Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: San Francisco (Marin County), CA
Programs: UA Global Services, AA Lifetime ExecPlat, LH Senator, SQ PPS Solitaire, Hyatt Courtesy Card
Posts: 3,003
Both my and my wife's leases were up; we had got 2x MB platinum Amex and had the $1,000 certs in hand. I negotiated very hard (GREAT prices right now - and great money rates on leases...), got a GL sticker 75,185 dealer invoice 70,684 and negotiated them to 66,684, applied cert for 65,684. Got a GLK sticker 49,226 dealer invoice 46,341 and negotiated them to 43,841, applied cert 42,841
Just want to report that (1) it definitely did work to not mention the cert to the very, very end then they did deduct it from what I negotiated without giving me any grief (I assume they get the $1K back from some central money pool and that it doesn't matter to them...but the same...I was 10% worried about getting some grief after negotiating hard); and (2) having bought many Mercedes over the years, I do think this is a very good time (until Jan. 3).
Then I took our 2x $100 accessory cert to the accessory window and spent them!
All in all this is a great card so far. ^