@Anonymous wrote:
@odd_dog wrote:
@Curious_George2 wrote:I don't have any interest in these silly cafes, but let's not kid ourselves. They don't care how those of us on this forum feel about anything. Amex's profits are up recently. Why would they revert to a less profitable way of operating?
Hummmmm DId something here change recently? I don't post here as a quarum for Credit Card issuers to approve or disapprove of my thoughts.....
Well, I don't know if you do or don't (your employers would probably tell you to deny it) but I think @Curious_George2 point is good: however much people here complain about thinks like coupon book rewards, Amex is apparently doing quite well. So when we say "X should change (because I would prefer it) but that would also be good for the issuer" we may not really know about the latter. In the wider world, people may be very happy with the current reward structure, either finding great value in the coupon book, or not really using it but thinking they are getting great value (or prestige!) from other features
I agree with @Anonymous . Unless one is an Amex insider, the rest of us on these forums are left to simply guessing about how decisions are reached at Amex. We have to evaluate the information we have and make the best estimate of personal value. I'm one of the people who can really make the Platinum coupon book work to my advantage. However, I'm not happy about not having access to these Gold Cafes. Shouldn't Platinum cardholders be allowed entry too? I need an Amex insider to shed some light.
@NoMoreE46 wrote:I don't think the Amex Gold Card Cafes exclude anyone. One doesn't need to be an Amex holder to enjoy them but would think they only take AMEX cards for payment.
These cafés are trying to create a certain image or exclusivity...
This article touches upon a focus on Millenials/GenZ and the Coupon clipping.
Thanks for posting that link @NoMoreE46 . It made for some interesting reading.
Thanks, also, for correcting my misinterpretation of the Gold Cafe entrance requirements. When I initially read the fine print in Amex's announcement, I thought it said that only basic cardmembers and authorized account managers of the Gold card had access to this benefit. Going back to re-read the announcement, I see that this disclaimer was referring to the Dunkin' Donuts credits. My mistake.
@NoHardLimits wrote:
@NoMoreE46 wrote:This article touches upon a focus on Millenials/GenZ and the Coupon clipping..
Thanks for posting that link @NoMoreE46 . It made for some interesting reading.
Yes, thanks for that link, @NoMoreE46. Definitely an interesting article that confirms what we've seen about AMEX strategy on the forums. Still, as a younger boomer, I'm disappointed in how the AMEX push for the younger cardholders has changed their products in ways that are not universally-appealing. It almost makes it sound like that the Millenials and Gen Z **LIKE** the silly "coupon credits." That is just weird to me. It's all an annoying game that is so unnecessary.
And while it confirmed what I expected about where all of this is going, I was dismayed to read it in print 
In targeting double-digit revenue growth for the next decade, Amex likely expects to raise card fees $75 to $100 every three to five years, Nash said. ... “We have a strong bit of historical experience that tells us we can keep moving prices up,” Campbell said.
With shifting value-added with each remake of their cards, I could see myself no longer wanting to carry any AF AMEX card at some point, and their no-AF cards don't impress relative to competitors IMO. Right now, I think very highly of my Bonvoy Brilliant and just hope they don't do anything to diminish the value for me. If I no longer found the Brilliant worthwhile, I would probably park the credit limits on some no-AF card and give it keep-alive spend. What a shame.
@Aim_High wrote:
.And while it confirmed what I expected about where all of this is going, I was dismayed to read it in print
In targeting double-digit revenue growth for the next decade, Amex likely expects to raise card fees $75 to $100 every three to five years, Nash said. ... “We have a strong bit of historical experience that tells us we can keep moving prices up,” Campbell said.
With shifting value-added with each remake of their cards, I could see myself no longer wanting to carry any AF AMEX card at some point, and their no-AF cards don't impress relative to competitors IMO. Right now, I think very highly of my Bonvoy Brilliant and just hope they don't do anything to diminish the value for me. If I no longer found the Brilliant worthwhile, I would probably park the credit limits on some no-AF card and give it keep-alive spend. What a shame.
Yes. I guess either Amex is wrong (and there is some point where increasing fees will decrease overall profit as people drop out) or there are "enough" people who will pay increased fees for whatever reason; they are getting more than enough value despite the increased fee (sensible) or "prestige" (not soo much).
It IS a bit off-putting to see the basically "we can squeeze them as much as want" put into print, you would think high-level executives would use more public-friendly language (even something as banal as "we have the history to show that as long as we continue to add value, our loyal customers recognize this and are willing to pay increased fees')