Finnair Plus - New Finnair+ partner: Amex membership rewards

You can now exchange 5 membership reward points for 4 AY points. "Finland, Sweden, Germany and Austria will launch the first phase of the global partnership agreement this week followed quickly by France, the UK, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, Thailand and Hong Kong on October 3, 2011."

I think it is not a very good exchange rate. Before it was 1 point for 4 FIM, after that it was 1 point for 1 Euro (roughly 6 FIM). After a few year's break it is now just 0.8 point for 1 euro. It is the same rate as for many other FF programmes only that 1 AY point is one kilometer and most other programmes count in miles (or Avios :p). Compared with Diners Club this is very lousy (2 points for 1 euro).

I appreciate that there is more choice to use my MR points. The exchange rate is what is, it should be compared to what one would get for that

5MR -> 4 AY+
5MR -> 4 BAEC
5MR -> 4 SKEB

I am not too good with the redemption rates/availability of different airlines - SK definitely has the advantage over AY that they don't charge YQ on rewards.

(I wish AMEX would bring back their Hilton co-branded card - that used to be good value)

I think the most direct comparison would be between oneworld awards, which are distance based in both FFPs.

BAEC: AY+:
10.000mi = 87.500MR 15.000km = 150.000MR
20.000mi = 125.000MR 35.000km = 225.000MR
50.000mi = 200.000MR 80.000km = 300.000MR

So if my calculations were correct, MR points converted to AY+ have about 55 to 67% of the value they have on BAEC, at least when used for oneworld awards.

If used for upgrades (and for the sake of comparison assuming a two-class BA long-haul flight where upgrades directly from Y to J would be possible), the rate would be 20.000-35.000 BA miles (25.000-43.750 MR) vs. 45.000-55.000 AY+ points (56.250-68.750 MR) one way - AY being roughly twice as expensive depending on the destination. Here one must remember, though, that AY+ allows upgrading any economy fare while BAEC only allows Y/B/H, so these are not directly comparable.

AY vs. BA flight rewards might tell yet another story, but all in all: It's a nice addition to the MR program, but I can't see myself converting MR points to AY+ very often. I also can't see how they are going to be competitive with AY's co-branded credit cards.

(I wish AMEX would bring back their Hilton co-branded card - that used to be good value)

I agree. But it is not very likely to happen because Scandic is not part of Hilton anymore and Hilton presence in Nordic countries is very lousy. Finnair co-branded Amex is more likely. Please Amex launch BA card with 2for1 in Finland.

I agree. But it is not very likely to happen because Scandic is not part of Hilton anymore and Hilton presence in Nordic countries is very lousy. Finnair co-branded Amex is more likely. Please Amex launch BA card with 2for1 in Finland.

BA card with 2 for 1... I'd grab that immediately!

How many membership reward points do you need to be exchanged for a Helsinki-New York return flight in Y?

According to www.americanexpress.fi

Air France/KLM 75 000
British Airways 81 500 (to be changed in November)
Delta 93 750
SAS 75 000

and Finnair 156 500 !!!

How many membership reward points do you need to be exchanged for a Helsinki-New York return flight in Y?

According to www.americanexpress.fi

Air France/KLM 75 000
British Airways 81 500 (to be changed in November)
Delta 93 750
SAS 75 000

and Finnair 156 500 !!!

On the Finnair site it says North America 125.000 in Y and 200.000 in C. (shockingly high amounts)

On the Finnair site it says North America 125.000 in Y and 200.000 in C. (shockingly high amounts)

As noted earlier 5 Amex points = 4 AY points. Therefore 156000 Amex = 125000 AY. But ridiculously high, same with upgrade, R/T to NYC 90000 Ay points!

As noted earlier 5 Amex points = 4 AY points. Therefore 156000 Amex = 125000 AY. But ridiculously high, same with upgrade, R/T to NYC 90000 Ay points!

OK my bad, I just read "points" instead of "reward points". The conclusion is the same, however

Some conclusions from this:

1. AY program is extremely poor with (most) credit cards - DC being a decent value, especially for Plats/Golds

2. almost any flight award with AY is extremely poor value as well, especially the Y awards.

In general, AY plus is a great program for people who fly paid J with AY - (even if you fly a lot paid J/F with other OW carriers AY plus is just not on par)...and use their points for upgrades. For all the rest, well...I rest my case.

I don't want to create a new topic so I bring up this one

I had my usual yearly chat with AMEX CS yesterday about waiving the yearly fee for my Amex Gold - they said that since spring 2011 they have a new policy to (automatically?) waive the fee for the main card if the yearly spending is over 15k€ but are not allowed to waive the fee for the companion card. After some more discussion she agreed to waive it as well "this one time". ^

This is a welcome change, no need to remember to call them every year :)

You got the companion card fee waived as well? Damn, I had about 25k of usage on the card(s) and still couldn't get the companion card fee waived.

I'll get about 30k this year so should get the main card fee waived easily, but if I won't get the companion card also, then I'll just forget AMEX. I got plenty of other cards to use...

btw. I didn't get the impression that the main card fee is automagically waived.

Slightly OT but:

AX plat travel insurance will be drastically changed on 20th Jan 2012. It used to be not bound to purchasing the tickets using the very physical card of the insured. After that date the travel must be paid at least 75% by the card for the insurance to be in effect. This leaves me practically (almost) uninsured during work related trips paid by my employer (and with significantly worse insurance conditions).

Slightly OT but:

AX plat travel insurance will be drastically changed on 20th Jan 2012. It used to be not bound to purchasing the tickets using the very physical card of the insured. After that date the travel must be paid at least 75% by the card for the insurance to be in effect. This leaves me practically (almost) uninsured during work related trips paid by my employer (and with significantly worse insurance conditions).

Really makes the insurance much less attractive - I have to thin if I want to continue paying €550:- per year... Thanks TTL for informing us, haven't heard anything from Amex about this.

Really makes the insurance much less attractive - I have to thin if I want to continue paying €550:- per year... Thanks TTL for informing us, haven't heard anything from Amex about this.

Got a letter this week informing about the changes. Really drastic change and makes one wonder if the Plat is worth the money. Priority Pass cost 399, you can change rewards to airmiles, but I think the insurance has been the best part. Not any more. And they talk about 75% of travel expenses (flights, accomodation) has to be paid with AX, but what if there are no flights involved or hotel does not accept AX or you use airmiles, none of these are mentioned on the terms and conditions found on web....?

Got a letter this week informing about the changes. Really drastic change and makes one wonder if the Plat is worth the money. Priority Pass cost 399, you can change rewards to airmiles, but I think the insurance has been the best part. Not any more. And they talk about 75% of travel expenses (flights, accomodation) has to be paid with AX, but what if there are no flights involved or hotel does not accept AX or you use airmiles, none of these are mentioned on the terms and conditions found on web....?

I called Amex this morning and after 20 minutes of listening to elevator music I got through to an agent. She was very understanding (good agent) but had no answers to why this decision was taken. According to her if the trip is paid with miles then the insurance is not valid.

I asked that somebody with more knowledge of this insurance/decision would call me as I have more questions regarding this. This is a very stupid decision by Amex as much less "prestigious" cards as Nordea Visa or MasterCard Gold both have a quite ok insurance which is valid also when the trip is not paid with that card. I am going to ask if they are willing to compensate current owners somehow for this decision - won't be holding my breath though.

As I am finally earning my *G I will think through very hard if I really need the Plat anymore. Lounges through *G, insurance through Nordea Visa Gold, points earned through... maybe SK MasterCard (Any other ideas for best mileage earning card in Finland?). I can live without concierge service anyway, can book restaurants myself.

As I am finally earning my *G I will think through very hard if I really need the Plat anymore. Lounges through *G, insurance through Nordea Visa Gold, points earned through... maybe SK MasterCard (Any other ideas for best mileage earning card in Finland?).

Not too many choices

- with SK EB Diners you get access to Diners lounges (and also a MC) - but the talk over at the EB forum is, that free access is history for SE/DK members, so who knows how long it will stay in Finland. So far both AY and DC websites market strongly the free lounge access.

- AY DC - more points, but it's a black art of comparing the value of SK points to AY points :eek:

- AY Visa (Gold) - with Gold you get 10k points every year, but costs 90€ more than plain vanilla

- AX - so far I've been happy with them, though over the years (decades) it got weaker and weaker. First the AY co-branded card went, then the Hilton co-branded, now we're stuck with MR - which is not too rewarding but offers flexibility for redemptions


At the moment AX Gold is my main card, AY Visa is for where AX is not good and AY DC for the sign-up bonus and the occasional lounge access. But as I am losing all status with AY soon but am about getting SK Gold, I may as well switch over to the SK co-branded ones soon

Not too many choices

- with SK EB Diners you get access to Diners lounges (and also a MC) - but the talk over at the EB forum is, that free access is history for SE/DK members, so who knows how long it will stay in Finland. So far both AY and DC websites market strongly the free lounge access.

- AY DC - more points, but it's a black art of comparing the value of SK points to AY points :eek:

- AY Visa (Gold) - with Gold you get 10k points every year, but costs 90€ more than plain vanilla

- AX - so far I've been happy with them, though over the years (decades) it got weaker and weaker. First the AY co-branded card went, then the Hilton co-branded, now we're stuck with MR - which is not too rewarding but offers flexibility for redemptions


At the moment AX Gold is my main card, AY Visa is for where AX is not good and AY DC for the sign-up bonus and the occasional lounge access. But as I am losing all status with AY soon but am about getting SK Gold, I may as well switch over to the SK co-branded ones soon

Thanks WilcoRoger for your analysis! I have been relatively happy with Amex over the years, especially with the Hilton co-branded, but recently I feel that their service has gotten much worse - Amex moved their customer service to Sweden and after that I had big problems with automatic payments of my bills that took three months to finally fix. I had paid everything in time but was still getting overdraft bills for no reasons. Also their stop service was really bad after my wife lost her purse, the service agent spoke really bad Finnish and couldn't even find my wife's details.

If I choose to cancel Plat - maybe Amex Gold could be good as then I'd also have less demands on service. Or SAS MasterCard.

I'll report on the response I hopefully get from Amex later today (or after Christmas).

Thanks WilcoRoger for your analysis! I have been relatively happy with Amex over the years, especially with the Hilton co-branded, but recently I feel that their service has gotten much worse - Amex moved their customer service to Sweden and after that I had big problems with automatic payments of my bills that took three months to finally fix. I had paid everything in time but was still getting overdraft bills for no reasons. Also their stop service was really bad after my wife lost her purse, the service agent spoke really bad Finnish and couldn't even find my wife's details.

If I choose to cancel Plat - maybe Amex Gold could be good as then I'd also have less demands on service. Or SAS MasterCard.

I'll report on the response I hopefully get from Amex later today (or after Christmas).

I have sent e-mail to Amex asking explanations on insurance policies, will report when/if i get answers. I haven't heard that their customer service is in Sweden, but if so, one more reason to quit Plat.

Really bad news if we lose benefits. Amex plat. is already an expensive card to use with yearly fee of 550€. Are FHR hotel bookings available for Amex Golds as well? Cause this is pretty much only benefit I use.

Hello,
This same letter arrived to me last week. Unfortunately. This was a big devaluation for Amex Plat, as we pay 550 € for the card!

Which was strange, they had little different rules compairing to UK: One must pay 75% from the trip with amex (or with MR points), then the insurance will cover as it just do now. In UK one must pay with amex BUT if you can not use amex (like in some travel agencies), it is still covered by the amex insurance...

I called Amex to find out few things:

- What about business trips, when your company will reserve and pay your trip?
- If using points (else than MR) for flights and hotels, what then? Will the insurance cover, if I use the points, transferred from MR to any frequent flyer or hotel program...

They could not answer any of these questions... ... ...
Also gave complaints about the plat program in Finland, it is not worth of 550eur!

Lookin for other card as well, unfortunately there are not so many options here in Finland, but MC Plat and Black Diners. Looking forward for those, any comments?

My suggestion is that we all call amex about these changes and give them pressure to make the card better in the future!

I think I pay a little bit less than 100e for my travel insurance per year from Tapiola (covers max 3month long trips). What additional stuff you get with extra 450e you spend on AMEX plat?

I'v AMEX Gold, MC Gold and S Visa. All "free" (except see my previous post about AMEX) and would not pay for any of them since I don't see any extra value in them. But maybe I've overlooked something useful?

My suggestion is that we all call amex about these changes and give them pressure to make the card better in the future!

Exactly - I'll give them a call today!

Exactly - I'll give them a call today!

Looking forward to hearing what they tell you. I gave them a call five days ago and after a resultless discussion asked for a manager to give me a call... still waiting for it. Not impressed. :td:

Looking forward to hearing what they tell you. I gave them a call five days ago and after a resultless discussion asked for a manager to give me a call... still waiting for it. Not impressed. :td:

I asked about insurance coverage when flights bought with FF-points and hotels bought with Hotel rewards - they answered that in those cases insurance is not valid :td::td:

I asked about insurance coverage when flights bought with FF-points and hotels bought with Hotel rewards - they answered that in those cases insurance is not valid :td::td:

Thanks Amex... :td:

Did you ask anything about possible compensation to current clients?

Looking forward to hearing what they tell you. I gave them a call five days ago and after a resultless discussion asked for a manager to give me a call... still waiting for it. Not impressed. :td:

Did they ever call you back?

I sent e-mail just before Christmas asking about insurance terms, no answer so far, called them this week Tuesday, the person I talked with said they would give me an answer no later than next day, but no reply has come! Not even to tell you they are dealing with the queries.

This is how much they care for their loyal customers.

Did they ever call you back?

I sent e-mail just before Christmas asking about insurance terms, no answer so far, called them this week Tuesday, the person I talked with said they would give me an answer no later than next day, but no reply has come! Not even to tell you they are dealing with the queries.

This is how much they care for their loyal customers.

Called them on December 23rd and was promised a callback. As I never received it I sent them an e-mail on January 4. Still no answer. Customer care at its finest... :td:

Quite a few friends and acquaintances have Plat and are very disappointed with this decision. I know some who already have changed to Gold and others who are thinking of either changing or even cancelling Amex.

The reason why we haven't gotten any answers could be damage control on Amex side, they need to decide how they will reply to all of us so that we all will get the same answer. I just don't think they should wait for too long! I will give them a call mid next week again anyway if I haven't received answer by then, will keep you posted.

Well, still no answer from Amex so I called the customer service to ask what's happening. I spoke with a very nice lady who said that the insurance decision had been a big surprise for customer service too and that they have been flooded with questions and comments. She also mentioned that most of the questions have been forwarded to higher levels and that those questions still remain unanswered. So I guess Amex is in damage control mode and they still haven't decided what to answer us clients.

It will be interesting to see how they will respond. If they really care for us profitable clients they would cancel the insurance decision, if they don't care that much they would probably offer us a lower yearly fee or some MR-points. I can't belive that they would let this decision be without some compensation to the clients.

Well, still no answer from Amex so I called the customer service to ask what's happening. I spoke with a very nice lady who said that the insurance decision had been a big surprise for customer service too and that they have been flooded with questions and comments. She also mentioned that most of the questions have been forwarded to higher levels and that those questions still remain unanswered. So I guess Amex is in damage control mode and they still haven't decided what to answer us clients.

It will be interesting to see how they will respond. If they really care for us profitable clients they would cancel the insurance decision, if they don't care that much they would probably offer us a lower yearly fee or some MR-points. I can't belive that they would let this decision be without some compensation to the clients.

I have just this afternoon received a respond to my e-mail I sent Amex just before Christmas. In short they say:
- the insurance terms are final
- if travelling domesticly, travel must include air + pre-booked accomodation
- if abroad, also other means of transportation are ok
- if accomodation is free (with friends/relatives), it is ok
- if travel abroad or dometicly is less than 24 hours, no accomodation needed

On all cases 75% of travel and accomodation (=unless with friends/relatives) must be paid by amex.

They did not answer to my question about accomodtions not accepting amex, for instance if you rent a villa, you hardly are able to pay by credit card, and for sure not amex.

Also they said if you want to cancel your amex, you may do so and will receive refund of the unused time. This is how they said that there will be no reduction on the yearly fee of 550€. Absolutely no compensation for this drastic change on insurance policy, thus meaning they do not care what you do.

I'm pretty sure I'll cancell my card.

I will not cancel. I consider "member since 92" too valuable to loose. Work related travel is on employer´s expense, so the delays are no big deal and do not have any checked in luggage usually. Apparently I will have to be more active in using the card for leisure travel... The black card should be available in Finland soon and I rest my faith in the travel insurance coming along with that and the €5grand annual fee :p. Black Diners travel insurance demands 100% of the costs to be paid by the very same card and the fine print along with compensations looks much worse.

All in all, the Amex service is going down. Most aggravating factor is the telephone contact nowadays. I hope they could in the future keep the plat line clear of any number tapping and add some priority in answering. 4 to 5% overhead in spending should well cover those expenses.

I do not know if it is a personal perk but my Hilton gold membership has been going on for year after year even though not reaching the 15 stay limit every year. I suspect plat Amex (and once without asking terminated Hilton Gold Amex side card) may have something to do with that... The same thing with black Diners and the AY club membership, which was a nice gesture!

The black card should be available in Finland soon and I rest my faith in the travel insurance coming along with that and the €5grand annual fee :p.

The black card has been "available" for years in Finland, although only by invitation. As far as I know, the black AmEx is invitation only worldwide.

All in all, the Amex service is going down. Most aggravating factor is the telephone contact nowadays. I hope they could in the future keep the plat line clear of any number tapping and add some priority in answering. 4 to 5% overhead in spending should well cover those expenses.!

If you press 0 before entering your card number it should go directly to agent. This is what they told me when gave complaint about dialing 20 numbers before answering phone.

I'm pretty sure I'll cancell my card.

I'm really interested to see how they will reply to my query.

We did several RTW trips recently and I gave them an example, the easiest one. We had an incident during that trip where we used Amex insurance.

The example trip included flights booked with credit card, with frequent flyers, and an RTW ticket but the actual trip used only 4 of the total 16 flights. We chartered a plane in Namibia for a day. The safari lodges often included all the meals and safari drives -- if not payable by Amex, they are pretty expensive compared to an ordinary accommodation-only hotel cost that takes Amex. We booked flights and accommodation on the go -- it took a month or two after we returned to know the total cost. A dozen different currencies make it even more interesting to calculate.

Or what about a cruise to Antarctica where accommodation is part of the total cost that includes everything..

If one books an all-inclusive packaged holiday the 75% rule is easy but if one actually travels, it's a nightmare.

Thanks to Platinum, got a MPC Gold card....

Thanks to Platinum, got a MPC Gold card....

Is your Platinum through Amex Finland or maybe UK?
Have never heard of anything such with Amex Finland....
Its only SPG Gold (which is renewed regardless of use) and that's it.
Hertz No. 1 Gold etc. you can get easily from elsewhere as well.

The offerings in Finland are very very limited....

Is your Platinum through Amex Finland or maybe UK?
Have never heard of anything such with Amex Finland....
Its only SPG Gold (which is renewed regardless of use) and that's it.
Hertz No. 1 Gold etc. you can get easily from elsewhere as well.

The offerings in Finland are very very limited....

My card is from AX Finland, but MPC was through AX UK. Instructions from Amex MR forum or PM me.
From AX Finland you got nothing, ever.

Hi all,

I just registered to follow up on the Amex insurance changes that are now in effect. There aren't many sites you can discuss this change on..

Effectively I just lost my travel insurance. To me it seems that Amex (or rather its insurance partner, whoever that is at the moment) can finetune its T&C to its liking however and whenever it pleases.

What's the point of having an insurance that only works in certain conditions - if your trip is paid with an Amex card for atleast 75% of its worth. How the heck do they even define a "trip", in my opinion it'll include trains, buses, taxis etc too.

So fellow FT amex cardholders, what do we do? go on strike?

Effectively I just lost my travel insurance. To me it seems that Amex (or rather its insurance partner, whoever that is at the moment) can finetune its T&C to its liking however and whenever it pleases.

So fellow FT amex cardholders, what do we do? go on strike?

Welcome to the Forum! There are lots of other things to discuss as well ;)

But, an effective measure would be to keep the card and reduce its use to minimum. That way Amex will receive least revenue. I have been doing that for a while now. And certainly have let the Amex customer "service" know why that is.

Edit: Where I think Amex Finland does its best to devalue the card, is the desperate and cheap pushing of Gold card to every passer by at Helsinki airport. Perhaps they would need some refocusing of the putative clientele. But with the current state of affairs, I am afraid Amex is a dying brand.

Hi all,

I just registered to follow up on the Amex insurance changes that are now in effect. There aren't many sites you can discuss this change on..

Effectively I just lost my travel insurance. To me it seems that Amex (or rather its insurance partner, whoever that is at the moment) can finetune its T&C to its liking however and whenever it pleases.

What's the point of having an insurance that only works in certain conditions - if your trip is paid with an Amex card for atleast 75% of its worth. How the heck do they even define a "trip", in my opinion it'll include trains, buses, taxis etc too.

So fellow FT amex cardholders, what do we do? go on strike?

Welcome remymartin to FlyerTalk!

Welcome to the Forum! There are lots of other things to discuss as well ;)

But, an effective measure would be to keep the card and reduce its use to minimum. That way Amex will receive least revenue. I have been doing that for a while now. And certainly have let the Amex customer "service" know why that is.

Edit: Where I think Amex Finland does its best to devalue the card, is the desperate and cheap pushing of Gold card to every passer by at Helsinki airport. Perhaps they would need some refocusing of the putative clientele. But with the current state of affairs, I am afraid Amex is a dying brand.

I have both ringed and e-mailed Amex twice regarding this and have been promised answers by customer service - though no answers have been forthcoming to my (admittedly) quite detailed insurance questions. Unbelievably bad customer care, I guess I will send an e-mail to Amex country manager Tommi Lassila at some point but I wonder if I ever will get an answer from him either.

Unfortunately the credit card market is really lousy in Finland and there aren't any great alternatives now when Amex has joined the race to the bottom...

Thanks guys!

I'm not sure 550e a year for *not* using the card is worth it. Priopass and spggold are good, but maybe not that good.

I totally agree re service - I called the concierge recently for a restaurant reservation (romantic evening with the lady) and some of the suggestions I got I wouldn't go to even if the meal were free!

Do you guys have separate travel insurances as well or how do we sort this insurance thing out?

I think I pay a little bit less than 100e for my travel insurance per year from Tapiola (covers max 3month long trips). What additional stuff you get with extra 450e you spend on AMEX plat?

I'v AMEX Gold, MC Gold and S Visa. All "free" (except see my previous post about AMEX) and would not pay for any of them since I don't see any extra value in them. But maybe I've overlooked something useful?

Any comments for this? I'm wondering if I missed some important benefit of AMEX plat...

edit: hmm... I think also my Master Gold has a travel insurance.

The benefits were Plat card for self + spouse + Gold cards for 5 kids with the same charge, 2 PriorityPass prestige cards (free entrance to PP lounges for self + spouse, unlimited number of occasions) and the hotel loyalty card benefits (for me HH Gold, for someone else SPG Gold).

The travel insurance used to be the thing. All the cardholders were covered irrespective of travel arrangements and payment types. The insurance benefits were also outstanding compared to rival card´s insurances. Of course, if you pay your travel with Plat card, this will not change - although I have not yet gone through all the fine print in the new terms and conditions.

The benefits were Plat card for self + spouse + Gold cards for 5 kids with the same charge, 2 PriorityPass prestige cards (free entrance to PP lounges for self + spouse, unlimited number of occasions) and the hotel loyalty card benefits (for me HH Gold, for someone else SPG Gold).

The travel insurance used to be the thing. All the cardholders were covered irrespective of travel arrangements and payment types. The insurance benefits were also outstanding compared to rival card´s insurances. Of course, if you pay your travel with Plat card, this will not change - although I have not yet gone through all the fine print in the new terms and conditions.

+ the stop service / key chain thing which I quite like.


You can get both the HH and SPG gold cards. The SPG Gold doesn't expire but HH is more aggressive - I lost both the Gold status and all my points when I didn't use it for over 6 months.

+ the stop service / key chain thing which I quite like.


You can get both the HH and SPG gold cards. The SPG Gold doesn't expire but HH is more aggressive - I lost both the Gold status and all my points when I didn't use it for over 6 months.

How/why did you lost your points? Together with the status, or why?
My HH gold is expirint next month and I do not want my points to get lost...

What is stop service / key chain??

What's the point of having an insurance that only works in certain conditions - if your trip is paid with an Amex card for atleast 75% of its worth. How the heck do they even define a "trip", in my opinion it'll include trains, buses, taxis etc too.

So fellow FT amex cardholders, what do we do? go on strike?

Amex doesn't seem to know themselves how the 75% works.

What happens if you spend frequent flyer miles on a ticket and pay the remaining taxes and charges on Amex. Is that 100% or is that something else.

Sometimes you pay the accommodation when you check out and American Express is not the most accepted card in the world. Bad luck with the accommodation and the total can easily drop below 75% even if you bought the flight with Amex.

Amex has managed to kill the premium image for the card with a single strike. I know at least a dozen fellow card holders who are about to cancel their card.

What is stop service / key chain??

Report all your credit card numbers to the service provider. Loose your wallet after having had one too many and get all your cards cancelled just by one phone call.

But what if your wife just had confiscated your wallet and went to sleep to another room? Or if you have just misplaced one of your cards?

stop service is as described above.

The key chain thing is an anonymous key chain which you attach to your keys, and if lost and found by someone else, the finder gets some cash and you get your keys anonymously. I think it's a rather good idea.

HHonours, not sure if the two incidents are connected. I've found that HH points are lost when Hilton decides to lose them. Some people have lost millions of points, eek!

My HHonours card was renewed and as I didn't have enough stays to qualify as a *blue*. I haven't used my card since...

Amex doesn't seem to know themselves how the 75% works.

What happens if you spend frequent flyer miles on a ticket and pay the remaining taxes and charges on Amex. Is that 100% or is that something else.

Sometimes you pay the accommodation when you check out and American Express is not the most accepted card in the world. Bad luck with the accommodation and the total can easily drop below 75% even if you bought the flight with Amex.

Amex has managed to kill the premium image for the card with a single strike. I know at least a dozen fellow card holders who are about to cancel their card.


Agree 100%

BTW, I just found out what you meant with the phone calls - 30 numbers to get to talk to an agent, incredible!!

I talked to a very nice agent. When I asked what happens when a hotel doesn't accept AMEX she replied (very nicely) "we've been instructed to say book hotels that accept amex"!

Amex doesn't seem to know themselves how the 75% works.

What happens if you spend frequent flyer miles on a ticket and pay the remaining taxes and charges on Amex. Is that 100% or is that something else.

Sometimes you pay the accommodation when you check out and American Express is not the most accepted card in the world. Bad luck with the accommodation and the total can easily drop below 75% even if you bought the flight with Amex.

Amex has managed to kill the premium image for the card with a single strike. I know at least a dozen fellow card holders who are about to cancel their card.

Got an e-mail from Amex, with no answers regarding tickets bought with frequent flier miles when taxes are paid with Amex... Instead they recommended that I contact the insurance provider myself!

I sent a quick response with unanswered questions and wrote that I expect to be contacted instead, either by the insurance company or by Amex... Let's see if it takes another five weeks.

I was also told that the reason for this enhancement is to make people use Amex more, and anyway that Amex Plat is so much more than just a credit card with insurance.

Amex hasn't made my any happier today anyway. I am in NYC at the moment and have been doing little shopping (not much). My card was then declined at Macy's with a purchase of ~250 USD. I had to call Amex in Finland to clear out this mess as they didn't think that they should call me if they have suspicions of card fraud...

Why oh why is there no other prestige credit card in Finland... /Rant off

Have now received an further e-mail from Amex explaining that:
- if hotel does not accept Amex, and thus not paid by Amex, insurance is not valid
- for car rental insurance to be valid, 75% of rental fee needs to be paid with Amex in addition to 75% of the flight and hotel, if one of these are not fullfilled, insurance is not valid
- if you take a cruise less than 24 hours, insurance is not valid
- if you pay by air miles, insurance not valid unless 75% of those points are transferred from Amex MR-points (+ there has to be that Amex paid hotel)
- Amex is not going to lower the annual fee, it will remain 550 euros

Just got a new Nordea (bank) MasterCard Gold that has an insurance valid abroad always when I travel without needing to pay anything with that card. Although some of the benefits on that insurance are not as good, they are still very good. And the card costs me nothing!

Just got a new Nordea (bank) MasterCard Gold that has an insurance valid abroad always when I travel without needing to pay anything with that card. Although some of the benefits on that insurance are not as good, they are still very good. And the card costs me nothing!

I totally forgot that I have this card (as it is non-point earning anywhere, it's been in the drawer for a long time) and that it has insurance. Should look into it again. Though a normal travel insurance is very-very cheap if it is part of your home insurance, so I haven't paid much attention to those provided by CCs.

Have now received an further e-mail from Amex explaining that:
- if hotel does not accept Amex, and thus not paid by Amex, insurance is not valid
- for car rental insurance to be valid, 75% of rental fee needs to be paid with Amex in addition to 75% of the flight and hotel, if one of these are not fullfilled, insurance is not valid
- if you take a cruise less than 24 hours, insurance is not valid
- if you pay by air miles, insurance not valid unless 75% of those points are transferred from Amex MR-points (+ there has to be that Amex paid hotel)
- Amex is not going to lower the annual fee, it will remain 550 euros


How strange... I was told yesterday that if I pay with frequent flier miles the insurance is valid if at least 75 % of flight taxes and other charges are paid with Amex. So the answer I got is totally diffrent from the answer you got.

How strange... I was told yesterday that if I pay with frequent flier miles the insurance is valid if at least 75 % of flight taxes and other charges are paid with Amex. So the answer I got is totally diffrent from the answer you got.

The use of reward miles was not on the e-mail I got yesterday, but about 3 weeks ago they said they need to be transferred from Amex MR.... Go figure?

Today they sent yet another e-mail saying their earlier info on car rentals was false... If you rent a car and 75% of it is paid with Amex, the car part of the insurance is valid even if no flights or hotels are involved, but I presume only the car part.

The use of reward miles was not on the e-mail I got yesterday, but about 3 weeks ago they said they need to be transferred from Amex MR.... Go figure?

This is exactly the same answer I got on phone. If you have transferred your MR points e.g. to BA or AY and pay with miles, 75 % is counted of points you have converted within validity of miles. I thought this was clear but unfortunately no. We need to have a solved case reference from the insurance company.

Any good ideas where to transfer my CCs? I would like to continue earning points but with better benefits. UK?

This is exactly the same answer I got on phone. If you have transferred your MR points e.g. to BA or AY and pay with miles, 75 % is counted of points you have converted within validity of miles. I thought this was clear but unfortunately no. We need to have a solved case reference from the insurance company.

Any good ideas where to transfer my CCs? I would like to continue earning points but with better benefits. UK?

In Finland I would stick to AX. In UK you have a bunch of other options, including AX as well. Unfortunately they all require UK residence

EDIT: I just looked up the Nordea MC Gold insurance terms - not bad at all. They even have a Purchase Insurance, which can be very useful - and all this without any fees! ^

http://www.nordea.fi/Henkil%C3%B6asiakkaat/Kortit+ja+maksut/Kortit/Korttivakuutukset/997442.html

Nordea MC Gold looks pretty standard in it terms. Ålandsbanken seems to have the best terms in their premium cards.

But has anyone found any alternatives (in Finland) for the Amex Plat rental car coverage?

Sorry to bring up this old thread, didn't want to start a new one.

Until the end of June AMEX Finland offers 30% bonus on MR transfer to BAEC Avios, so the original 5:4 ration goes 5:5,2

I'll probably transfer a chunk, a these rates it's about 1,3 Avios/euro spent

Sorry to bring up this old thread, didn't want to start a new one.

Until the end of June AMEX Finland offers 30% bonus on MR transfer to BAEC Avios, so the original 5:4 ration goes 5:5,2

I'll probably transfer a chunk, a these rates it's about 1,3 Avios/euro spent

Definitely an interesting offer. As I haven't transferred anything yet and don't have status with BAEC what's a good chunk to start with? Also, I'm gutted by the fact that I won't get points when using points..

I wonder how many cancelled their amex cards due to the insurance? I did :)

I wonder how many cancelled their amex cards due to the insurance? I did :)

I didn't, as there just aren't any other CC competitors (for me) in this market. Or am I missing something?

I'm about to cancel Amex, will keep thru summer as I have some bookings made before the change and therefore old insurance terms valid....

With new bookings, the Amex insurance is worthless (=with my travel patterns never valid), only perk for me is Priority Pass and BAEC Avios transfers.... So maybe a little hesitation about canceling.

Nordea MasterCard Gold gives you almost as good insurance as Amex used to and that card does not cost a penny (if Nordea client, maybe need to be the so called "avainasiakas"). Nothing needs to be paid with the card for the insurance to be valid.

I didn't, as there just aren't any other CC competitors (for me) in this market. Or am I missing something?

It depemds on ones needs but diners gives 2-3 ay- points per euro spent entry into some lounges etc I find that a good value but petsonally i credit most points to SK as they also offer better value then AY

It depemds on ones needs but diners gives 2-3 ay- points per euro spent entry into some lounges etc I find that a good value but petsonally i credit most points to SK as they also offer better value then AY

That's true, but I wouldn't compare Diners and Amex Plt as I feel they're different products. Amex offers interesting programmes in travel (FHR, comp'd SPG, Hilton, Carlson, PP) that I have not come across elsewhere. And they have the restaurant programme which I have had success with especially abroad, lesser and lesser in Finland though.

That's true, but I wouldn't compare Diners and Amex Plt as I feel they're different products. Amex offers interesting programmes in travel (FHR, comp'd SPG, Hilton, Carlson, PP) that I have not come across elsewhere. And they have the restaurant programme which I have had success with especially abroad, lesser and lesser in Finland though.

they have a diners premium maybe thats more on par with platinum but with the change in insurance I do NOT see a value worth 550€ but maybe some do :) the diners costs me ZERO € and mastercards also ZERO € as well as VISA gold ZERO € so for amex to charge 550€ I would expect more value for my €'s


just my two cents

That's true, but I wouldn't compare Diners and Amex Plt as I feel they're different products. Amex offers interesting programmes in travel (FHR, comp'd SPG, Hilton, Carlson, PP) that I have not come across elsewhere. And they have the restaurant programme which I have had success with especially abroad, lesser and lesser in Finland though.

oh and also a side note hotel programs are easy enough to match to for instance SPG Hilton Carlton all give gold cards to various card holders and gold members :)

oh and also a side note hotel programs are easy enough to match to for instance SPG Hilton Carlton all give gold cards to various card holders and gold members :)

Do you have examples? My HH gold turned blue while it was dusting away..

Do you have examples? My HH gold turned blue while it was dusting away..

Carslon definitley matches easily - I got Gold for my IC Plat

HH - they had (?) a campaign for certain Visa holders for comp Gold. For a long time it was enough to feed the first 4 digits of an eligible card :)

Marriott gives 90 day Gold/Plat challenges - if you have some upcoming stays it's worth to aski it, even though you will not (re)qualify

Sofitel gives Plat to all comers, so does Best Western

(View from the Wing has details, I got some of these from there)

It depemds on ones needs but diners gives 2-3 ay- points per euro spent entry into some lounges etc I find that a good value but petsonally i credit most points to SK as they also offer better value then AY

In general you are right. But on the Diners front, AY wins - I value 2-2,5 AY points/€ spent higher then 1 EB points/€

I wonder how many cancelled their amex cards due to the insurance? I did :)

I did not, as I found a nice way to get Marco Polo Gold card through Amex Platinum. Also some trips already booked before the insurance policy was changing.

However, they are already increasing the Platinum fee in UK and I am just waiting their turn in Finland as well. If the fee will be increasing, then bye bye platinum...:td:

I wonder how many cancelled their amex cards due to the insurance? I did :)

Some of my friends cancelled their cards. I instead changed my previous Platinum to a new Platinum where I pay €390:- per year - this is a co-branded Platinum card with a private club, all regular Platinum advantages/rules apply.


I did not, as I found a nice way to get Marco Polo Gold card through Amex Platinum. Also some trips already booked before the insurance policy was changing.

However, they are already increasing the Platinum fee in UK and I am just waiting their turn in Finland as well. If the fee will be increasing, then bye bye platinum...:td:

Saturne-79, did you get Marco Polo Gold through your Finnis Platinum or with UK Platinum? If Finnish then I'd be very interested in hearing how you did it?

Some of my friends cancelled their cards. I instead changed my previous Platinum to a new Platinum where I pay €390:- per year - this is a co-branded Platinum card with a private club, all regular Platinum advantages/rules apply.


Saturne-79, did you get Marco Polo Gold through your Finnis Platinum or with UK Platinum? If Finnish then I'd be very interested in hearing how you did it?


Who has co-branded platinum in Finland? How to apply it?

I did it through UK platinum website. I asked about that from Finland as well, but they where unaware of this or any other promotions...

Who has co-branded platinum in Finland? How to apply it?

I did it through UK platinum website. I asked about that from Finland as well, but they where unaware of this or any other promotions...

Co-branded cards offered to public are at least offered through Evli, Mandatum and Ålandsbanken.

And naturally Finnish Amex has many less promotions that the US, UK etc... :td:

Until the end of June AMEX Finland offers 30% bonus on MR transfer to BAEC Avios, so the original 5:4 ration goes 5:5,2

Just had a transfer - the AMEX CS said it takes 5-10 days to show up on my BAEC account, it was there within 24 hrs ^

I don't want to create a new topic so I bring up this one

I had my usual yearly chat with AMEX CS yesterday about waiving the yearly fee for my Amex Gold - they said that since spring 2011 they have a new policy to (automatically?) waive the fee for the main card if the yearly spending is over 15k€ but are not allowed to waive the fee for the companion card. After some more discussion she agreed to waive it as well "this one time". ^

This is a welcome change, no need to remember to call them every year :)

Just called them to have the fee waived on my (main and only) card, customer rep said it was impossible to do and claimed that they had received strict orders from the "head office" that the fees must be collected.

Or actually she said first that they've never waived fees except for some old cards that had been issued with this kind of terms, and even that had ended at least a year ago; when I pointed out that they have waived fees more recently than a year and for normal cards without any special terms, she told about the head office orders which I think she said have been in effect since [this year's?] spring.

I can't say if there really is a new unbreakable head office rule that forces them to rather lose a customer than waive the fee (although it was a bit odd that she didn't give this reason until later during the call), but have any FTers over here had recent experiences about a change in the rules?

I told her I'll have to think whether I want to keep the card after this (which is the truth - with all other cards I have, I'm not sure if Amex is worth keeping if I have to pay for it).

Call again hope for another agent

In the worst case ask the agent to give you an AMEX plat with the first year fee waived :)

(I find it funny, that AMEX charges a membership fee - the 15k € minimum spend I mentioned earlier in the thread generates them about 500€ in merchant fees)

Just called them to have the fee waived on my (main and only) card, customer rep said it was impossible to do and claimed that they had received strict orders from the "head office" that the fees must be collected.

I got similar information a few days ago.

She agreed to send me a gift card (60e? I can't remember) as a good will gesture and I'll keep the Plat card until end of the year (paid until then already). I don't really see much reason to keep the Plat card with the current benefits, though.

Call again hope for another agent

In the worst case ask the agent to give you an AMEX plat with the first year fee waived :)

(I find it funny, that AMEX charges a membership fee - the 15k € minimum spend I mentioned earlier in the thread generates them about 500€ in merchant fees)

I probably will call again, but by that time I must have made the decision if I'm willing to pay the fee, or if I'll tell them I want to cancel the card (and be ready to follow through with that) if they don't budge.

I see the smiley, but do they actually have promo campaigns running at the moment that they could offer a plat (or gold) card with no fee for one year? That would be one solution even if it only puts off the problem until next year...

I have just the green card (didn't see the point of applying and paying for anything more than that), and while I didn't quite reach 15k€ I was not that far from it either, with average spend over 1k€ per month. That must make them several hundred euros of revenue every year, which they apparently are willing to give up for 75€.

I mainly have the card for MR points (the other benefits are nice extras but not something I'd be willing to pay for). I already did the maths before applying for the card, with the assumption that with some decent spend I can get the yearly fees waived, but if that's no longer the case then the card doesn't seem worth keeping. If I could put some 10k€ more through the card each year then maybe, but paying the fees for what I collect currently (while foregoing the benefits I can have by putting the same spend on other cards) just does not seem like a good deal.

Has anyone been successful in getting the fees waived during the past few months?

Quote from Amex Sweden Facebook site:

"Till dig som är medlem i Membership Rewards - just nu får du 50 % mer Finnair Plus-bonuspoäng för dina Membership Rewards-poäng. Erbjudandet gäller överföringar 28 nov-17 dec 2012. Läs mer här http://amex.co/T9kCQF"

This would be a nice promotion in Finland as well....

Quote from Amex Sweden Facebook site:

"Till dig som är medlem i Membership Rewards - just nu får du 50 % mer Finnair Plus-bonuspoäng för dina Membership Rewards-poäng. Erbjudandet gäller överföringar 28 nov-17 dec 2012. Läs mer här http://amex.co/T9kCQF"

This would be a nice promotion in Finland as well....

Wow! The grass really is greener on the other side!

Rumour has it that starting Monday there would be xx% bonus for MR transfers to BAEC, too. Interesting to see, if also FI cards are included (in June they were)

EDIT - the campaign is on, but not for Finland :(

To bring up this again.

Had a chat with CS yesterday. It turns out, that they cannot waive fees for partner-cards anymore (70€ for Gold) but they don't charge the 170€ for the main card "because your card have the old terms that we don't give anymore" The "old terms" turned out to be the 15k€ p.a minimum spending. In contrast to previous years, the main card yearly fee wasn't charged at all, only that of the partner card.

I asked to upgrade to Plat, but she said they cannot waive the 550€ p.a. fee for plat. No way I'll pay that.

As it is now, having dumped Sampo's AY Visa, I only pay for Amex as DC comes for free (AY Gold perk) MC comes for free (SK Gold perk and Nordea key customer perk) The SK-MC co-branded is nopt strictly free, as it comes with a 2€ invoicing fee :td: so it's a 24€ fee p.a.

That's interesting.

It would be impolite to say the customer service lied to me, but at least they seem to give different information to different people.

I wonder if the fee waiver policy for the green card is similar (and with what minimum spend?)

I didn't get around to leveling out my MR balance and cancelling my card yet, but have to consider it again when the next yearly fee comes up.

It used to be 15ke for Gold and 7,5ke for Green. Last year they didn't waive the fee for the partner card anymore and I cancelled the partner card and also jumped over to DC as my/our main card. As a result I had <15ke and they wanted the 170eur for my card for 2013 and I just cut the card in half..done with AX for now. To me they tried all tricks like giving discount on the fee, restaurant vouchers, hotel vouchers....I just couldn't bother...AX is nothing special anyway (in Finland) and I would never pay anything to use their card = giving business to them!

BTW: those 15/7,5ke "deals" seem to be history now..only valid for old customers...but you never know what is the reality as AX clearly tells different stuff to people...last year when I cancelled the partner card they said to me that "no one gets partner cards waived anymore" - total b*****t..not the kind of customer service you'd expect to get from a world class?? brand like AX..shameful, actually..

Thanks NoWindowSeat - I think I had something like 14k on the green card last year when they said they can't waive the fee (and tried to make me believe they have never waived fees).

Did the "old" customers get the 15k/7,5k deal formally offered by Amex at some point? If there was no formal agreement, I wonder why they would still continue to give it to "old" customers, and where indeed does the line between "old" and "new" go - or is it just a story they're making up for those who ask.

Oh, and missed this part - so they did offer to give a discount on the yearly fee? That could be an option if it's a substantial discount.

Oh, and missed this part - so they did offer to give a discount on the yearly fee? That could be an option if it's a substantial discount.

I can only speak from my personal experience but the 7,5/15k deal was verbal "deal" - nothing official.

This year (for 2013) they suggested to reduce my Gold card yearly fee to 100 (or was it down by 100 to 70, can't really remember) euros and they also first tried to offer hotel and restaurant vouchers (if I would have paid the full 170eur). Seems that AX Finland is pretty desperate with keeping the customers but they have strong corporate rules regarding the yearly fees...they are full secured profit to them so can understand why.

Maybe if they came out with the SAS Amex or other cobranded card that offered some REAL benefits in return for the yearly fees they might attract more members willing to pay... So far in Finland the signup bonuses and special offers are pretty weak :(

The last good thing they had was the Hilton card before they killed it 3-4 years ago. It started at 1 FIM=1 HHpoint. Those were the days...

I got my amex bill today (which is nice as my due date for the bill is tomorrow...) and there was a information that in Finland you are no more able to get Hilton Gold card with your platinum card. This ended 31.12.-12.
So now there is only SPG gold and ClubCarlson what you can get with new platinum card.

These perks are not listed on the Amex FI site at all.

Carlson Gold is not much of a perk as they seem to match all comers. SPG Gold is nice

Hilton gold card offer was good for one year only. Have to earn it the hard way in Europe. Requirements for gold and diamond also went up this year :(

It's been discussed to death but I cannot do anything but wonder why on earth would someone pay 550eur for the AX PLT in Finland..maybe just for bragging purposes?

It's been discussed to death but I cannot do anything but wonder why on earth would someone pay 550eur for the AX PLT in Finland..maybe just for bragging purposes?

The MR earning is somewhat better than with Gold.

I don't know if the concierge service is of any value to some - I have the gut feeling that Finns are not very good at using such a service.

The insurance - well, it's been discussed here, that it's been downgraded

So I agree - I see no 550€ value for the card over a free Gold. If you have a partner card AND don't get the Gold free, the equation is somewhat different, partner card being free with Plat: 550€ vs 240€ (170€+70€)

I tried to negotiate (well, not really negotiate, just asking over the phone) for getting it free, they declined.

Bragging purposes of course, and it is also nice to have in the card member since 92, to distinguish from the new money ;). Those days even obtaining the green card required considerable earnings and had to be demonstrated by sending in a tax statement.

Travel insurance used to be good. And still is good when buying the leisure travel using the card. Partner card is nice. Five additional gold cards are nice.

And particularly nice is the free PP prestige for two people.

Conversion rate to BA Avios is also tolerable, sometimes with bonus offers, even good.

Style begins with shiny shoes, nice watch, and classy plastics!

Bragging purposes of course, and it is also nice to have in the card member since 92, to distinguish from the new money ;). Those days even obtaining the green card required considerable earnings and had to be demonstrated by sending in a tax statement.


I absolutely love your honesty and attitude! Not all things in life need to make practical/financial sense! ^

I thought it was Carlson Silver Elite, not gold? And that was valid for only 6 months :td:

In e.g. the UK you still get the A-Club Plat card with AX Plt. I don't know why they axed it here.

Just got snailmail today.

Summary:

Priority Pass now free for first guest too ^
Comp'd Accor LeClub Plat card
100€ credit when booking from their travel magazine
Preferred Golf programme
Price now 700€ effective 15th May :td::mad:


Customer service isn't that great these days and the insurance programme was severely diluted this year. I don't see the additions explain the price increase. :td:

Something more yet:

AA Admirals club / US Airways Club / Delta Sky Club entrance for plat card holder + two guests.

Apart from Accor Plus Plat, also SPG Gold for plat card + partner card holders.

Something more yet:

AA Admirals club / US Airways Club / Delta Sky Club entrance for plat card holder + two guests.

Apart from Accor Plus Plat, also SPG Gold for plat card + partner card holders.

True, missed the lounge access updates.

SPG Gold has been around for as long as I remember, but is the partner card a new benefit?

Also noticed the Carlson card is now Gold Elite instead of Silver Elite ^ but HHonors Gold has been dropped altogether :td:

SPG Gold is good.

Carlson is also good, but for that you don't need a 700€ fee AMEX, roughly said it is enough if you have a golden video rental card, they'll match it :)

Accor Plat is given away nearly continously, also no reason for 700€ outlay of money

Price now 700€ effective 15th May :td::mad:


You're kidding right? :eek: Now who would pay 700€ to use a plastic? :confused:

You're kidding right? :eek: Now who would pay 700€ to use a plastic? :confused:

One can get Amex plat USD card from the UK for "only" 550usd :) still 423€ is better then 700!!! Too bad theres no great alternatives in Finland that offer value for use...

One can get Amex plat USD card from the UK for "only" 550usd :) still 423€ is better then 700!!! Too bad theres no great alternatives in Finland that offer value for use...

True no value here in Finland. Maybe it isnt all that easy for a Finn to get the card in the UK or USA without some sort of residency in these countries. No? :confused:

The US card is actually 450usd. Meaning we now pay DOUBLE!

True no value here in Finland. Maybe it isnt all that easy for a Finn to get the card in the UK or USA without some sort of residency in these countries. No? :confused:


I meant the EUR or USD international card thats available even for Finnish residents!!

The 700€ MIGHT be okay if the family cards were also platinum not gold...

Over all I am fearful that gold fees will rise too... Now that Diners is useless in Finland not many options left ;)

Over all I am fearful that gold fees will rise too... Now that Diners is useless in Finland not many options left ;)

... then back to the basic MC and Visa :D

Now that Diners is useless in Finland not many options left ;)

What do you mean, what has happened?

What do you mean, what has happened?

Sorry I mean the so called basic Dinersclub card I wasnt very clear. If you do NOT cobrand the card with AY or SK (both programs I have effectively abandoned lately) there is no possibility to earn miles in Finland from Dinersclub, atleast as far as I can see from their web site... I have a AY Dinersclub but I will change that to the SK one just for lounge access till next year when my SK gold expires, I wont be renewing my SK gold as flying ZERO miles on SK 2013.

Would be good to see Diners have miles redemption possibilities with more then 2 airlines in this day and age, but as stated many times on this forum the possibilities offered in Finland are dismal at best :)

... then back to the basic MC and Visa :D

I was just looking at the amount of cards both basic gold/platinum :D and thinking I really need to consolidate as who really needs every possible card in their wallet :D I have both platinum Mastercard and Gold and have not used it for ANY purchase in over 2 years but since their is no fee I keep it... go figure, I have used the AY/SK cards but now I am scrambling to look for alternatives :(

I wont be renewing my SK gold as flying ZERO miles on SK 2013.

Would be good to see Diners have miles redemption possibilities with more then 2 airlines in this day and age, but as stated many times on this forum the possibilities offered in Finland are dismal at best :)

I fly very little on SK, but since Lufthansa made SEN practically unattainable (100% earnings on discount biz fares :td:) I put all *A flights to SK (and hope they'll survive) - they provide the best value for redemptions ex-FIN (think low intra-Scandinavia redemptions, think no-YQ)

My main program is BAEC and earning Gold there makes *G a very hit and miss affair even with SK - I'll just make it this month with only 1 week to spare.

When my AY gold expires, probably I'll give up Diners as well. I very rarely use its lounge access. The 2,5 AY+/€ points are good(ish) with no yearly fee, but once down to 2x and yearly fee, not worth keeping it.

My setup will be Amex as all-round card - the MR program is actually quite good and an SK cobranded MC for when Amex is not accepted.

Yes, when it comes to co-branded cards, we are even worse off than the Swedes are, and they aren't much spoiled either.

I fly very little on SK, but since Lufthansa made SEN practically unattainable (100% earnings on discount biz fares :td:) I put all *A flights to SK (and hope they'll survive) - they provide the best value for redemptions ex-FIN (think low intra-Scandinavia redemptions, think no-YQ)

My main program is BAEC and earning Gold there makes *G a very hit and miss affair even with SK - I'll just make it this month with only 1 week to spare.

When my AY gold expires, probably I'll give up Diners as well. I very rarely use its lounge access. The 2,5 AY+/€ points are good(ish) with no yearly fee, but once down to 2x and yearly fee, not worth keeping it.

My setup will be Amex as all-round card - the MR program is actually quite good and an SK cobranded MC for when Amex is not accepted.

Yes, when it comes to co-branded cards, we are even worse off than the Swedes are, and they aren't much spoiled either.



Sk redemtions are good, however the customer "service" to Finns is a joke now a days. After a super bad experience
I complained but got no satisfaction so I made it clear I wont spend 1€ on them until such time as they rectify it, ive kept my end of the bargain, now I just have to spend my stash :)

I recently changed my OW program to AA, so far im happy as even the lowest finnair fares gets 100% earnings. TK replaced SK for me time will show if it was worth it.

Its too bad AY doesnt put more into its own program, I will lose my AY gold in may...

Sk redemtions are good, however the customer "service" to Finns is a joke now a days.

Service? What a strange word - I think I might have heard it somewhere...

I got totally p--sed off a few years back when it turned out that in FI they provided only a 0600 number - it was nearly 10x cheaper to make an international call to their STO number. They simply couldn't understand why this would upset anybody.

AA is not good for me as I never fly their metal, so no status. BAEC gives me emerald for the same amount of flying where I'd get (maybe) AY+ sapphire

Service? What a strange word - I think I might have heard it somewhere...

I got totally p--sed off a few years back when it turned out that in FI they provided only a 0600 number - it was nearly 10x cheaper to make an international call to their STO number. They simply couldn't understand why this would upset anybody.

AA is not good for me as I never fly their metal, so no status. BAEC gives me emerald for the same amount of flying where I'd get (maybe) AY+ sapphire


Luckily AA counts codeshares as flying on their metal :)


I tried BA but no status match nor challenge so not willing to start from scratch :) I fly generally back of the plane with sn occassional visit to the otherside so status cards make a huge difference formy flying experience, now I just have to figure out how to get AA miles from a credit card in Finland :) but I guess I have strayed waaaaaay off course for this thread so I do apologize to other readers :)

Luckily AA counts codeshares as flying on their metal :)


I tried BA but no status match nor challenge so not willing to start from scratch :) I fly generally back of the plane with sn occassional visit to the otherside so status cards make a huge difference formy flying experience, now I just have to figure out how to get AA miles from a credit card in Finland :) but I guess I have strayed waaaaaay off course for this thread so I do apologize to other readers :)

Agree with you AA is the best OW programme for us who can still slum in Y! Now what I really dream of is AX opening up transfers to AA!

Agree with you AA is the best OW programme for us who can still slum in Y! Now what I really dream of is AX opening up transfers to AA!

Now that would indeed be great! I would deginately keep AX then. Who knows maybe well get lucky? A station manager in FRA hinted that tge aa flight hel-ord might become year round maybe if that happens theyll get on AX's radar :)

Technically you can get AA miles for your AX FI spending - run it through either Club Carlson or Hilton Honours. The rate is so poor though, that it would make no sense at all.

Now that would indeed be great! I would deginately keep AX then. Who knows maybe well get lucky? A station manager in FRA hinted that tge aa flight hel-ord might become year round maybe if that happens theyll get on AX's radar :)

^ for ORD!

Sadly, transfers from AX to AA don't even exist on the other side of the pond, so that would need to change first.

Technically you can get AA miles for your AX FI spending - run it through either Club Carlson or Hilton Honours. The rate is so poor though, that it would make no sense at all.

The consensus is - if you really must, go with SPG. 1 MR => SPG 1/3 *p => AA 1.25 miles.

The consensus is - if you really must, go with SPG. 1 MR => SPG 1/3 *p => AA 1.25 miles.

Hoops, I didn't read that far down the hotel partner list, thanks!

Just a head-up - AMEX is running a campaign until 31/May. 30% bonus for transfer to BAEC Avios. 5MR=5,2 Avios

Have been witing for this since last June!

Was REALLY hoping for 40 or 50% bonus like they did to members on the other side of the pond!

You know the saying about beggars and choosers, don't you? :(

You know the saying about beggars and choosers, don't you? :(

How about this one - transfer to AA reinstated at 1:1. In celebration of this delightful event a 500% bonus during courting time! :D