Originally Posted by
Boraxo
I wonder whether the stereotype frequent business traveler who visits the lounge 30x a year generates more swipe revenue than the family guy who visits a few times a year. I expect some MBA ran data analytics to figure this out but I don't think the answer is intuitive. Many frequent business travelers have corporate cards and thus generate zero spend on their personal Amex Plat cards when traveling for work (that would be me). Similarly I am sure there are plenty of high income individuals who spend $$$$$ on their personal cards (everybody wants points) and want to use the lounge on family vacations.
Of course, nobody will know if this hits the bottom line for at least 3 years...
I suspect Amex knows what they are doing and have excellent data. Much of the talk on this thread and the fee increase thread is speculation anyway. I plan to wait until Amex puts things in writing before I make any decisions either way. The more Amex turns these cards into "lifestyle" cards, the less appealing I find them, I'm becoming more inclined to just use lower fee card, with more specific benefits, i.e Delta Plat, Everyday Preferred, Hyatt card, etc. I like the lounges, but just as happy in a nice restaurant for a layover.