Premium Credit Card Users Find Rewards Tougher to Tap

High-end credit cardholders are reportedly finding it tougher to make the most of their cards.

That’s according to a report Monday (Aug. 31) by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which says stricter rules have made it tougher for consumers to tap perks and rewards.

For example, card issuers like American Express and Capital One are moving to keep customers from bringing guests into airport lounges, the report said. Perks on orders from DoorDash now come with minimum spending requirements, while the loopholes that allowed cardholders to squeeze more out of their rewards are closing.

“It’s just a forever changing landscape,” Ravi Wadan, a 39-year-old Seattle content creator who posts on social media about credit cards, told the WSJ. “They’re adding some benefits here and there but in general it’s getting more and more restrictive.”

The report includes another example of this practice. American Express Platinum cardholders aren’t supposed to use their quarterly $75 credit with Lululemon to purchase gift cards. Wadan said he had been skirting the rule by buying gift cards online but recently discovered that method no longer works.

As the WSJ notes, premium cards have traditionally attracted “rewards enthusiasts” hoping to game the system. Rising annual fees — to the tune of almost four figures — have led to an intensifying “cat-and-mouse-game” between banks and cardholders.

That means card issuers have to balance efforts to keep customers from milking rewards in a way the programs weren’t designed for, while not alienating cardholders.

Lisa Kalhans, executive vice president of U.S. consumer proprietary products at American Express, issued a statement to the WSJ saying the company has invested in making benefits easier to find, enroll in and monitor.

In news from the other end of the credit spectrum, recent PYMNTS Intelligence research finds that many subprime consumers simply don’t have cards. In February, 35% of this cohort had neither a credit card nor a store card. Just 12% of prime consumers fit that bill, and 4% of super-prime consumers.

“That leaves a sizable group beyond the reach of conventional card rewards, credit-building features and emergency spending capacity,” PYMNTS wrote last week.

Product design could open the door to some of these consumers, with the research pointing to low-friction approval, a small starting line, billing tied to customer cash flow, and a clear path to a general-purpose card as possible features for addressing this group.

“Such a product could work like a learner’s permit, giving consumers a controlled way to establish a payment record before moving to a larger credit line,” the report said.