Originally Posted by freeflyin

SPG Amex is a great card and is fee free the first year I believe,so why not try it and see if it works for you.
My personal experiences were that is was not worth me keeping,but I would certainly recommend it if it fits your needs.

Since you want it mainly for airfare,keep in mind if your preferred carriers are CO or UA,then it is not the card for you,as they transfer at 2:1,vs 1:1 for the others.

I also carry the Costco card,which gives 2% cash back on travel,in addition to 3% for gas.I am finding myself leaning more toward cash back cards and less toward point/mileage cards,although I carry a ton of them also. If they have annual fee,I make sure I get at least the equivalent value of the fee in benefits.

I would also suggest you also get a Visa or MC as backup if you don't already have one,for the places that don't take Amex or for the times you run into trouble with Amex,as many on these boards are discovering.

Good luck with your decisions-it can get overwhelming and there is no "golden"card that fits everyone's needs.