Andre182

I currently hold the BA Amex Premium card. However, with the attractive welcome bonus on the new Amex Platinum card, I'm considering switching. Is it unwise to retain the BA Amex while also getting the Platinum? I believe the 2-4-1 voucher is quite valuable. What are your opinions?

c1223

Depends if you're looking to churn and burn or whether the benefits of the platinum card are actually worth the high card fee. If you think the 2-4-1 voucher is valuable there's nothing stopping you from keeping both cards. The platinum card fee is increasing to £650, although the 100,000 points signup bonus more than cancels that out in the first year.

So the long and short of it is, yes get the platinum card for the signup bonus, but you'll need to question whether you renew it past 1 year based on whether the benefits are worth the high fee and if you get value for money.

jjLDNY

In order to identify the value for you here, it's worth taking into account your objective. If you consider the welcome bonus worth the annual fee then yes, get it for a year, use the points and cancel it.

But moving forward, do you value getting 1:1 amex points and transferring them to your desired location over 1:1.5 avios? if the former, you have your answer, if the latter, then you have it too!

I currently own both (and the US plat which beats both by a mile). Putting aside the US plat; to me the value I get from the BA card, is 'better' as I get more points per £ (and I primarily use BA over other airlines), the annual fee is less and as you say, the 2-4-1 if you're hitting the threshold. If I did not have the US plat, I would get significant value from the centurion lounge and would maintain this too, however this is only relevant if you visit locations with them.

mikeyfly

Having the Blue Amex right now (having recently downgraded for the last time for a pro rata refund) I wouldn’t be entitled to a sign up bonus on the Platinum card having held a different card in the preceding 24 months ?

marconess

Just a quick note the 100,000point bonus is only if you keep the card for 15 months. It's 75,000 intial bonus with the required spend.

c1223

No you'll be fine. You can't have held the platinum, gold or green cards in the past 24months. BA cards are fine.

GMT_Master2

The only issue I see with the new welcome bonus is to get the full 100,000 you need to keep the card 15 month. So you will need to keep the card 2 years as you no longer get the refund when you cancel.

I am temped to get the card for year 1 for the 75,000 though

Erwin10

The pro rata refund seems to have been changed again.
https://www.headforpoints.com/2023/0...f-fee-refunds/

marconess

I believe you can only get a prorata refund before Feb 24th.

Smid

I've just downgraded my premium BA amex. I'd not spend enough to get a 2 for 1 for two years, so 500 quid wasted, and I booked my 2 for 1 from the one earned before, and the £1700 taxes for the few F over/J back booking was by no means a bargain. It was a struggle to locate any F seats even a year in advance and the J ones, well, I've done ex-DUB ones for not a lot more than those taxes (if you price in the avios spent, and what the seat bookings would cost from the silver earned).

On pricing the £575 on the BA Amex, it depends on what you want.

1) The Insurance on the Plat is very good, though you have to use the card to book it (I know the BA premium amex has insurance too, but I don't think on much). I'd value that as £200.

2) Two Priority Pass cards have very varying value, a couple of ex-DUB (return) priced around 25 per visit would make it about 200 quid value. If you fly more than that (without BA status), or use non BA airports, then this can have a LOT of value to you. I did Hamburg from Birmingham for six months weekly, and this more than covered the prices.

3) Eurostar lounge. I like this, and no other way in apart from regular visits to get carte blanche card, or pay 600 quid return/ So a couple of them returns with partner are probably worth around 200.

4) Local and overseas dining credit, £150 each, £300 total. Not the places I'd typically eat, and often would have to go our of my way, did a posh restaurant in Antwerp, but in Germany, one of the chains Alex, takes it, so it got spent well this year on our trip.

5) £100 of Harvey Nichols credit, 2 x 50. I used it to buy overpriced tequila, so kind of used it.

6) Hotel status cards. Hilton Gold (I've had upgrades, executive lounges, this was useful), Marriot gold (not used it, apparently less good for upgrades). Melia gold (not used it). Radisson gold (useless for me, the upgrades did not bring the lounge, so really were the same room with a nicer coffee machine).

7) Amex Centurion lounges. I've found these quite nice when they've got one, a step up from the Priority Pass lounges, often in the US, in an airport which tend to lack PP lounges.

Other things, Fine Hotel and Resorts, not found anything cheap there, not my sort of hotels. Good if you're wanting a 500 quid a night hotel. Delta lounges in US (never been in one, but heard not great lounges). Special events (never used one); I think new cards are getting £200 amex credit first year too, I didn't.

In recent times there has been regular spend over £300 get 50/100 back on Marriott, IHG and a few other chains. But they've not always been there.

The points for joining also count heavily too in cost, however you value them. Consider though, whether you will hit the minimum spend conditions to earn them.

bisonrav

I got a platinum card as an experiment this year and nominated another frequent flier friend for the companion card, and as quite frequent LCC fliers we do seem to get good value for lounge access. It depends how you value lounges really but it's a very decent substitute for earning access via status. Though there's a lot of chicanery with booking fees now - I was in BHX today and they attempted to charge me a £10 booking fee despite the lounge being half empty (or half full, depending on how you look at things). I declined the offer and went to Burger King.

I retain a BA premium card for the 241 which with Avios earning reductions is going to be even more valuable I suspect. There's a bit of money that comes back on both cards from offers and general spend. I have a gold card which I'll dump within the initial 12 months. I didn't get bonus offers for any of the MR cards I currently hold.

Duck1981

The Trip Insurance is excellent - had to use a few times when EU261 did not apply (US domestic/ Asia) and everything was paid.

Always use my dining credits plus Harvey Nichols.

Used offers/ savings worth £400 this year.

Yes the price is steep, but overall I come out with a plus every year.

Yellowbelly

Matt's Planet on YouTube just did a good summary of the AMEX options:

Never Stansted

For me it works to have both cards. Vague strategy:

- BAPP
- Amex Plat
- EasyJet Plus

Just over £1k all in.

Travel is about 50 flights a year, 20ish on EZY and 30ish on BA (mostly short haul, occasional long haul thrown in). Credit card spend (about £20k) almost all goes through the BAPP so enough for companion voucher and return of about 40k miles (after extra bonus on BA transactions). Amex Plat is worth it for me - various credits pay for the cost of the card quite easily, and the Priority Pass gets well used on the EZY flights. EZY Plus at about £215 makes a big saving given that I’d otherwise spend £40ish per EZY leg on seat selection and cabin bags (so saving about £600).

MrGatch

Is that correct? I thought if you booked on any Amex in your name and held the Platinum you could claim on the Platinum travel insurance?