@Anonymous wrote:
@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:@notmyrealname23 he asked for basic amex math, not how to maximize his rewards to offset the fee. I posted the minimum spend to offset the AF at 1x, 4x, and if he used all of his dining credits.
RIght, but that was really my earlier point. If you are cashing out at 0.6c per MR, on dining and restaurants you are getting 2.4c per $ and there are free cards that do better, so you shouldn't be paying the AF for this card at all.
The MR earnings are more flexible, aspirational possiblities, than cash back. With a Cash Back card, that's the max you get. With MR ( and UR ) the points might be worth more, and if they are going to be worth more, then you need oodles of those points.
And oh-by-the-way you can get some perks from the travel cards as well.
The Gold is a strange one in that it works great for some people and for others it makes no sense at all. It works really well if you can easily use the GrubHub monthly credit and the Airline incidental credit. It is crazy good if you are also using MR transfer bonuses to airline programs and then use that for international business class tickets. If you can use the credits you almost have to transfer to an airline for it to make mathmatical sense, though, even if it is only for something like 1 cpp since as has been discussed already straight cash redemption is only .6 cpp, and if you are doing that there are much better cards.
If that doesn't seem like it fits you personally, the Amex BCP (if annual grocery is closer to $6k) or BCE (if annual grocery is closer to $4k) are good for groceries. They are ~4% on groceries (after accounting for AF)/6% streaming or 3% groceries/streaming, respectively. There are few different 3% cards for dining, Cap1 SavorOne is a good option and it has no AF.
I had the Gold for a year and just recently closed it. I didn't really like the GrubHub monthly credits, it felt forced for me to use them. I didn't like the change to the Airline Incidental credit making it much harder to redeem. It felt like the tail was wagging the dog in an effort for me to make up the AF I already paid. I even had the CAP credit to take $100 off the AF. I was one of the ones that it just didn't make sense to pay an AF for it. Got to admit that it is a really nice card, though, and I do kind of miss it =D
For real, though, it has a 35k MR SUB right now so you could try it out for a year at least and still come out ahead.
@digitek wrote:The Gold is a strange one in that it works great for some people and for others it makes no sense at all. It works really well if you can easily use the GrubHub monthly credit and the Airline incidental credit. It is crazy good if you are also using MR transfer bonuses to airline programs and then use that for international business class tickets. If you can use the credits you almost have to transfer to an airline for it to make mathmatical sense, though, even if it is only for something like 1 cpp since as has been discussed already straight cash redemption is only .6 cpp, and if you are doing that there are much better cards.
If that doesn't seem like it fits you personally, the Amex BCP (if annual grocery is closer to $6k) or BCE (if annual grocery is closer to $4k) are good for groceries. They are ~4% on groceries (after accounting for AF)/6% streaming or 3% groceries/streaming, respectively. There are few different 3% cards for dining, Cap1 SavorOne is a good option and it has no AF.
I had the Gold for a year and just recently closed it. I didn't really like the GrubHub monthly credits, it felt forced for me to use them. I didn't like the change to the Airline Incidental credit making it much harder to redeem. It felt like the tail was wagging the dog in an effort for me to make up the AF I already paid. I even had the CAP credit to take $100 off the AF. I was one of the ones that it just didn't make sense to pay an AF for it. Got to admit that it is a really nice card, though, and I do kind of miss it =D
For real, though, it has a 35k MR SUB right now so you could try it out for a year at least and still come out ahead.
That's my big reservation with AMEX credits. They are so narrowly-focused that they make it difficult for many to get full value. Such as monthly credits instead of just annual towards something like GrubHub. Or having to choose (one) airline to get credits. It's almost like they don't WANT you to be able to get them all ... 
lol
Credits only make sense if they already fit the way you organically spend and you don't have to modify behavior to justify the credits, or if you get enough value otherwise from a card that the credits are irrelevant to valuation.
@Aim_High wrote:
@digitek wrote:The Gold is a strange one in that it works great for some people and for others it makes no sense at all. It works really well if you can easily use the GrubHub monthly credit and the Airline incidental credit. It is crazy good if you are also using MR transfer bonuses to airline programs and then use that for international business class tickets. If you can use the credits you almost have to transfer to an airline for it to make mathmatical sense, though, even if it is only for something like 1 cpp since as has been discussed already straight cash redemption is only .6 cpp, and if you are doing that there are much better cards.
If that doesn't seem like it fits you personally, the Amex BCP (if annual grocery is closer to $6k) or BCE (if annual grocery is closer to $4k) are good for groceries. They are ~4% on groceries (after accounting for AF)/6% streaming or 3% groceries/streaming, respectively. There are few different 3% cards for dining, Cap1 SavorOne is a good option and it has no AF.
I had the Gold for a year and just recently closed it. I didn't really like the GrubHub monthly credits, it felt forced for me to use them. I didn't like the change to the Airline Incidental credit making it much harder to redeem. It felt like the tail was wagging the dog in an effort for me to make up the AF I already paid. I even had the CAP credit to take $100 off the AF. I was one of the ones that it just didn't make sense to pay an AF for it. Got to admit that it is a really nice card, though, and I do kind of miss it =D
For real, though, it has a 35k MR SUB right now so you could try it out for a year at least and still come out ahead.
That's my big reservation with AMEX credits. They are so narrowly-focused that they make it difficult for many to get full value. Such as monthly credits instead of just annual towards something like GrubHub. Or having to choose (one) airline to get credits. It's almost like they don't WANT you to be able to get them all ...
Credits only make sense if they already fit the way you organically spend and you don't have to modify behavior to justify the credits, or if you get enough value otherwise from a card that the credits are irrelevant to valuation.
Well, Isn't their model that you don't use the credits because they are so narrow? So they can advertise something as a draw but it's never used by the customer.
@Anonymous wrote:
@Aim_High wrote:
@digitek wrote:It works really well if you can easily use the GrubHub monthly credit and the Airline incidental credit.
That's my big reservation with AMEX credits. They are so narrowly-focused that they make it difficult for many to get full value. Such as monthly credits instead of just annual towards something like GrubHub. Or having to choose (one) airline to get credits. It's almost like they don't WANT you to be able to get them all ...
Well, Isn't their model that you don't use the credits because they are so narrow? So they can advertise something as a draw but it's never used by the customer.
Well, yeah! That's what I was hinting at ... 
Gives them something to promote as a "benefit" which may or may not materialize. I know they may work for some people but they can be a pitfall.