Originally Posted by
pinniped
I have abandoned all airline credit cards.
The only airline CC I still keep is Southwest / Chase. Rapid Rewards is of limited utility but operates transparently. I maintain a modest stash of RR points to send my wife off to see her mom a few times per year. That card / program defends its value. I've given up on the others.
Originally Posted by
Amelorn
I recently upgraded my Hilton Amex from the silver status no-fee to the gold status $95/annum. Why turn down an upgrade + free breakfast elite status that would otherwise require 20 stays (20 Hamptons is a solid $2000-2300 minimum spend) + 10 free priority pass lounge visits per year all for $95?
The Amex / Hilton cards are a virtual disloyalty pass. They free you to stay at whatever chain you want, for reasons of economy or location, because you'll always be Gold or DIamond at Hilton. No more need to alter spending behavior to amass 20 or 30 stays -- although altering your behavior is the whole raison d'etre of loyalty programs in the first place. (I had to attend RSA -- cybersecurity conference -- in San Francisco last week. In olden days I would have sought out a Hilton property at whatever cruel cost; this year I stayed at a quaint independent property over in Berkeley, saved $1,000 to $1,500, and risked nothing, Hilton status-wise.) So I am not sure that situation will last forever.