With the Ascend card, will additional cardholders be able to share the 10 annual Priority Passes, or are they only available for the primary cardholder? If they can be shared, must the primary cardholder be present at a PP Lounge, or can the additional cardholders use them on their own.
Ascend card members receive 10 free Priority Pass visits per year. The primary cardholder must be present and can use them with guests traveling. Once all ten are used up, each additional visit is $27.
I have a grandfathered Honors account that includes my spouse. If I upgrade to the Aspire card, will both of us receive the Diamond Status for traveling and use? I understand the other benefits are tied to the use of the card and I would need to use the card to obtain those benefits.
Diamond status with the Aspire card is given to the primary card member account.
For the: "For those of us who already have the Surpass Card do we get 10 free Priority Pass™Lounge passes to ease the airport experience? If so, when can we start using this perk? Yes, those will begin on January 18, 2018."
How will that happen? I will be traveling on Jan 18th and it would be useful to use. Will the priority pass automatically recognize that I now have this benefit?
The 10 passes are they for just myself or can I use 4 of them for companions at 1 visit?
If you are an existing Hilton Honors Surpass Card Member you will be able to start using your 10 complimentary lounge visits starting on January 18, 2018. You will not need to take any action to receive this benefit, and will receive the 10 complimentary visits with your existing Priority Pass membership card. All new Card Members (including those transferred from Citi) must enroll in the Priority Pass Select benefit, you can enroll in the new benefit on January 18th by logging into your Americanexpress.com account or by calling American Express.
The credit card reform act of 2009 prohibits a credit card company from raising an annual fee on a new credit card within that first year of having it. Even though the Aspire is offering a ore benefits than the Ascend, if someone has had the Ascend for less than a year American Express can't upgrade the card to an Aspire and the cardholder would have to apply for the Aspire card and then if approved and no longer wanted the Ascend close that out which means taking a hit on your FICO (which can be a big deal with Chase with their 5/24 rule).
If my Citi Reserve has been open for over a year and once the Ascend is issued by Am Ex will Am Ex consider the Ascend to be a new account with Am Ex thus making it ineligible to be upgraded to an Aspire for one year or will they consider they consider the date I opened the Reserve account to be the opening date (I tried calling Am Ex and they weren't sure and said I would have to wait until the new card was issued before they would have an answer). Also wondering if the date the Citi card was opened will show up on our credit reports after the takeover or if is going to show up as the Citi card being closed and the Am Ex card as being a new account.
I have the fee free Hilton Am Ex so I know I can easily convert that to an Aspire but I would rather have the Ascend card upgraded instead since I am a little nervous about the citi free night benefit not carrying over if I close the account out and I also have a lot more credit history with the Citi card than I do the Hilton Am Ex.
American Express will look at the date the Citi Hilton Honors account was opened to determine your upgrade eligibility. American Express will report the account to the credit bureaus using information provided by Citi and this is not expected to have an impact to your credit report.
Can you clarify the timing on how the certificates would work.
My Citi Reserve Anv. Month is August, and I will meet the spending requirement before the Amex Switch in January.
If I upgrade to the Aspire Card in January and get the extra Cert as you mentioned,
1. When will the Cert from the Citi card be issued? ~ January or not until August 2018?
2. When will the Amex Aspire Cert be issued? At time of Upgrade to the card (~ Late Jan) or my previous Citi Anv. Month (August)
3. Moving forward, for every year in the future will the Cert. issue date be the new Amex Date or my original Citi Anv. Date
If you meet the spending requirement for the Citi weekend night benefit before the account is transferred to American Express, you will receive the weekend night reward by March, if not sooner. As long as you have met the spending requirement before you upgrade to Aspire, you will still receive the Weekend Night Reward from your previous Card as long as your Hilton Honors account remains active. If you upgrade to Aspire before meeting the spending requirement for the Citi benefit, you will not receive the Weekend Night Reward from your previous Card.
Thank you,
Lauren