less benefits.
CS: I don't understand????
UFFA: Just put it in my file and don't worry you will hear from me again in August!!
CS: OK its noted!!!
UFFA: Thank you Good Bye!!! :mad:
Being that Chase is an account over 5 years old I want to keep it!!! Just not the newly enhanced version. :td:
-UFFA
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I have had a Chase Travel Rewards card for a very long time. I had not claimed any rewards for a few years and had over 100,000 points which under the enhancement are now called miles.
Yesterday my wife decided she wanted to accopany me on an part of an upcoming business trip SGF-SEA for which my companies travel agent had already bought me a ticket on NW. Since she would be starting her trip a few days after me, the departing flights didn't matter but a return on the same flights as me was desirable. On nwa.com I was unable to get that return flight as part of an award ticket or using a cash & miles code. I was also unable to get a departing flight with only one stop except at 6:45 or 7:15AM which is a bit early for my wife. Similar thing on delta.com when trying to get the return flights as DL codeshares on NW metal.
I even considered paying cash money for a ticket but the optimal flights would have been $1042.
So for the heck of it, and having miles on Chase that were going to expire in December, I Called them. I got the exact flights I wanted, outbound on DL return on DL coded NW metal, for 60,000 miles and $42 for the amount of the ticket over $1000. The e-tickets are booked in H. I was very satisfied with the outcome and while 60,000 miles may seem high for a domestic R/T, its cash I didn't have to spend and miles that I might have let expire otherwise. The Agent I spoke with from Travel Rewards was very helpful, compentnt etc. even trying to book both as NW and DL to see which was lower cost.
I was very satisfied with the service and the outcome.
I signed my wife up for DL Skymiles, and added her new FF# to the res. on delta.com and selected her seats of choice on the outbound DL flights. I then called NW and asked them to link her PNR to mine for the return and seat her next to me which they did.
Anyhow, while I of course decry the dilution of the value of the Chase Travel Rewards, at least I got something useful from it today.
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I posted the message below to seek help on losing my points. Reading about the NEW Chase rewards program, Chase may have elected to take my points this way instead of the "expire" method? Again, any help with this?
Original message:
I need help. Chase has unilaterally closed a credit card account I had linked to Chase Travel Rewards. I now have lost 97,450 points.
Chase tells me the reasons for closing the account are:
1. Inactivity (they are correct)
2. Bad credit Report fro Experian. Chase was right the credit report was bad, but it was not mine. Experian had 2 extra social security numbers, 4 extra home adresses, 12 bad accounts, all not mine.
So I first cleaned up the credit report problem; only took 1 week when I showed Experian their mistakes. I sent the corrected Experian report to Chase and then responded to every request Chase made for personal financials, etc. But in the end Chase says "No, we will not reopen your account, and yes you lose all of your points". Ironically, since this happened I applied for and got the Chase/Continental Chase Card. Still no logic from Chase for this, so I cancelled it.
I believe Chase is using this technique to not pay out points. Does anyone have a similar expereince or does anyone know what recourse I can take?
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Best advice is get a consumer advocate group involved as anytime companies are portrayed negatively they seem to get the message and will reinstate your benefits. Keep Calling Chase Back until you speak to a supervisor who gives you a favorable answer.
-UFFA
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I believe Chase is using this technique to not pay out points. Does anyone have a similar expereince or does anyone know what recourse I can take?
When they claimed my 100K points were the regular program & not the Travel prgram I signed up for, and after months of arguing, I wrote a letter to them on PlanetFeedback.com & had a response I could live with from the Office of the President within 1 week. Good Luck!