Consumer complaint received 2024-01-18
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY (NY)

American Express are not honoring their benefits as advertised. Their customer service agents are suggesting that the terms/fine print on their website are different than the terms they use internally. In short, Amex/Delta has a benefit with the AMEX DELTA platinum card that gives you a status waiver for Delta if you spend {$25000.00} on an eligible card-their is language that also mentions if you own a AMEX DELTA Gold card the spend from the AMEX DELTA Gold card can be combined with the AMEX DELTA platinum card if they're linked to the same Delta SkyMiles account. However, AMEX is not honoring this combined spend term that is specified on their card Terms. Their customer support is suggesting else wise to their customers saying that customers must have upgraded from the the Gold to the Platinum card in order for the spend to be combined however this language is not mentioned anywhere on the terms and conditions nor is it actually possible to upgrade as they say since you can not have the same skymiles account linked to both cards since upgrading a card makes the previous card disappear. 

The AMEX DELTA Platinum card is advertised with a Medallion Qualification Dollar Waiver benefit. I own the AMEX DELTA Gold Card, which does not have the benefit. 

However, the fine print/terms of the AMEX DELTA Platinum card are advertised as such : " The MQD Waiver benefit is available only to Basic Card Members with one of the following Eligible Cards : Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card , Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card , Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card , and Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card XXXX Additional Card Members are not eligible to earn the MQD Waiver, but eligible purchases made by Additional Card Members on the Basic Card Member 's Eligible Card Account will count toward the Basic Card Member 's MQD Waiver eligible purchase threshold. Delta SkyMiles Blue, Delta SkyMiles Gold, Delta SkyMiles Business, and Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Cards are not eligible to earn the MQD Waiver, but eligible purchases made on one of these Cards will count towards the MQD Waiver eligible purchase threshold of an Eligible Card if the Card is linked to the same SkyMiles number as an Eligible Card. '' My interpretation of the language that American Express 's fine print/terms uses : The MQD Waiver benefit is only available to the primary holders ( " Basic Card Members '' ) of certain specific American Express cards . These cards are : Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card There are certain American Express cards that do not qualify for the MQD Waiver themselves. These include : Delta SkyMiles Blue Card Delta SkyMiles Gold Card Delta SkyMiles Business Card Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card However, if purchases are made on these non-eligible cards and they are linked to the same SkyMiles account as one of the eligible cards mentioned above, those purchases will count towards the MQD Waiver purchase threshold of the eligible card. This means that spending on these cards can contribute to the MQD Waiver requirement as long as they are connected to the same frequent flyer account as an eligible card. 

I own the Delta Gold card and have {$23000.00} in spend on it, as of XX/XX/XXXX. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I opened a new account for the Delta Platinum Card and spent ~ {$4000.00} and paid off that balance before XX/XX/XXXX. Thus, I have reached the MQD waiver spend requirement as advertised.

Both my Delta Gold and Platinum card are linked to the same SkyMiles account.

Yet, I have not received the MQD waiver.

after calling delta they told me I needed to have my card upgraded from the gold to platinum in order for the spend to be combined. This is incorrect as it's not stated anywhere and is contradictory to the actual benefit terms.