Best AMEX Card(s) for Me

Old Mar 8, 2011, 2:00 pm
  #1  
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Smile Best AMEX Card(s) for Me

Greetings!

I am a new AMEX cardholder and new to the frequent flyer world as well. Currently I have a Zync card setup with a couple of packs - restaurants being the bulk of my usage. My monthly spending (barring any large purchases) is roughly $2000.

When signing up for the Zync card I did not realize that I would be limited by a different tier of the Membership Rewards program. Now that I am starting to focus on building FF miles I realize that this won't be a good card for me, at least on its own. I am hoping to find some suggestions on a card setup that will allow me to maximize my point earning. It looks like my options are limited in getting points for dining and I am not sure it is worthwhile to carry two cards (Zync/Premier Gold?) with my low spending. The current Platinum offer with Delta looks great but I'm not convinced that I would utilize the benefits of the card. I am open to using a credit card rather than charge (Delta SkyMiles, SPG, etc.) if it may be a good replacement or supplement to a Membership Rewards card.

Even in the first few months, my experience with AMEX has been incredible compared to the other CCs I carry. I look forward to building a relationship with them and want to find the best way to utilize their products.

Thank you in advance!

Last edited by orangato; Mar 8, 2011 at 2:06 pm
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Old Mar 8, 2011, 2:39 pm
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What airline do you normally fly, and/or where to? That'll help in terms of understanding your usage. Also, what hotel chain do you prefer/have status with? Do you use airport lounges? What's your tolerance for annual fees? What benefits would you use most?

Edit to add: welcome to Flyertalk, and congrats for your first post not being a gripe!
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Old Mar 8, 2011, 2:58 pm
  #3  
 
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Originally Posted by mreed911

Edit to add: welcome to Flyertalk, and congrats for your first post not being a gripe!
^

The Platinum card may be a good option, at least for the first year if you can tolerate the annual fee. If you end up using the $200 airline reimbursement, it effectively cuts the fee in half. Having it will upgrade your MR Express points to the MR First program.

After the first year, you can downgrade to the Gold Premier Rewards - lower fee but still keep the MR points. Alternately, cash in the MR points and get the SPG credit card (for point flexibility) or one of the DL cards if that is your main airline.
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Old Mar 8, 2011, 5:09 pm
  #4  
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I fly most often on Frontier out of Des Moines which is the only airline I have status on. Recently I've started to fly much more for work with my primary destination being New York but also Dallas, Detroit and New Orleans. With my minimal past usage, I would consider myself a clean slate ready to start earning miles on a major airline. Delta looks like to be a good option - I'm not excited about the prospect of flying on the new United due to O'Hare being my closest hub.

I have hotel status with Intercontinental (Priority Club) but that is all. Typically I end up in a long term stay (1-3 months) at Staybridge / Candlewood. Airport lounges have not been something I have paid to use in the past but would make use of them if it were built into a rewards program. I am comfortable paying annual fees to an extent - the Platinum is more than I would probably get value out of but I can see the benefit of having it for at least the first year. From what I've read, the airport lounge options would be pretty limited for my domestic travel.

akcae - Should I go the Platinum route I will keep those options in mind.

Definitely not here to gripe but to learn. Any and all suggestions are appreciated, I am ready to start earning miles!
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Old Mar 8, 2011, 6:25 pm
  #5  
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The Amex Gold Card gives you double miles on travel (I'm from Canada, I assume its the same in the states).. so if you are paying for travel, this feature will add up quick. Plus the gold card, you can redeem into your Priority Club I believe.. but check the ratios because if the conversion rate isn't 1 point AMEX: 10 point Priority Club, it won't be worth it.. or if you have ff#, you can transfer AMEX point 1 to 1..

The point is that the Amex Gold points are transferable to any frequent flyer program, so givest that astounding flexibility. Transfer is in increments of 100 points at a time.

btw.. Welcome to FT!
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Old Mar 8, 2011, 9:52 pm
  #6  
 
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Originally Posted by orangato
I fly most often on Frontier out of Des Moines which is the only airline I have status on. Recently I've started to fly much more for work with my primary destination being New York but also Dallas, Detroit and New Orleans. With my minimal past usage, I would consider myself a clean slate ready to start earning miles on a major airline. Delta looks like to be a good option - I'm not excited about the prospect of flying on the new United due to O'Hare being my closest hub.
Delta has the worst redemption rates of any of the airlines.

With Chicago being close, UA (and CO since they merged) and AA are both options. One thing to remember is that on AA, EVERY MILE EARNED counts towards 1MM status which gets you lifetime elite status. They're the ONLY airline that does this. Considering that you fly to DFW and NYC, that might be a good option.

If you're interested, check my blog out - I'm going to hit EXP this year for the first time, and you can see how things have worked for me on AA.
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Old Mar 8, 2011, 11:23 pm
  #7  
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Originally Posted by mreed911
Delta has the worst redemption rates of any of the airlines.

With Chicago being close, UA (and CO since they merged) and AA are both options. One thing to remember is that on AA, EVERY MILE EARNED counts towards 1MM status which gets you lifetime elite status. They're the ONLY airline that does this. Considering that you fly to DFW and NYC, that might be a good option.

If you're interested, check my blog out - I'm going to hit EXP this year for the first time, and you can see how things have worked for me on AA.
I'm considering what to do with my Delta points.. So basically you're saying that its difficult to redeem with Delta.. I assume because availability of flights are quite restricted? Sounds like my Delta points, which isn't that much anyways (about 4,500 over 3 profiles) is not useful at all..

I was going to run up some Gold Amex points and point transfer to Delta and redeem for a flight.. Probably sounds that a less likely scenario.
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Old Mar 9, 2011, 7:07 am
  #8  
mia
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Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro
...Amex Gold points are transferable to any frequent flyer program, so givest that astounding flexibility. Transfer is in increments of 100 points at a time.
We wish this were accurate, but isn't. Membership Rewards points are transferable only to a contracted set of partner airlines. Most airlines belong to one of three alliances: OneWorld, SkyTeam or Star Alliance. Membership Rewards points are transferable to at least one member of each alliance. All alliances allow redemption through one member for travel on all airlines in the same alliance. This means that Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for travel on most major airlines, but that is not the same as being able to transfer to all airlines. Understanding the alliance system and other partner reward options is essential to extracting full value from any frequent flyer program.

In the USA program Membership Rewards points must be transferred in multiples of 1,000 points.
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Old Mar 9, 2011, 1:26 pm
  #9  
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I appreciate all of the information. From an airline perspective, it sounds like I need to do more research on which is going to best fit my needs flying from DSM and will offer the most rewarding FF program.

As for AMEX, my best option for maximizing MR points seems to be combining my Zync card with the Platinum for at least a year (assuming I can still get the 50k points with already having the Zync). As best I can tell, retaining the Zync is the only way to get bonus points for the things I do most like dining out. I can see the benefits of the Gold card as well but with Zync I can hone in on my spending habits.

Just to verify, I can downgrade the Platinum to a Gold next year should I decide to consolidate my cards?

I appreciate all of your help and the warm welcome to FT!
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Old Mar 9, 2011, 1:59 pm
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Originally Posted by mia
We wish this were accurate, but isn't. Membership Rewards points are transferable only to a contracted set of partner airlines. Most airlines belong to one of three alliances: OneWorld, SkyTeam or Star Alliance. Membership Rewards points are transferable to at least one member of each alliance. All alliances allow redemption through one member for travel on all airlines in the same alliance. This means that Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for travel on most major airlines, but that is not the same as being able to transfer to all airlines. Understanding the alliance system and other partner reward options is essential to extracting full value from any frequent flyer program.

In the USA program Membership Rewards points must be transferred in multiples of 1,000 points.
Thanks for correcting my statement.. It would be a miracle if a program to cover every point loyalty program would exist.
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Old Mar 9, 2011, 2:09 pm
  #11  
mia
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Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro
It would be a miracle if a program to cover every point loyalty program...
Until c 2005 Diners Club in the USA did offer transfers to all of the mainline US based carriers: AA, AS, CO, DL, NW, UA, US plus a dozen others. However, when Diners switched from its own network to MasterCard four airlines left the program (CO, NW, UA, US). It's still a good program, and in some ways I prefer it over Membership Rewards, but they are not accepting new card applications.
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Old Mar 9, 2011, 6:57 pm
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Re: the Platinum card. I cannot imagine spending $450 for 50,000 miles from any airline, especially Delta Sky Pesos, even with the tranfer bonuses. I refuse to list it on my website, even though it would earn me mega commmissions from anyone using my link to apply for it.

There is a perfectly good 25,000 point bonus for the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express. The annual fee is waived for the first year. Points transfer to many airlines 1:1, including Delta, Continental (ends September 30, 2011), Frontier, Hawaiian, and Air Canada. Delta often offers mega tranfer bonuses. You can read about this card on my website below in the Credit Cards > Annual Fee Cards >American Express section near the bottom of the page. You can read about the bonuses for tranfers to various airlines on my Registration and Other Bonuses page.

After doing the required spend on that card, I would do further spends on the Starwood card if you want to transfer points to any airline except Continental or United. 20,000 points get you 25,000 miles. Sometimes there are bonuses for tranfers. I got a good one to U.S. Airways about a year ago. There is a regular 10,000 point bonus for getting the card. Currently you can get another 15,000 points for spending $15,000 in 6 months. There are both personal and business cards. I alternate applying for them every slightly less than 2 years (putting a charge on the one I have a month before the fee is due), to keep my points alive. Both cards waive the annual fee for the first year. You can read about these cards on my website below on the Credit Cards > Free Cards page.

There is no reason you can't get both the Premier Gold Card and the Starwood card from American Express. Then take a breath and apply for the Delta Amex card. Amex seems to have a limit of three cards at any one time.
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Old Mar 9, 2011, 8:27 pm
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Originally Posted by pgary
Re: the Platinum card. I cannot imagine spending $450 for 50,000 miles from any airline, especially Delta Sky Pesos, even with the tranfer bonuses. I refuse to list it on my website, even though it would earn me mega commmissions from anyone using my link to apply for it.
With all due respect, there are a lot of other benefits you are receiving with that $450 dollar fee than just the 50k MR.($200 credit, lounge access, decent status with National, Insurances etc.) So you can't just base it on that. Granted if you're not a traveler most of those don't matter, but worst case scenario those 50k are worth $500 therefor nullifying the fee and putting you ahead $50 for the year.
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Old Mar 9, 2011, 8:31 pm
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Originally Posted by pgary
Re: the Platinum card. I cannot imagine spending $450 for 50,000 miles from any airline, especially Delta Sky Pesos, even with the tranfer bonuses.
That's less than a penny per mile. A good deal almost anywhere. Then figure that you get $200 back in credit, so the real AF is $250, working out to half a cent per mile. Great rate.

Worst case? Use the 50,000 points to pay the AF, or to get a $500 gift card somewhere. In all, the 50,000 MR points are worth at LEAST $500.

Originally Posted by pgary
There is a perfectly good 25,000 point bonus for the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express. The annual fee is waived for the first year. Points transfer to many airlines 1:1, including Delta, Continental (ends September 30, 2011), Frontier, Hawaiian, and Air Canada. Delta often offers mega tranfer bonuses.
If you use the benefits of PLT, it's worth it. If not, PR Gold is likely the better choice. YMMV.
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