I mentioned this offer in another thread recently, and it had me curious so I was looking through the CARD Act. It's often stated as fact here that an annual fee cannot be increased in the first year, but with this upgrade offer I got from Amex on my Platinum SkyMiles card that hasn't even generated a 2nd statement yet and some other product change mentions I've seen on the forums I wonder if this is a misconception?
I know that an APR can't be increased within the first year (exceptions for expiring promotional APRs (i.e. 0% for first 6 months), increases on variable APRs due to the prime rate changing (i.e. my Citi Diamond Preferred that increased from 12.24% to 12.99% but is still in a very long 0% introductory period), or if you become 60 days or more past due (and even then, 6 months of on-time payments must return the APR to its original rate). That could cause an issue with upgrading to a card that has a higher APR than the one you have within the first year.
I also know that an annual fee may not exceed 25% of a credit line, which we have seen with subprime cards where you might get a $300 limit, but there's a $125 application fee and $150 annual fee, leaving you with $25 available credit right off the bat. Looks like some of those lenders are skirting the grey area by charging monthly maintenance fees in addition to the other (regulated) fees these days.
But I absolutely cannot find anything in the CARD Act that actually states that an annual fee cannot be changed. So am I missing it or is this just a common misconception?
Screen grab of the offer below and FWIW I'm not interested in actually doing the upgrade. I'm wondering if this means it's possible for someone to skirt 5/24 on CSR by applying for a CSP with a green checkmark in My Offers and then doing a product change after being awarded the spend bonus?
See, that's where I'm confused. The only place I specifically saw annual fees discussed are in the Standards applicable to initial issuance of subprime or ‘‘fee harvester’’ cards section. In context, fees in 171 and 172 seem to be more of the late payment variety. I wonder if the legal teams at different lenders interpret the language differently? Honestly, if there were any real reason for me to upgrade to the Reserve I'd do so just to make sure it actually worked.
@K-in-Boston wrote:See, that's where I'm confused. The only place I specifically saw annual fees discussed are in the Standards applicable to initial issuance of subprime or ‘‘fee harvester’’ cards section. In context, fees in 171 and 172 seem to be more of the late payment variety. I wonder if the legal teams at different lenders interpret the language differently? Honestly, if there were any real reason for me to upgrade to the Reserve I'd do so just to make sure it actually worked.
You might want to upgrade just to get the free First Class companion certificate at your anniversary dates! 
I have the Delta Platinum too and am about to finish my second billing cycle, wonder if they will offer me the upgrade too. 
@RicHowe wrote:You might want to upgrade just to get the free First Class companion certificate at your anniversary dates!
I have the Delta Platinum too and am about to finish my second billing cycle, wonder if they will offer me the upgrade too.
I know but the problem is that when I fly it's usually me, DW and 2 small children. To put it politely, my children are not Delta One compatible. 
So that leaves Main Cabin (included with Platinum SkyMiles) and Comfort+. The cost to upgrade from MC to C+ once is usually lower than the difference between the AF of Reserve and Platinum. And it's not valid on international travel. There's the Miles Boost, but I'm not going to put that kind of spend on Delta when I could earn more (even if I converted to SkyMiles) on another card, such as SPG. Another factor that could prompt me in that direction is if SkyClub membership was Executive rather than Individual, and they weren't changing Executive to require same-day Delta/partner travel and eliminate access to partner lounges in 2019. On its face, Delta Reserve is a very good card, but if you have the right combination of other Amex products it doesn't offer anything new unless you take them up on the companion Delta One/1st Class ticket.
There's the Miles Boost, but I'm not going to put that kind of spend on Delta when I could earn more (even if I converted to SkyMiles) on another card, such as SPG. Another factor that could prompt me in that direction is if SkyClub membership was Executive rather than Individual, and they weren't changing Executive to require same-day Delta/partner travel and eliminate access to partner lounges in 2019. On its face, Delta Reserve is a very good card, but if you have the right combination of other Amex products it doesn't offer anything new unless you take them up on the companion Delta One/1st Class ticket.
Exactly! You can get 5x points booking airfare with AMEX Platinum then convert to Delta SkyMiles. The paltry 2x miles with Delta purchases and 1x on everyday purchases is weak, but I signed up for the 70k bonus miles. I didn't care about the MQM miles boost and other status upgrades as I purchase first class with Delta anyway ( still single )
@K-in-Boston wrote:
@RicHowe wrote:You might want to upgrade just to get the free First Class companion certificate at your anniversary dates!
I have the Delta Platinum too and am about to finish my second billing cycle, wonder if they will offer me the upgrade too.
I know but the problem is that when I fly it's usually me, DW and 2 small children. To put it politely, my children are not Delta One compatible.
So that leaves Main Cabin (included with Platinum SkyMiles) and Comfort+. The cost to upgrade from MC to C+ once is usually lower than the difference between the AF of Reserve and Platinum. And it's not valid on international travel. There's the Miles Boost, but I'm not going to put that kind of spend on Delta when I could earn more (even if I converted to SkyMiles) on another card, such as SPG. Another factor that could prompt me in that direction is if SkyClub membership was Executive rather than Individual, and they weren't changing Executive to require same-day Delta/partner travel and eliminate access to partner lounges in 2019. On its face, Delta Reserve is a very good card, but if you have the right combination of other Amex products it doesn't offer anything new unless you take them up on the companion Delta One/1st Class ticket.
t's just a domestic FC companion ticket, not a Delta One. But another perk that comes in handy with the Reserve is if you fly less than FC or don't have at least Gold status is you can go through the Sky Priority line at security. You do need to have a printed boarding pass for that though, using the Delta app won't work. You can also get an edge on upgrades over someone with similiar status and fare if you have the Reserve card and they do not.
But as stated, Amex Platinum will definitely give better milage return. Delta cards really are for those who eat, sleep and breathe Delta.
@RicHowe wrote:There's the Miles Boost, but I'm not going to put that kind of spend on Delta when I could earn more (even if I converted to SkyMiles) on another card, such as SPG. Another factor that could prompt me in that direction is if SkyClub membership was Executive rather than Individual, and they weren't changing Executive to require same-day Delta/partner travel and eliminate access to partner lounges in 2019. On its face, Delta Reserve is a very good card, but if you have the right combination of other Amex products it doesn't offer anything new unless you take them up on the companion Delta One/1st Class ticket.
Exactly! You can get 5x points booking airfare with AMEX Platinum then convert to Delta SkyMiles. The paltry 2x miles with Delta purchases and 1x on everyday purchases is weak, but I signed up for the 70k bonus miles. I didn't care about the MQM miles boost and other status upgrades as I purchase first class with Delta anyway ( still single
Not sure how you’re only getting 2 miles with your Delta purchases using Delta Amex....should be at least 7 at lowest level.
@Justagirl73 wrote:Not sure how you’re only getting 2 miles with your Delta purchases using Delta Amex....should be at least 7 at lowest level.
Blue, Gold, Platinum, and Reserve all state 2X miles on Delta purchases on their respective Amex information pages. What are we missing? I just charged some miscellaneous fees on my Platinum charge card rather than my Platinum SkyMiles card since it was 5X vs 2X.