@Anonymous wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:I have to admit that if you dont value MR points I find it hard to understand why you apply and get the cards in the first place. Baffles me but to each their own.
That's easy - it's much easier to understand how a program works once you have the card.
I suspect that's why Amex waives the AF the first year on their Green, Gold, and PRG cards to begin with. Of course the Platinum is an exception, but I'm sure folks applying for the Platinum are generally going after perks other than MR points, anyway.
You can read about something 'til "the cows come home" but sometimes you just have to take it for a test-drive to see if it can work for you. In my own case, I'm on here asking about how others use their MR points to make sure I'm not missing something. If it turns out I'm not, once the AF is due the Green card will get the axe - easy, peasy.
Completely disagree. I'm not going to get into a long debate but there is plenty of information available online to completely explain reward programs. If you apply for a credit card, it is your responsibility to know the terms and benefits of the cards ahead of time. It's one thing to ask ask something like 'hey what is the best way to use my MR points to go from X to Y' as someone might have just gone thru the same effort but to not have a good understanding of an award program before you apply is well.....sad for one and inexcusable for another. As for Amex waiving AFs the first, they do it for the same reason most credit card companies...most people won't cancel a card after having a year.
That's the cool part about being on here... we're allowed to disagree.
Like you, I'm not going to debate my opinion... I'll just say that my way works for me, and if your way works for you then more power to you. Unlike you, I don't feel your way is "sad or inexcusable".
I will just say that there is a lot of information available on different card programs, and if you feel it's wrong for someone to apply for a card with the intent of learning about the 'tricks' and 'loopholes' as you go, that's fine as well.
And as for Amex waiving the AF, I believe it's to give folks a chance to give it a try... you feel it's because "most people won't cancel a card after having it a year." We could both be right, or could neither be right - the truth is, we're both speculating. Unless we get somebody from Amex management on here, which isn't likely, we will never know for sure - it's certainly not worth splitting hairs over.
@deltatee wrote:
I have to agree with UncleB on this one. There is definitely a lot of information you can find, but at least with me, I can never really figure out how valuable or not a card is until I actually put it to use. For example, i read all about the CSP before apping, but I didn't realize just how valuable UR points were until I started using the card.
I disagree. You don't need the card to determine the value, there is enough information out there so you can analyze your spend and travel habits to match rewards and redemptions. This is the reason that I will not get a Citi card because I value MR and UR and I don't want to dilute my spend on another reward program.
Personal Cards: Amex Plat | Amex Delta Res | CSR | Citi AA Exec Business Cards: Ink+ | Amex BGR
@Anonymous wrote:Here's what I did with mine. I transferred quite a few to Virgin America while back during a promo. Yesterday I used some of my VX points to book 2 business class seats from LA to Sydney on Virgin Australia. Business class on Virgin Australia is their highest class and is almost identical to first class on most airlines. Redemption value was 4.33 cents per MR point that I transferred.
The key to using their points ,and this is true with any travel point system, is to look not only at the list of travel partners that you can directly transfer to, but in the case of airlines, the alliance partners of those airlines. That way you greatly expand your options.
How many Virgin America miles do you need for a biz class ticket LA to Sidney out of curiosity? I'm sure it varies by date but wondering what redemption you got.
i have a ton of VA mikes and their domestic first class is a joke in terms of the cost over coach, sometimes it can be as much as 10 times the price so I never use the miles. I tried to use them for a Singapore Air redemption but there seemed to be very limited availability for partner redemptions. Perhaps the VX and Virgin Australia redemptions are easier to get than Singapore.
