Why do I want to earn AMEX MR?
Greetings, I recently signed up for a bunch of CC's including AMEX Delta and AMEX GPR earning MR. Now that I've collected bonuses and scheduled my trips (big thanks to Chase, AMEX, Captial One, and this forum) I'm facing the decision of which card(s) I want to use for daily purchases. And I just can't see why in the world I'd be using the AMEX cards. Between Capital One Venture earning 2 miles per $1 spent and Sapphire from Chase paying double for dining and earning more valuable UR, I'm covered. The only cool spending perk from the AMEX GPR card is it gives 3 points per $1 spent on airfair. Well, but if the whole point of getting points is to spend them on airfare, then it's not really a perk I can use. I find that earning 2x by using the Venture CC on any purchases and then simply using those miles to buy the lowest airfare or hotel price offered by anybody on the interent is the best way to go. The only exception is dining or travel purchases that you're not redeeming with points, in which case I use the Sapphire since it earns 2x UR which are more valuable than MR.
I'm not a frequent flier and if I do fly on vacation trips, it's primarily within the North and Latin Americas. With such profile is there any benefit in using AMEX other than simply thanking them for giving me the sign-up bonus? Thank you in advance for ideas. DJR |
You need to answer that question based on which program yields you the best value. You need to consider much more than just the points earn rates. You need to also consider how the redemption method(s) you use impact value.
Originally Posted by DjRocket
(Post 26670231)
I find that earning 2x by using the Venture CC on any purchases and then simply using those miles to buy the lowest airfare or hotel price offered by anybody on the interent is the best way to go.
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Originally Posted by takeshi74
(Post 26670573)
... You need to also consider how the redemption method(s) you use impact value.
Originally Posted by takeshi74
(Post 26670573)
Others are able to attain much better value with MR, UR, etc.
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Personally I like to diversify my points folio. It comes in handy when puzzling together In'tl awards.
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They gave a siminar in Chicago in October, cost $100.00 should go, many of your questions would be answered..
Education is a good investment,,,before making many mistakes Been there 40 years ago... |
Originally Posted by DjRocket
(Post 26670686)
Can you give me a specific example of attaining a better value with MR in the context of my flying profile please? Thank you.
For me (and others here), it's about options. With cash back cards, you know you'll never get more than the cash back rate. With MR, UR, etc. you not only have a cash back option (albeit at a lower ratio) you can also transfer to other programs and see some real ROI. For me, I would feel guilty using a cash back card because I know I could do better. |
for those of us who live to churn, the real question is why spend on anything that isn't counting towards a minimum spend...but as CaroPalms said, properly used points are worth much more than .02 per point
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Any International Business or FC ticket beat cash back...
Short hops Avois, like I said October, Siminar Chicago great deal.... took me 10 years for the first million miles, after Chicago Siminar I can do it in a year... |
Originally Posted by CaroPalms
(Post 26671536)
I'll give you two recent examples. I had to go to SLC back in April and instead of paying $900, I used 40k points....
Originally Posted by CaroPalms
(Post 26671536)
... With MR, UR, etc. you not only have a cash back option (albeit at a lower ratio) you can also transfer to other programs and see some real ROI.
Originally Posted by g8trgr8t
Any International Business or FC ticket beat cash back...
Maybe I should visit that seminar you advertise and start flying FC too : ). Do you mind telling the name so I could look it up? Thanks! |
I assume OP means PRG.
Originally Posted by DjRocket
(Post 26670231)
I'm facing the decision of which card(s) I want to use for daily purchases.
Originally Posted by DjRocket
(Post 26670231)
With such profile is there any benefit in using AMEX other than simply thanking them for giving me the sign-up bonus?
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Originally Posted by garykung
(Post 26672685)
Unless you are a big spender, or most of your daily purchase can fall into a bonus category of a card, earning from your daily purchase is not significant enough to make a difference..
Regarding purchase protection, I can't remember last time I had an issue with returns (knock on wood), so I don't consider it to be a valuable perk. EDIT: And again, the point here is not about perks that come by virtue of simply having the card, but rather about the value of using the card to rack up points to buy plane tickets or what have you. Thanks, DJR |
Originally Posted by DjRocket
(Post 26674503)
...I see nothing that beats Venture 2x miles per $1 spent.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...here-card.html ...and here... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...ted-1-1-a.html |
Originally Posted by DjRocket
(Post 26674503)
Well, I try to pay all my bills + mortgage + retirement fund with a credit card, so it accumulates to make enough difference to me. And unless it's a dining or travel expense, in which case Sapphire is more preferable, I see nothing that beats Venture 2x miles per $1 spent. (this of course excludes occasional promotions by some cards like 5% cashback and considerations like FC upgrades). So I put away my AMEX card but my inner annoying voice keeps saying "nobody's talking about Venture and people use AMEX, you got this wrong" LOL But I don't see how I can be wrong here.
Regarding purchase protection, I can't remember last time I had an issue with returns (knock on wood), so I don't consider it to be a valuable perk. EDIT: And again, the point here is not about perks that come by virtue of simply having the card, but rather about the value of using the card to rack up points to buy plane tickets or what have you. Thanks, DJR
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Originally Posted by DjRocket
(Post 26670231)
I'm not a frequent flier and if I do fly on vacation trips, it's primarily within the North and Latin Americas. With such profile is there any benefit in using AMEX other than simply thanking them for giving me the sign-up bonus? Thank you in advance for ideas.
DJR |
Originally Posted by LWT3
(Post 26674974)
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