Purchasing American Express gift cards online might seem like a straightforward way to manage expenses or give gifts, but as I discovered, it can come with unexpected hurdles. My experience trying to Buy Amex Gift Cards from BigCrumbs revealed a labyrinth of confusing and often contradictory purchase limits. If you’re planning to buy Amex gift cards online, especially in larger denominations, my story might save you some frustration and unnecessary calls to customer service.
It started simply enough. I placed an order for a $3,000 Amex gift card on BigCrumbs, using my Fidelity Investment Rewards Amex card. The transaction went through without a hitch. Encouraged by this smooth purchase, I returned a week later, attempting to buy another $3,000 Amex gift card with the same Fidelity card. This time, the order was initially accepted, only to be declined an hour later. An email directed me to call customer service, where a representative informed me of a $5,000 limit per credit card within a 14-day period.
Determined to make a purchase, I immediately tried again, this time using my Chase Sapphire Preferred card. The result was the same: initial acceptance followed by an hour-later decline email. Another call to customer service connected me with a different representative who offered a slightly different explanation. This time, I was told the $5,000 limit applied to the individual, not the credit card itself.
Thinking I had deciphered the rules, I waited 15 days before returning to BigCrumbs. I attempted to buy two Amex gift cards, one for $3,000 and another for $2,000, totaling $5,000 before shipping and fees. Again, the order seemed to process, only to be declined with the now-familiar email notification. A call to customer service revealed yet another layer of complexity: the $5,000 limit was per order, inclusive of shipping and fees. Therefore, even ordering exactly $5,000 worth of gift cards could push you over the limit due to these extra charges.
For my next attempt, I reduced the order to a $3,000 and a $1,000 gift card, aiming for a $4,000 subtotal to stay well under the presumed $5,000 limit including fees. Despite my caution, the same pattern repeated – order accepted, then declined. By this point, I was quite perplexed and called customer service one last time.
The final explanation was perhaps the most baffling. I was informed that even declined orders count towards the $5,000 limit within a 14-day window. My $3,000+$1,000 order was declined because the system had already registered my earlier, declined $3,000+$2,000 order from the same day. Even though that initial order never went through, it was still registered against my name, preventing any further gift card purchases for 14 days.
Through this series of frustrating attempts and confusing explanations, I finally learned the intricate, and somewhat illogical, rules surrounding buying Amex gift cards at BigCrumbs. Hopefully, sharing my experience will help others navigate these murky waters and avoid similar pitfalls – and perhaps, fewer calls from their credit card fraud departments. If you plan to buy Amex gift cards online, especially in amounts nearing these limits, it’s crucial to be aware of these potential restrictions and the sometimes inconsistent information from customer service.
