A Little Cow

I do think they still should have better raised numbers. Particularly when renting cars in some more isolated parts they have those old-fashioned card "readers" which take an imprint of the card. The low profile numbers on the amex (and CSR) always seem to cause issues...

DMSFCA

Twice I've had mine eaten by the parking payment machine, once when I was in a total rush and by some miracle, the hotel security happened to be nearby and actually had keys. Now I'm so gun-shy about using the metal card in anything I have to insert, I go to my Chase BA, which is still plastic at this point.

FlyingHighlander

Finally the industry is catching up with those of us that have always hated the metal card fad
https://thepointsguy.com/news/no-mor...-credit-cards/

mia

I don't see this in the article.

FlyingHighlander

I should have said the blogging industry. Once upon a time they couldn't get enough of shiny metal cards.

tmiw

I saw that article a few days ago but some of the reasoning around acceptance seemed questionable. Some of the quotes that stood out include:


I haven't run into one of those domestically in quite a while, though I'm sure YMMV.

American banks decided from the start that they were never going to do that. Metal cards never played into that decision AFAIK.

Also, contactless payment is the standard overseas now, not inserting--which metal cards have no issue supporting. For instance, the CSP/CSR has had support for tapping for a bit. Granted, you can only tap the back of the card (unlike with plastic cards), but still.

m907

This shouldn't be an issue for the Platinum because if you're using it for anything other than flights and certain large purchases, you're doing it wrong.

Need

There is no going back now. Can you imagine a premium credit card coming out and it is plastic? For every one person who goes "Yes! Finally a plastic credit card.." you will have 9 people going "...?" I just read on the other thread that the Bank of America Premium Reward's new metal card version is not metal enough.... it is like CSP and CSR, metal core wrapped in plastic.

I like the metal cards. I think all the years since I have metal cards, I only encountered once that I can't slide the card thru the slot to read the strip. That was years ago when chip or wireless were not used yet. I don't even remember the last time I have use to the chip... it is all wireless now. Pretty much the only time I have to hand the card over is at the restaurants for dine in which is not happening much these days. Most of the normal shopping is done online. No one gets to see my metal or plastic cards.

FlyingHighlander

I honestly don't think people care. CSR have it about right, I barely notice that one is metal. The Amex Plat is just downright obnoxious! I never liked how much attention it drew from cashiers.

WasKnown

The Hilton Aspire ($450 AF) is plastic! The United Quest ($250 AF) is also plastic! The Bonvoy Business ($125 AF) is made out of this weird cardboard material that feels like it will be damaged permanently if it touches even a small amount of water.

But you’re totally right overall. Another benefit for churners focusing on 2-3 cards at a time!

dayone

Reclaimed and recycled ocean plastic?

imnotalawyer

Cruelty-free plastic!

In all seriousness, I would prefer to use whatever creates the least waste but I won't be losing any sleep over it. As to the topic at hand, I still get a chuckle whenever a clerk mentions something about a card (but this is less frequent both due to their ubiquity and the slow but sure death of actually handing over a card). Metal cards can also be a conversation starter with friends... and I will never miss an opportunity to yammer on and on about credit cards!

Edit: WasKnown I have the legacy-SPG Bonvoy card ($95 AF) and it has that odd papery feel, too!

TravelForum

We use the Amex Platinum for all of our spend, including all day-to-day stuff and recurrent charges (utilities, subscriptions, etc). I have no complaints.

imnotalawyer

The possible shortcoming with your plan is that you are not maximizing your potential MR return. For instance, if you used your Platinum Card to buy groceries then you would get 1x MR on that purchase whereas you could get 4x MR on that same purchase with a Gold Card. Generally speaking, it only makes sense to put spend on the Platinum Card if you are booking airfare or travel through the Amex Portal. It also may make sense if (1) you have an expensive purchase that you want covered by Purchase Protection or Extended Warranty, (2) you have a specific Offer on your Platinum Card, or (3) you really want to hit the $75k spend threshold to unlock better Centurion Lounge Guest Access when that policy goes into effect.

Categories that aren't generally captured by cards (such as utilities or subscriptions) are fine to put on your Platinum Card unless you really wanted to split hairs. If you have no issue with a potential grey area (possibly considered abuse/gaming) you can use a Blue Business Plus Card to get 2x MR on all spend (up to $50k per year).

Adelphos

I wonder what percent of spending on cards like Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, etc is in nonbonus categories. 90% or more? 95%?

Clearly Amex Platinum must see a ton of non-airfare spend. Personally I use Amex Platinum for whatever I want an extended warranty or purchase protection for, Amex offer charges, stuff like phone bills (for insurance) and Equinox (credits), FHR, etc. Heck I barely even use Amex Platinum for airfare these days (I use Delta Reserve to book most flights).

Many of the most intelligent people I know use cards like Amex Platinum and CSR for all spend. Remember what we do is a hobby