> I'm not sure whether my spend justifies the $195 fee

You can get $100 back as gift card to amazon and other places. You need to use MPX app to do so. See thread below
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...s-ua-only.html

Alternatively, you could redeem for GC to some other airlines. See similar dedicated threads to the topic in this subforum.

> "Old Blue Cash", PRG, or neither?

When people ask such questions, I'm like, why not try PRG? The AF is waived. You get 50k MR after 1k spend. You get $100 GC this year. Now, should you choose to cancel the card next year, you can get another $100 GC before cancellation. All in all, you get 50k MR + $200 GC for free.

That value is going to outdo whatever reward you can accumulate from expenses. And the best part is, you don't have to use PRG after 1k spend. I still use other cards for restaurants, airlines, and whatnot. You can earn far better than 2x MR at gas or supermarket. I can do better than 2x MR at restaurants.

But of course your view might be different than mine. I'm just here to collect that bonus whereas you seem to be looking for a keeper card.