Do I still need my Amex Platinum?

[Anonymous]

I also find many places not accepting it anymore, so I also have a visa with a low fee.

I still like the plat, because all the perks generally outweigh the annual fee. For example LY I got:
-$200 travel credit
-$200 fine hotel credit
-$200 dining credit

I didn't end up using a few of the others, but just there is $600 in "Free" that offsets the fee by a lot. Also do a lot of travelling and the lounge access is invaluable! Especially long haul international flights, so amazing to be able to grab a shower and some food or have a real place to rest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

Definitely worth it for the first year bonus. The way to maximize that is through transferring the points to airline partners for booking award tickets. But it is a learning curve to figure out how to maximize that, and you need to think about which partners Amex has. Delta, British Airways and Air France are some.of the big ones.

If you are planning on holding for just one year, make sure it's open at least through the time the second year fee is charged. If you close before that they may rescind the bonus, they are getting stricter about that. You have a 30 day window after that fee posts to close the account and have the fee refunded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

I just have a blue card and can spend 5 minutes a month looking though offers and benefits for services I already use. I end up with more than $200 a year in statement credits, so I wouldn't consider that a huge benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also find many places not accepting it anymore, so I also have a visa with a low fee.

I still like the plat, because all the perks generally outweigh the annual fee. For example LY I got:
-$200 travel credit
-$200 fine hotel credit
-$200 dining credit

I didn't end up using a few of the others, but just there is $600 in "Free" that offsets the fee by a lot. Also do a lot of travelling and the lounge access is invaluable! Especially long haul international flights, so amazing to be able to grab a shower and some food or have a real place to rest.

Where did you get lounge access with a shower? That's pretty rare for the Priority Pass lounges most Plat holders will use. Usually it's only the premium airline lounges for international business class tickets that have those.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been disappointed. They charge a lot for the additional card members but they don’t get the same perks. Chase Sapphire has my interest too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

I just have a blue card and can spend 5 minutes a month looking though offers and benefits for services I already use. I end up with more than $200 a year in statement credits, so I wouldn't consider that a huge benefit.

No this is a fixed benefit that is $20/month in credits towards certain streaming and news subscription services. You have to pay the monthly fees with the Platinum card. It's not like the Amex Offers which change constantly and yes you have to check/sign up for them.

https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/reviews/american-express-platinum-card/digital-entertainment-credit/

If you use one or more of these services it's definitely valuable. But yes it requires some work and credits monthly, hence the "coupon book" line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

I just have a blue card and can spend 5 minutes a month looking though offers and benefits for services I already use. I end up with more than $200 a year in statement credits, so I wouldn't consider that a huge benefit.

No this is a fixed benefit that is $20/month in credits towards certain streaming and news subscription services. You have to pay the monthly fees with the Platinum card. It's not like the Amex Offers which change constantly and yes you have to check/sign up for them.

https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/reviews/american-express-platinum-card/digital-entertainment-credit/

If you use one or more of these services it's definitely valuable. But yes it requires some work and credits monthly, hence the "coupon book" line.

I spend more than $200 a year in streaming and end up getting statement credits that are at our around that number for streaming services. I don't see the value in that aspect. It's great if you travel a lot for the airport and hotel perks, but making the coupon book work is effort and all amex cards already have monthly offers that approximate that value

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

Definitely worth it for the first year bonus. The way to maximize that is through transferring the points to airline partners for booking award tickets. But it is a learning curve to figure out how to maximize that, and you need to think about which partners Amex has. Delta, British Airways and Air France are some.of the big ones.

If you are planning on holding for just one year, make sure it's open at least through the time the second year fee is charged. If you close before that they may rescind the bonus, they are getting stricter about that. You have a 30 day window after that fee posts to close the account and have the fee refunded.

So, let's say I transfer 150,000 points to Delta. Is that worth 6 airplane tickets (25,000 points/miles per RT) basically?

Just trying to understand how to translate the $$$ value by using with airlines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

I just have a blue card and can spend 5 minutes a month looking though offers and benefits for services I already use. I end up with more than $200 a year in statement credits, so I wouldn't consider that a huge benefit.

No this is a fixed benefit that is $20/month in credits towards certain streaming and news subscription services. You have to pay the monthly fees with the Platinum card. It's not like the Amex Offers which change constantly and yes you have to check/sign up for them.

https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/reviews/american-express-platinum-card/digital-entertainment-credit/

If you use one or more of these services it's definitely valuable. But yes it requires some work and credits monthly, hence the "coupon book" line.

Yeah, that benefit is valuable to me because I use WSJ.com, NYTimes.com, and ESPN+/Hulu. I find the Blue card benefits are often for services I don't use. I also get better overall cash back benefits from other CCs, so it is a pain to have to follow the specific offers, switch CCs, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

Definitely worth it for the first year bonus. The way to maximize that is through transferring the points to airline partners for booking award tickets. But it is a learning curve to figure out how to maximize that, and you need to think about which partners Amex has. Delta, British Airways and Air France are some.of the big ones.

If you are planning on holding for just one year, make sure it's open at least through the time the second year fee is charged. If you close before that they may rescind the bonus, they are getting stricter about that. You have a 30 day window after that fee posts to close the account and have the fee refunded.

So, let's say I transfer 150,000 points to Delta. Is that worth 6 airplane tickets (25,000 points/miles per RT) basically?

Just trying to understand how to translate the $$$ value by using with airlines.

Just to give you an idea of a simple transfer benefit, I have scheduled four first class flights on Emirates next fall. Total flight time is 43 hours. Full first class fare on those flights would be close to 50,000 dollars. Economy about 8,000 dollars. I got them for a total of 343,000 points and 2200 dollars in fees and taxes.

To make this work, it takes planning and effort. Not a huge amount, but it isn't just plug and play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

Definitely worth it for the first year bonus. The way to maximize that is through transferring the points to airline partners for booking award tickets. But it is a learning curve to figure out how to maximize that, and you need to think about which partners Amex has. Delta, British Airways and Air France are some.of the big ones.

If you are planning on holding for just one year, make sure it's open at least through the time the second year fee is charged. If you close before that they may rescind the bonus, they are getting stricter about that. You have a 30 day window after that fee posts to close the account and have the fee refunded.

So, let's say I transfer 150,000 points to Delta. Is that worth 6 airplane tickets (25,000 points/miles per RT) basically?

Just trying to understand how to translate the $$$ value by using with airlines.

Just to give you an idea of a simple transfer benefit, I have scheduled four first class flights on Emirates next fall. Total flight time is 43 hours. Full first class fare on those flights would be close to 50,000 dollars. Economy about 8,000 dollars. I got them for a total of 343,000 points and 2200 dollars in fees and taxes.

To make this work, it takes planning and effort. Not a huge amount, but it isn't just plug and play.

Got it. That's pretty cool. The 150,000 points was worth about $21,000 ($48,000 * 150,000/343,000).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

Definitely worth it for the first year bonus. The way to maximize that is through transferring the points to airline partners for booking award tickets. But it is a learning curve to figure out how to maximize that, and you need to think about which partners Amex has. Delta, British Airways and Air France are some.of the big ones.

If you are planning on holding for just one year, make sure it's open at least through the time the second year fee is charged. If you close before that they may rescind the bonus, they are getting stricter about that. You have a 30 day window after that fee posts to close the account and have the fee refunded.

So, let's say I transfer 150,000 points to Delta. Is that worth 6 airplane tickets (25,000 points/miles per RT) basically?

Just trying to understand how to translate the $$$ value by using with airlines.

Just to give you an idea of a simple transfer benefit, I have scheduled four first class flights on Emirates next fall. Total flight time is 43 hours. Full first class fare on those flights would be close to 50,000 dollars. Economy about 8,000 dollars. I got them for a total of 343,000 points and 2200 dollars in fees and taxes.

To make this work, it takes planning and effort. Not a huge amount, but it isn't just plug and play.

Got it. That's pretty cool. The 150,000 points was worth about $21,000 ($48,000 * 150,000/343,000).

If you want to do it, I would go and look at a site like 10X travel that has a free introcutory course on how to do that.

There are tricks to it and easy mistakes to be made. For example, with Amex, the order in which you obtained various cards didn't matter. Now, if you get platinum first, you won't get a signup bonus (which is where points are made) for a Gold or Green card.

Are they expensive? The cards are, but I get 1100 dollars in easy, no brainer value from my platinum every year. That isn't lounge access or searching for offers or coupons. That's 200 dollars in United flight credits, 200 in Uber credits, 100 Saks credits (gifts I would buy anyway), cell phone benefit, 200 in hotel reimbursements (this is a pain for me), New York Times is free and a couple other things. So when I say 100 dollars that is cash that I do not pay that I otherwise would have paid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

Definitely worth it for the first year bonus. The way to maximize that is through transferring the points to airline partners for booking award tickets. But it is a learning curve to figure out how to maximize that, and you need to think about which partners Amex has. Delta, British Airways and Air France are some.of the big ones.

If you are planning on holding for just one year, make sure it's open at least through the time the second year fee is charged. If you close before that they may rescind the bonus, they are getting stricter about that. You have a 30 day window after that fee posts to close the account and have the fee refunded.

So, let's say I transfer 150,000 points to Delta. Is that worth 6 airplane tickets (25,000 points/miles per RT) basically?

Just trying to understand how to translate the $$$ value by using with airlines.

Just to give you an idea of a simple transfer benefit, I have scheduled four first class flights on Emirates next fall. Total flight time is 43 hours. Full first class fare on those flights would be close to 50,000 dollars. Economy about 8,000 dollars. I got them for a total of 343,000 points and 2200 dollars in fees and taxes.

To make this work, it takes planning and effort. Not a huge amount, but it isn't just plug and play.

Got it. That's pretty cool. The 150,000 points was worth about $21,000 ($48,000 * 150,000/343,000).

Good for PP for getting those flights. But that's unusual to be able to get that much value out of Amex points, and I would argue its really inflated, because in reality PP wouldn't pay that much for those flights if the only option was cash. As a rule of thumb, if you utilize transfer partners well, you can expect to get between 1.5-2 cents of value per point. If you beat that, it's a great redemption. If you go under it, you might want to consider booking using cash and holding on to your points for the next trip. But depends on a lot of specific info. As said, this part has a learning curve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

Definitely worth it for the first year bonus. The way to maximize that is through transferring the points to airline partners for booking award tickets. But it is a learning curve to figure out how to maximize that, and you need to think about which partners Amex has. Delta, British Airways and Air France are some.of the big ones.

If you are planning on holding for just one year, make sure it's open at least through the time the second year fee is charged. If you close before that they may rescind the bonus, they are getting stricter about that. You have a 30 day window after that fee posts to close the account and have the fee refunded.

So, let's say I transfer 150,000 points to Delta. Is that worth 6 airplane tickets (25,000 points/miles per RT) basically?

Just trying to understand how to translate the $$$ value by using with airlines.

Just to give you an idea of a simple transfer benefit, I have scheduled four first class flights on Emirates next fall. Total flight time is 43 hours. Full first class fare on those flights would be close to 50,000 dollars. Economy about 8,000 dollars. I got them for a total of 343,000 points and 2200 dollars in fees and taxes.

To make this work, it takes planning and effort. Not a huge amount, but it isn't just plug and play.

Got it. That's pretty cool. The 150,000 points was worth about $21,000 ($48,000 * 150,000/343,000).

If you want to do it, I would go and look at a site like 10X travel that has a free introcutory course on how to do that.

There are tricks to it and easy mistakes to be made. For example, with Amex, the order in which you obtained various cards didn't matter. Now, if you get platinum first, you won't get a signup bonus (which is where points are made) for a Gold or Green card.

Are they expensive? The cards are, but I get 1100 dollars in easy, no brainer value from my platinum every year. That isn't lounge access or searching for offers or coupons. That's 200 dollars in United flight credits, 200 in Uber credits, 100 Saks credits (gifts I would buy anyway), cell phone benefit, 200 in hotel reimbursements (this is a pain for me), New York Times is free and a couple other things. So when I say 100 dollars that is cash that I do not pay that I otherwise would have paid.

What's the cell phone benefit? I didn't see that anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am considering one of the new member offers which gives you 150,000 AmEx miles/points after you spend like $9000.

Just curious, does Amex provide any avenues such that these 150,000 points are worth more than $.01/point?

I get that worst case, the 150,000 can be used a $1,500 statement credit (so, you come out ahead $805 for the first year)...but just wondering if that 150,000 points has a higher value, and the way you get that higher value.

It seems like the $1,500, plus the $200 in online subscription credits, plus the $200 in Uber credits, etc. definitely makes it worth it if anything for the first year.

Definitely worth it for the first year bonus. The way to maximize that is through transferring the points to airline partners for booking award tickets. But it is a learning curve to figure out how to maximize that, and you need to think about which partners Amex has. Delta, British Airways and Air France are some.of the big ones.

If you are planning on holding for just one year, make sure it's open at least through the time the second year fee is charged. If you close before that they may rescind the bonus, they are getting stricter about that. You have a 30 day window after that fee posts to close the account and have the fee refunded.

So, let's say I transfer 150,000 points to Delta. Is that worth 6 airplane tickets (25,000 points/miles per RT) basically?

Just trying to understand how to translate the $$$ value by using with airlines.

Just to give you an idea of a simple transfer benefit, I have scheduled four first class flights on Emirates next fall. Total flight time is 43 hours. Full first class fare on those flights would be close to 50,000 dollars. Economy about 8,000 dollars. I got them for a total of 343,000 points and 2200 dollars in fees and taxes.

To make this work, it takes planning and effort. Not a huge amount, but it isn't just plug and play.

Got it. That's pretty cool. The 150,000 points was worth about $21,000 ($48,000 * 150,000/343,000).

If you want to do it, I would go and look at a site like 10X travel that has a free introcutory course on how to do that.

There are tricks to it and easy mistakes to be made. For example, with Amex, the order in which you obtained various cards didn't matter. Now, if you get platinum first, you won't get a signup bonus (which is where points are made) for a Gold or Green card.

Are they expensive? The cards are, but I get 1100 dollars in easy, no brainer value from my platinum every year. That isn't lounge access or searching for offers or coupons. That's 200 dollars in United flight credits, 200 in Uber credits, 100 Saks credits (gifts I would buy anyway), cell phone benefit, 200 in hotel reimbursements (this is a pain for me), New York Times is free and a couple other things. So when I say 100 dollars that is cash that I do not pay that I otherwise would have paid.

What's the cell phone benefit? I didn't see that anywhere.

It's a cell phone loss/damage reimbursement benefit up to twice a year, if you use your Platinum card to pay your cell bill.

https://thriftytraveler.com/news/credit-card/cell-phone-insurance-protection-experience/