American Express are making changes to how reward years are calculated on their Blue Cash range of cards. This was noticed by reddit user aksurvivorfan when they checked their most recent statements. Changes are effective June 30th, 2017
Blue Cash Everyday/Preferred
- Today, an annual reward year is 12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one that includes January 1. Starting on June 30, 2017, an annual reward year will be a calendar year.
Old Blue Cash
- Today, a Reward Year is 12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one that starts in the calendar month in which your Card account anniversary occurs. As of June 30, 2017, a Reward Year will begin the day after your Blue Cash account anniversary date. You can find your Reward Year on your online account or by calling the number on the back of your card.
Our Verdict
Not sure what is more confusing for cardholders, American Express obviously think this is an improvement but I can see earning at two different rates on the same statement being confusing as well (although I do prefer this new change by American Express). Chuck has discussed the Old Blue Cash resetting limits in this post.
I am not sure if this is YMMV. My online account shows the reward year starts at 3/13/2017. However, I have been continuously receiving 5% reward up till now. I checked all my statement this year, including the July one just generated (which shows June reward). So I think I read something before about OBC is now Calendar year for some guy. Any idea?
The update in terms also includes a separate change that purchases / reloads of gift cards or other “money equivalents” will no longer qualify for the higher bonuses.
What I’m wondering is how Amex will know if I buy a $500 GC at a grocery store, esp. if I mix it in with some food items?
“You can find your Reward Year on your online account”
Where?
Anyone know if you can still get the “Old Blue Cash”? I have a BCE but would really like to get the old one. Any help would be greatly appreciated
You should be able to find it on the Amex site. Try incognito if you don’t see it on the regular site.
Thank you very much Chuck! Someone posted on another article here that they were approved using the link provided and were sent a BCE card. I went into incognito mode and found the card right there with the BCE and BCP. I was approved for 20k! Thanks a million, so glad I got in on this one!
Where do you find your reward year on your online account?
Your link (at the end) to the previous discussion is for Chase Ink 50k, not BCP 50k…
What??
I fixed this, thanks Dima
Ah that makes sense 🙂
So does this mean people whose account anniversary date is in July will have to repeat their 6500 min spend to be eligible for 5% bonus again? If so, that’s complete BS.
Seems that way. Which means it’s time to grind out the rest of the 50K cap.
if one’s anniversary date is July 20 and if the statement closing date is July 10. Under the old system, the reward year starts at July 11 as opposed to July 21 in the new system.
Ahh… now I read it right. OBC isn’t having the same extreme anniversary shift as new Blue Cash seems like.
Does that mean if we haven’t hit our limit yet for groceries on bcp, we should max out before end of June ?
I don’t think you can double dip on BCP, it’s still based on the anniversary year. It’s just that this change takes effect on that date.
Not really. The June 30th date is confusing because nothing really changes when june 30th comes and goes for anyone with new BC/BCP – I really don’t know why they put June 30th as the effective date.
This change is really very small from what I read. Instead of a variable end/start date in Jan, now it is Dec 31st/Jan 1st for everyone and that is the only real change…very small impact with the result being that those who need to complete the 6K/3K spend have to finish it by Dec 31 now instead of sometime before their statement end date in Jan. And new 6k/3k counters start off on Jan 1st.
Would have been a lot easier for Old Blue Cash to have it reset Jan. 1. What a continued mess! But I suppose this way, Amex wins.
If my previous year ended in March this year, the current one will then end in June? And then a new year starts in July?
For what card?