Sant

If I understand, one of the advantages of the PRG over the Platinum is the option to pay some purchases over time similar to a credit card. Another is the bonus MR points when purchasing groceries, gasoline at the pump and now dining at restaurants.

When I first got one of their cards, the option to pay some charges over time didn't exist. So, I've always paid the entire statement each month. I also have yet to redeem MR points, but I do plan to transfer them to an airline loyalty program.

Are there any other advantages of the PRG over the Platinum other than the annual fee? Thanks.

Irish80

The pay over time feature is available for the Platinum card as well as the Amex PRG and Green. It is not a standard feature for the card. You have to ask for or be invited for it to be activated and it's not automatically approved. Acceptance is based on Amex's determination of your overall credit worthiness. The advantages f the PRG is the lower AF as well as the bonus points for the categories you listed. The Platinum card has it's advantages as well like bigger airline credit and lounge access and many people hold both cards.

krazykanuck

The only benefit of PRG > Platinum is the bonus points on category purchases, and of course the lower fee. But IMO, the fee differential between the two cards makes it so that the Platinum is a better value if you travel enough to make use of the lounge access.

runb4fun

category and lower fee.

I think PRG is a waste of money though. You can get better cards for less AF. Citi Premier far better imo. Less AF and 3% on travel (which includes ticket) and gas is gold!

but the again, i think Amex Plat is pretty meh was well. Citi Prestige blows it out of the water. I value Prestige AF at $100 ($450-100-250) which to me is a no brainier particularly when coupled with Citi Forward.

Sant

The response to a question in the Amex forum regarding two Amex cards is to get a Citi card?

factory81

Yea

I travel a bit, so I find myself using; Amex Plat, Citi Exec, Hyatt Diamond status

These 3 programs allow me access lounges in the big 3 carriers*, as well as Centurion/Priority Pass Select

*Hyatt gives out 2 United passes a year
*I can only get in to Delta on days I fly Delta

The big debate is really if you make use of
a) The $200 yearly reimbursement
b) the Centurion/Priority Pass/Delta lounges


Centurion lounges can be a double edge sword. You are never routing thru a city with them, don't have long enough of a connection, they will be pretty busy even if you do show up, and finally the spa services can have 30-45 minute delays - making most of the services available to those with the most generous connections.

So I think people need to think long and hard about Delta/Centurion/Priority Pass Lounges

jsk1973

I don't understand why the logic in the last paragraph doesn't also apply to the second paragraph. The PRG, after the $100 airline credit, has the same effective annual fee as the Citi Premier ($95).

I agree that the Citi Prestige blows the Amex Plat out of the water, but the Amex Plat/PRG combo is right there with the Prestige and might surpass it for people who travel a lot and value lounge access.

krazykanuck

It does, but Citi has a much more generous definition of "travel" than Amex for the 3X, and in the event that Amex ever closes the many loopholes that exist in the airline fee reimbursement, it may become harder to use that $100 which makes the AF a lot higher for the PRG. [Full disclosure: I also have a Citi Premier card]

I used to have a PRG and dropped it last year because I felt the benefits just didn't make sense relative to the fee. As for the Plat, I feel it's worth the fee because I use Priority Pass lounges a lot, and being IAH based, once the Centurion Lounge opens later this year will be a big value add. Others talk about the crowding and the one I use the most is LGA and have never found it too crowded or to the point of not being enjoyable. It's no worse than an IAH United Club on an average day and actually comes with real food and booze that doesn't taste like lighter fluid.

helvetic

What is the $100 you discount from the fee?

jsk1973

The Prestige's $450 annual fee is reduced by $100 for Citigold banking clients (and people who get lucky with an in-branch application, which is a serious case of YMMV).

runb4fun

for me Amex Plat and PRG combo isn't worth it the price.

Citi Forward + Citi Prestige has far more value and costs $100 to me.

Also, Citi $250 credit redemption happens just like that. I don't have to worry about things and check some thread.

you also get amazing value from CSP when combined with Freedom and Ink Cash all for $95.

mia

Except when it doesn't. The reason that this thread exists is because some charges were not reimbursed as expected:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...ursements.html

Citi's culture is to tinker with card benefits and with ThankYou Rewards. It's very safe to accumulate Membership Rewards points, but Citi has (and will again) change their rules abruptly.

Budoka

My take on the Platinum card vs the PRG is not the same as the conventional line of thought.

I find the PRG gives more bang for the buck than the Platinum and I travel extensively. I'm on the road 9 months of the year but internationally.

On the surface given the amount I travel one would think the Platinum Card would be ideal. But for me personally there is no value add to switching from PRG to Platinum. I use to think of the AMEX charge cards as travel cards, and I haven't any qualm about paying the 450 AF, but what they really have become is a "domestic" travel card when considering the following:

--Only 1 MR point on all Intl purchases. This is true of the PRG as well given the bonus on supermarkets and restaurants only apply to domestic transactions but at least I have the potential to earn the bonus domestically unlike the Platinum. (I found this out after I received the card much to my chagrin.) And, I earn 3MR's/$1 when booking airfares on my PRG

As pointed out earlier lounge usage impacts how much value the card may or may not have. In my case it is nil.

The Priority Pass partnership is not honored by ALL airlines. For example, United and in turn ANA and JAL don't accept it and they are my primary carriers.

"UNITED CLUB
Note: Members holding a Priority Pass Select membership card and Priority Pass cardholders in the U.S. that receive their membership through a U.S. financial institution will not be allowed access to this Lounge. "

This effectively means that there is no Priority Pass lounge access available with a Platinum card for those of us that fly US to Asia routes and there aren't any Centurion Lounges at the moment. These are MAJOR routes. AMEX's reply...we are "working on expanding our Centurion Lounges."

So...

--International Lounge Access...Nope.

The 200/100 incidental credit is quite nice but my travel level allows me free checked baggage and priority boarding anyway. Also Intl flights don't really have incidental fees. All amenities on the plane are free. Once again this is for the carriers and routes I primarily fly. I generally look at this benefit as a way to offset the AF by using gift registry or MPX.

An argument can be made that the Global Entry reimbursement alone makes it worth it to get the Platinum but that is a one time deal and not enough of an incentive for me to go Platinum.

If I am targeted for a 100000MR Bonus for Platinum I will pick it up but until then...No Thanks.

mia

United Airlines no longer accepts Priority Pass of any sort, but this has nothing to do with other carriers' participation.

This is factually inaccurate. The access may not be to the lounges that you know, but there are many Priority Pass lounges across Asia. For example, there are five at NRT, seven at ICN, and eight at PEK.

Complete directory here: https://www.prioritypass.com/en

takeshi74

One person's response was. It's up to you to determine if any responses align with your priorities and preferences.

I'd agree that the primary difference to me is the MR earn rate on the PRG versus the travel benefits of the Platinum. There are other differences as well but you really have to look at the differences keeping your priorities in mind. Some find both useful. Some find one or the other useful. Some don't find either useful. What are you specifically looking for so we can understand what would be advantageous to you?