American Express Membership Rewards - Do I need an AMEX?

Hey all,

I have been thinking about getting an Amex, since it seems to have a lot of benefits but running some numbers, I'm not sure.

I have a Chase Plat Cashback card with no annual fee. I spend about $8-10K a month on it, so get about $90 a month cash back a month. I pay the balance in full each month, making interest rates a non-issue. I fly Delta 90% of the time and have CRC access already so the lounge access Amex provides is not worth anything to me. I am Avis prefered select and HH Diamond already.

Is the companion fare amex gives a one thing, or companion fare on any flight you take?

So all said, would getting an amex plat and paying the annual fee really do much for me?

Thanks for any advice.

Why not get a Delta Skymiles Amex Card. They have plenty of promotions going on year round for double miles, which could really add up at the end.

If you spend $8-10K a month, that means you would get 96,000 - 120,000 miles a year, but with promotions , you could be on the 120,000+ miles a year.

Are 120,000 miles worth more than $980. I think so ;)

If you fly that much, and get the CRC access, the Platinum card will just give you a few more perks, and the fact that MR can be converted into a multiple of other accounts.

Is the companion fare amex gives a one thing, or companion fare on any flight you take?

Usually it is for an unlimited (AFAIK) number of flights per year. But they are usually full fare and so while good if you have more than one person travelling on a work related trip they aren't so good for vacations. You can usually get two discount business/First tickets for less than that.

The 2 for 1 flights is only for International flights.

My favorite card for miles is the Starwood American Express card. Read about it on the Free Cards page of the Credit Card section of my website, Free Frequent Flyer Miles (http://www.freefrequentflyermiles.com/index.htm).