Sapphire Preferred Bonus Issue
There is a Sapphire Preferred bonus issue that recent applicants are running into. From what we can tell, this appears to be a glitch in the matrix, on Chase's end. It also appears to be happening to people who signed up for the card over the last month, likely when the increased offer was still around and kicking. If you are being told that you are not eligible for the Chase Sapphire Preferred welcome offer, or you don't see a bonus offer tracker, then know you are not alone.
What Is Going On?
We had a couple of members of the ToP Facebook Group reach out to confirm their new Sapphire Preferred welcome offer details. This isn't outside of the norm, and I often do it for Amex cards via chat for authorized user offers etc. Some members were worried that their bonus tracker didn't show up on the account and decided to follow up via secure message.
What they got as a response from Chase was a bit startling. They were told that they were not eligible for the welcome offer on the card, and the Chase rep mentioned the 48 month Sapphire application rule as a reason. The problem is that this was their first Sapphire card, so that wasn't a problem. We saw three identical reports of this exact scenario.
A few were able to get this issue escalated to a manager. The Chase supervisors informed them that there was a systemwide coding issue affecting June Sapphire applications. That is what is causing these Sapphire Preferred bonus issues. That is comforting, but scary, all at the same time.
What Should You Do?
So, what should you do with these Sapphire Preferred bonus issues? It appears Chase is aware of them, and is working to correct it. But, that doesn't mean that intervention isn't needed. You may need to force them to check your account and approve the bonus, if the system is still on the fritz when your minimum spend is completed.
Should you be proactive and reach out now, or should you wait and see? I live the work smarter, not harder, way of life. So, I would just complete my spend and see how it plays out. Maybe they will fix the issue by then and apply the welcome offer correctly. Even if you get a notation on your account, I imagine a follow up would likely be necessary.
If you are a person that can't handle the uncertainty, that may not work. You could reach out to confirm the terms of your welcome offer instead. If they properly report it, then great, nothing to see here. However, if they don't, you could start kicking it up the chain and get your account notated.
Which way you choose to go is up to you.
Sapphire Preferred Bonus Issue: ToP Issues
It is annoying when bank's IT doesn't work the way it should. That usually means we end up having to do some of the dirty work, which a customer should never have to do. At least this Sapphire Preferred bonus issue resides with Chase, who is usually pretty good at cleaning stuff up. Other banks would take multiple calls, and weeks (or months) of follow up. Hopefully that isn't the case here, and it shouldn't be if history repeats itself.
Let us know if you have been told something similar with your Chase Sapphire Preferred welcome offer over in the ToP Facebook Group.
