rrrrrich

Coming up to renewal next month myself and considering. Done well out of the benefits with FHR, Hilton Gold (and corresponding status match with IHG and Langham), Foursquare and Matches. Asked for any renewal bonus and been told only the secret Gold card (not interested) or double MR for 6 months which is a bit lousy. Anyone getting anything better?

Wozza2404

Can you refer a partner/family member and cancel yours?

21H21J

And play pass the referral year on year ^

Wozza2404

52k MRs + CX Gold card for Mrs W (meaning no more messing with lounge access when travelling with kids on short haul EU flights) made it a very simple decision for me this year.

karaokequeen3

Hi! I have a few questions regarding the card;

1) Assuming I make a successful application today, when would the annual fee be payable?
2) If an application is successful, can I apply for the benefits straightaway or do I wait for the card to arrive in the post before doing so? (Flying out to HKG with CX in just over 4 weeks time, so hoping for MPC Gold to be completed before then!)
3) I have a Amex Red credit card - would this negatively impact any decision regarding the application?

Thanks!

Wozza2404

Hi.

1) Annual fee would be payable at the first month statement date.

2) You can apply for benefits as soon as you get your card. Some benefits (such as Priority Pass) are automatically sent with the card. You would have your CX status set up within 4 weeks, no problem.

3) I don't see this being a concern at all. 2 credit cards and 2 charge cards is the standard limit with Amex. So long as you meet the £40k household income requirement.

If you need a referral for the higher sign up bonus, let me know. ^

karaokequeen3

Much appreciated Wozza2404

If I wanted a sibling to get a companion Platinum card, would she be subject to the same income requirements as I?

Finally, in the unlikely event that I choose to end the Platinum card(s) before the renewal date, would MPC Gold expire upon cancellation or would it continue up to the annual renewal date?

Thanks

21H21J

Also, £52.50 via TopCashBack makes a little dent in the annual fee. You'll be asked on the application if you have any other Amex cards - providing your Red account is in good standing and no late payments this should help speed up the process. Also happy to refer for either the Amex Plat or TopCashBack.

The companion card is based on the main account holder (as they are also liable to pay the bill!). The CX card will continue to the annual renewal, and possibly beyond.

Wozza2404

The income requirement is based on your earnings as you are liable for the bill. They will receive many of the same benefits (Priority Pass, hotel status, etc.), though not the CX status.

You can add further supplementary cards to the account, but these are issued as Gold Cards. The benefit of this is that they extend the travel insurance to those people you issue them to.

Should you choose to cancel before the year is up, you will receive a pro rata refund of the annual fee (so if you cancelled after 6 months you'd receive £225 back), and the CX status will continue. Other benefits, such as the Priority Pass, will end immediately.

karaokequeen3

Much appreciated for the advice, guys!

EDIT: I assume that the MR bonus points (30k) is conditional upon spending 2000+ quid in the first 3 months of the card? I suspect I'll probably take the TCB bonus instead!

LilArchie

My two cents:
Having reapplied during the 52k point offer this spring, I was undecided as to whether I should keep the card any longer than I need to for the points to post.
In May-June I had two (!) consecutive damaged rental cars. The paperwork needed for the car rental insurance was quite extensive, but they paid out very quickly for the first one (Sixt). The second one took more than a month, but it seems they had to do battle with the rental agency (Avis). But they paid out in full in the end.
These two insurance claims are already worth several times the annual fee.

Wozza2404

Apply via TCB and you'll get the £52.00 cashback and 30k MRs when you spend £2k in the first 3 months.

Apply via referral and you'll get 35k MRs when you spend £2k in the first 3 months.

Given that most people value Avios at 1p each (assuming you're transferring to BA), the extra 5k has a value of around £50. So pretty much comes down to personal choice.

I'd take a referral in the hope that a 30% transfer bonus comes along with the MRs and the extra 5k becomes 6500 Avios, thus making them more worthwhile than the cashback. Then again, if you're not bothered with the MRs then TCB may be the way to go.

tangey

The amount paid out in claims has nothing to do with justifying the annual fee. The amount you would have had to pay to have similar coverage both times is the relevant figure.

tangey

Took a look on the marco polo/CX website to see if my status has been adjusted, as I recall it is around this time.

Unfortunately, unless I'm being thick, it appears they have removed the part where it tell you how long your existing status is for. All it now tells me is that I am gold. So I don't know if they just haven't gotten round to demoting me, or if they have extended for another year.

I'll be surprised if I'm extended, as I cancelled the plat some months back...but at the minute I'm still gold. My card says "thru sept 2013" so I assume that means end of Sept.

21H21J

I couldn't find the status expiry date either, although the expiry date of your Asia miles seems to tie up with the month.

I saw on the BA board someone mention they had been demoted to Green, but with subsequent posts advising to re-apply.

Despite my initial plan to bounce referrals between Mrs 21h and myself, I'm now into my third year with the plat card. It feels like I'm getting my money's worth, and with Mrs 21h's Gold card we get he best of both deals (apart from the small loss of MR points for travel spend that goes on the Plat card for travel insurance).

The delayed luggage payout was especially convenient in Svalbard, and even more so given that the mathematical ability of the claims handler was shockingly poor - in my favour