@Anonymous wrote:he might get approved for a 100k amex and then be able to do a 3x cli on it!
Yeah... I think that would break it for everyone!! LoL!!!
@Anonymous wrote: "i just noticed you don't have any amex card aim_high, are you thinking to get one too?"
@ImTheDevil wrote: "With over $400k in open lines and an apparently heavy investment in the Chase ecosystem, I’m thinking @Aim_High is probably set with his current lineup."
Interesting question @Anonymous , @ImTheDevil. I’ve actually had a few AMEX cards before, just none currently. But yes, I’ve thought of adding them to my wallet again. My history with them dates to the 1980’s and includes both charge cards and rotators. The last one I had was the Costco AMEX that was converted to the Costco/Citi Visa. They offered me the opportunity to convert their AMEX to one of their other cards but I decided not to take it at the time because I was downsizing cards and didn’t think I needed it. In hindsight, that would probably have been a wise move.
My dilemma with AMEX now is just finding a card/cards that fits into a unique place in my wallet and that fit my lifestyle and spend. But I’ve been seriously considering it. The problem is my other cards generally do at least as well for me, especially now that I added the Chase quadfecta in the last 18 months anchored by the CSR. Until that card, I stayed away from AF cards and had no true travel cards. Before I app’d for CSR, I looked into AMEX Platinum and CITI Prestige but they just didn’t fit me as well and I couldn’t justify the AFs. (I’m not a frequent business flyer and they primarily benefit that group.) I like the CSR because it is also a premium travel card but it has wider definition of travel (to include not only airfare but hotels, rental cars, cruises, tolls.) It also offers excellent travel protections and easy-to-reach AF offsets that I just wouldn’t easily get with the other cards. And it better holds its’ value if I just decide to redeem the UR points for cash-out versus travel than the other cards. IMO, it’s just a more flexible, general-purpose travel card for non-frequent fliers.
If I were to go for an AMEX charge card, it would likely be the GOLD since dining out and groceries is a much better match for my spend than PLAT and the AF offsets would be easier to achieve for me. (I do travel and dine out often; I just don’t buy airfare with my cards.) Or maybe that mysterious new GREEN card, when we find out what changes they have in store for it. The thing I want to be careful about is not overdiversifying my spend between UR and MR points where I can’t get sufficient value from either one to make it worthwhile. For cash-back, I already get 3% on groceries uncapped with my AFBA/UMB card, and I don’t use a lot of streaming services. BCP is only 4.4% on groceries after the AF is included. So BCP would give me +1.4% on 6K or a maximum of $84 annually, which might be worth it if I max it out. I already get 1.5% cash back on anything with my Freedom Unlimited or Quicksilver, and am looking to broaden into the flat 2%+ cash back cards. So, BCE/BCP/CM are of little to no additional benefit. I also don’t need another co-branded card like Delta-Hilton-Marriott with an AF. (I’m not planning to keep my two Chase hotel cards for the long-term but they had sweet SUBs and will help me further pad my Chase limits when I consolidate them. But I’m not hotel brand-loyal.) My heavy Chase investment in the last 18 months was while I was under 5/24 and to focus just on building up that business. Chase is the largest U.S. bank, one of my oldest current card issuers, and has some excellent cards. They're now my largest single lender with over $138K in rotating credit. 
Now, I’d like to branch out a little farther and build up my other card holdings. I like Chase but don't want all my eggs in one basket.
My goal is relatively few excellent-quality cards diversified among the major lenders with high limits on each. And to have them fit a somewhat unique and useful place in my wallet, not just carry them for no reason. SUBs are a secondary concern for me; while they are nice, I'd much rather not waste time and HPs apping for cards I don't need for some long-term purpose. With my previous history with AMEX and their generous limits, it seems foolish to just ignore their offerings entirely. But I before I app again with them, I have a few other target cards I want to pursue first. For example, Bank of America’s Premium Rewards card would be awesome to achieve. BofA is the second-largest U.S. bank right behind Chase, is another one of my larger lending lines, and is also one of my oldest. If I were to move some savings and investments to Merrill Lynch, I could qualify for their Premium Rewards program and up to 2.625% uncapped cash back on anything I buy with this card. That’s for cash redemptions, not travel. It’s a great way to have a high cash-only option in addition to my Chase UR points travel when I decide I’d rather just have the money. (The US Bank Altitude Reserve pays 3% but only on mobile wallet. So I don’t know of a card that permanently pays as much on any credit charges, uncapped.) Also, since I’m a veteran, Navy Federal has some great cards and even a branch near me. I just established membership with a checking and savings account to let them age and will eventually add a couple of their cards to my wallet. I may even move my mortgage to them and they offer some very competitive rates on CDs and other banking products. Having cards with banks I want to do business with anyway seems to be a smart move.
