DjRocket

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

takeshi74

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.

Best is always highly subjective. If that's what works best for you then go with it. Others are able to attain much better value with MR, UR, etc.

DjRocket

I thought I did. For example, I go to book a flight on Delta and see how much it costs in dollars/points and how much $ I have to charge on either Delta or GPR cards (1:1 transfer rate) to earn that many points. It turns out I have to use more than 1 point per 1 cent of the ticket price in cash with MR points. So not only earning 1 point per $1 spent already beats the MR rate, the Venture card gives you 2 points per $1 spent. Furthermore, with Venture points I don't even need to use Delta, I just pick the cheapest flight available on the Internet! So why in the world would I ever want to use the AMEX card to earn MR to pay for Delta flights?



Can you give me a specific example of attaining a better value with MR in the context of my flying profile please? Thank you.

CodeAdam10

Personally I like to diversify my points folio. It comes in handy when puzzling together In'tl awards.

satman40

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...

CaroPalms

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. I didn't even need to transfer that many points since I had some leftover SkyMiles. I also transferred 100,000 points to Delta to book a business class trip to Italy on Alitalia. Those tix were about $4500.

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.

g8trgr8t

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

satman40

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...

DjRocket

You got a $900 ticket for 40k skymiles? Wow Delta must have been running some special, I've never seen anything that low. I just ran some tests and the lowest I found is 65k plus taxes in $. It sounds like Skymiles have a large variation in their value depending on the destination, season etc. I guess occasionally it would be a better deal.

No questions on UR, yes, I'm aware of the UR's power. I'm just looking for the usefulness of the MR when compared to other options like 2x cash back. I guess you can transfer them to some international carriers and perhaps get a better value than using 2x cash back, but my flying patterns are primarily within North America. It'd be nice to see a concrete example (with numbers) of how investing in MR would beat 2x cash back on domestic flights.

Unfortunately, I don't produce large volumes of points, so flying economy, but I see your point. Any upgrade due to some status that comes with the MR would be a perk.

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!

garykung

I assume OP means PRG.

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.

Yes - return/purchase protection (for non-consumerable).

DjRocket

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

mia

I think you want to read here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...here-card.html

...and here...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...ted-1-1-a.html

LWT3

• How do you fund your retirement contributions with a credit card?
• Why isn't a no-fee 2% cash back card better than the Venture 2x miles card for everyday spend?
• It just seems like you're asking people for reasons MR might be valuable and then arguing with whatever is said. It may well be the case that for your spending pattern, they aren't as valuable as other options, and it's as simple as that. No need for extended debate.

btk2333

I think this is your key point. If you're mainly flying coach domestically and don't have a huge interest in flying premium cabins internationally (or even coach internationally) then you may very well be happy with the Capital One Venture Card and Chase Sapphire. Might I inquire why you choose the Venture card over the Barclay Arrival Plus card which earns slightly better than the Venture?

DjRocket

• I just send my broker a check from Serve (this is obviously for non employer sponsored funds)
• It's not, I just happened to get the Venture because of a generous signup bonus and don't see a need to switch to another card unless it'll offer a better cash back. I'll use it until the AF comes up and then will switch to a no fee card like CITI double cash.
• I'm sorry it comes across that way. I don't view it as arguing. I view it as "giving it a further consideration and reminding that my OP question is not about UR points, or insurance that come with having AMEX card, or cards better than Venture". The OP question is whether earning AMEX MR points can be more rewarding for occasional travel purposes within North America than other alternatives, such as Venture card or its equivalents. I haven't seen an affirmative answer yet with a concrete example. Thank you.