AMEX Credit Card: MR points vs Cash Back

[Anonymous]

I wanna step in the door of Amex and start to wonder which card would be great. I don't wanna pay AF so there is just few options there. I noticed that there are 2 diffferent cards, the cards that will provide MR points and those will give back cash.  I wanna ask anyone who have experience in both sides about this, which kind of card would you prefer? To be specifically, do you think MR points is better than Cash Back ? why or why not?

[Anonymous]

Do you like to travel/have needs for flights/have needs for hotels?  If not, get cash back.

[longtimelurker]

As with many transfer programs:  You get the greatest value in transferring points to partner programs (flights/hotels) and can achieve much more than 1c per point in doing so.    BUT...., you have to be able to take advantage of this, be flexible in dates for rewards travel etc.    

If not, then certainly go for cash back.  Unlike UR, if you redeem MR for statement credit or cash you get much less than 1c per point.  (With Chase UR, if you can't find a great redemption, you can at least cash out at an OK rate)

But as usual, what are your goals?  If going for rewards, the Sallie Mae is much better than the Amex Blue Cash Everyday.

[takeshi74]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I don't wanna pay AF so there is just few options there.

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Always consider total cost versus beneift versus just avoiding AF's.

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@Anonymous wrote:

I wanna ask anyone who have experience in both sides about this, which kind of card would you prefer? To be specifically, do you think MR points is better than Cash Back ? why or why not?

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It's not a matter of experience or what others prefer.  It's a matter of what's best suited to you.  In order to maximize MR point values you need to use the transfer partners.  Start there and make sure you can use those partners.  Look at their redemptions to determine how many point you'd need to redeem.  If your spend and the rewards earn rates don't accrue points quickly enough to redeem in a reasonable amount of time then you may want to consider cash back.  If you don't want to hassle with transferring points and trying to maximize point value then cash back may be for you.

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@Anonymous wrote:

do you think MR points is better than Cash Back ?

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Better is highly subjective regardless of topic.  This is not a one-size-fits-all matter.  While I don't have any MR cards I do have UR cards and cash back cards.  You can't poll on this and you need to research and run the numbers for yourself.