American Express Membership Rewards - Help me replace my Green card.

I have a green premium credit card

I also have a blue cash flexability to spend over time credit card.

I like the Green card but this month my annual fee comes up of 95 dollars. I don't mind spending that amount if I'm going to get 95 dollars of services, rewards or perks.

But it seems that American express gives this to you because they know you won't use it. purchase protection 24 hour road side service. they won't give me dining resorvations, I don't mean a concierge just somebody to help cardmembers get dining resorvations since were going to be paying an annual fee. it's no real big deal. on my Capital 1 visa card I get a concierge. no 450 dollar annual fee.

I don't travel on business so I don't want any Delta card, Hilton Jet blue or starwood preferd. these would be appropiate for my accountant.
I don't like costco so I don't want a aqua costco/American express card. the Blue cash card is more like a Discover card.
I don't want the platinum card or gold rewards or there basic gold being theres no reason to pay those annual fees since I don't travel.
I have a perfect Discover card I also have a perfect Visa, I'm looking for a perfect American express card.

a card that a executive of Federal express, Minolta, geiger lumber ect would carry? Anybody have any suggestions?

I like my blue cash card but I'm not going to keep it. I will give it a year to try out and see if I like it.

...I don't travel...

Welcome to Flyertalk. If this were 100% true I doubt you would have joined this site. Our discussions of credit cards are primarily focused on travel-related rewards and benefits, because Flyertalk is a travel site. Do you make leisure trips? What are your preferences when you do travel?

flexability to spend over time credit card.

If you are not paying your card bills in full each and every month you shouldn't be looking at any card from American Express or any rewards card from any issuer. Find a card with the lowest APR, most likely from a local credit union.

Mia yes I do travel once a year. in March I went to Chicago.
in March of 2012 I will be going to Florida.

with my bluecash card I get 6 months intrest free.

I just thought I would break up the 2 differences between credit cards.

premium green,gold platinum

flexability to spend overtime blue , blue cash clear. as examples.

I have a perfect Discover card I also have a perfect Visa, I'm looking for a perfect American express card... Anybody have any suggestions?
Can you give some specific characteristics that make your perfect cards perfect that you are also looking for in an AMEX card? Are you looking for a card from AMEX or can it be a card from any bank that uses the AMEX network?

my Discover no annual fee I have the original black card , i get 5% back in rotating categorys.

My capital 1 visa i get a concierge service on this card, no annual fee I have the gold card not the blue. 1.25 miles per 1dollar I can also redem for gift cards if I wanted to. 0% foreighn transaction fee.

yes I'm looking from American express. Not a Macys American express, not a Bank of America American express.

I find the Green card fits me, But I don't want to pay a 95 dollar annual fee
unless I'm getting 95 dollars back in perks or rewards. i guess what i'm looking for is a Green card with 1 platinum card benefit.

like chase sapphire and capital1 have a couple of platinum benefits, they both have concierge service on there cards, no airport lounges but the cards don't cost 450.

There are only six American Express cards with no annual fee:

http://www304.americanexpress.com/getthecard/compare-cards/no-fee-cards

...of these I think the Hilton card (on page 2) offers the best rewards, and Hilton has a wide range of accommodations with excellent geographic coverage, but if you stay with friends when you travel this may not appeal.

seems like AMEX is one company that don't do card upgrades or changes.

my sister had the ONE CARD which used to have savings account linked to it and now they want to cancel that program and also the 1% cash back . so the card is left with no benefits. she called to change to bLUE CASH card without success, spoke to different supervisors , all said NO without new application.

tried to change tHe amex premeir rewards or the business gold but also said NO

seems like AMEX is one company that don't do card upgrades or changes.

my sister had the ONE CARD which used to have savings account linked to it and now they want to cancel that program and also the 1% cash back . so the card is left with no benefits. she called to change to bLUE CASH card without success, spoke to different supervisors , all said NO without new application.

tried to change tHe amex premeir rewards or the business gold but also said NO
They do card upgrades and product changes, but you are usually better off doing a new application so you get the new card bonus. The new cards will inherit the original membership date so if her card is one of her older cards it can help her average age of accounts if she gets a new card. It can raise her credit score.

I understand if a cardmember wants to upgrade from a Green to a gold or Gold rewards they have to wait 13 months to see if they qualify, this I understand.

But if somebody wants to go from gold rewards to green or green to zync
there already approved why does a cardmember have to wait 13 months?

I can understand having to wait 13 months upgrading but not the other way
does anybody know why this is?

theres going to be an annual fee any way why does a cardmember have to wait 13 months to change levels?

...upgrade from a Green to a gold or Gold rewards they have to wait 13 months to see if they qualify...

In fact, this requirement has little to do with "qualifying", changing from a Green Card to a Platinum card doesn't give you more spending power, only greater benefits. The requirement is driven by the Federal C.A.R.D. Act which prevents issuers from increasing the annual fee during the first year. Most issuers have interpreted this conservatively to mean that they cannot allow upgrades to cards with higher fees, and they want to be able to show that they billed the renewal fee at the same level.

This doesn't answer your question, and I have not previously heard that American Express would not permit a downgrade for the first year. I can think of a reason they would do it, to prevent customers from applying for a card with a larger bonus and then switching to a lower-priced card. (This circumstance may not apply to your card, but it could happen often enough to shape policy.) It is not unique to American Express, Chase told me exactly the same thing when I asked about changing from Ink Bold to Ink Classic.

You can still apply for a new card (lower -or- higher than the one you hold), and cancel the current card.

...theres going to be an annual fee any way why does a cardmember have to wait 13 months to change levels?
Why not replace your green card with a free Gold card with a bonus?

All you have to do is clear cookies, click on
http://www304.americanexpress.com/getthecard/learn-about/Premier-Rewards-Gold
and apply for a new card. First year no annual fee, 10k bonus points. It will have a different number than your green card but will have the same opening year.

Because the gold annual fee is 125.00 I don't travel on business.

I would like to have an executive card at the lowest annual fee.

since I have the green card, a application account mgr. told me since I already have a premium card first year free, they won't give me the gold.

This thread is almost surreal. The OP has declined all suggested cards and seems to be living in a parallel universe.

Go to a Zync. If you don't travel, then you won't really use the travel based rewards. The Zync card gives you the "prestige" of carrying an AMEX charge card with only a $25 annual fee. If you want some additional perks, you can add them on a la cart for a small fee. You probably won't be able to downgrade your Green card; you'll probably have to submit a new ap.

All of the other AMEX charge cards have higher fees, but they all feature the same no "preset" spending limit.

There is a benefit to the AMEX charge products that you aren't considering. Whether you travel or not, the AMEX ZYNC, GREEN, GOLD, PLAT, CENT all offer you a significant amount of financial flexibility that you may not otherwise have with a credit card product (by AMEX or anyone else). The ability to pay bills, incur expenses throughout the month and have them paid immediately, without having to lay out cash, essentially gives you a free 30 day money. (actually its more like 45 days with the due date and slight "grace" till payment is considered overdue.
When I initially got AMEX back in the 80's it was this feature that initially attracted me and subsequently kept me. As a small business owner, my revenue stream is not always consistent as to my cash flow. The charge products allow me to pay all of my expenses when I want and not be at the mercy of my revenue stream (On average, my revenue stream for the month is fairly predictable but it varies from month to month when I get that revenue, for example early in the month vs late in the month). So for me, since I pay in full all my credit cards every month (I don't spend what I don't have and I only leave a small balance on one card in the 1-9% range for FICO until purposes), the charge products give me tremendous flexibility. And yes, I realize that over the last few years there are now some other "charge card" options but to my knowledge most of them are business cards (Chase INK, BoA Charge MC, etc.)
Just food for thought. To me this would be worth the 95 fee alone.

Whether you travel or not, the AMEX ZYNC, GREEN, GOLD, PLAT, CENT all offer you a significant amount of financial flexibility that you may not otherwise have with a credit card product (by AMEX or anyone else). The ability to pay bills, incur expenses throughout the month and have them paid immediately, without having to lay out cash, essentially gives you a free 30 day money. (actually its more like 45 days with the due date and slight "grace" till payment is considered overdue.


That is the main attraction to AMEX for me. The points are nice, but no other credit card type product will allow me to charge as much as AMEX.

That is the main attraction to AMEX for me. The points are nice, but no other credit card type product will allow me to charge as much as AMEX.

1+

Seems like you are after just the prestige of carrying around the AMEX card with the Greek guy logo (I'm not really sure what it is)??

You haven't provided any details on how much you spend or what you spend money on? I've used the blue cash for 4 years and have gotten an average of $800 back per year, that's $3200 in free money, however it lacks some of the benefits mentioned above that a charge card has.

I recently got a AMEX PR Gold card and I'm going to try that out for two years. The way I calculate my spending and the PR Gold bonuses, I can earn enough points to convert to ANA miles to get three international tickets from SF to Japan on ANA for free. Which is about a $3000 to $4500 benefit (economy tickets since it's 5 of us going).

If you spend a lot of gas, groceries, airfare like I do then the PR gold is awesome, and you get the "prestige" of having a charge card. However I haven't impressed anyone with my gold card other than the Manager at ATT when I was ordering my iPhone 4s... Only because he already had one lol.

...Greek guy logo...

I believe you are referring to the Roman Centurion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion).

I believe you are referring to the Roman Centurion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion).

Thanks

I'm going to hold onto the green for now. But I was thinking about the Zync
for a day.

since a card member is paying 450.00 other than united and continental shouldn't they be aloud to acess with there card any airport lounge
american , virgin Jet blue ect.?
except United and continental.

since a card member is paying 450.00 other than united and continental shouldn't they be aloud to acess with there card any airport lounge
american , virgin Jet blue ect.?
except United and continental.

American Airlines lounge access is allowed for a cardmember with their Platinum or Centurion charge cards when flying on AA. For the rest, Amex either does not want to pay for lounge access or the airlines don't want to sign agreements with Amex to allow lounge access for Platinum/Centurion cardholders

American Airlines lounge access is allowed for a cardmember with their Platinum or Centurion charge cards when flying on AA. For the rest, Amex either does not want to pay for lounge access or the airlines don't want to sign agreements with Amex to allow lounge access for Platinum/Centurion cardholders

then why are travlers paying 450 for the card? isn't part of the membership fee the cost to use the airport lounges? where as a gold card and my green
which are a lot lower annual fee wouldn't cover the lounges.
other than Delta and Jet blue shouldn't platinum card members be allowed to go in the lounges at 450?

then why are travlers paying 450 for the card? isn't part of the membership fee the cost to use the airport lounges? where as a gold card and my green
which are a lot lower annual fee wouldn't cover the lounges.
other than Delta and Jet blue shouldn't platinum card members be allowed to go in the lounges at 450?

There are quite a few lounges that can be entered with the Platinum card besides Delta and Jet Blue. Perhaps researching the benefits would be of help.

Also, (most) people aren't getting the card just for lounge access, there are other benefits that come with the card.

There are quite a few lounges that can be entered with the Platinum card besides Delta and Jet Blue. Perhaps researching the benefits would be of help.

That's not what Bronson had to say.

Also, (most) people aren't getting the card just for lounge access, there are other benefits that come with the card.

like the concierge service. I get concierge service on my capital1 gold card my annual fee is 0. like room upgrades.

then why are travlers paying 450 for the card? isn't part of the membership fee the cost to use the airport lounges? where as a gold card and my green
which are a lot lower annual fee wouldn't cover the lounges.
other than Delta and Jet blue shouldn't platinum card members be allowed to go in the lounges at 450?

I'm not trying to be an @$$hole, but do you even know what the benefits of the Platinum card are? It seems like you think the only lounge benefits are access to Delta and Jet Blue lounges (does JB even have lounges??)

Among numerous other benefits of the Platinum card, the lounge benefits include access to American Airlines Admiral's Clubs, US Airways Clubs, and Delta SkyClubs when flying those respective airlines. Note that US Airways allows access to their clubs at anytime, regardless of the airline you're flying. You also get a priority pass select membership, which allows you access into numerous other lounges worldwide.

http://exploreplatinum.americanexpress.com/Benefits/Travel

I'm not trying to be an @$$hole, but do you even know what the benefits of the Platinum card are?


I had the exact same thought...

Regards

See two articles on this as well

New American Express Benefits Save Business Travelers Time and Money
(http://www.executiveroadwarrior.com/2011/04/new-american-express-benefits-save-business-travelers-time-and-money/)
and

Using American Express Platinum Benefits On the Road (http://www.executiveroadwarrior.com/2011/05/using-american-express-platinum-benefits-on-the-road/)n-express-platinum-benefits-on-the-road/[/url]

Benefits of the platinum card are airport lounges, concierge service, room up grades, purchase protection, when checking luggage platinum card members get theres free.

Benefits of the platinum card are airport lounges, concierge service, room up grades, purchase protection, when checking luggage platinum card members get theres free.

This is a sweeping over simplification.

Platinum cardholders are admitted to AA and DL lounges when flying those airlines, to US Airways lounges, and to lounges which participate in the Priority Pass network. There is no card which admits anyone to all airport lounges.

Room upgrades are offered only at hotels in the Fine Hotels and Resorts program, and only if booked through Platinum Travel Service at the FHR contract rate. Upgrades are not guaranteed.

Purchase Protection is offered with all American Express cards. The Platinum version has higher limits and covers "lost" items, but is otherwise the same as any other card.

Platinum cardholders do not receive free checked luggage on any airline. They do receive a $200 annual credit which can be used to reimburse fees paid to one airline. This could be used to reimburse luggage fees on one airline, but there are other ways to spend the credit.

then why are travlers paying 450 for the card? isn't part of the membership fee the cost to use the airport lounges? where as a gold card and my green
which are a lot lower annual fee wouldn't cover the lounges.
other than Delta and Jet blue shouldn't platinum card members be allowed to go in the lounges at 450?

Amex Plat plus supplemental cards is also cheaper than a spousal lounge membership to any of the eligible lounges and much cheaper than multiple memberships for a family the members of which each fly different airlines. The restrictions regarding operating carrier and eligible lounges are a small price to pay for the savings.

Benefits of the platinum card are airport lounges, concierge service, room up grades, purchase protection, when checking luggage platinum card members get theres free.

https://www295.americanexpress.com/cards/npz.do?pmccode=137#CARDS/137/1/0/0

Umm...ok. Read, and all will be revealed. Meaning that once you see and understand the benefits, you'll know that one can easily have the $450 yearly fee more than paid for with the services offered by The Card. :)

https://www295.americanexpress.com/cards/npz.do?pmccode=137#CARDS/137/1/0/0

Umm...ok. Read, and all will be revealed. Meaning that once you see and understand the benefits, you'll know that one can easily have the $450 yearly fee more than paid for with the services offered by The Card. :)

And...especially in your first year, since you will get $200 to spend on an airline now, and another $200 beginning January....giving you (in my opinion) $400 in very real benefits and leaving you with $50 to justify. Surely whatever bonus points you get are worth $50. Surely lounge access at just about any major airport in the world is worth $50.

FHR benefits, IF you get an upgrade, can be worth the $450 in one stay.

FWIW the FHR rate was 10 euros more than the spg rate on my last stay. 30 euros more, but got free breakfast for 3 days, a free dinner, and a room upgrade

No forex fees covers my $450, plus I don't have to pay for food and alcohol during layovers outside the US with priority pass :D

DL lounge access- Value to me- $250 (I might use the lounges 5x per year, so I'm basing on the day rate)
Airline fee credit- $200- Used mine this year on E+ upgrades
Trusted Traveler access- $100
100,000 signup bonus- Converted to 150K Skypesos- $1,500-$4,500
0 FOREX fees- $200
Concierge service- Can't put a $ value on it, but I use it.

So even without the 100k MR signup bonus, it's worth the annual fee to me. YMMV. If I travel less maybe I'll downgrade to PR Gold.