747FC

I recently called the JPMR Travel desk and a friendly and efficient agent found the flight I wanted and booked what is claimed to be a fully refundable ticket using my UR points (did that a few years ago and actually got a cash refund when I had to cancel). At the end of the call, the agent said that she knew I had not been using their concierge services, and suggested that I could get more value from them by using the concierge. She sent me a note that said this:
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"One of the great benefits of your J.P. Morgan Reserve Credit Card is complimentary access to the J.P. Morgan Reserve Travel Consultants.

No matter where your travels take you, the J.P. Morgan Reserve Travel Consultants are available to assist you anytime, anywhere in the world. We’re happy to arrange:

• Travel – We can book airline tickets, car rentals, hotel stays, even pet care.
• Dining – We’ll take care of everything from large parties to dinners for two.
• Events – Let us get you into just about any concert, game, exhibit or show.
• Shopping – We specialize in discovering rare and hard-to-find items, or the perfect gift."

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So, I decided to give their concierge services a try, and called in and found yet another friendly and efficient representative. I asked for the following:

1. Book three rooms at a particular hotel.
2. Book a outside table for dinner for 12 at this hotel.
3. Book transportation back and forth from airport to the hotel.

These were the results:

1. Using her platform, the agent saved me money by booking room rates that included what we wanted at a lower price than the hotel website.

2. The outside table dinner booking was an issue that took several calls to resolve as the hotel refused the table for 12 and initially refused to split us up and seat us outside at all. I finally told the concierge to let the hotel restaurant know that we may decide not to stay at the hotel unless we got tables at their outdoor area. The concierge seemed to get the restaurant to agree, but I'm awaiting email confirmation from the restaurant.

3. While the agent said that they had their own list of limo companies, the agent queried the hotel and found that they used a particular service which will meet us curbside (or at baggage claim if we want), for about the price of an Uber XL ride.

My initial impressions is that the concierge service has saved me time and money. The agents seemed interested in providing top customer service. Follow up was good. I was able to respond back to the agent by email, so I did not have to keep dealing with a different agent for the same issue. I'm so pleased that I have asked the same agent to help on some additional car service planning in two other cities for already-arranged trips.

Hope this thread and initial post brings further reports of good concierge outcomes!

747FC

A follow-up:

Using the same agent a few weeks ago, got a car service at a reasonable (if high price) to pick up at LAX and deliver to a relative's house, and back again. Service was expensive, but not extraordinarily compared to an Uber XL. Actually glad we locked in our various car services at LAX and also SEA and YVR, as I'm reading reports that Uber drivers are hard to find and gas prices are rising, etc.

One last thing, our agent was able to get us written confirmation of the outdoor seating (see above post).

snsec

Just this week I called JPMR concierge and asked for help getting a reservation for next week at one of the 3-Michelin star restaurants in Paris. Given the last-minute nature, there was nothing available online when I checked myself prior to submitting the request. The concierge that I worked with put in quite a bit of effort to call around to all of the restaurants, follow-up with them when she didn't hear back, and eventually was able to secure a reservation for my preferred restaurant. I was really impressed at the level of communication and persistence they put into the request, it made me want to try using the service more often in the future.

747FC

Welcome to FT! Awesome first post!

exigence

I've read through the Amex and Chase / Visa Infinite concierge threads at length here. Spotty success records, for sure.

Years ago, I know Amex was serviced by Circles for their concierge services. I think I read that they went to Aspire some years back, and I don't know with certainty what Visa's workflow is for Infinite cards.

Citi Prestige went from Ten to Aspire years ago, per a thread here.

The JPM concierge page cites Aspire also.

The above DPs, and a few others elsewhere given such a low-volume card, speak overall highly for the JPMR concierge, much more so for "just" Visa Infinite services which this card is, and typically more so than Amex.

For those with personal or industry knowledge, this all makes me curious: is it that JPM has essentially a higher level of service with Aspire for the JPMR, akin to Amex having specialized Centurion concierges beyond the Platinum concierge service (formerly an individual, now a specific team)? And what sorts of concierge/travel services are truly kept in house, if any, given the nature of the card?

DJW1029

Very curious on this. I have the opportunity to get the card so would be curious if any Reserve cardholders could compare to other (ie, Amex plat/centurion) concierges

exigence

In my limited experience after having gotten the card as in the other thread, I've found the JPM Concierge to be far more thorough and detailed, with more astute recommendations, then both the Amex Platinum and Visa Infinite concierge services.

Especially true since the Platinum concierge service seems to have gone downhill somewhat in the last 6-12 months. Hopefully they rebound.

The logistical arrangements are still a little unclear to me as in my quoted post there.

747FC

As you may know, there is a lot of complaints on the Amex Plat and Cent boards. My experience is good with the Plat concierge getting unavailable restaurants (batting 1000). Never asked them to tackle the complexity involved in my OP query of the JPMR concierge.

Milwaukee

747FC , you always have the scoop, thanks for posting stuff like this. I want to try and report back as well. Are you connecting with them through phone (call back of card, and transferred?) or online via https://concierge.jpmorgan.com/en/?

exigence

I would be curious if you're able to use that site, 747FC - I was told it isn't for JPM Reserve members despite the url.

(I've had good results via email, speaking for myself.)

Milwaukee

Thank you exigence ! Was wondering why the site wasn't accepting my credentials.

747FC

That site does not work for me. I would recommend calling the number on the back of your card and ask to be transferred to the Concierge, which is actually JPM Travel. Before you hang up, ask them for the direct line.

Regarding email, once I have a case with them, the agent has been responsive to email communications. Its just me, but I choose not to start a request by email.

747FC

I've reported on good results with the concierge, so I figured that I need to report on a failure experience: I asked them to find a car service that would be suitable for transport from HNL to my home in Honolulu. (I usually use Uber, but did not want to hassle with them for this trip.) Told the concierge that I would have four large pieces of luggage, 2 adults, and carry-ons. Asked them also to see if the provider had Hawaii resident rate discounts.

The concierge emailed me back a $300 quote for the trip, scheduled in a luxury car that would never have accommodated the luggage. There was no mention of an attempt to secure the discount. (yes, I considered the discount to be a reach, but I figured I would try). After receiving this poor example of a concierge reply, I outsourced my needs to the FT Hawaii forum, and got a great tip for scheduled pickup from a local taxi company. They scheduled a van that easily accommodated our luggage and persons, all for $60.

Sometimes concierges just can't be as good as people with local knowledge.

rasheed

If JPM is using Aspire still, I had a chance to use Aspire via WEMC. It was for a very in-demand restaurant that WEMC actually listed on their own concierge website. Unfortunately, they could not get a reservation either. The Aspire person was nice, but unsuccessful.

747FC

WEMC? What is that?