New Travel Benefits for [USA] Platinum Card and Centurion Card members [15-Sep-2010]
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 492
New Travel Benefits for [USA] Platinum Card and Centurion Card members [15-Sep-2010]
I figured this was coming. Man Amex needs to add some new partners. All they seem to do is take away!
I do like these new bennies though:
# $200 Airline Fee Credit -- Cardmembers can check a bag or enjoy an in-flight meal on American Express. Every year American Express will cover up to $200 of incidental airline fees that are charged on the Cardmember’s enrolled Card on a selected airline. The $200 Airline Fee Credit can apply to fees such as baggage fees, flight change fees, in-flight food and airport lounge day passes.
# 20% Travel Bonus -- When Cardmembers use Membership Rewards Pay with Points to pay for part or all of their travel including airlines, hotels, cruises and vacation packages, they will get 20% of those points credited back to their account. For example, if a Cardmember redeems 30,000 points to pay for an airline ticket, American Express will credit 6,000 point to the Membership Rewards Cardmember’s account.
I do like these new bennies though:
# $200 Airline Fee Credit -- Cardmembers can check a bag or enjoy an in-flight meal on American Express. Every year American Express will cover up to $200 of incidental airline fees that are charged on the Cardmember’s enrolled Card on a selected airline. The $200 Airline Fee Credit can apply to fees such as baggage fees, flight change fees, in-flight food and airport lounge day passes.
# 20% Travel Bonus -- When Cardmembers use Membership Rewards Pay with Points to pay for part or all of their travel including airlines, hotels, cruises and vacation packages, they will get 20% of those points credited back to their account. For example, if a Cardmember redeems 30,000 points to pay for an airline ticket, American Express will credit 6,000 point to the Membership Rewards Cardmember’s account.
#3
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PHX
Posts: 623
http://about.americanexpress.com/new...10/conair.aspx
After Sept. 30, 2011, Amex cardholders won't be able to transfer membership rewards points to the OnePass program. Also, platinum/centurion Amex cardholders won't get complimentary access to the PC.
After Sept. 30, 2011, Amex cardholders won't be able to transfer membership rewards points to the OnePass program. Also, platinum/centurion Amex cardholders won't get complimentary access to the PC.
$200 Airline Fee Credit -- Cardmembers can check a bag or enjoy an in-flight meal on American Express. Every year American Express will cover up to $200 of incidental airline fees that are charged on the Cardmember’s enrolled Card on a selected airline. The $200 Airline Fee Credit can apply to fees such as baggage fees, flight change fees, in-flight food and airport lounge day passes.
We'll see what airlines participate in this program, but it seems like a very nice benefit. Will the Plat fee remain at $450/yr?
#4
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Last edited by mia; Sep 15, 2010 at 10:09 am Reason: Math error
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 492
I got a new idea for added benefits especially since centurion CO status is probably going bye bye - how about centurion cards earn 2MR points per dollar spent! Ok...I'll keep dreaming..
#7
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: Plat:US,DL (ex KL,AF,LX,LY) Gold:BA,VS (ex CO,UA).Plat.SPG,HGP Diam.HH. ICHG Plat RA. Amex Centurion
Posts: 673
I figured this was coming. Man Amex needs to add some new partners. All they seem to do is take away!
I do like these new bennies though:
# $200 Airline Fee Credit -- Cardmembers can check a bag or enjoy an in-flight meal on American Express. Every year American Express will cover up to $200 of incidental airline fees that are charged on the Cardmember’s enrolled Card on a selected airline. The $200 Airline Fee Credit can apply to fees such as baggage fees, flight change fees, in-flight food and airport lounge day passes.
# 20% Travel Bonus -- When Cardmembers use Membership Rewards Pay with Points to pay for part or all of their travel including airlines, hotels, cruises and vacation packages, they will get 20% of those points credited back to their account. For example, if a Cardmember redeems 30,000 points to pay for an airline ticket, American Express will credit 6,000 point to the Membership Rewards Cardmember’s account.
I do like these new bennies though:
# $200 Airline Fee Credit -- Cardmembers can check a bag or enjoy an in-flight meal on American Express. Every year American Express will cover up to $200 of incidental airline fees that are charged on the Cardmember’s enrolled Card on a selected airline. The $200 Airline Fee Credit can apply to fees such as baggage fees, flight change fees, in-flight food and airport lounge day passes.
# 20% Travel Bonus -- When Cardmembers use Membership Rewards Pay with Points to pay for part or all of their travel including airlines, hotels, cruises and vacation packages, they will get 20% of those points credited back to their account. For example, if a Cardmember redeems 30,000 points to pay for an airline ticket, American Express will credit 6,000 point to the Membership Rewards Cardmember’s account.
Remember the "free business class tickets" for Plat/Cent or the bonus tickets if you enroll in their co-branded travel advisor service? It's just PR - nobody will give you 200 for nothing. Don't rejoice just yet.
Second of all as a Cent I am shocked you would even use the "pay with points" feature at all, until now. What would you gain by doing it - you get 0.01 credit per MR point, if you book through Amex? Just book yourself through whomever or wherever you want, and get the 0.01 statement credit instead...
Lastly, and I've said it before in other threads:
It's not so much that the loss of CO has been expected (seeing that they have been solidifying their connection with Chase, and slowly severing with all other issuers).
It's not even that MR or Amex is "losing CO" at all.
There's nothing "to lose", as it may.
Come 2011 (or 2012, depending how far along the process is) there will be no CO proper, anyway.
It is being merged into the new UA/CO behemoth.
And as "adding" UA to Amex's partners was never even on the table - it was obvious that in the event of CO being swallowed into UA (like NW was into DL or KL was into AF, or TW was into AA) then CO was going to be lost to the world as a whole, not just to Amex...
This was apparent when CCS explained last year (when CO and DL both added another tier above GL) that they would not be upgrading GL to PL (like USAir did) because not only wasn't an enhancement in the cards but "it's not certain that we will keep all of the domestic partners"...
:-)
Look for more instances of 1 step forward and 2 steps back with Cent, IMO.
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 492
#10
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Annual fee is $450. Do you seriously think American Express is going to credit back $200 per flight? Most of the benefits offered by American Express (and other cards) are funded by the merchant, but if this offer isn't restricted to a small number of "participating carriers" the expense will be borne by American Express. It's effectively a prorata refund of the annual fee.
#11
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: Plat:US,DL (ex KL,AF,LX,LY) Gold:BA,VS (ex CO,UA).Plat.SPG,HGP Diam.HH. ICHG Plat RA. Amex Centurion
Posts: 673
#12
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
#13
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,787
Seem like a pretty significant benefit to me. I agree we need to know what "on a selected airline" means. I don't think on "an enrolled card" will be much of a burden. I have enough checked baggage fees on airlines where I don't have status, that, depending on the details, this could bring the effective cost of the platinum card down to $250 for me. Should just be a short time before we know about the details, since the benefit is effective December 1.
#14
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Between AUS, EWR, and YTO In a little twisty maze of airline seats, all alike.. but I wanna go home with the armadillo
Programs: CO, NW, & UA forum moderator emeritus
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New Travel Benefits for Platinum Card and Centurion Card members [15-Sep-2010]
The second half of today's Continental Airlines announcement (already being discussed here) is this:
#1 -- This seems like it's a pretty good benefit -- as long as it doesn't require lots of phone calls to take advantage of.
#2 -- Even with a 20% kickback on the number of points required, most such redemptions for travel offer an extremely poor value
#3 -- Wt wt, yet another app. <yawn>
New Travel Benefits for Platinum Card and Centurion Card members
...American Express will begin offering additional travel benefits to consumer and small business Platinum Card and Centurion Card members as of December 1, 2010.
1. $200 Airline Fee Credit -- Cardmembers can check a bag or enjoy an in-flight meal on American Express. Every year American Express will cover up to $200 of incidental airline fees that are charged on the Cardmember’s enrolled Card on a selected airline. The $200 Airline Fee Credit can apply to fees such as baggage fees, flight change fees, in-flight food and airport lounge day passes.
2. 20% Travel Bonus -- When Cardmembers use Membership Rewards Pay with Points to pay for part or all of their travel including airlines, hotels, cruises and vacation packages, they will get 20% of those points credited back to their account. For example, if a Cardmember redeems 30,000 points to pay for an airline ticket, American Express will credit 6,000 point to the Membership Rewards Cardmember’s account.
3. American Express® Travel App -- This complimentary mobile app will help keep travelers informed with flight alerts, an airport lounge locator, airport guides and more.
...American Express will begin offering additional travel benefits to consumer and small business Platinum Card and Centurion Card members as of December 1, 2010.
1. $200 Airline Fee Credit -- Cardmembers can check a bag or enjoy an in-flight meal on American Express. Every year American Express will cover up to $200 of incidental airline fees that are charged on the Cardmember’s enrolled Card on a selected airline. The $200 Airline Fee Credit can apply to fees such as baggage fees, flight change fees, in-flight food and airport lounge day passes.
2. 20% Travel Bonus -- When Cardmembers use Membership Rewards Pay with Points to pay for part or all of their travel including airlines, hotels, cruises and vacation packages, they will get 20% of those points credited back to their account. For example, if a Cardmember redeems 30,000 points to pay for an airline ticket, American Express will credit 6,000 point to the Membership Rewards Cardmember’s account.
3. American Express® Travel App -- This complimentary mobile app will help keep travelers informed with flight alerts, an airport lounge locator, airport guides and more.
#2 -- Even with a 20% kickback on the number of points required, most such redemptions for travel offer an extremely poor value
#3 -- Wt wt, yet another app. <yawn>
#15
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
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In the parallel thread in the Continental section:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/conti...pt-2011-a.html
There is a link to this NY Times blog:
http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/...th-continental
Which offers this explanation: Starting Dec. 1, you can register your favored airline with Amex and it will waive up to $200 in fees (like those for baggage checking, in-flight food purchases, airport club day passes and flight changes) with that airline each year.
If this is accurate the key is to know if there is a short picklist of participating carriers or if it there will be a broad choice. I doubt most of us would choose our favorite airline, because many fees are waived with elite status.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/conti...pt-2011-a.html
There is a link to this NY Times blog:
http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/...th-continental
Which offers this explanation: Starting Dec. 1, you can register your favored airline with Amex and it will waive up to $200 in fees (like those for baggage checking, in-flight food purchases, airport club day passes and flight changes) with that airline each year.
If this is accurate the key is to know if there is a short picklist of participating carriers or if it there will be a broad choice. I doubt most of us would choose our favorite airline, because many fees are waived with elite status.