Hi AsherO, and thanks for the welcome!
Yeah, I have read that many others have indeed had luck via persistence. But my desire for those additional 50K points is tempered against other considerations:
- Not having a "this guy is already a pain in the ass" in my AMEX file. I can imagine wanting AMEX to go to bat for me in the future, and being an "ideal" / non-naggy customer might be an asset in that case.
- I want the extra leverage upon renewal time. I'd rather not churn if I don't have to (I'm potentially buying a home in the next year or two), and I think my chances of snagging a nice renewal bonus (reduced fee, extra points) is heightened by being perceived as a trouble-free and profitable customer that has NOT already gotten a bevy of extra points.
With that said, both due to the ease of SM and your encouragement, I might drop an SM in a few months (after some aggressive spending) noting, "Hey, I'm being tempted to move my spending to another card, but am willing to keep AMEX as my primary if you'd match the extra 50K points awarded via the better offer of [offer numbers]."
Anyway, thanks again for the reply, and take care...