Hi FF4Fun, welcome to Flyer Talk!
Originally Posted by
FF4Fun
- my BAEC account is not UK-based so I can't convert the reward points into BA miles;
Firstly, you could always build up the Amex MR points and then move your BA EC account to the UK at a more convenient time in your membership year. (I.e. six months in the middle, clear of your year ends).
However, has it actually been confirmed that not having your BAEC account in the UK is even necessarily a problem?
N.b this is not the same setup as the BA Amex cards, where it is BA miles you earn directly with the card and where they are transfer to BA month by month.
- I already have travel insurance for the next 10 months so I don't need it.
Are the Amex Plat insurance benefits any better than what you have, even though you have insurance already. Many people value aspects of the hire car cover etc, I believe. Although personally, the insurance benefits arn't the attraction for me.
- I might use the points for hotels;
I think that would probably be a very poor use of them, compared to airline options. For specific advice, was there a particular hotel scheme you were interested in?
- I don't have any other amex at the moment (only HSBC premier).
I'm curious to hear from those of you who already have this card, are you happy with it? Is it really so special compared to other credit cards? What would you do in my situation?
Do you have a card that pays you something (loyalty points, cashback, airline miels, etc) on your spend? If not you REALLY should have one, assuming you pay your bills off in full it really is money for nothing and you will be surprised how much value you can get out of it over the year.
The next question then is which one you should have, as they can vary enormously in terms of how good they are. And whether you are going to be able to use the spcific scheme to your advantage or not.
Does your HSBC Premier come with Full Priorty Pass membership? Keep in mind the Amex Plat comes with that as a benefit, and like the other amex plat the fee cover the beneifts for both the card holders, so your second card holder can get their own Priorty Pass.
Have you thought of BMI diamond club as a home for the miles? If you are looking for any redemption bookings in the near future it could still make enormouse sense because the scheme is so generous.
Indeed, if someone said they didn't have any loyalty paying cards, there are only two card opportunities I tell them not to miss: 1. this time Amex Plat offer. And 2: The bmi paid card (with its own 24k BMI DC miles sign up bonus).
Whilst I wouldn't encourage people to go around just opening accounts for bonuses, I would say don't miss this bonus (and do it first) then go do the bmi card bonus before it goes.
[Would be happy to refer you for the Amex Plat if interested, but please don't feel obliged. Do your own calculations to see if it represents value for you. But make sure you have a card that pays you something... - in a scheme you will be able to use to YOUR advantage.]