Current AMEX PRG cardholer question

BearsAndTurtlesRtheBest · ‎03-01-2014

How do you make the $175 AF worthwhile when using it?

Discover IT $2,600- First Premier MasterCard $1,000- Dillards Store Card $300- Fingerhut Advantage $200
Chapter 7 BK Dischagred on 07/11/16. Gardening Since 01/17/2019

twist7d7 · ‎03-01-2014

@BearsAndTurtlesRtheBest wrote:
How do you make the $175 AF worthwhile when using it?

SPEND SPEND SPEND

also the roadside assitence is worth it too

AMEX PRG (NPSL) Lowes (10k) CSP (7.2k) AMEX BCE (6k) Cap1 QS (3.5k) Citi DC (2.6K) BofA (2.5K)M&T Bank visa (2k) Discover iT (1800) Slate (1k)
Age: 22 Scores ~710 across the board
Future Cards Sallie Mae, US Bank Cash+, Freedom
Goal increase CLs by 20k in 2015

phonic · ‎03-01-2014

1) Maximize the special Amex bonus cashback offers. You can easily clear a hundred or more using things like $20 back on a $100 purchase at Best Buy. Just enroll in the promo and use the card to meet the requirements. Granted not all are useful for everyone, but I routinely save $100+ a year. And remember, these can stack on multiple AU cards!

2) Maximize the Small Business Saturday promotion. It used to be $25 back on any $25 purchase (at a qualifying small business) which was VERY nice. This year, they dropped it down to only $10. But since you can get four PRG cards for no extra AF, that's still $40 back in your pocket. Almost any non-national-chain store counts.

3) Use your MR points for travel instead of gift cards. The point value for travel is usually worth much more than the $0.01/point for gift cards.

4) Take advantage of some of the Amex benefits like purchase insurance, etc. While many other cards offer similar perks, my understanding is Amex has some of the best when it comes to actually relying on them.

Limits: PRG=NPSL, CSP=$16k, BCP=$30k, DIT=$15k, USAA=$6k, CDW=$12.5k, IHG=$9k, BBY=$2k, BOA=$13k

bigblue7722 · ‎03-01-2014

@BearsAndTurtlesRtheBest wrote:
How do you make the $175 AF worthwhile when using it?

I was thinking the same thing... My friend has one well acutally his brother and mom are AU on the card so that makes the AF a little better. They do all their spending on it and fly to Greece every year for free. But your much better off getting a chase freedom/ discover it for the 5% catigories, then get cap one qs (if you cant get approved for fid amex) and adding a boa cash rewards assuming you again cant get approved for bce. That combo of cards basically has no AF and better rewards on everything expect for airlines tickets.

AMEX PRG NPSL,Lowes $17000,Capital One venture card $12,000,Us Airways mastercard $9500,Fidelity Amex $9000, Discover it $8000, Capital One Venture One $7500, BOA 123 rewards $7500 CSP $6000, Capital One Quicksliver $5500, Amazon Store card$5000,Barclay
Card Ring $5000 Chase Marriott $5000,Chase Hyatt $5000, Sallie Mae Mastercard $4400, Paypal smart connect $4000,Chase Freedom $3200, Capital one Quicksliver visa $3000, Chase IHG Rewards $2300, Chase Southwest Premier $2000, Citi Double Cash $1500, AMEX BCE $1000

Last app July 22nd 2015- No apps for two years.

enharu · ‎03-01-2014

@phonic wrote:
1) Maximize the special Amex bonus cashback offers. You can easily clear a hundred or more using things like $20 back on a $100 purchase at Best Buy. Just enroll in the promo and use the card to meet the requirements. Granted not all are useful for everyone, but I routinely save $100+ a year. And remember, these can stack on multiple AU cards!
2) Maximize the Small Business Saturday promotion. It used to be $25 back on any $25 purchase (at a qualifying small business) which was VERY nice. This year, they dropped it down to only $10. But since you can get four PRG cards for no extra AF, that's still $40 back in your pocket. Almost any non-national-chain store counts.
3) Use your MR points for travel instead of gift cards. The point value for travel is usually worth much more than the $0.01/point for gift cards.
4) Take advantage of some of the Amex benefits like purchase insurance, etc. While many other cards offer similar perks, my understanding is Amex has some of the best when it comes to actually relying on them.

+1.

And also to add:

5) Spend 30k in a calendar year to get 15k additional MR points.

JPMorgan Palladium (100k), AmEx Platinum (NPSL), AmEx SPG (46k), AmEx BCP (42k), Chase Sapphire Preferred (47k), Citi Prestige (31k), Citi Thank You Preferred (27k), Citi Executive AAdvantage (25k), JPMorgan Ritz-Carlton (21k), Merrill+ (15k), US Bank Cash+ (22.5k), Wells Fargo (12k), Bloomingdale’s (12.4k), Chase Freedom (5k), Discover IT (5k).

cottoncrown · ‎03-01-2014

If you have to ask, then it's probably not worth it. This card is designed for people who spend thousands a month on flights and run 100k a year brought the card. It's not for the average joe. I got it for the sign up bonus and there is no way I'm keeping it. 175$ is really steep.

370Z · ‎03-01-2014

Easy. Spend 30k+ to get the 15k bonus. Or a lot of gas/grocery/flight purchases if under 30k. Preferably both.

EQ8 819 (7/25) EX8 821 (8/25) EX9 846 (8/25) TU8 825 (7/25)
Chase_Hyatt|10k|15.24%|6/13 * Amex_Hilton|10k|13.99%|8/13 * Chase_IHG|10k|15.24%|1/14 * Chase_Ink$|12k|13.24%|5/14 * NFCU$|50k|9.65%|12/14 * Amex_ED|10k|12.99%|1/16 * Citi_Custom$|47k|15.24%|4/16 * Merrill+|70k|12.99%|2/17 * Amex_BB+|26k|15.24%|3/18 * PenFed_Pathfinder|29.4k|17.99%|9/18 * WF_Autograph|25k|16.99%|7/19 * AODFCU_VS|22k|12.75%|4/20 * Chase_Ritz_Carlton|30k|15.99%|10/21 * Amex_BB$|26k|13.24%|8/22 * RFCU_VS|10k|12.00%|6/23 * C1_VX|40k|14.74%|1/24 * CSP|14.4k|15.74%|5/25
Gone: CSP, AA x3, Ink+, Premier, CSR, CFU, CF, AARP, Limitless

red259 · ‎03-01-2014

@370Z wrote:
Easy. Spend 30k+ to get the 15k bonus. Or a lot of gas/grocery/flight purchases if under 30k. Preferably both.

+1 If your not going to be spending over 30k a year on the card to get the extra 15k bonus its doubtful that it will be worth the AF. I only got mine to get in with amex and due to the AF being waived the first year. I'd rather spread my spend around to get initial bonus offers on multiple cards, however if I didn't need to meet initial spend on other cards I might consider this one for my non-bonus spend up to 30k.

;
Starting Score: EQ: 714, TU 684
Current Score: EQ: 725 7/30/13, TU 684 6/2013, Exp 828 5/2018, Last App 8/5/17
Goal Score: 800 (Achieved!) In garden until Sepetember 2019

Anonymous · ‎03-01-2014

@phonic wrote:
1) Maximize the special Amex bonus cashback offers. You can easily clear a hundred or more using things like $20 back on a $100 purchase at Best Buy. Just enroll in the promo and use the card to meet the requirements. Granted not all are useful for everyone, but I routinely save $100+ a year. And remember, these can stack on multiple AU cards!
2) Maximize the Small Business Saturday promotion. It used to be $25 back on any $25 purchase (at a qualifying small business) which was VERY nice. This year, they dropped it down to only $10. But since you can get four PRG cards for no extra AF, that's still $40 back in your pocket. Almost any non-national-chain store counts.
3) Use your MR points for travel instead of gift cards. The point value for travel is usually worth much more than the $0.01/point for gift cards.
4) Take advantage of some of the Amex benefits like purchase insurance, etc. While many other cards offer similar perks, my understanding is Amex has some of the best when it comes to actually relying on them.

But 1 and 2 (and probably 4) are available on all Amex cards, right, including the 0 AF ones like BCE and Blue Sky. So can't really be used to justify the AF on PRG.

But point 3 is right, while you get MR on other cards, PRG has a useful set of bonus categories. + the 15K bonus

Anonymous · ‎03-01-2014

@bigblue7722 wrote:
@BearsAndTurtlesRtheBest wrote:
How do you make the $175 AF worthwhile when using it?
I was thinking the same thing... My friend has one well acutally his brother and mom are AU on the card so that makes the AF a little better. They do all their spending on it and fly to Greece every year for free. But your much better off getting a chase freedom/ discover it for the 5% catigories, then get cap one qs (if you cant get approved for fid amex) and adding a boa cash rewards assuming you again cant get approved for bce. That combo of cards basically has no AF and better rewards on everything expect for airlines tickets.

the card is for bigger spenders. 5% categories for Freedom/Discover max out at $300 a year. People with this card (those that keep it past the first year!) want to earn lots of MR and transfer them to travel partners. Such people are certainly not much better off with the set of cards you mention.