A while back, American Express introduced universal referrals, where you could refer anyone for any Amex card, even if you didn’t have that card yourself. That also opened the door to self referrals. I warned back then that it could be risky to refer yourself. Back in July, the first clawbacks started happening. (Update: More bad news… People That Have Used Amex Self Referrals Can No Longer Generate Referral Links?)

Now it looks like there’s another wave of clawbacks for those with self referral bonuses as per reddit. Last time they also sent notices explaining their actions to those affected. I’m not sure if that’s happening again this time around. Check your Membership rewards balances if you’ve had any self referrals this year.

Going forward, you should not refer yourself. Try getting a family member or friend to send you a referral. There’s even some referrals that bypass the lifetime restriction now.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card is a great travel card that comes with a big welcome offer and many benefits.

• Earn a welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points (worth $750 or more) when you spend $4,000 in 3 months.
• You can also earn:
  • 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides
  • 2X Ultimate Rewards points on travel and dining and 1X on all other purchases
• Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through Chase
• LEARN MORE