LWT3

I was targeted for the 100K upgrade and took advantage of it right away. My wife was also targeted, but I held off on converting her card because I wanted to space out the timing for meeting the spend. Unfortunately, the offer has disappeared for her. Originally, it said it was good until May 4th, but it's gone. I might SM Amex to see if we can get the offer, but I wish I had just acted sooner when I had the chance.

beltway

Unless that extra hard pull is a deal-breaker, it's better to go for the signup bonus first. You can always earn that & then do an upgrade in the future, but upgrading will preclude you from earning the signup bonus for at least 7 years.

Happy

Unless the upgrade offer is the same as the sign up bonus.

I saw the 100K offer in both our AMEX offers list as versus some saw it at the top of the screen when they logged in. Last time I saw the upgrade offer was 50K only and wasn't interested.

I am up to 4 credit cards and not aware very recently the limit is raised to 5 or no limit at all. So I was glad to see the 100K upgrade offer.

Originally I wanted to wait till May but after I read the post above yours about how the 100K offer disappeared from the account of his wife, I immediately submitted the upgrade apps. Dont want to risk it being pulled from us.

beltway

I'm not following you. The options I see:Even if someone has some other reason for not pursuing option 1 right now (say, a need to prioritize Chase apps because of 5/24 rule, meaning the May 4 offer deadline may come & go), I have the impression that the Surpass signup bonus is consistently >50K.

The only case I can see for upgrading first is if one expects the future signup + upgrade combo to be worth only 100K or so.

Happy

You forget the downgrade route after upgrade. Then upgrade again. rinse and repeat. It has been done quietly and successfully. Essentially it is a 21 to 24 months cycle assuming you dont stay at the upgrade part for the full 12 months, but longer than 6 months.

beltway

I'm not forgetting it. It's the same sequence whether you do it after earning the signup bonus or instead of earning the signup bonus. The difference is that the former option also gives one the signup bonus.

Honestly, this seems to me a clear case of "Would you like to have a piece of delicious cake, or the same piece of cake plus $10?" It doesn't seem like a close call, even vaguely.

Happy

It is not as clear cut as what you claim.

There are other factors involved - for example had AMEX not recently relaxed the limit of 4 credit cards just a couple weeks ago based on a few posts, folks have 4 credit cards and need / want to keep all 4, including the no fee HH. The AF on the upgrade is pro-rated. The spend on the no fee card carries over to the Surpass and counts for the 40K spend for Diamond should one want that. The account opening date also stays the same as the existing no fee card which might be from decade back. AMEX may also arbitrary take CL away from existing card(s) to open the new card but in the case of upgrade, no reallocation of CL would happen.

Finally, and that is the critical part in this analysis - the time line is the same and that is the essence of the thing - because regardless whether you get a sign up bonus on the new card or the upgrade bonus, the timeline to get bonuses remain the same amount of bonus in the same time frame going forward. And that is the key why when the upgrade bonus is the same as the new sign up, the advantage of getting a new card no longer exists.

cmlsu

I currently have an offer to upgrade my no fee Hilton to the surpass for 75K points...up from 50K. Thoughts? I have been holding out for the 100K to come again...anybody else have offers over the 50K?

StatusChallenged

Should i keep my no-fee open for the upgrade, and close my surpass, or should I close my no-fee and keep my surpass and downgrade it?

beltway

Please don't post the same thing in multiple threads. Among other things, FT rules prohibit doing so.

(Ignore list updated.)

cmlsu

Ah, so go ahead and pull the trigger on the 75K offer...gotcha.

mpeterson78

How did you see this offer? Was it in your list of Amex Offers or do you have a link you can share to see if others are eligible for the offer? Been trying to get an upgrade offer on my no-fee Amex for months now...

cmlsu

You can typically upgrade your card, if it's old enough, through card management on your profile. However, it typically is the generic 50K offer. My 75K offer was on the list of current offers.

adobe

So I received the sign up bonuses for both the no fee and the surpass cards, and both cards are still active. The anniversary for the no fee card is coming up soon, and I am hoping to see the upgrade offer. The question is, should I close the existing surpass card before upgrading the no fee card to surpass? And will I be able to receive the upgrade bonus since I have already received the sign up bonus for the surpass card?

mpeterson78

Yes, close the Surpass card before attempting to upgrade to No Fee. And yes, you can get another bonus for the upgrade, I did the same thing just a few weeks ago. Got the Surpass with an 80K signup a couple years ago, got the no fee Amex a few months later at 50K, canceled the surpass after a year, and then a few months later upgraded the no fee to the Surpass for 50K.