"But then I would pass on the customer service options."

Good advice .. Touch one to hear your balance, touch two to spend more money with us otherwise hold for no assistance pretty much sums AmexUK service offering.

At 360GBP the full Platinum offering (with the extra insurance and CDW cover for USA) is looking less competitive than a roll your own package of lounge/insurance benefits.

The thing is Amex need to watch out cause plenty of us have loads of other credit cards care of the current desperate numbers game being played in the UK.

Already Hilton has moved me to Visa care of x2 promo and a affinity card .. it's not my money so the points matter more than the colour of the plastic.

RBS/Egg/others offer cash back and whilst not yet competitive to the BA/Amex it's probably only a matter of time before something beats the mileage earning potential of this card (in fact Tescos already do - 3200 miles per £1000 spend against BA/Amex 1500 miles) and now the attitude is make the 15K spend and switch away to another card cause BA Miles are not worth as much.

Of course when Amex do try and attact people to use the Plat card (the recent online promo) what happens .. they screw up.

Makes the 'Member since 86' emboss on my card more like 'Mugged since 86'. Taking the Plat card out you feel the person taking it mentally say "........ who costs me more money" rather than "spender" these days.