Originally Posted by DJ_Iceman

Of course you're right, but to me cards like the Plat and Cent should be more about the customer than about penny-pinching on the AmEx side. Just offer generous, easy-to-use benefits and ratchet up the annual fee if necessary to keep the cards profitable.

They probably have research data that tells them how many customers they'd lose at various annual fees, and they're probably already in that sweet spot that maximizes profit. But I don't have to like it!