Originally Posted by
mjb59463
Count me in on this.
SPG Amex has been great for me when it comes to earning points on travel/non-cat spend that I can either use at SPG hotels or move to Delta without much hassle if I need it. Now that it's getting nerfed, I'm debating what card is the best for my needs.
So far, I've thought up 3 options for addressing spend after August:
1. Upgrade to the SPG luxury when it releases, and while cognizant of the devaluation, continue to use it for travel (hotels + airfare) and non-cat spend.
2. Use my CSR for ALL spend and transfer through KoreanAir/FlyingBlue to Delta when I need it.
3. Go back to using my Delta Skymiles Platinum for airfare/non-cat spend, and use my current SPG Amex for hotels.
Skymiles and Marriott/SPG points are the only rewards I care about accumulating.
Would appreciate some input.
If earning SkyMiles is a priority for you, look at the Amex Membership Rewards family of cards. Amex Platinum, Preferred Rewards Gold, Everyday and Everyday Preferred. Depending on your spending amounts and categories, the exact combination of right cards could vary, but you can definitely earn more Membership Rewards points (which are 1:1 transferrable to SkyMiles) than is generally possible with a SkyMiles credit card. (Only reason to use the SkyMiles card is if you need the MQM boosts and/or MQD waiver.)
If you still want to have some points toward hotels, you could consider using one or more Membership Rewards cards for bonus categories and one of the SPG/Marriott cards for non-bonus categories.