When is it justifiable to pay the AF? Also, in the short term at least, will this credit card combination be sufficient? Should I add any more?

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If you plan to redeem your AGR points for free Amtrak travel (as opposed to transferring the points out to other programs or redeeming them for non-Amtrak items), I would -- at some point -- get the Chase/AGR MasterCard. It has no annual fee, has a sign-up bonus which can range from 12,000 to more than 30,000 AGR points, and it gives you a 5% discount off of AGR redemptions for Amtrak travel.

Is this a trick question? Pay the AF when the benefits are greater than the AF. But quantify benefits truthfully. Consider Fido Amex / Citi Double Cash (2% on everything) as the alternative to everything. So only calculate the amount of rewards that beats 2%, because you are giving up the opportunity to get 2% cash back by using a different card. If there are other card benefits that you profit from (i.e., free checked bags from an airline card), then include them in the valuation. But avoid the "and there are other benefits I like so the card is obviously worth it" argument.

I already have the AGR mastercard and loved it. Probably going for the BA card next..

Its interesting to read how people value the AF and the bennies associated with the cards.

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Two threads started by the same poster have been combined to provide more context.