liftingbrosef

Signed up 2-3 years ago for an Amex gold card and ended up getting 120K+ plus points due to some error on that part. It was awesome. Got 75k or so first, then another 40K randomly a few months later. To avoid the AF I downgraded to Zync at the end of the year. Only $25 and its nice to have because it gives me an extra Amex (I have a fidelity 2% cash back Amex) to use for Small Business Saturday and the like. Unfortunately, I am always excluded from new sign up offers as a result of having this card.

Do I need to cancel this card so I am able to get on the signup bonuses in the future, or maybe use a business card? I don't want to lose my credit history with Amex so from that standpoint, the $25 is worth it to me. But I do want to get in on the new signup bonuses. I also want a good card to be able to build up points with as I will be having more travel in the future. Maybe Amex MR is not the way to go for this anyway? What are some other good options card wise? Anyone with similar experiences?

jn in ca

You seem to have already summed it up quite well. The current American Express rule is that if you had any AmEx charge card, including Zync, you must have canceled it over 3 months ago to get the sign up bonus on any other charge card. One year after cancellation to get the sign up bonus on the same charge card.

So you can stick with Zync, which is no longer available, and miss the sign up bonuses. Or dump it and lose the credit history. You could hope that AmEx will backdate the start of any new card to the start date of you old AmEx card, but that is iffy. You could also sign up for an AmEx _credit_ card, you should be eligible for the bonus, and have both cards. AmEx has several to choose from, but if you're going to be a moderately heavy spender/traveler, most people think the Starwood American Express card is the best of the bunch.

If I were you , I would not cancel Zync until I used up all those MR points. Don't leave home without those.

As for your last question, about leaving AmEx for someone else, there are a bizillion travel rewards cards these days. Look around FT and you'll see real users giving real world reviews of most of them. The Capital One Venture card is one with really good travel rewards, but do you want to deal with Capital One? An American Express Card means having AmEx benefits and Amex CSRs in your wallet. Is that important to you? Again, if you do go with another card company, don't leave the MR points unspent!

If you really want to sift through dozens of cards, try nerdwallet.com. That lets you input things like how many years you'll hold the card, and how large an annual fee you'll take, and spits out a list of cards.

liftingbrosef

Very helpful. I have a fidelity Amex (3rd party Amex cc) - will this hold my back date? I am not even sure what the back date is useful for other than saying "Member since X" on your card. Its not like it is holding your entire credit history on that card right?

sam_goh

Tough call. I stuck with Zync because of the cheaper options to add authorized users to take advantage of SBS and LLL/FB offers. Nothing really has come down the pike recently, but the annual fee for a green + authorized users is a large difference between it and the Zync. Guess the opportunity costs, as you have surmised, are in the potential bonuses lost too.

mia

No, this card is issued by Bank of America, not American Express.