AmEx Platinum Card - For 2017, worth it?

[sampelligrino]

Hey all,

I have four various credit cards (one is a Morgan Stanley AmEx which is not great) and I'm looking to consolidate into two. Likely going to keep my Visa Capital One since no annual fee, and it's a very simple/straight forward cash back card.

I was thinking of dropping my other three for the Platinum AmEx card but at $550 annual fee, I was wondering if current card holders think that the benefits are worth that higher annual fee. I do travel to SFO and Seattle quite a bit so the Centurion Lounges would be nice to utilize, and the Uber credit for $200 would definitely be used.

With my Morgan Stanley AmEx I use the points just for gift cards of various retailers as gifts for friends and family (I don't look into whether it's a smart use of points or not).

Anyways - just on the fence on whether it's really worth it or maybe I'm just looking to upgrade based on the "prestige", and I should just keep my free Morgan Stanley AmEx and my Visa Capital One card. Have near 800 credit score and pay in full monthly so that's not an issue.

Thanks all

[Runnin' Rebel]

I like my Chase Saphire Reserve, Chase Marriott and Citibank AA card. Doesn't answer your questions tho. I have AMX blue for emergency use as they are great in a pinch

My credit score is 510 and dropping 😳

[jonnyz1245]

I think its worth it if you travel and can utilize the benefits. I travel extensively throughout the year and make good use of the benefits.
$200 Uber
$200 yearly Airline reimbursement(which I use to purchase 4 $50 Delta Gift certs that I then put towards an airline ticket for my girlfriends kids.)
$100 TSA Pre credit etc.
Now I am paying $50 for the fee as I would spend the above $500 regardless.

The 5X MR points when purchasing airline tickets makes sense if you're a points holder like I am, thoughI use my Alaska visa for that as their redemptions for the international partner business/first awards are pretty much unbeatable.

I use Amex, Alaska, CitiAA, and Chase Sapphire Reserve. I find that I can transfer points to almost any airline or hotel chain with these cards.

Good luck!

I find that throughout the year Amex adds lots of offers to your online account. I use a few and get some small value out of them but most I pass on as they don't pertain to me.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by jonnyz1245

I think its worth it if you travel and can utilize the benefits. I travel extensively throughout the year and make good use of the benefits.
$200 Uber
$200 yearly Airline reimbursement(which I use to purchase 4 $50 Delta Gift certs that I then put towards an airline ticket for my girlfriends kids.)
$100 TSA Pre credit etc.
Now I am paying $50 for the fee as I would spend the above $500 regardless.

The 5X MR points when purchasing airline tickets makes sense if you're a points holder like I am, thoughI use my Alaska visa for that as their redemptions for the international partner business/first awards are pretty much unbeatable.

I use Amex, Alaska, CitiAA, and Chase Sapphire Reserve. I find that I can transfer points to almost any airline or hotel chain with these cards.

Good luck!

I find that throughout the year Amex adds lots of offers to your online account. I use a few and get some small value out of them but most I pass on as they don't pertain to me.

this

If you actually travel a lot the amex platinum is worth it if only for the 5X points on airfare. If you don't travel a lot the sapphire reserve is better as the overall points earning structure is better.

The other best option is the BA chase card. You earn less miles than the sapphire reserve but if you meet the spend threshold you get a "travel together ticket" which allows you to get two award tickets for the price of one effectively doubling your miles. For international first class that voucher effectively gives you an "extra" 300k miles.

[mjclark32]

Originally Posted by jonnyz1245

I think its worth it if you travel and can utilize the benefits. I travel extensively throughout the year and make good use of the benefits.
$200 Uber
$200 yearly Airline reimbursement(which I use to purchase 4 $50 Delta Gift certs that I then put towards an airline ticket for my girlfriends kids.)
$100 TSA Pre credit etc.
Now I am paying $50 for the fee as I would spend the above $500 regardless.

The 5X MR points when purchasing airline tickets makes sense if you're a points holder like I am, thoughI use my Alaska visa for that as their redemptions for the international partner business/first awards are pretty much unbeatable.

I use Amex, Alaska, CitiAA, and Chase Sapphire Reserve. I find that I can transfer points to almost any airline or hotel chain with these cards.

Good luck!

I find that throughout the year Amex adds lots of offers to your online account. I use a few and get some small value out of them but most I pass on as they don't pertain to me.

$200 yearly Airline reimbursement(which I use to purchase 4 $50 Delta Gift certificates
-Is there any fine print to this? I've never used the $200 credit. I really should.

$100 TSA Pre credit etc.
- I used this, but I think it's one and done. Or, at least only every five years

-The $200 uber credit I could see using, but they only give you $15 per month. Sometimes I don't use uber, sometimes I'll do $200 in a month. Wish the $200 was at my discretion.

I've been thinking of getting rid of the platinum card for a while now. If I need to get into a lounge I can pay the $50 through my blue card.
If I can get the $200 in an airfare gift certificate I may stick around.

[jonnyz1245]

Originally Posted by mjclark32

$200 yearly Airline reimbursement(which I use to purchase 4 $50 Delta Gift certificates
-Is there any fine print to this? I've never used the $200 credit. I really should.



$100 TSA Pre credit etc.
- I used this, but I think it's one and done. Or, at least only every five years



-The $200 uber credit I could see using, but they only give you $15 per month. Sometimes I don't use uber, sometimes I'll do $200 in a month. Wish the $200 was at my discretion.



I've been thinking of getting rid of the platinum card for a while now. If I need to get into a lounge I can pay the $50 through my blue card.
If I can get the $200 in an airfare gift certificate I may stick around.

TSA pre- You are right, it is one and done or every 3-5 years so this is not as important.

Uber-I hear ya but since I use Uber a few times a month regardless of whether or not I'm traveling, this one gets used for me.

Airline Reimbursement :Not sure about fine print. I know you have to choose an airline once a year and in most cases it goes to baggage fees, food etc. I found the Delta loop hole via Flyertalk forum and have used it successfully 3 years running so I am paying for airfare up front that I know I will use anyways. You have to buy them on Deltas website in increments of $50 and a few days later amex credits them back to you. Could this disappear in the future? Anything is possible but for now it still works.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...dl-only-7.html

[mjclark32]

Originally Posted by jonnyz1245

TSA pre- You are right, it is one and done or every 3-5 years so this is not as important.

Uber-I hear ya but since I use Uber a few times a month regardless of whether or not I'm traveling, this one gets used for me.

Airline Reimbursement :Not sure about fine print. I know you have to choose an airline once a year and in most cases it goes to baggage fees, food etc. I found the Delta loop hole via Flyertalk forum and have used it successfully 3 years running so I am paying for airfare up front that I know I will use anyways. You have to buy them on Deltas website in increments of $50 and a few days later amex credits them back to you. Could this disappear in the future? Anything is possible but for now it still works.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...dl-only-7.html

I'm on American now and you're right. All I get is drinks and checked luggage basically. The Delta certificates sound good, maybe I'll switch.
Thanks for the link, will check it out

[tritium8]

like some have said, if you use the benefits, yes. if it's for the platinum card, no.

I use the uber, airline credits, TSA pre, etc so it works out ok for me. The lounge access has gotten pretty bad, though.

[jonnyz1245]

Originally Posted by tritium8

like some have said, if you use the benefits, yes. if it's for the platinum card, no.

I use the uber, airline credits, TSA pre, etc so it works out ok for me. The lounge access has gotten pretty bad, though.

Lounge access is becoming a joke. The problem is almost every premium card is now offering some sort of lounge access and with the explosion in premium card holders there was bound to be a capacity issue.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by jonnyz1245

Lounge access is becoming a joke. The problem is almost every premium card is now offering some sort of lounge access and with the explosion in premium card holders there was bound to be a capacity issue.

AMEX centurion lounge is the only exception to this. If your city has one i prefer them to airline lounges.

The concorde room in London is the only exception to this though

[WatchingAustin]

Originally Posted by jonnyz1245

Lounge access is becoming a joke. The problem is almost every premium card is now offering some sort of lounge access and with the explosion in premium card holders there was bound to be a capacity issue.

What is wrong with the access, just too full, lounges not kept, or the appearance of unsavory types?

The Amex Platinum is a good way to build to the Centurion as small time spender, but ultimately isn't worth it IMO unless you REALLY like exclusivity and concierge. If you want to eat at a Michelin starred restaurant on a whim while traveling the Amex is for you.

[jonnyz1245]

Originally Posted by WatchingAustin

What is wrong with the access, just too full, lounges not kept, or the appearance of unsavory types?

The Amex Platinum is a good way to build to the Centurion as small time spender, but ultimately isn't worth it IMO unless you REALLY like exclusivity and concierge. If you want to eat at a Michelin starred restaurant on a whim while traveling the Amex is for you.

While Peter Lugers is not a Michelin starred restaurant, Amex concierge could not get me a table on any of 3 nights earlier this year while I was in NYC.

Four Priority pass lounges this year have turned me away due to being full. Not much value if you can't use them. The Centurian lounges are fine but I am rarely where they are so not a real benefit to me.

[rr-nyc]

Originally Posted by jonnyz1245

While Peter Lugers is not a Michelin starred restaurant, Amex concierge could not get me a table on any of 3 nights earlier this year while I was in NYC.



Four Priority pass lounges this year have turned me away due to being full. Not much value if you can't use them. The Centurian lounges are fine but I am rarely where they are so not a real benefit to me.

Peter Luger is a one Michelin star

Amex concierge cannot do the impossible especially if the establishment doesn't accept credit cards to begin with. Peter Luger only accepts cash or their own credit card.

Personally, I gave up my Amex platinum several years ago and don't miss most of the perks it came with




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lawman77]

What material is the card made of? Answer depends on that.

[SDRider]

Originally Posted by Lawman77

What material is the card made of? Answer depends on that.

It isn't made of platinum I can tell you that. It is thicker than most cards though and heavy. I'm not sure of the metal composition.

I travel enough to make it worthwhile over the Amex Gold and the points rewards are also decent. I've used them to pay for several hundred dollars worth of charges.

[Wesley Crusher]

I have the Sapphire Reserve and think that it is a great card. The $450 annual fee is easily offset by the $300 per year travel credit (plane tickets, hotels, paid parking, Uber/Lyft, etc... all count as travel credit), Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check and Priority Pass lounge access. The point structure is very good if you spend a lot of money on dining or travel related items and redeem those points for travel. The card also comes with a bunch of other small perks.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

I have the Sapphire Reserve and think that it is a great card. The $450 annual fee is easily offset by the $300 per year travel credit (plane tickets, hotels, paid parking, Uber/Lyft, etc... all count as travel credit), Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check and Priority Pass lounge access. The point structure is very good if you spend a lot of money on dining or travel related items and redeem those points for travel. The card also comes with a bunch of other small perks.

top to bottom that is the best overall card IMO. There are scenarios where other cards are a better option but if i had to pick one that would be it.

OP needs to run the numbers on spend pattern and spend categories to find the best value for his situation but the sapphire reserve is very solid.

[Wesley Crusher]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

top to bottom that is the best overall card IMO. There are scenarios where other cards are a better option but if i had to pick one that would be it.

OP needs to run the numbers on spend pattern and spend categories to find the best value for his situation but the sapphire reserve is very solid.

I also have a Chase Freedom card that I use for some non-travel/dining purchases since the point structure is slightly better and then transfer those points to my Reserve card.

[jonnyz1245]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

top to bottom that is the best overall card IMO. There are scenarios where other cards are a better option but if i had to pick one that would be it.

OP needs to run the numbers on spend pattern and spend categories to find the best value for his situation but the sapphire reserve is very solid.

Agreed, OP needs to run the numbers. There is no one best card but the Chase SR is one of the best. It all comes down to your needs. I like International travel in premium class. I also live 15 mins from an Alaska air hub and fly transcon 8-12 times a year. In this case, the alaska visa works great for me. Not only do I get MVP Gold every year but I also get 100% bonus miles. By putting a lot of my spend on this card and then the rest between my others depending on where I want points, I find that I can get 1-2 First class round trip tix pretty much anywhere in the world on points and taxes of $20-80.

The Chase BA card is Ok, but only if you can use it and the companion ticket. The spend is either 30 or 35K per year to get the companion voucher. The travel has to be on BA metal and they have to have availability for 2. If you live in the US then travel has to originate in the US. Premium cabin award seats can be very hard to find on BA in groups of two. This means you are going to London or nearby unless you have 300K miles saved up and can find 2 first class tickets from US>LHR> SYD or similar. My experience in searching for seats on those types of flights is 0. Not to mention BA's not so small fuel surcharges they attach to Avios tix, which can run over $1000 per in premium cabins. I had this card for a while but found myself unable to use the companion fare 2 years in a row so I bagged it.

Check out Flyertalk for more info than you can read in a lifetime. Its like TRF but for flyers.

YMMV

[TXgmt]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

I have the Sapphire Reserve and think that it is a great card. The $450 annual fee is easily offset by the $300 per year travel credit (plane tickets, hotels, paid parking, Uber/Lyft, etc... all count as travel credit), Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check and Priority Pass lounge access. The point structure is very good if you spend a lot of money on dining or travel related items and redeem those points for travel. The card also comes with a bunch of other small perks.

Cosign on this. I got this at the beginning of the year and the $300 travel credit and TSA pre reimbursement in addition to the 3% on travel/dining makes this card a no brainer for the first year at least.

The lounge access convo is interesting though. I don't travel enough to have a constant experience with it and capacity issues make a lot of sense.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GfromMT]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

I have the Sapphire Reserve and think that it is a great card. The $450 annual fee is easily offset by the $300 per year travel credit (plane tickets, hotels, paid parking, Uber/Lyft, etc... all count as travel credit), Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check and Priority Pass lounge access. The point structure is very good if you spend a lot of money on dining or travel related items and redeem those points for travel. The card also comes with a bunch of other small perks.

+1 for CSR. 3x points on all Travel & Dining related spend has been great. Lounge access w/ guests has also been good for us. And ability to book flights via Chase Portal with points or transfer 1:1 to programs like United, British Airway, Singapore Airlines, etc. We also get a lot of value out of Alaska Airlines CC and the easy to use companion certificates (-> Hawaii).

[powerfunk]

The Uber credit is split into months. I don't use it very much so I have to try and remember to use my "free" $15 each month.

It's a pretty good card though. Strictly point-wise, I don't think the rewards are great. 1.5% cash back on my Capital One is better, fiscally speaking.

You also get automatic gold status with Hyatt, Hilton, and Starwood, plus Enterprise, which is nice. And the lounges are mildly convenient. One of my favorite perks is the dedicated phone line to book travel; a lot of times they have relationships with hotels and the worst case scenario is you pay the same price you would on Orbitz.com anyway.

It's also only $175 for an additional card, so if you and your spouse both travel, $725 for both of you to get your status upgrades and everything might be worth it. It's pretty damn steep though and if times got hard I wouldn't miss my Amex Platinum "membership" too much

[romulus90]

I have it and think it's worth it IF you travel and use all the perks each year. It only gives 1.5miles/$, so for purchases it's not as good as others. I use Capital One Venture (2x miles) but other cards have come out that are better since the COV.. Chase Sapphire reserve and USAA has a Cash Unlimited (IIRC) out that pays 2.5 miles/$ spent, but you have to bank and deposit at least $1k/mo to get it.

[towernick]

Use the search function, this has been discussed at length on this forum, no need to rehash it again.

[GB-man]

If you have to ask...NO

(Not worth it for me either)

[Vaxe]

I prefer the previous $450 annual without the $15/mo Uber credit. My CSR card is more useful when traveling overseas since Amex is still not accepted at most mom and pop shops (which I prefer over touristy sites).

CSR also offers 50% additional points when you book travel through the portal - just came back from Hawaii and only used 120k points for 7 nights hotel, RT Hawaiian Airlines, and car rental. With Amex's portal, would've easily needed 400k+ points.

Bought a bunch of stuff, including all my recent watches, with the Platinum and its extended warranty. Thought about closing it but hanging on solely to retain warranty protection.

[gmh1013]

Like somebody said....if you fly alot yeah but if not my answer would be no. Ive had an AMEX card since 1982 Green, Corp cards, Gold, back to green .....now gold card which is expensive a year to me. AMEX sure does try to push the plat card though.....I get some invite monthly for it.

[encarter13]

I have the Amex Delta Platinum card. You get all the same perks as the regular platinum card, plus free checked bags for you and 3 other people on your flight, reduced price entry to the Delta Lounge (and access to some of Delta's partners lounge) AND - 1 free companion ticket per year, not just the $200 credit with the regular Platinum card. Could be a $800 ticket and it is still free.

This card makes the most sense for me because I fly out of ATL and normally exclusively fly Delta.

[CamSLC]

If you're already with Morgan Stanley, like you mentioned, they have a co-branded amex platinum with all the same benefits, plus free additional cards. If you meet a certain criteria with MS they also waive the $550 fee. It's probably worth looking into.