Comments on: TrueEarnings Card from Costco and American Express Review

By: mark cochran

mark cochran — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:27:32 +0000

I don’t recall receiving my annual rewards check in the mail. I called today and was told It was for over $1000 but it expired in August and they will credit my AmEx balance for 1/4 the amount. I said that was not acceptable and they said “there is nothing else they can do”.

I live in California, and there are laws that prevent “gift cards” from expiring. Any idea of this gets covered by that law?

Has anyone ever complained to their state’s attorney general about this?

Thanks
Mark

By: JOE

JOE — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:54:16 +0000

BE CAREFUL. IT ONLY TAKES ONE LATE PAYMENT AND AMX WILL CHARGED YOU LATE FEE + INTEREST (UP TO 27.24%) FOR TWO MONTHS (even if you paid the full amount) WHICH WILL BE MORE $$$ THAN YOUR EARNINGS!!!

By: skylog

skylog — Sat, 14 May 2011 21:19:40 +0000

this sounds like a great card! (not that is matters, but it has a nice look as well) i do not have Costco near me or i would seriously consider it. i never knew that rewards were not given at stores like Costco, thank you for the information.

By: skylog

skylog — Sat, 14 May 2011 21:16:35 +0000

wow, that is a little bit of a bummer. flexo may want to put that in the review.

By: shellye

shellye — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:17:09 +0000

This sounds like a great card. Costco rocks. I may have to break my own rule about not applying for anymore credit cards to get this one. Thanks for the info!

By: lynn

lynn — Fri, 13 May 2011 11:53:34 +0000

We don’t have a Cosco, so no problem here. I use only one card, the other to keep it updated once in a while.

By: Mike Lowell

Mike Lowell — Thu, 12 May 2011 23:41:36 +0000

I used to use a cash back American Express similar to this card, but recently switched to a Capital One cash back MasterCard for a couple reasons. 1) it is accepted everywhere, which is not only easier when deciding which card to pull out at the register, but also because it leaves me with only 1 payment to make each month. 2) there are no tiers, so 2% is earned on gas and groceries forever and 1% for everything else. 3) the rewards are earned immediately as soon as the purchase has cleared, and 4) they are automatically applied to my statement balance as a credit as soon as they hit $25. I highly recommend this card!

By: South County Girl

South County Girl — Wed, 11 May 2011 23:03:07 +0000

I love this card. I use it for gas and costco purchases only because i have a 2% cash back on everything card and I can get the rewards sooner than once a year.

By: jim

jim — Wed, 11 May 2011 18:29:45 +0000

This is my primary card and I use it for everything. Nets me >$500 in rewards annually. The card is great in general and I recommend it. Its especially good for the 3% restaurant rewards. It also doubles as your Costco club card.

The only problem I have is the minor annoyance with having to go to Costco to cash in your rewards check which they give you in cash. I’d rather they just mail a regular check or credit my account, but its clear they are just trying to push you into their store with a pile of cash which you might spend there.

By: Krantcents

Krantcents — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:49:18 +0000

Although I would like to see monthly credit of the rebates, it is still a decent deal on the gas. The Costco gas is generally 5-15 cents below market prices for the area, the rebate is a nice extra.

By: Flexo

Flexo — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:35:25 +0000

American Express seems to have removed the language that referred to the annual rewards check expiring — but anyone who issues any type of check may allow it to be rejected after 180 days. I often see “void after 90 days” or “void after 180 days” on certain business checks I receive. The point of “rewards never expire” is that you’ll always receive a check representing the full amount of cash back you earned. Checks can expire.

By: Spokane Al

Spokane Al — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:46:05 +0000

I have this card and like it very much. However, one correction to your great article is in order. You state in part, “. . . and the rewards never expire.”

Actually they do. I received my annual rewards check and it specifically states that it expires on August 31, 2011.

By: Ceecee

Ceecee — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:01:58 +0000

Sounds like a great card. I wasn’t aware of how these cards usually worked. Thanks for the info!

By: rewards

rewards — Wed, 11 May 2011 12:59:45 +0000

Only knock I have against this card is that rewards are only credited once a year. Other than that, it’s great.