If you're like me, I would assume it was for the lounge access or maybe international airline program, and the credits were a kind of rebate.

But if I travel 4 round trips a year domestically (I fly international J and get lounges with that), after the price hike and an AU card it's roughly $215/trip or $108/departure for lounge access if I don't want to be bothered with the piddly, annoying credits.

But I think what bugs me is how inflexible the entertainment one is, after the 2020 "no holds barred" version that would have benefitted members, but I guess "too well" for the earnings per share metric.