End of Year Warning: American Express is Running December like a Snail Going Uphill

Historically American Express takes just a couple of days to post sign-up bonuses on Membership Rewards earning cards, statement credits, card-linked offer awards, retention bonuses, and employee spending bonuses after the terms are met. Perhaps due to cold weather, or maybe due to the launch of a new Membership Rewards program in India without enough infrastructure to handle it, those credits and bonuses that used to post in a few business days are taking longer and longer to post. Typical posting timeframes:

• August: 1 – 3 business days
• September: 2 – 4 business days
• October: 3 – 5 business days
• November: 5 – 7 business days
• December: 7 – 12 business days

Beyond the obvious delayed dopamine hit, why should we care? Easy. For some statement credits tied to the calendar, your credit often counts in the month that it posts even if the charge was in the prior month (though even that’s not completely consistent).

So, I’d consider this week your last week to use your airline credits, wireless credits, garbage credits (Dell, Adobe, Clear, etc), food credits, and other coupons to guarantee that they post before the month’s and the year’s end. Don’t be #bonvoyed!

Good luck, and happy Tuesday!

Pictured: American Express’s messaging system between the charge department and credit department.