American Express first previewed their Facebook Messenger bot during Cannes in June of this year. This bot is now available to all cardholders at m.me/AmericanExpressUS. The messenger bot will alert cardholders whenever a purchase is made with a linked card, it’ll also alert cardholders to benefits their linked card offers.
For example:
- If you make an airline purchase with your Platinum card to/from New York you’ll be reminded that you can access the Centurion Lounge
- If you make an SPG reservation with your SPG card, you’ll be reminded of benefits such as free premium internet access at participating properties
- You’ll be reminded about purchase protection when making purchases at retailers
I had a few questions and American Express were happy to answer
Q. Can people easily link multiple cards and will these interact with each other? For example if I hold a Platinum card that is linked, but make an airline purchase with my PRG card will I still be notified of lounge access?
A. American Express Card Members can currently only sync one card with the Messenger bot.
Q. Will American Express be using this to communicate offers (e.g AmEx Offers or even targeted sign up bonuses?)
At this time, Card Members can connect with the Amex bot for Messenger to receive automated purchase notifications and related benefit reminders. The bot does not communicate new Amex Offers or targeted sign-up bonuses, but it does notify a Card Member when they redeem an offer. For example, if you had a Whole Foods offer, the messenger would notify you that you spent $X and redeemed an offer (although the bot does not explain the specifics of the offer). American Express is evaluating new features in the near future.
Our Verdict
It’s nice to get instant notifications about purchases, but only being able to link one card and cards not interacting for features really hurts the usefulness of the bot. Fingers crossed American Express continue to add features. I was also hoping that they would send out targeted offers (like they do with LinkedIn).
