I was booking a room for 5 nights at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills for a relative and while the hotel quoted a price of $350 per night, PTS at first quoted $400+ per night. When I pointed out to the PTS agent I could get the room cheaper by booking directly with the hotel, she put me on hold and then came back agreeing to book the room at the lower rate. Since the lowest rate wasn't offered the first time around, I just assumed this was standard Amex procedure and never called them again. Perhaps my experience was not typical then?

Regarding the "Gold Card Events".... those are also available with the Gold Card ;) ....I booked concert tickets once using this service and was able to get 2 orchestra seats when mezzanine were the best available otherwise. Well, the seats turned out to be in the very last row of the orchestra section, so they weren't that much better than mezzanine. :(

US Amex Plat also gives you automatic SPG Gold, Hertz #1 Gold and the Avis equivalent, if you don't already have them.

I agree the FHR rates are usually nothing great, but occasionally they have some good deals - I once got the RC San Francisco for I think $169 and - get this - it included full breakfast for two in the restaurant (easily $40), a $50 credit at the gift shop, and I was upgraded at check in to a huge corner junior suite. Not bad at all!

The Platinum concierge also once really saved our bacon when we flew a combination of AA, UA and AF to NCE and several bags went missing. None of the airlines wanted to accept responsibility, much less do anything but tell us "wait a few days, maybe they'll turn up." Amex got involved and the next day the bags were cabbed to our hotel and AF gave me FRF700 in cash to cover replacement items we'd bought in the meantime.

My personal peeve of this problem is flying CO out of SAN. Can't get into the DL Crown Room with a CO PC membership flying CO metal. Only works for the PC membership if you're flying DL.

Hmmm...didn't realize you had to be flying DL to get into a CR with a PC membership. I guess this is different than the NW agreement.
So other airports where this problem could exist with either a PC membership or Amex Plt card (assuming CR is even convenient to CO gates):
CVG
FRA
JAX
MCI
MIA
BNA
MSY
MCO
PHL
RDU
SLC
TPA
PBI.

Certainly devalues the PC membership, particularly given ALL DL top level elites can apparently access the PCs. :td:

The main difference with Amex vs. PC is level of access. PC membership gives you UNLIMITED access to all PC's and WCs. A PC member can use the club even if he is not travelling OR if he is travelling on another carrier. In most instances this is a non-issue but on occasions where you find yourself at the airport dropping someone off or picking someone up PC membership comes in handy.

Only when flying CO, I believe, since what they get is free CRC membership.

Exactly.

-Vincent

I live in MN and could have the choice of a WorldClub membership or AmEx Platinum. I have had the platinum for several years now. Granted, I can only use the lounge of the airline I am flying on that day, but there are other benefits mentioned above.

With the AmEx Platinum, AmEx gives me virtually unlimited spending (apparently there is a limit but I have never been denied even with tens of thousands of business expenses on it some months). So I can accumulate those points and transfer to a specific airline program when I am ready. DL just ran a promotion through 9/15 that they will give you a 35% bonus for any points you transfer to DL miles. That is a great deal in my opinion.

I think there is no right answer - it depends on your use of each card, if you will fly mostly one airline over another, whose lounges are in the airports you will fly into, etc.

how do you get through security without a boarding pass?