What’s the deal with this Amex Platinum Card benefit?

Over the last few years, card issuers have adopted a new model for their premium credit cards. Instead of directly offering premium benefits, they’ve started partnering with brands to give merchant funded offers and credits to their customers. It helps the issuers fund a part of the benefit and for the brands, it gives them massive exposure to the bank’s customer base. One can say that American Express has been the pioneer of this model, which many deridingly call as the ‘coupon book’ strategy. Back in September, Amex refreshed their Amex Platinum Card and added a brand new partner. Amex started offering a $200 credit during every calendar year for purchases with Oura Ring. However, it seems like not all customers are having a smooth ride with the product. Let’s have a look at what’s going on.

Also Read: Another points transfer ratio has devalued by 20%, what’s next?

Amex Platinum Card benefit – Oura Ring Issue

As per this report on Reddit, poster SeaSaltPromise ordered the Oura Ring during a Black Friday deal and had a harrowing experience. Other posters also claim they’ve had similar experiences while dealing with Oura Ring. Here’s a quick gist of what happened:

TL;DR: Ordered Brushed Silver Size 11 on Nov 20 for Black Friday. Got a used Gen3 in wrong size in a plastic baggy on Nov 27 – no charger, no cable, nothing. Spent 2+ hours in support. They offered a partial refund, later a $100 credit to make me pay MORE, told me to keep the “substandard” ring, then when I asked for a refund (within the 30-day window) they used the policy as an excuse to deny it, then called it a “one-time exception” but suddenly needed the ring back and said refund would take until mid-January. They fought me every step of the way.

• SeaSaltPromise ordered a Brushed Silver, Size 11 Oura Ring on Nov 20 during their Black Friday deal. On Nov 27, he opened the box, only to find a used Gen3 ring in a plastic bag. Moreover, it was the wrong size, wrong color and had no charger or packaging.

• He then spent  over 1.5 hours on chat while the rep repeatedly “checked with the team”. Initially, the rep said that they couldn’t exchange it because Gen3 is “discontinued” (he had ordered a Gen4). Then the rep offered him $100 off, which meant that he’d still pay extra, for an issue which Oura created in the first place.

• When he asked for a refund on the original order, the rep cited their 30-day return policy as if he wasn’t within the window. Only after he pointed out the dates did the rep agree to a refund, calling it a “one-time exception”. Oddly, the ring the rep told he could keep now needed to be returned first.

Refund Issues

Things only got more absurd from here. The rep finally sent a UPS return label after multiple delays.

Surprisingly, the return address was in the Netherlands!!! and he admitted a refund would take about a month. So, in short, this customer won’t see a refund until Jan 2026, all for an issue that Oura caused in the first place.

Teething issues or a more chronic problem?

If you look at it from one angle, one can say that it’s probably a teething issue and that Oura may be flooded with a ton of demand after Amex added them as a benefit to the Platinum card. However, if you parse through the conversations, you’ll see that it’s a mixed bag. Some people love the product, while other people are largely unhappy with the customer service. Given that this was on a Black Friday sale, it’s no surprise that things were so chaotic and frenetic from a customer service standpoint. However, if you’re any brand running at that scale, I’m surprised how you’re not prepared for that sort of demand after a new partnership with American Express or during the holiday season.

The Pundit’s Mantra

There’s no hiding here for Oura, especially if customers are having a terrible time with customer service once they get the product or when things go wrong. Having issues with the product is one thing, but there’s no excuse for lousy customer service, especially when a brand like Oura wants to partner with American Express for one of their most premium credit cards.

I currently have the Charles Schwab version of the Amex Platinum Card but haven’t used the benefit yet. What has your experience been like? Tell us in the comments section. .