@K-in-Boston wrote:
@randomguy1 wrote:
@red259 wrote:I never really felt I needed clear because the delay in security for me is rarely that initial check but the subsequent search/scanner which is what precheck helps with. Still its probably only a matter of time before I run into a delay.
I had a Clear Trial.
At SNA\LAX\AUS airports the Clear lines were much much shorter with often zero lines compared to TSA Pre.. However with Clear, you still need to take your laptop out of the bag and do all that stuff.
The TSA Pre-check lines can be pretty long these days. Once past that line, the TSA Pre-check allows you leave on your shoes, belt, laptop in bag, liquids, etc..
If I had the choice, I would get TSA-Pre. However, if I can get both, might as well as Clear will in most cases I have seen has much shorter lines than TSA-Pre.
Everywhere that I have seen, there is a CLEAR checkpoint for both regular screening and another one for TSA PreCheck. So having it lets you go to the front of either line (past the TSA agent that checks boarding pass and ID), so they are not mutually exclusive.
This has been my experience as well but I've read that this isn't the case everywhere yet. Meaning that at some airports, CLEAR only dumps you in the regular line (they don't sort to regular vs Precheck after the ID check
or have multiple CLEAR lanes).
It can still be a time saver as even the precheck lines have been stupidly long at some places (or maybe just a wash since the scanning part takes longer).
CLEAR plus GE makes for a 30 second security experience. They can have a DNA sample for all I care.
I have both Green and Gold. The Gold is my grocery getter. I use the dining credit at Boxed (if I don't eat at one of the other places that month) and I check a lot of bags so the airline credit is easy for me.
The green gets me 3x on travel regardless of booking method. That and the CLEAR credit make it worth it for me.
I don't care about lounges as I have Platinum and PP through other cards.
For me-both cards make sense. It really depends on where you spend your money and what credits (if any) work for you. After utilities/cellphone/internet/etc-groceries/household supplies are my biggest regular expense. The extra 2 points from gold over my next best MR card is definitely worth it. Travel comes in a very close third.
And the 45k SUB was icing on the cake.
I have a decades-old Green card. I called Amex to ask about the AF, because what I have been charged recently doesn't match up with the public annoucements and I wanted to know what to expect going forward. The rep cleared that up (it will be a flat $150 but there is no charge for up to five AU's) and then he pivoted to his sales pitch for a PC to Gold. I don't travel much and I don't often find MR points to be as valuable to me as others report, so the basic bargain of paying $100 more per year in AF for more MR points is not a clear win for me. It's also not a clear loss because it's foreseeable that I will travel more in the years ahead. So, for me, the upgrade is a close call. This brings me to my question...
They offered an upgrade bonus of 25k MR points. I didn't accept yet because I wanted to ask you fine folks about it. Is that high? Low? Normal? Does anyone have recent experience getting significantly more than that? If so, how?
In case anyone asks: They claimed it was impossible to waive or reduce the AF. I doubt that's literally true, but it seems to be their new party line and I'm not a big enough fish to merit special exceptions. I would not consider canceling my Green and signing up for a brand new Gold with the 50k SUB. The Green is my oldest card and I don't want to reduce my AoOA. A PC would preserve that, of course. Also, they said there would be no credit check for the PC, so I wouldn't have to leave the garden. 
I would Choose Gold as I own the Rose Gold ... Out weighs the Green by far !!
Basically had this decision: offered Green and Gold coming out of a Ch 13 (w00t!) where AMEX only got 50% of a five figure bill. Hey, if they have no hard feelings... 
Anyways, it was 45k SUB for 2k for Green, 50k for 4K for Gold, 90 days. Green wins on ease of SUB. I have a new DiscoverIt Cashback with Cashback Match I'm using for categories (dining for 3 months, groceries for 3 months) that yields 10% for the first $1500 in spend, so the Gold bonuses over Green don't pencil out as well as they otherwise would in year 1 for Discover, plus I don't own a car, but rent them locally and use Zipcar, so Green wins on that one big time. So Green it is. I'll look at what AMEX will give me for a Green->Gold PC in year 2, or maybe switch to a no AF and start with Chase by then.
