gooselee

Not sure where else to post this but had to share a "d'oh" moment and figured FTers on this thread would understand.

Just booked a $3200 Airbnb. Got to payment page. Had just booked flights for same trip and made sure to put them on Amex Plat for 5x. Went to make sure I selected CSR for Airbnb to get 3x....and picked the Amex instead.

Will pass go and collect 3200 MR instead of 9600 UR. About a $100 mistake and 100% me being a doofus. Arggghfgf...

acarney

And Amex being a pain, we would LOVE 5x direct booking with hotels instead of AmexTravel... heck, I think a lot of us would probably be happy with 5x airfare and 3x hotel if you could book direct! :P

(It's also annoying that AmexTravel doesn't reflect 100% of what is actual available at a hotel. Disneyland Hotel showed the lowest level rooms for my dates available if I booked direct, mind you still for ~$495 a night. AmexTravel only showed deluxe room at $530/night, ended up checking daily almost two weeks before giving up and just holding onto the AmexTravel booking. I needed the MR points to push me over a benchmark so I could transfer off to Delta and redeem for free airfare round trip TO Disneyland, lol)

JHake10

lsquare

Is it just me or that the Business Platinum is better than the Personal Platinum? Anyone here have this card?

mia

It's less expensive and it's different, but better depends on your requirements. For example, Business Platinum awards only 1 point per dollar on airfare unless it is booked through American Express Travel. Another example, do you need more than one card? Personal Platinum $175/year/3 cards. Business Platinum $300/year/1 card.

Brian Chen

Here's a comparison:
https://www.businessinsider.com/amex...parison-2018-5

Green_eyes

I received a targeted offer for 100k bonus amex plat. However, I do not want to carry 2 of the high annual fee cards. My Chase Sapphire reserve annual fee is not due until February 2019, but amex plat offer only valid till November 6. Debating whether of not its worth for me to wait on applying? The only amex card I ever had was SPF amex which I closed once they devaluated points. Would you guys keep your CSR and not take up amex offer?

RedSun

There were several discussions about this. Maybe Mia knows all of that and can merge this one....

Green_eyes

I checked last 2 pages and didnt see any. I'd be happy if threads can be merged.

diesteldorf

Definitely don't close the CSR. See if you can call and product change to a no annual fee Sapphire card, or, better yet, a Freedom or Freedom Unlimited.

Chase cards can be a pain to get with 5/24, so downgrading your CSR will allow you to maintain your account history and also easily upgrade, if you decide to get the CSR in the future.

TIGRIS23

Personally, I would look at which card will have ongoing benefits where you'll likely to make the most of after the initial bonus. Remember, CSR has a 48 month rule now and Plat. has a lifetime (7-8 years) where you won't be able to get them again for that length of time. If you see CSR as long term, I would still sign up for the Plat. get bonus and cancel at 12.5 months later (I'm assuming you are making the most of the CSR's perks: $300 travel credit, $100 Global entry credit, Priority pass for this first year & so even come Feb.2019, you'll paying at most for CSR is $150). That's my take.

JHake10

These cards are different products. AMEX Plat is a benefits card (and also 5x on airfare). CSR is a quick points earning card. If you spend a lot on non-airfrare travel then you should keep the CSR.

WillSkiGT

I got the 100K targeted and ended up keeping both. I'll likely cancel AMEX Plat after 13 months, as I don't find it as valuable as the CSR over the long term (earning points), but can't say no to 100K MR points for my normal spend. As the poster above said, one is a points card and the other is a perks card.

Here's how I justified it:

CSR:
($450) annual fee
$300 travel credits
$0 Priority Pass - overridden by AMEX Plat
$50 Other benefits - 1.5x points value when booking through Chase, car rental primary insurance, Baggage and Trip Delay, car rental status/discounts, etc

Net: ($100)

AMEX Plat:
($550) annual fee
$400 2x annual airlines credit - I buy Delta giftcards
$200 annual Uber credit
$100 priority pass, centurion lounges
$100 Saks Fifth Ave annual credit
$50 hotel and rental car status

Net: $300

AMEX is a better deal in terms of perks, but CSR is 2x or 3x points on almost everything, so it's worth the ~$100 out of pocket. Case in point, I paid my MBA tuition with Chase and it coded as 3x, so I earned 93k UR points for a single semester (which really adds up over 4 semesters). That's why AMEX is a temporary card in my wallet and the CSR stays. I was originally considering downgrading the CSR to a Freedom and then getting a CSP this month (my 2 year anniversary is in Oct), but Chase just changed all Sapphire bonuses to 48 months, so I'm sticking with CSR.

diesteldorf

Not trying to hijack this thread, but how did you get 3x back on paying college tuition with the CSR? Did you actually use the CSR or another Chase card? Do you remember how the charges posted and the description?

IndyHoosier

Was wondering the same thing myself.