topic Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits in Credit Cards

American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

Shadowfactor — Wed, 29 May 2019 00:05:53 GMT

Title says it all.

https://onemileatatime.com/ouch-amex-cuts-priority-pass-restaurant-benefit-for-us-cards/

Sometimes it was nice to get a “free” lunch but that free lunch always ended up costing me money. The two times I tried it, when you used a PP card the prices of everything came off a separate menu and of course things were almost double the price.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

Anonymous — Wed, 29 May 2019 00:19:03 GMT

Wow. Granted I didn’t really use it tbh but still sucks for the people who did!

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

imaximous — Wed, 29 May 2019 00:42:52 GMT

I was reading about it earlier today and it started with Amex in Hong Kong. Writers were speculating when it'd happen to US cards and it didn't take more than a few hours for US Amex to get hit.

As I was reading some of the comments, I never thought of the many ways people are abusing the perk. Airport employees using PP every day to get free food with their cards. Others mentioned booking refundable plane tickets, and some other "creative" ways to get free meals.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

Anonymous — Wed, 29 May 2019 00:56:32 GMT

I didn't even know the benefit existed. In the US I really only travel to and from airports that have Centurion or Delta lounges.

The no Centurion lounge on arrival rule is the one that will impact me.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

Shadowfactor — Wed, 29 May 2019 01:01:42 GMT

@imaximous wrote:
I was reading about it earlier today and it started with Amex in Hong Kong. Writers were speculating when it'd happen to US cards and it didn't take more than a few hours for US Amex to get hit.
As I was reading some of the comments, I never thought of the many ways people are abusing the perk. Airport employees using PP every day to get free food with their cards. Others mentioned booking refundable plane tickets, and some other "creative" ways to get free meals.

Seriously who would book a refundable plane ticket just to eat at an airport restaurant ?! 😲 Not a single place ive ever eaten at Airside was worth the hassle.....

The airport employees though, thats an interesting angle I didnt consider.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

imaximous — Wed, 29 May 2019 01:41:09 GMT

@Shadowfactor wrote:
@imaximous wrote:
I was reading about it earlier today and it started with Amex in Hong Kong. Writers were speculating when it'd happen to US cards and it didn't take more than a few hours for US Amex to get hit.
As I was reading some of the comments, I never thought of the many ways people are abusing the perk. Airport employees using PP every day to get free food with their cards. Others mentioned booking refundable plane tickets, and some other "creative" ways to get free meals.
Seriously who would book a refundable plane ticket just to eat at an airport restaurant ?! 😲 Not a single place ive ever eaten at Airside was worth the hassle.....
The airport employees though, thats an interesting angle I didnt consider.

I thought that was a little over the top.

JFK has a Bobby Van's Steakhouse. I wouldn't mind using my credit there a couple of days a week if I had a job at JFK. I'd definitely put my 3 PP cards to work, haha.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

sladesurfer — Wed, 29 May 2019 01:46:17 GMT

Doesnt really affect me since i can just use my citi prestige priority pass

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

AverageJoesCredit — Wed, 29 May 2019 01:58:35 GMT

Seems if someone can find away to churn burn or abuse a benefit it will get done. As in life the people who follow the rules get screwed.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

K-in-Boston — Wed, 29 May 2019 02:32:53 GMT

I never made use of the restaurants. Actually I've only used Priority Pass once, and I have a few PP cards. Fortunately, between the Amex Platinum lounge network (including SkyClub which I already have access to anyway) and the ones available as a Delta GM (Virgin Clubhouse, SkyTeam, KLM, etc.) it's usually not needed, and the one time I did use it was just because I didn't feel like taking the entire family to another terminal.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

CreditCuriosity — Wed, 29 May 2019 02:34:53 GMT

lol alot of cheap people if they have nothing better to do then to book a ticket, eat and get a refund if that is really true.. I highly dout airport employee exploited it as hasn't really been around long enough that kinda seems like a stretch and most don't probably make enough to make a dent maybe some pilots, but even that you wouldn't think would of caused this. Probably just a nerf.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

iheartwings — Wed, 29 May 2019 03:06:41 GMT

Well, that's a bummer. I rarely fly something other than Delta, I've used the restaurant benefit at PDX because half the time I can't get into the Alaska Lounge with PP (which kind of sucks because I fly Alaska when not flying Delta!). Even though I rarely use the restaurant benefit, I do hope Chase won't claw back this benefit.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

Anonymous — Wed, 29 May 2019 08:25:16 GMT

As most of you likely know and based on recent on my casual reads elsewhere, it seems Airline Lounge abuse is out of control. Most unfortunate for the real ticketed traveler that really could use a break from the masses and cattle like seating and treatment on airplanes.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

Anonymous — Wed, 29 May 2019 11:30:41 GMT

Thanks for the info. But, I'm sorry to hear this. I have priority pass now (10 visits per year plan). And was looking forward to getting the AmEx Bonvy Brilliant and the unlimited priority pass it offers. I have made use of the benefit - for instance in sydney where there weren't any actual lounges in the terminal I flew out of. But I used the credit at one of the restaurants there. I can think of a few upcoming situations where I would want to use PP and there are no lounges, but there are restaurants.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

Anonymous — Wed, 29 May 2019 13:49:34 GMT

Altitude Reserve still has this benefit although it is limited to 4 visits per year so I don’t see them axing it anytime soon.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

imaximous — Wed, 29 May 2019 14:48:28 GMT

@CreditCuriosity wrote:
lol alot of cheap people if they have nothing better to do then to book a ticket, eat and get a refund if that is really true.. I highly dout airport employee exploited it as hasn't really been around long enough that kinda seems like a stretch and most don't probably make enough to make a dent maybe some pilots, but even that you wouldn't think would of caused this. Probably just a nerf.

Yeah, I'm not sure if those are the reasons why Amex nerfed the benefit, but I read that in some of the comments below the articles.

However, this exploit has the potential to be very costly for Amex and other CCCs that offer PP. Some PP programs allow the entire family to benefit from a single card, so you'd get $28 - $30 per person. Most offer at least 2 guests so that's about $90 per visit at least, and you have the chance to go 'bar hopping' and do the same at a few restaurants if the airport has more than 1 PP restaurant.

Some restaurants don't even ask for a boarding pass. They probably couldn't care less if you have one or not. It's just more revenue for them. Unlike lounges that care about capacity and overcrowding, restaurants just see $30 a head whenever PP members show up. The more the merrier... That's just my speculation.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

Anonymous — Wed, 29 May 2019 16:16:22 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
As most of you likely know and based on recent on my casual reads elsewhere, it seems Airline Lounge abuse is out of control. Most unfortunate for the real ticketed traveler that really could use a break from the masses and cattle like seating and treatment on airplanes.

Right, but a large responsibility rests with the cc issuers who have added this as a benefit to many cards which they then push. So once lounge access ceases to be the exclusive preserve of fliers with true status (from actually flying!) naturally they become too crowded. No real reason this should be a cc perk.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

Revelate — Wed, 29 May 2019 16:35:25 GMT

I don’t think anyone, including Chase explicitly, expected how popular these cards would be... if you look back to the statements Chase made a week or two after the release they were nearly shocked apparently. Admittedly in hindsight on this forum we keep seeing people applying CSP when they would obviously be better off in the CSR, but when you really do the math if you can get over the big AF sticker shock of that the CSR is so obviously a better choice I wonder why they don’t have even more.

Add in SUB’s to that, and it isn’t really any big surprise for Chase, AMEX, Citi... and the factor humans pushing boundaries (a more charitable term than abuse) and it isn’t really surprising that it didn’t work out well.

I was under a rock apparently I didn’t even know about PP restaurants outside of the lounges I was using in my international excursion... but once that fell apart two years ago that little card black card (PP membership not the godlike for me CSR) has sat in my SD wallet.

End of the day this isn’t really a surprise, if there is abuse the lenders will correct it sometimes for everyone, sometimes for a subset (5/24 or multiple Sapphire bonuses to use the Chase example again) but I suspect this will be the new normal over the next 5 years as benefits keep getting pared back.

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

redpat — Wed, 29 May 2019 18:25:15 GMT

I'm with K, never used PP AA, Centurion, or Delta lounges. Yesterday, Vegas Amex lounge on my leave from there and Delta at MSP for our 2 hour layover (no $29 fee DW AU on Plat)

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

Shadowfactor — Wed, 29 May 2019 19:44:21 GMT

I think part of it has to do with how much the PP restaurants cost the bank. It’s been shared in a Travel group I belong to that PP pays a much higher amount to restaurants then to lounges. I’m sure they pass that higher cost along to the bank.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/chase-citi-and-us-bank-commit-to-keeping-priority-pass-restaurant-access/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=thepointsguy&utm_content=10058BF0-8242-11E9-9775-B214994234C2&utm_source=twitter&utm_term=editorial

Re: American Express cuts Priority Pass Benefits

Anonymous — Thu, 30 May 2019 04:16:49 GMT

Good timing as there seems to be no retention offer for my plat card which has just had AF posted.

Only used PP restaurant once, I've noticed that many people in the same restuarant were using PP to pay and it was super slow (like, over 1 hour between ordering to serving, in an airside restaurant). But $50 'saved' is $50 saved