Eligibility

1. What is Plan It?  

A payment option feature that provides added flexibility to repay the value of a Transaction in equal instalments over a period ranging from three (3) to twelve (12) months. For the avoidance of doubt, Plan It is only available to selected Card Members, holding a Card issued by AEME.   

2. How can I check if my Card Account is eligible for Plan It?  

Plan It may be offered to select Card Members holding a Card issued by AEME. Your eligibility to set up a Plan is subject to change over time and your current eligibility status can be viewed in the Mobile App and Online Services.   

Card Members must check their current eligibility status before making a Transaction that is intended to be set up as a Plan.  

To check your eligibility, you can do the following:  

1. Log into either the Mobile App or Online Services, go to ‘Services’ and select ‘Plan It’. You can also select ‘Plan It’ from the quick tabs menu on the ‘Account’ dashboard page.  

2.  Navigate to the ‘Create a Plan’ page where any eligible Transaction(s) to set up as a Plan will be displayed. If the ‘Create New Plan’ option / ‘+’ button is shown to you, you are currently eligible to use Plan It.  

You are not currently eligible to set up a new Plan if either:

1. You cannot see the ‘Plan It’ section from the ‘Services’ page; or

2.  You can navigate to the ‘Plan It’ section and the ’Plan Status’ page, but the ‘Create New Plan’ option / ‘+’ button is not being displayed for you.

3. Which Transactions are eligible for a Plan?  

Only purchase Transactions can be set up as a Plan. For the avoidance of doubt, payment of fees and charges, and Cash Withdrawals, are not eligible to set up as a Plan.  

4. Can my Supplementary Card Member set up a Plan?

No, only the Basic Card Member can set up a Plan. However, all eligible Transactions made on the Card Account, whether made by the Basic or Supplementary Card Member, would be eligible to be set up as a Plan by the Basic Card Member, subject to the eligibility status of your Card Account.

5. How can I set up a Plan?  

You can set up a Plan through the Mobile App or Online Services.  

To set up a Plan, follow the steps below:  

1) log into your Mobile App or Online Services;

2) from the dashboard screen, go to ‘Services’ and select ‘Plan It’;

3) on the ‘Create a Plan’ page select an eligible Transaction;

4) on the 'Select a Plan’ page, choose your desired Tenor;

5) as soon as you select your desired Tenor, you will need to review the Plan It T&Cs and confirm that you agree to be bound by the Plan It T&Cs to proceed with your request; and

6) you will receive an SMS and push notification once the Plan is set up. You can then go to ‘Active’ Plans in the Mobile App and Online Services to see the Plan details.

6. If an eligible Transaction included conversion processing fees on foreign currency Transactions and associated value added tax (“VAT”) (if applicable), will this full amount be able to be converted to a Plan?  

Yes.

7. I was previously able to view the ‘Plan It’ page under ‘Services’ in the Mobile App and Online Services, but I cannot view it now. Why is this the case?  

Your Card Account is currently not eligible for Plan It. Please contact Customer Services for more information.  

8. Why is a Transaction not showing in the list of eligible Transactions for Plan It? Why am I not able to set up any more Plans?  

This could be because your Transaction is not eligible (either because it is fully or partially paid or does not meet the minimum Transaction value requirement, as specified in clause 11 (below)), or your Card Account is not currently eligible for Plan It. You need to always check your current eligibility status for Plan It before making a Transaction that you intend to set up as a Plan. Refer to clause 2 (above) for more clarity on how to check your eligibility for Plan It. You can also contact Customer Services for more information.

9. I am no longer eligible to set up a Plan. Will my existing active Plan(s) be affected?  

If you are no longer eligible for Plan It, your existing Plans will not be affected and will continue. You can also continue to view your existing active Plans in the Mobile App and Online Services.

10. Why am I not eligible for Plan It?  

Your Card Account eligibility depends on an assessment of eligibility criteria reviewed periodically and is subject to change over time. In order to retain your eligibility for Plan It, your Card Account must remain in good standing. AEME reserves the right to determine the eligibility of a Card Member as per internal policy and guidelines.

Setting up the Plan

11. Are there any minimum or maximum Transaction amounts required to use the Plan It feature?  

Yes, there is a minimum Transaction amount that applies to the Plan It feature, and this amount can be found on the Plan It page. You may also refer to the most recent communication you have received from AEME regarding this Plan It feature.    

12. Can my Plan request be approved before I make a Transaction?  

No, a request to set up a Plan can only be initiated after an eligible Transaction has been reflected in your Card Account. Prior to making a Transaction that you intend to set up as a Plan, please ensure you check your eligibility for Plan It in the Mobile App or Online Services.

13. What will happen to my Credit Limit if I convert a Transaction to a Plan?  

When you convert a Transaction to a Plan, the Total Plan Amount will be deducted from your available Credit Limit. Your Credit Limit will be progressively restored with each Monthly Plan Payment made towards the Total Plan Amount.

14. What happens to my Transaction once the Plan is set up?  

When a Plan is set up, the original Transaction will be reversed and appear as a credit on your Card Account in your 'Unbilled Transactions'. The Monthly Plan Payment will be charged at the same time and appear as a debit Transaction, and your Credit Limit will be reduced by the full Total Plan Amount.  

15. Where can I view the Monthly Plan Payment, Plan It Interest and options for Tenors, before setting up a Plan?  

On the ‘Create a Plan’ page, navigated to from ‘Plan It’ under ‘Services’ in the Mobile App or Online Services, you will be able to see any eligible Transaction to set up as a Plan. As soon as you select a Transaction to set up as a Plan, you will be able to view the corresponding Plan It Interest payable as part of the Monthly Plan Payment for the different Tenor options before you click to confirm the setup of the Plan.

16. Where can I view details of my requested Plans? How will I know if my request to set up a Plan was completed?  

Your Plan requests will appear under the ‘In Progress’ Plans in the ‘Plan It’ page under ‘Services’ in the Mobile App and Online Services. A Plan request could take up to forty-eight (48) hours to be processed. Once the Plan is approved, it will appear under ‘Active Plans’ on the same page of the Mobile App and Online Services.

17. Can I cancel a request to set up a Plan?  

You will only be able to cancel a Plan request if it is not processed by AEME (i.e. it is still shown as ‘In Progress’ in the ‘Plan It’ page of the ‘Services’ section in the Mobile App and Online Services). To assist you with cancellation, please contact AEME by calling the number on the back of your Card.

18. Can I change the Tenor of my Plan once the Plan is approved by AEME?  

The Tenor cannot be changed once the Plan is approved by AEME and if it is showing as ‘Active’ in the ‘Plan It’ section of the Mobile App or Online Services.

19. When I convert a Transaction into a Plan, will I lose the Membership Rewards® (“MR”) points earned?  

No, you will retain any applicable MR points you earned. You will not earn additional MR points upon setting up a Plan or when the Monthly Plan Payments are paid.  

20. What happens to the Cash Back I have earned on the Transaction that is set up for a Plan?  

On Cards eligible for a Cash Back benefit, there is no change to the cash back earned on the Transaction when an eligible Transaction is set up as a Plan.  

21. Is the calculation of FeeBack impacted by the setup of a Transaction as a Plan?  

For Cards eligible for FeeBack, eligible Transactions that are set up as a Plan will still be used in calculating the FeeBack, subject to the terms and conditions of the FeeBack feature (available on our website).  

Managing your Plan

22. What is the principal repayment?  

The principal repayment is the Monthly Plan Payment excluding the Plan It Interest component. Whilst the interest amount decreases over the period of the Plan, the principal repayment amount increases, so that the Monthly Plan Payment amount remains equal for each month of the Tenor of the Plan.

23. Is there interest charged for using Plan It? Where can I view this interest rate?  

Yes, the interest rate that could be charged for a Plan is displayed on your Card's Schedule of Fees and Charges (available on our website). The applicable Plan It Interest rate on your Transaction will also be displayed for you when you select an eligible Transaction to set up as a Plan in the Mobile App or Online Services. The interest rate will remain fixed for the Tenor of your Plan.

24. How is the Plan It Interest calculated?  

Interest is calculated based on the Reducing Balance method. On a monthly basis, the interest rate will be applied to the remaining principal of such Transaction as it reduces each month (i.e. as each scheduled Monthly Plan Payment is charged to your Account). This means that the amount of interest that you pay, as a proportion of your Monthly Plan Payment, will decrease over the Tenor of the Plan.  

For illustration purposes, the table below shows an example of how a Transaction of BHD 1,200 could be repaid over three (3) months if the monthly interest rate is 1.5%. In this example, the Total Plan Amount is BHD 1,236.179 over the period of 3 Months.

For each month of the Tenor, Plan It Interest is calculated by multiplying the “Plan It Outstanding Amount” by the annual monthly interest rate.

25. How is my Monthly Plan Payment charged? When will it be charged? When do I need to settle the Monthly Plan Payment?

When you set up a Plan, your Monthly Plan Payment will be charged to your Card Account and added to the Minimum Payment Due each month in your monthly Statement of Account, for the duration of your Tenor. You must pay your Monthly Plan Payment every month during the Tenor of your Plan, including the Minimum Payment Due for any other Transaction which was not converted to a Plan. Please see 27 (below) for the consequences of not paying the full Monthly Plan Payment.

26. When do I need to pay the Monthly Plan Payments?  

Your Monthly Plan Payment will be included in the Minimum Payment Due as shown on your monthly Statement of Account, and this amount must be paid before the Due Date as reflected on your Statement of Account.

27. What happens if I miss a payment of a Monthly Plan Payment?  

You must pay your Monthly Plan Payment every month during the Tenor of your plan. If you miss a payment, your Monthly Payment Plan will be added to the Minimum Payment Due of the next month and become due for payment in the subsequent Statement of Account. You will also be charged a Late Payment Fee.

If you fail to pay the Minimum Payment Due by the Due Date in two (2) consecutive months during the Tenor of your Plan, your Card Account may go into default. All outstanding Monthly Plan Payments, excluding Plan It Interest, will become due in the following month’s Statement of Account and may then attract fixed monthly Interest Charge, calculated on a daily basis.  

All above fees and charges are detailed in the applicable Schedule of Fees and Charges of your Card.

28. How are the payments on my Card applied to my Monthly Plan Payments? What happens if I overpay on my Monthly Plan Payment?  

When you make a payment, it will first be applied to the Monthly Plan Payment, and then towards repayments of other amounts that are due, as specified in the Card Member Agreement (available on our website).  

Any excess payment that might result in a credit balance on your Card Account will be allocated to your billed and unbilled Transactions, as specified in the Card Member Agreement.

29. Can I pay for Monthly Plan Payments using ‘Select & Pay with Points’?

You cannot pay for Monthly Plan Payments using your MR points.

30. I cannot see my future Monthly Plan Payments in the New Balance on my Statement of Account. Where can I view this?  

The New Balance on your Statement of Account does not include unbilled Monthly Plan Payments.

You can view details of the remaining balance of your Plans either as part of the details of the Monthly Plan Payment billed to your Statement of Account or under ‘Active Plans’ on the ‘Plan It’ page under ‘Services’ in the Mobile App and Online Services.  

31. Why is there a difference in repayment amount for my final Monthly Plan Payment?

Monthly Plan Payments will be charged equally each month in amount except for possibly the final Monthly Plan Payment, which may be adjusted to allow for rounding off the interest charged on the Plan due to the actual number of days.

Closing your Plan

32. How do I know if my Plan is closed?  

The Plan will automatically close when all payments towards Monthly Plan Payments have been billed to the Statement of Account. Monthly Plan Payments that are unpaid will remain due.

33. Where can I view my closed Plan(s)?  

Details of your closed Plan(s) is displayed under ‘Closed Plans’ in the ‘Plan It’ page under ‘Services’ in the Mobile App and Online Services for six (6) months from the date of the closure of a Plan.  

34. Will AEME be able to close a Plan if there are any Monthly Plan Payments due?

AEME reserves the right to close a Plan before completion of the Tenor at its absolute discretion, or in the event of misuse or breach of the Card Member Agreement.

If the Card Account is closed or cancelled involuntarily prior to billing of the Total Plan Amount, AEME will close the Plan and the remaining Total Plan Amount will be immediately due and payable.

35. I have received a refund or chargeback for a Transaction which was converted to a Plan. What happens to my existing Plan?  

If you receive a refund for a Transaction that was converted to a Plan, the Plan will not automatically close. Please call Customer Services using the number on the back of your Card to close the Plan. If you receive a Chargeback for a Transaction that was converted to a Plan, AEME reserves the right to close the Plan without informing you. You will receive a credit adjustment for all Plan It Interest that you may have already paid.

36. I want to close a Plan before the Tenor is completed. How do I do this? Is there a fee for closing a Plan before the Tenor is completed?  

If you decide to close your Plan before the end of the term of a Plan, any unpaid Monthly Plan Payments (excluding any Plan It Interest) will be billed to your Card Account. This amount will form part of your New Balance on the Statement of Account and will be due by the Payment Due Date.

You should contact AEME if you wish to close a Plan early. You will receive an email to enable you to confirm the details of closing your Plan. You may also be charged a Plan It Closure Fee on the remaining Monthly Plan Payments (excluding any Plan It Interest). For further details, please refer to the Schedule of Fees and Charges applicable to your Card, available on our website.  

For illustration purposes, the table below is an example of how the Plan It Closure Fee will be applied for a Card Member residing in Bahrain. For the avoidance of doubt, the percentage (i.e. %) values used are for illustration purposes only and are based on an early closure fee of 1% (1.10% inclusive of VAT). The actual early closure fee is specified in the Schedule of Fees and Charges.

Example Plan It Closure Fee table:

This Card is issued by AMEX (Middle East) B.S.C. (c) pursuant to a license from American Express.

American Express is a registered trademark of American Express.

AMEX (Middle East) B.S.C. (c) is regulated and licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain as a Financing Company.