Kannai

Saison Card has just announced that it is raising the annual fee on their Saison Gold and Platinum MP Visa cards and upgrading the benefits. Are other MP cards changing around the world or is this a stand alone?

When I got this announcement I was terrified before I started reading that they were going to start the credit card wavers for PDQ up to—and only up to—Platinum. Looks like my 1k status is safe... for now.

Platinum is going from 36,000 to 50,000 per year (about USD335 to USD465) and Gold from 15,000 to 20,000. For those with status, there's not really much gained for the fee increase for the Platinum Card and nothing gained for the fee increase for Gold.

Unchanged:

• You still earn 15 miles per JPY1000 for both.
• For Plat card holders there's still no cap on miles you can earn per year; for Gold it's 5,000,000, after which you earn 5 miles per JPY1000.

New:

• Plat card holders now get two United Club passes.
• Plats now don't risk losing miles after 18 months of inactivity.
• Plats get premier access boarding (I'm guessing with group 2).
• Plats and Golds now get a 10% discount on (increasingly useless) mile purchases. My heart is beating for joy.
• Plats and Golds now have increased access to award seats. Yippie. Don't all of us with any status have that? (Ironically they have a picture in the flier of a Polaris seat. Good luck booking that with miles if you don't have status!)

It's kind of shocking that they charge this much, esp. for the Plat card, and provide... well, next to nothing in terms of tangible benefits. For MP Golds and above living in Japan, we have domestic ANA lounge access and a majority of my flights in the US have an international connection so have lounge access or are at airports without lounges. Not sure when I could use those passes. Everything else I already have. Seems like you'd be better off sticking with ANA and doing their credit card. For JPY50000/year, you don't even get a free bag.

I've had a Saison Card forever but maybe I should switch to Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ—aside from hating that bank. Any other Japan-based folx reconsidering?

garykung

It is not standalone. It is a worldwide thing.

Dah Sing Bank, UA's credit card partner in Hong Kong, has similar changes just a few months ago:

https://www.dahsing.com/html/en/cred...plus_card.html

Kannai

Thanks!

Hmm....Looks like that card gives a 15% discount on the purchase of increasingly worthless miles rather than 10%.

mjm

If my spending does not change I am better off with the new price as a Plat. If my spending drops by 20% I am better off with Gold. I am considering shiftiness some spending elsewhere and dropping to gold. The Gold in th literature though is AmEx and I would want MC or Visa. Do you know if that is an issue? As lifetime gold I get zero benefit from those offered and I am very much in the ""what else is out the?" boat.