You are not alone – I have felt that same frustration when there are targeted Amex Offes that are written about and not to be found on any our (many, many) American Express cards! But, these targeted Amex Offers are actually a good thing and Amex is getting better with how they handle them.
Why Targeted Amex Offers Are a Good Thing
This was an awesome targeted Amex Offer!
How Do Targeted Amex Offers Work?
That is a great question for which we do not have an answer! It is not related to spending, categories of spend, use of card, etc. There are some instances where the targeted Amex Offers are for regional retailers so obviously location plays a part in those. But, there is no clean answer for why some people are targeted for the really incredible Amex Offers and others are left out.
Targeted Amex Offers appear in certain cards for certain customers and they can only be saved and used by them. There is never a Twitter hashtag to use for these targeted Amex Offers either.
So Why Are Targeted Amex Offers Good?
Earlier on in the Amex Offers world, there would be some incredible offer (like the many Staples offers that came out) that would appear and very often, it would be gone in less than an hour of it appearing. With many Amex Offers being released during the night for people in the eastern US, that can be a real disappointment when they wake up and read about it! Amex always says on their offers that “enrollment is limited” so we know that it is a possibility.
Targeted Amex Offers Are Normally The Really Good Ones
When a targeted Amex Offer appears, it is normally something that offers a tremendous value to the one who receives it. For example, a Delta offer came out earlier this year that was for (I think) something like $60 or $100 back on a $300 purchase! Not bad at all!
Amex is able to offer such offers because they do it on a targeted basis. So, while I do not get them all, I am happy for targeted Amex Offers since they enable those offers to have quite a lot of value. If the company that is working with Amex on a particular offer has a budget to give back X amount of money, I would rather get an occasional offer myself for something like $35 or $40 off $100 for a retailer/vendor that I can really use than a $10 off $100 if it was opened up to everyone.
Targeted Amex Offers Are Sticking Around Longer
Early on, even targeted Amex Offers were being snapped up before some of the targeted customers were able to save them (like me – I would see it and forget to save it right away while checking other accounts).
Now, some of the hottest targeted Amex Offers I can actually leave in my account and not save and they will still be there long after they first appeared. This is definitely a plus for people that don’t check their Amex Offers everyday! 🙂
Amex Is Improving Their Targeted System
The Amex system is definitely getting smarter and that is helping with targeted offers a lot. Now, the system is able to determine if the quota is going to be filled (of the targeted offers) and it appears that if they think they will not all be used, the targeted group is expanded to other customers. This has happened many times with me, most notably with the very popular Hyatt offer last year.
This is great because there are some targeted individuals that do not care about a particular offer. Rather than letting that offer go to waste, it would appear that long after the offer launches, Amex determines if the customer has saved it yet and then decides to expand the offer to more targeted individuals.
Takeaway
I don’t think targeted Amex Offers are something to cry about when they are not received! Instead, I am glad that is seems they are improving in their reach and how they are handled for targeted customers. At the end of the day, I am sure most of us have taken advantage of lucrative Amex Offers that were targeted and those can more than make up for the few times we are not targeted.
