NOTE: As of September 15, 2006, Citibank may no longer be offering
the Chairman card to new customers. Supposedly they will soon be
launching a replacement card. If you search through these boards, you
will find much speculation (fueled by comments from Chairman card
CSRs) that the new card may have a higher fee than the Chairman card
and improved benefits. However, for the moment no one posting here
knows anything definitive.

The Citibank Chairman card and American Express Platinum card both
cost approximately $300-400 per year and seem to be competing for the
same customers. Both cards offer some interesting benefits to justify
the price, but the details differ significantly between the two cards.
Worse yet, much of the "fine print" on the cards' benefits is only
available once you have already signed up for and received the card.

This thread is an attempt to do a factual comparison of the two cards'
benefits so as to help anyone deciding between the two cards or
thinking of switching from one to the other. For each benefit, I list
which card seems to have better terms.

I have carried the AMEX Platinum for over 5 years, and just recently
got a Chairman card. I've based the information here on my reading of
the two card agreements and on people's experiences with the cards.
If you have relevant experience or other information about the two
cards' benefits, please post to this thread. I regularly update this
message to reflect additions and feedback from others.

Another high-end Amex credit card is the Centurion, which costs $2,500
per year (unless you got it before a certain date), but whose benefits
should be strictly superior to the Platinum card. While this thread
is about the comparably priced Chairman and Platinum cards, if people
have experiences in which the Chairman card compares favorably to the
Centurion card, these, too, are relevant as they mean the Chairman
card benefit is likely better than the Platinum one. More information
about Platinum and Centurion card benefits is available here:
http://www.geocities.jp/ctwxg845/platvscent.html

Please double check your card agreement before relying on anything in
this post, as there may be errors or outdated information here.

* Cost

PLATINUM: The Platinum card costs $395/year. Extra cards are
$150/year. You can also get a business version of the Platinum card
for $300/year, which has almost the same benefits as the personal card
except for some shopping benefits and the ability to contact the
concierge on-line. Note, however, that business credit cards in
general offer less consumer protection. The following web site has a
discussion of this issue:

http://www.smartmoney.com/consumer/i...=smallbizcards

CHAIRMAN: $400/year. Additional cards are free, but do not come with
additional PriorityPass cards (which you need to get airport lounge
access). Also, expenses from additional credit cards cannot be
separated out on the web site, as with Platinum.

* Warranty extension: PLATINUM

PLATINUM: If you buy something with a warranty of five years or less,
doubles the warranty up to one year. So a five year warranty becomes
a six year warranty.

CHAIRMAN: Doubles the warranty, but only if original warranty is less
than one year. So a one year warranty becomes two years, but an
18-month or 5-year warranty is not extended.

* Best value guarantee: CHAIRMAN

CHAIRMAN: Called the "price protection program." If you buy
something and find a print ad with a cheaper price within 60 days, you
can get back up to $1,000.

PLATINUM: The program is limited to $250, and will soon be phased out
if it hasn't been already.

* Return protection: PLATINUM

PLATINUM: You can return anything you buy up to a $300 refund within
90 days of purchase, even if the store won't take it back.

CHAIRMAN: No equivalent benefit.

* Purchase protection plan: PLATINUM

PLATINUM: Protects purchased items for 90 days against theft, damage,
or loss, for up to $10,000. Doesn't cover theft from unlocked or
unsecured vehicles, but appears to cover theft from a secured vehicle.

CHAIRMAN: Protects purchased items for 90 days up to $500 against
many types of theft and damage, not including theft from a vehicle
(locked or unlocked).

* Web site: PLATINUM

PLATINUM: Allows you to see your statements and recent activity. You
can also download your full statement in PDF format, or print a
nice-looking summary of a custom subset of your transactions. Both of
these features are useful for getting reimbursed--for instance if you
want to print out business expenses but not personal activity, or if
two different organizations want a copy of your credit card statement
for reimbursing different expenses. However, there is often a lag of
a few days before transactions show up. Some people report
occasionally hitting little glitches on the web site.

Platinum also allows you to contact concierge on-line. I find this
convenient when traveling overseas when using a real telephone is a
pain. (Though these days Skype let's you call U.S. 800 numbers free
from your computer). You can also book travel on-line, but I find the
interface incredibly bad. Both concierge and on-line travel booking
require a separate username and password from your main login, which
is even more of a pain.

CHAIRMAN: Can get your statements or recent activity on-line, but
print-outs look less official (might need to go photocopy your real
statement), and no subset feature. No web pages describing the card's
benefits (other than the one PDF file here
http://www.smithbarney.com/pdf/chairmanbook.pdf, which is a
bit out of date at this point).

There is also a concierge service you can use on-line at
http://myconcierge.vipdesk.com/, which allows you to browse a database
of frequently asked questions about different destinations. The
on-line concierge service is the same as for many other Citibank
cards. It is separate from and inferior to the personal assistants
you get by calling the Chairman card number. Thus, while the database
may be useful, you should probably direct any non-trivial requests to
the personal assistants you get by phone. Also note that some of the
information in the database may be out of date--for example, under
"What is the most affordable airport ground transportation?" for SFO
they list Cal Train but not BART.

* Virtual credit card numbers: CHAIRMAN

CHAIRMAN: Allows you to create virtual credit card numbers that can
be revoked. Never again forget about things like web site
subscriptions that "auto-renew", because you can limit a virtual
credit card number to one transaction, to a particular expiration
date, or even to a dollar amount. (Note: Citibank's virtual credit
card numbers provide the same functionality as MBNA's "ShopSafe"
service. However, Citibank's web interface is less convenient; each
time you access it you must type your password to sign in, then accept
a license agreement to launch a flash application, then re-type your
password when the flash application launches.)

PLATINUM: Had a similar but inferior service called
"privatepayments", which was canceled several years ago.

* Foreign transactions: PLATINUM

PLATINUM: Adds 2% to the exchange rate.

CHAIRMAN: Adds a 3% fee, which shows up as a separate transaction on
your statement. (I think--haven't tried it, but they state 3% and
this is what other Citibank cards do.)

[But why pay any foreign transaction fee? I recommend also carrying a
free card with no foreign transaction fee. For example, the
CapitalOne No Hassle Rewards Visa, which gives 1% cash
back. (http://apply2.capitalone.com/9629/8/index.jsp)]

* Companion airline tickets: CHAIRMAN

CHAIRMAN: Allows you to get a free domestic or international
companion ticket in either coach or first class. Works on the "big 5"
US carriers. For a domestic ticket, the cheapest ticket on the route
must be around $400, and you can find out immediately. Depending on
where you live, many people find the benefit never works for them.
Out of SFO, however, I've been offered a price for domestic tickets
25% cheaper than the best I could find on Orbitz.

For an international ticket, you must buy a full-price Y fare in coach
(and probably full-price in F, too). There is an "international desk"
that may need to research your tickets and get back to you, though
I've also been quoted an international fare directly.

PLATINUM: The benefit only works for international tickets in
business or first class, and only on foreign airlines. It also
appears the tickets have to be full-fare, which may be more than twice
as expensive as a discounted business-class ticket.

* Miles/Points: depends

CHAIRMAN: Runs their own frequent-flyer-like Thank You (TY) points
system. You get one point per dollar spent on most purchases, and
three points per dollar spent on gas, groceries, parking, and drugs.
Each of these so-called "purchase points" can be matched with a
"flight point", which you earn for any plane ticket bought with the
Chairman card, including tickets for other people.

If you earn more flight points than purchase points (easy to do if you
buy tickets for other people), flight points effectively halve the
cost of all awards, and you can earn rewards very quickly. For
instance, you can get a free coach-class domestic or Canada ticket
after spending only $12,500 (or even just $4,200 on triple-point
purchases). Moreover, you still get regular airline miles for all
flights you take--including award flights redeemed with TY points.

One drawback is that you cannot combine TY points with airline
frequent flier miles. Moreover, premium cabin C/F tickets are much
more expensive in TY points than in frequent flyer miles, and TY
points cannot be used to upgrade tickets. Another downside is that
the TY-point cost of trips is not precisely spelled out anywhere,
though some guidance is available here:

http://www.citibank.com/us/cards/car...vel-sample.htm
https://www.thankyounetwork.com/faq.jspx

The following thread is also a good resource:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=529921

It sounds like often award tickets are on AA, and sometimes on UA,
while you are less likely to get a free ticket on Skyteam airlines
such as Delta, Continental, and Northwest.

PLATINUM: You get one membership reward point for each dollar
charged. The card currently offers double points for everyday
purchases, but this feature will be phased out in October 2006.
Membership rewards can be converted to frequent flyer miles for the
following airlines: Airtran, ANA, AeroMexico, Air Canada,
Continental, Delta, El Al, Frontier, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue,
Mexicana, Southwest, and Virgin. For most airlines, membership
rewards convert to frequent flyer miles at a 1:1 ratio and there is a
fee of $0.40 per 1,000 points transfered (capped at $50 per
transaction). Periodically there are bonus offers when transferring
to frequent flier programs--for example, a 25% bonus when transfering
over 10,000 points to Delta frequent flyer miles. However, note that
the list of airlines does not include United or American airlines.

BOTTOM LINE: Platinum is best if you want to redeem points for
upgrade awards--as long as you can purchase tickets from one of the
supported airlines.

Chairman is best if you want free coach-class travel. Chairman may
also have a slight edge for premium travel when you factor in the
airline's frequent flyer miles--which you get even on free tickets.
For example, say you are an AA flyer. A business-class trip to Europe
costs 165,000 TY points, which you would have after flying 82,500
miles AND charging $82,500. After redeeming TY points, you still have
82,500 AAdvantage miles, plus mileage for your free trip, for a total
of around 90,000 AAdvantage miles--enough for another free Business
class trip to Europe. With Platinum, any combination of charging
$90,000 OR flying 90,000 miles gets you 90,000 miles on Delta,
Continental, Northwest, or any of the other partners (which do not
include UA or AA). So you could fly sooner with Platinum, but in the
long run will get fewer free trips.

Another factor to consider is your primary airline. If you primarily
fly American or United, the AMEX membership rewards will be less
useful to you. Conversely, TY award tickets, which are often on AA
(and sometimes UA), will not help you earn miles or status on Skyteam
airlines such as DL, CO, or NW.

* Lounge access: CHAIRMAN

CHAIRMAN: Priority pass gets you and at least two guests into some
lounge in most airports for free, regardless of what airline you are
flying. However, the lounge may not be run by the airline you are
flying, so it won't help with irregular ops.

PLATINUM: You get lounge access with two guests when flying Delta,
Continental, or Northwest airlines, but you have to be flying the
airline that corresponds to the lounge. Many fewer international
lounges are available than with Chairman's priority pass. Platinum
also gives you Eurostar lounge access.

[As someone who predominantly flies United, I see this as a big
advantage for Chairman. However, if you fly one of the three Platinum
airlines, Platinum may be better. In particular, if you live in New
York, the Delta crown room in JFK Terminal 2 is a combined Crown
room/Business elite lounge providing a great light meal
service--fantastic benefit! This was particularly wonderful when
flying cheap domestic Song flights, which left from Detla's
international terminal. Don't know what domestic flights get you in
now.]

* Baggage Insurance: CHAIRMAN

PLATINUM: Adds $500 to base insurance of checked bags, and gives you
$1,250 of insurance for carry-on bags.

CHAIRMAN: Adds $3,000 of insurance per occurrence for lost/damaged
baggage.

* Trip insurance: CHAIRMAN

CHAIRMAN: Get up to $1,500 if you miss a flight because of a medical
emergency or death in the family.

* Private jet rental: ?

No idea because I've never chartered a jet... I suspect only a small
fraction of cardholders do, and this benefit is mainly included to add
an aura of exclusive luxury to the cards.

* Car rental status: PLATINUM

PLATINUM: National emerald club (but you have to keep signing up every
year if you don't use it), Avis Preferred Select, and Hertz #1 Club
Gold with a complimentary one-class upgrade. More information is
available on this web page:

https://www124.americanexpress.com/c...talpartner.jsp

CHAIRMAN: no equivalent

* Car rental insurance: depends

CHAIRMAN: Collision damage waiver (secondary to your own insurance),
up to $50,000. Applies world-wide, but excludes some cars, like
off-road vehicles.

PLATINUM: Collision damage waiver (secondary to your own insurance).
Excludes cars rented in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica,
and New Zealand. Only valid for cars originally priced at most
$50,000. Other restrictions apply, similar to the Chairman card, such
as no antique or exotic cars. Platinum also gives you up to $5,000 of
medical insurance in case of accident for each person in the car, and
$200,000 of death/dismemberment insurance for the card holder and
$20,000 for each passenger. Total payout is limited to $300,000.

WARNING: There are reports on the AMEX board
(http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=580152) that
the American Express CDW does not apply if any coupons are used in
conjunction with the rental--for instance if you used a coupon to get
a discount or a free day. If you are paying anything other than the
full "rack" rate for your car, you should probably contact AMEX to
verify they will still cover you in the event that you select the CDW.

I contacted the Chairman insurance number, and it sounds like there is
a similar restriction with the Chairman card. The Citi insurance
person told me a percentage off discount would be okay, but anything
with a free day, or any kind of package deal (e.g., car rental
purchased with airline tickets) would not qualify for the Chairman
CDW program.

BOTTOM LINE: In some situations (such as Australia, etc.), renting
with Chairman gets you insurance while renting with Platinum does not.
However, when Platinum insurance is valid, you get medical and
death/dismemberment insurance not available from the Chairman card.

* Hotel chain benefits: tie

PLATINUM: Gives you Starwood preferred gold.

CHAIRMAN: Gives you Hilton gold.

[Which is better depends on which chain you like.]

* Fancy hotel benefits: PLATINUM

PLATINUM: At a bunch of designated "Fine Hotels and Resorts" (FHR)
properties (which you can search here:
http://www134.americanexpress.com/tr...pe=pcfhrfinder),
you can get:

- A space available room upgrade
- Complimentary continental breakfast for 2
- Guaranteed late checkout (to 4 PM)
- One additional amenity depending on the property (usually things
like a spa credit, a free dinner for 2, welcome basket, etc.)

You have to book with Platinum Travel Services at the AMEX FHR
rate--sometimes not the cheapest, but very often worth it when
considering the benefits, like the upgrade and late checkout. This
benefit won't work if you are traveling for work and need to book
directly with the hotel to get a conference rate.

CHAIRMAN: Supposedly a 20% discount or something of equivalent value
at Leading Hotels of the World. See the following web page:

http://www.lhw.com/chairman

However, very little experience has been posted here about people
using the benefit. [Can anyone add anything?]

* International wireless phone rental: CHAIRMAN

CHAIRMAN: Free international phone for up to a month from Planetphone.
Presumably you get reamed on the per-minute charges. Excludes non-GSM
countries Japan and South Korea.

PLATINUM: Rent a phone for $3/day and $2-$7 per minute, with $25 of
free air time if you rent for a week. Can also get a satellite phone
for $15/day.

[My recommendation: Just buy a SIM card for wherever you are
traveling to--this is discussed in the travel technology board. Both
these programs sound like rip-offs. But if you don't have a GSM phone
in the U.S., maybe you can get the Chairman loaner phone for free and
stick in your own SIM. I'd love to hear from someone whether these
phones are locked.]

* Cruise benefits: PLATINUM

PLATINUM: fti reports, "AmEx cruise benefit is nice... received two
category upgrade (i.e. from back or front of ship to midship, but
still inside to inside, balcony to balcony or minisuite to minisuite),
complimentary dinner at the specialty restaurant on board ($20/person
value), and a couple of other smaller things I don't remember. Can
book up to 3 cabins on the same cruise with these benefits."

* "Lifestyle benefits": PLATINUM

PLATINUM: Get special tickets to things.

[None of these events has ever even remotely interested me.]

* Emergency medical insurance: PLATINUM

PLATINUM: Covers medical/evacuation costs when you are more than 100
miles from your house, so long as you let them make the arrangements.
No explicit maximum mentioned.

CHAIRMAN: Covers up to $50,000 in medical expenses when traveling
more than 50 miles from your house. But... you only get the benefit
if you booked your trip with the chairman card--which seems like a
serious drawback! E.g., if you buy a plane ticket to London with the
Chairman card, then use a free Eurostar "compensation" ticket (from a
previous delayed trip) to get to Paris, you may not be covered.

* Common carrier insurance: CHAIRMAN

CHAIRMAN: Insures you for $1,000,000 against loss of life (scaled down
for various injuries).

PLATINUM: Insures you for $500,000 against loss of life (scaled down
for various injuries).

* Road-side assistance: PLATINUM

PLATINUM: When driving more than 50 miles from your house, provides
free towing, but only to the nearest facility (as opposed to AAA,
which can tow to your preferred garage with only mileage limitations).
The 50 mile requirement may soon be eliminated, too.

CHAIRMAN: If you call 1-800-MC-ASSIST they will arrange to get you
unstuck, but you will have to pay for everything. There's still a
benefit because Citibank (or mastercard) claims to have negotiated a
favorable towing rate.

* Customer service: ?

Anecdotally, I've noticed more people happy with Chairman customer
service, but not sure how to compare objectively. Getting a human on
the phone requires fewer levels of menu navigation with the Chairman
card. After punching in your card number and social security number,
the first thing you are told is to press zero to talk to someone.

A significant limitation of the Chairman card is that it is difficult
to reach customer service with an international collect call. The
card has a number for collect calls on the back, but instead of
connecting to the same place as the 800 number, it goes to regular
Citicard customer support, so you have to hold for a human and then
ask to be transfered to a Chairman card CSR. If you are traveling
with a laptop and have Internet connectivity, you might try Skype
(http://www.skype.com/), which allows free calls to 800
numbers. But clearly Platinum concierge is easier to reach from other
countries.

One limitation of the Platinum card is that it is harder to arrange a
card replacement. A Platinum card replacement can take you over half
an hour on the phone, compared to under five minutes for the Chairman
card. Also, with the Chairman card, they will tell give you a
tracking number for your new card as soon as it is sent, whereas with
Platinum you must wait until the quoted delivery day.

* Concierge service: ?

Both cards offer a concierge or personal assistant service. Again,
the Chairman requires fewer levels of touch-tone menu navigation to
speak with a human being. Anecdotally I've seen more praise for
Chairman personal assistant, but also a few complaints. See for
instance this thread:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=564543

As with customer service, international collect calls to the personal
assistants are difficult and require first getting transfered to a
Chairman CSR, then to a personal assistant.

In one head-to-head comparison of the Amex Centurion concierge to the
Chairman card, asking about commercial real estate, the Chairman card
seems to have come out ahead. See the following posts:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showpost....7&postcount=41
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showpost....3&postcount=20

* Restaurant reservations: PLATINUM

PLATINUM: Has reserved tables at a bunch of restaurants in New York,
LA, San Francisco, and Miami--so you may be able to get a table you
wouldn't have without the card. Lists these restaurants on-line.

CHAIRMAN: Claims to have some special deal with restaurants in New
York and LA, but not San Francisco or Miami. No details readily
available.