Why do different people get different promotions?

[Larry H.]

I got a flyer from Guest Rewards that I could earn triple points for spending at various places the next three months with some requirements of course. It turns out both I an my Mom have cards. She does most of the purchasing of groceries which was one of the things you could earn points on. She kept the flyer and called to see if she could get the promotion on her card number. But no, only those that were evidently on separate mailing list could use the promotion. This is the second time now I was offered something that they refuse to grant to her and she is rather irritated at the way this is handled wondering why they discriminate against come card holders and not others? This is probably an old topic here but my first time on this board and didn't see the topic in the listings up front any way.

Larry

 

[Ryan]

Welcome to the world of targeted promotions - they're all based on your spending habits and trying to encourage you to spend more money in ways that you usually don't.

 

[MrFSS]

Welcome to the world of targeted promotions - they're all based on your spending habits and trying to encourage you to spend more money in ways that you usually don't.

My wife does that to me all the time.

 

[Ryan]

If only she could hand out AGR points!!! :-D

 

[the_traveler]

I could earn triple points for spending at various places the next three months ... (Mom) does most of the purchasing of groceries which was one of the things you could earn points on.

It is targeted, yes - but how about if YOUR card was used to buy the groceries for the next few months? :huh: That way, you could get the triple points! (If you don't want to pay for the groceries, she could even reimburse you for them!)

 

[Ispolkom]

Okay, I can understand the principle behind Larry H.'s targeted offer, but here's one I received for my AGR Mastercard that doesn't make sense to me:

Triple points on all purchases between 11/10 and 1/9.

This on a card that we use for at least half of all our purchases, so it isn't as though it doesn't get used. Strangely enough, my wife's AGR card, which hasn't seen a charge since July, didn't get any offer. Now, I'll grant you that there are some limitations, principally that cash advances don't count and you can only earn a maximum of 10k points per month. Still, it feels like I hit the jackpot.

This leads to 2 questions:

1) What possibly could be the rationale for this?

2) More important, does this mean I get quadruple points for charges on Amtrak? We're leaving on a 2-week trip on Thursday, and this will make the Amwine at dinner taste even better. Remember, if you order wine with your braised beef, you can charge the tip!

 

[jmbgeg]

Okay, I can understand the principle behind Larry H.'s targeted offer, but here's one I received for my AGR Mastercard that doesn't make sense to me:
Triple points on all purchases between 11/10 and 1/9.

This on a card that we use for at least half of all our purchases, so it isn't as though it doesn't get used. Strangely enough, my wife's AGR card, which hasn't seen a charge since July, didn't get any offer. Now, I'll grant you that there are some limitations, principally that cash advances don't count and you can only earn a maximum of 10k points per month. Still, it feels like I hit the jackpot.

This leads to 2 questions:

1) What possibly could be the rationale for this?

2) More important, does this mean I get quadruple points for charges on Amtrak? We're leaving on a 2-week trip on Thursday, and this will make the Amwine at dinner taste even better. Remember, if you order wine with your braised beef, you can charge the tip!

Amwine or fubar, other cards may offer better benifits. :lol:

 

[Shanghai]

I didn't get that promotiom - Triple points on charges between 11/10 and 1/9, but it looks to me that they are targeting for people to spend during the Christmas holidays, then they

will make money on the interest before the cardholder pays off the balance. I would suggest that those who received the promo usually carry a balance on their card and have a history

of interest charges. Both Visa and Mastercard have gone public with their respective stock prices rising significantly, so they must be doing some things right!!