+1000%

HSBC has just jumped back into the US credit card game. BoA will soon get dumped by US, leaving them with only AS/HA. (juniper/barclay's has the contract for the HP/US affinity card after 2008).

Both are seriously superior to chase in terms of customer service.

3% off with Amex on DL
 

As another perk to the Amex Plat card (at least the small biz one), you now get 3% off every purchase on DL regardless of booking channel, as long as the card is used. You can even combine the 3% off with other discounts DL may offer. This is standard benefit of the card ...and not a 12-month promotional period as with CO and the Chase card.

I'd rather have 3% off all the time on a card like Amex than 5% for 12 months with a Chase card.

In fact the Amex DL business card now gives you 5% off every DL purchase, and the Amex B6 business card gives you 5% off every B6 purchase.
The best part about it is that there's no codes to enter, it just comes automatically on the statement.

I just received this card...has anyone been successful in getting a reduction of the annual fee? I haven't called yet but wanted any expert advice before doing so! Thanks.

[Reference to multiple duplicate posts above deleted by moderator]

I think it will be impossible to get a reduction in the annual fee because the fee includes a Presidents Club membership.

CO Insider: Any ideas as to whether or not Chase has any plans to offer hotel benefits in order to be more competitive with other cards of this "class" (such as Amex Plat, etc)?

FWIW, CO Insider will be out for the next few days.

As for Chase, why on earth do they think they have to be competitive? After all, it's a privilege for us mere mortals to bank with them.

Hi sithlordabe, yes this is something we're looking into, but I don't have any details to share just yet.

Benefits
 

All useless crap and not worthwhile. I cancelled my Continental Visa Card.

I'm out
 

I have PC club membership (3 yr, now expiring) an Amex Plat personal card that I got two years ago, and a Chase World Card that I have had a long time.

I truly don't see the benefit of renewing my PC Club for another 3 years ($1,185 for self and spouse) and renewing my World Card when it comes due next month for whatever they decide to charge me. It was worthwile when the 5% discount was in place, but that expired. I also have a UA Platinum Plus card that I never use which I will cancel.

My Marriott Rewards Visa offers some real value, so I will keep it.

Seems like just adding the spouse on to my Amex Plat will get her into the PC, which is a must do, and forget about the rest.

Anyone have any other thoughts on this? Looks like they have been covered pretty well already.

I too have gotten an Amex platinum card for my wife. It works at NWA clubs as well. I am getting rid of my Continental card and have never bought a PC membership. they are getting embarassing and ridiculous with how they are trying to soak their user base.

BTW, you never know what will happen if Continental decides to drop Amex access. I have found that flying NWA is actually nicer, better first class, newer planes and if that were to transpire I would start flying them more.

whoops

Are we talking about the same NWA and CO? Or the NWA and CO in Superman's bizzaro world?

I believe it is the same. ON a recent flight to Detroit I was extremely satisfied w/the first class section, the way they roll the cart out, provide chips, cookies, etc. in first and how much wider the aisles are. CO's planes NEVER look clean, you never get ANYTHING but pretzels or peanuts w/drinks and trying to get more than one drink from an FA makes you feel like you need to put on the kneed pads and beg some more.

NWA has old fabric seats with less legroom - in fact, FC on their DC9s offers marginally more legroom than coach.

CO has leather seats with more legroom and personal space. I never have a problem getting a drink refill from CO attendants.

NWA provides IFE in the form of FA's taking out their work frustration on customers. CO provides free IFE in the form of movies, short subject programming and on some aircraft, AVOD

NWA's fleet is much older, on average, than CO's. Some of NWA's aircraft are older than I am.

CO's meal options are, on average, far better than NWA's.

What does NWA have going for it? Well, the McNamara Terminal at DTW wins hands-down as the best airport terminal in the entire USA.

Sure, they offer a snack basket in FC with fruit, cookies, crackers, snack mix, Toblerone bars, etc...but CO could match this easily and move out ahead of everyone else in terms of FC product quality.

Got rid of my Chase World MC when 5% discount expired and $85.00 annual fees hit the statement. This is the first time in over 10 years I do not have a credit card adding miles to my OnePass account. I was tricked into getting the no fee Chase Freedom Card when I tried to cancel the World MC. After reading the benefits I decided to keep it until I get 6000 points which will give me 5000 miles to top off my UA account. After that is good bye to the Freedom card as well.

The new $375 card is nice if I need the PC membership. 5% off is a good value. Unfortunately, it is only for 1 year.

I'm thinking of getting it just for the EliteAccess. I know, I know... :[

Aren't most flights PRIMARILY full of elites anyway, w/the exception of Vegas and Florida?

Funny, but your experience with CO seems to be quite the opposite of the general population's.

To me, the only thing NW has going for it is the 16 seat F sections on the narrowbodies. The seats are flimsy, much less comfortable, and noticeably skimpier on legroom than Continental's. In the case of the DC-9, they are also narrower. The 'wide aisles' you talk about are due entirely to their decision to operate the A319/320 over the 737, which has a 6" wider fuselage. The seat width is identical, if not less, than Continental's on the 737 and 757.

CO serves meals on more flights than anybody else these days, and if all your business is on DTW-EWR flights and whatnot, who really cares about getting a meal? True, NW has it right with their snack baskets, but get back to me with a comparison of DTW-LAX vs. CO's EWR-LAX First Class service, hell, even CLE-LAX. This is where CO does its best work domestically.

In my experience, CO's aircraft are the cleanest in the United States. I cannot remember the last time I flew on an aircraft that I would call 'dirty'. NW does a good job too, but CO is really exceptional. A recent flight on a 1987-vintage 737-300 was very impressive, had I not known better I wouldn't have guessed the aircraft was more than 10 years old. Hard to believe that some of the NW DC-9's I fly on from time to time were 20 years old when that 737-300 was delivered!

For the record, I have no problem with the NW DC-9s, even though some of them are almost as old as I am. NW does a nice job maintaining them, and even though their 717-style modernization program of the late 90s has not aged very gracefully, I have full confidence in them and do not book away when faced with the prospect of an NW DC-9 flight. Still, the facts clearly demonstrate that CO's fleet is far and away the younger of the two.

NW has some good people, although they have understandably become more and more disgruntled over the past 3 years. I fly NW often, they are my #2 choice in the US, but CO simply outclasses them, plain and simple.

Thread title.
 

OP - received.... i before e except after c ^

Any updates to this card? looks like other cards esp (amex plat personal and business) seem to up the ante... with free domestic companion tickets etc... CO insider are there any new hotel partnerships etc been worked out?

The thing about the NW DC-9s, is that I typically fly in them to destinations in the upper midwest like GRB that would otherwise have service via a regional jet. Although everyone would rather be in a 767 or 777 than a DC-9, I much prefer a DC-9 to a Barbie Dream Jet, especially in F.

Boy did I get taken by this crappy offer. I actually did read the fine print--the brochure points out the elite perks you do get, but omits the important ones you don't get. For me, premium seating is a must.

I call the elite status offered by this cruddy excuse for a card "Brass Elite". All Continental/Chase had to do was make a little side-by-side comparison of platinum, gold, silver, and "brass" elite, and I would have been informed (and chucked the offer in the trash bin). Shame on you, Continental! I want my money back.

Don't. You'll be disappointed when you can't select a premium seat! I learned this the hard way!

still trying to sell it
 

a colleague just recieved one of the fancy invites in the mail this week. Looks just like te one I recieved months ago. Must be a second (or third) mailing because it was so good :rolleyes:

Card holders get $3 off a glass of wine in PCs
 

Received an interesting promotion from Mark B and CO today: A very nice card announcing that CO is "uncorking a new CO airlines Presidential Plus Mastercard (PPMC) Benefit." A PPMC holder can now flash their card to get $3 off the "already attractive price of individually sized carafes" for both me and my guests. This will certainly come in handy at the DO, but I'd have to drink 125 individual carafes of wine to cover the cost of the card. I guess I'll take the early flight to IAH so I can get started at noon on Sep. 28th.

I also received this offer a couple of months ago. I was offered the Pres Club membership and Silver Elite status. For $375 that seamed like a reasonable offer. Anybody else been offered Silver Elite? Just curious

Now that is a reasonable offer. I'd have taken it if they extended my elite status another year.

The offer stands, but it's pseudo silver. It only gives you elite access anywhere you see the carpet. You aren't eligible for better seating or Upgrades.

Better seating?

Elite members are offered better seating in the forward cabin and exit rows.

Chase "Silver Elite" apparently can not choose these better seats when purchasing a ticket. They do get to check-in at the airport in the elite line, use security elite lines, and board with elites. They also are not eligible for first class upgrades with the rest of the Elites.

So how is that any different than the initial offer of Elite Access? Pseudo Silver and Elite Access sound the same to me...

This is not my experience. I decided to take CO up on this offer as I had a few personal flights from LAS to EWR, IAH and BTR to plan this year. All reservations are booked with me in elite seating and so far I am 2 for 2 on the upgrades. I went back to the offer I received from CO and can find none of the fine print regarding upgrades that others refer to. Interesting....

I'm just going by what people have posted in this long thread. Several have said they have not gotten preferred seating at check-in, nor are they eligible for upgrades.

I gotta say, I'm shocked you are getting upgrades as a silver. I only did once, and that was on a Saturday flight.

benefits include: priority check-in, priority airport screening (where available), priority boarding privileges and priority baggage when traveling on Continental-operated and -marketed flights.

This doesn't say anything about the normal "silver elite" benefits of complimentary upgrades, 50% mileage bonus, preferred seating, or any of the reward priorities.

I was pretty shocked myself. I usually take a midweek 1AM redeye and buy H fares for the 150% EQM's. Still loyal to CO even though I don't get to fly many commercial flights these days.

There must have been another targetted offer that went out. Maybe, and I'm speculating here, something geared towards former elites and pres club members?? I was both not to long ago. After I was approved for the card I received the standard "Welcome To Silver Elite" pack with Silver card, elite bennifits guide etc. in the mail.

The CO Chase elite card is going to have kick it up a couple of notches in order to compete with AMEX Platinum since they just added a 2-for-1 domestic ticket benefit (which isn't perfect, but still a good deal if you play it right). Perhaps the CO Chase elite card could include 4 free (or, say, $99) companion vouchers per year (though the vouchers have to be "real"; no limited availability, limited fare buckets crap--you've really got to read the fine print on those things). As others have noted, a hotel benefit is necessary for the card, too. (I have *really* enjoyed the Starwood Gold status that comes with my Plat.). And perhaps CO could offer a "Silver Lite" status that offered priority access to elite seating, mileage bonuses, but not upgrades.

At this point, this AMEX Platinum card holder would consider switching, but CO and Chase are going to raise the ante significantly if they want my business. The elite card they're offering won't cut it; Though the AMEX fee is a bit more (now $450/year for the first cardholder, plus $175 for up to three more), the Plat. card offers much more in benefits. I'll gladly pay more for value.

One more minor quibble: why is the card a MasterCard? Isn't VISA accepted more internationally? In my mind, VISA has a higher brand status.

My wishlist for this card: free companion tickets for full fare,primary rental car insurance,priority pass card,world elite mc benefits,

How do I use it?
 

So I actually got this card. Does anyone know how we would use it to get EliteAccess priveliges (e.g. priority boarding). It doesn't look like anything is noted on our ticket. Do you think the CO employees will actually know about this credit card so that I can just wave the card itself and will get the EliteAccess priveliges? What do you guys think?