ucdtim17

As someone who usually flies twice a week through OAK, it's only taken a week or two to make back the $50 difference ($450 fee first year) in food/drink at the Escape Lounge (plus the PP AF lounge at SFO). No idea what I'll ultimately use MR points for - they don't really have a use in my normal travel habits now - but the card is easily worth it for the lounge access.

dhuey

As you can see from the multiple threads, hardly anyone has ever had any difficulty getting the $200 in credits via airline gift cards -- on any airline.

gooselee

But the general case doesn't matter to the individual. If that math makes sense to a single person, then the card is beneficial/justifiable/etc. for that person. Full stop.

I have no doubt that this is true...for you. For others, the CSR may provide a very different value, and those two outcomes are not mutually exclusive.

Sorry if this comes across as coming down on you as an individual. That's certainly not my intent. However it gets somewhat tiresome to see someone post that a particular card/program/benefit/change is valuable or beneficial to them, only to immediately have others tell them they're wrong because those same benefits can't be similarly maximized by everyone in the known universe.

C W

I'm with you on this one.

Hearing CSR and Plat comparisons all the time is becoming very tiresome. They are both very good products but they are extremely different and whether each or both is justifiable for somebody depends massively on their flying, traveling, and spending habits and preferences.

dhuey

I welcome the CSR and Plat comparisons, and I hope Amex and Chase keep upping the ante in their intense competition. They're both great cards. I'm one of many here who use both.

Majuki

As am I!

I didn't read it that way. Also, I am not saying anybody is making a bad choice by going with the Platinum over or in addition to the CSR. I know multiple people who've chosen the Platinum over the CSR when comparing the benefits that work for the individual.

However, why did everyone flock to the CSR when it debuted, and it seems like everybody, including those who aren't on FlyerTalk or avid readers of the various blogs or travel sites, has the CSR? A few years ago, most people outside of this community were when I told them I had a card with a $450 annual fee. Since the CSR (and other similar prestige cards) debuted, it's no longer out of the ordinary.

I'm not disputing that things like ordering airline gift cards work for the $200 credit. My point is that people have to game the system to make use of the benefit. For instance, if the $200 credit were restricted to the items that are published (no gift cards, no upgrades, no ticket purchases), would people still have a use for the credit?

With the new $550 annual fee, there is $100 more to justify to keep the card. I think both the $200 airline credit and $200 Uber credit likely have some weight adjustments to their value which is at most 1x. Beyond the benefits, how often are people using this card for many purchases? The number of times this card comes out of my wallet each year is equal to my entries into a Centurion Lounge plus paying my Admirals Club membership renewal fee to use the $200. I’m also not invested enough in MR to make use of the 5x MR on airline ticket purchases. It is also likely that those people who are invested in MR are using other card products to make purchases outside of the 5x bonus category. This means that holding the Platinum card is purely for the card benefits without an intention to do any significant amount of spending on the card.

Troopers

The 100k bonus. Now that the bonus is 50k and closing of the 2x $300 first year credit, it's not that sexy anymore.

Among my circle of friends, employees and family, only 1 or maybe 2 have the CSR. It's the same for the Plat.

GiantCow

Just paid the renewal for my plat, still $475. When it does go up to $550 next year I'll have to decide whether it's worth keeping. As it stands, the only benefits that I can't get elsewhere is the SPG/Marriott gold and centurion lounge.

krazykanuck

This. Outside of FT people that I know who have the card, of the ones I've talked to about it none of them intend to keep it past the first renewal. One guy is a manager at my old job said he got one for him and another for his wife just for the bonus which he'll transfer to United to move him and the family around. The couple I know that are my age said they took the UR as a statement credit.

The card was a no brainer for anybody who could get approved when the bonus was 100k and you could double dip the travel credit. Now it requires more thought if it makes sense.

gsxsilver

50k UR is in line with industry standard (read amex plat and citi prestige). And just like the plat, I assume that it'll eventually get up to 100k for some limited time. But without the travel credit double dipping it lags behind behind both amex and citi who still allows double dipping. It's going to be a card for me to get (after 5/24), but probably not one to keep.

G-CIVC

I signed up for Amex Plat earlier this month. Would the spend involving airline fee credit (if credited) count towards the minimum spend for the sign up bonus?

Also, I didn't seem to get the credit reimbursed for a $100 GC purchase with AA.

mia

Did you select AA as your carrier before buying the card? Extensive discussion here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...s-aa-only.html

eajusa

Yes, it counts toward spend.

G-CIVC

Apologies for my relative inexperience in using AMEX.

Yes. I did it the day before buying the card. But I shouldn't call AMEX right...

Chat rep said it won't - should I safely ignore her?

weaseltown

Every data point suggests that this spend counts, but honestly if it were me I'd put an extra $200 on the card just to be safe. Doesn't seem worth it to risk the entire signup bonus over such a relatively trivial amount.