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Hi,
I'm really excited about a new product from American Express. The ZYNC charge card. Targeted to people in their 20s and 30s, although anyone can apply. The card is white and is in open beta testing. the AF is only 20 dollars and being an open beta it has an online forum/community center where members get to share their ideas and help to develope the kind of card product that they want. I switched my Platinum card to this new card product. the website is:
The link is dead.
Try this one
https://www217.americanexpress.com/cards/npz.do?pmccode=758#CARDS/758/0/0/-1
I went poking around on American Express after your earlier post, and until then, I hadn't realized that for $20 you can add on "packs" that let you do 2X points for various charges, like airline tickets, hotels, and cell phone bills, depending on the pack.
For those with high expenses in this area, this might be rewarding. You'd still have to figure how much you charge in a year in those pack categories, multiply by 2, and then divide by 100 to see if it's worth it. For a $20 pack fee, you'd need more than $1000 worth of charges in the pack category to cover the fee.
haulingthescoreup wrote:. For a $20 pack fee, you'd need more than $1000 worth of charges in the pack category to cover the fee.
True! But to justify the difference between the annual fee for Amex Gold ($125), vs. Amex Zync ($25), you will need to charge $10,000 more per year with Gold vs. Zync.
I PC'd from Gold to Zync in January. Admittedly, it isn't as attractive as the Gold but HEY! Pretty doesn't pay the rent or buy the groceries.
Oh, absolutely, I agree that the Zync plus a pack or two is a better deal than the Gold, if those areas are the only ones where you're likely to go for double points! American Express might find itself surprised to see customers that they would normally expect to apply for a Gold to go for a Zync instead.
I really like the idea that you can focus on where you want to get your rewards.
Anyone know what kind of criteria they are looking for for this card? I.E., could a student get it? I have a few cards already and have never missed a payment, but I know length of credit history is important as well, especially for a big lender like Amex.
Any word how hard it is to get compared to say, the Clear or Blue cards?
Bear in mind that the Zync card (similar to the Blue) participates in Membership Rewards Express which is a watered down version of the Membership Rewards program that the Green, Gold, Platinum & Centurion offer.
MR Express does not enable you to transfer points to mileage/hotel programs while the regular MR program does.
This may make the Gold more attractive to many people who value this benefit.
Of course, if you have a card that participates in the regular MR program AND a card which is a part of the MR Express program then all points automatically become part of the better program.
@Anonymous wrote:
Anyone know what kind of criteria they are looking for for this card? I.E., could a student get it? I have a few cards already and have never missed a payment, but I know length of credit history is important as well, especially for a big lender like Amex.
Any word how hard it is to get compared to say, the Clear or Blue cards?
This card is marketed to young adults, including college students. It's American Express's move to get younger customers into the family.
Charge cards (Zync, Green, Gold) are generally easier to get than revolvers (the Blues, etc.) They're looking for that annual fee money.
Does the anual fee get charged to the card when you recieve it, or over time in payments?