Is the Amex Platinum Worth It?

[Jccflat]

CSR travel includes Uber and This stuff ?
So it sounds the chase CSR Is better for someone who’s not a heavy traveler

[I_Love_Cards]

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@UncleB wrote:

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@Jccflat wrote:
Gold is the best as I do for 50k a year In grocery in work alone and I am a AU on 2 family members so I get the 4X Grocery For 50k
I think the platinum is good For a heavy traveler correct me if I’m wrong anybody?

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I would just change 'traveler' to 'one who flies often', since that's where the Platinum shines (airport lounges and 5x MRs for airfare).

For someone who travels but seldom flies (like myself) the Platinum is not a good match, since there's no overall 'travel' multiplier to cover hotels, car rentals, etc.  (Note that the Platinum does provide 5x on prepaid hotels via Amex Travel, but I've personally never known anyone who booked this way.)

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I did once.  The hotel offered a $100/day credit if booked with a platinum through Amex.  

In general, the Platinum isn't really an upgrade from the Gold.  It's an entirely different product.  The Gold is great for people who eat (groceries, dining, dining credit).  The Platinum is great for people who fly and spend a lot of time in airports (5x flights and lounge access).  Platinum has other status benefits and the Uber(eats) credit (a girl's gotta eat), but it's not really a good points earning card (IMO).  It's for perks-which are really only valuable if you travel enough to enjoy them.  

[Aim_High]

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@Jccflat wrote:
CSR travel includes Uber and This stuff ?
So it sounds the chase CSR Is better for someone who’s not a heavy traveler

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I believe it's a better all-purpose travel card for light to moderate traveler, especially one who puts spending in travel categories besides flights.  Plus, I spend a lot regularly on dining out and it's great for that.  You can further maximize the 50% UR point bonus by pairing CSR with the Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, or INK cards where those points get 50% bump. (bifecta, trifecta, quadfecta)

The travel definition of CSR is quite wide.  I believe UBER is included, but someone who UBERs can correct me if I'm wrong.  I don't UBER.  The Chase website does specifically mention Taxi's. 

"Merchants in the travel category include airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages. Merchants that provide transportation and travel-related services are not included in this category; for example, real estate agents, educational merchants arranging travel, in-flight goods and services, on-board cruise line goods and services, sightseeing activities, excursions, tourist attractions, boat rentals, merchants within hotels and airports, and merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling."

*See this link for summary of CSR benefits:

https://www.chase.com/card-benefits/sapphirereserve/travel

[Anonymous]

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@Cred4All wrote:

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Agree with this completely.  I have the Platinum and can say it's 110% solely for the perks of travel ie: Lounges w/ Amex, lounges with Priority Pass, Delta Sky Club, 5x points for Delta and so on.  I would not possess this personally myself if part of my life wasn't spent on moving walkways and tunnels in the sky. If you travel, totally worth it.

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Indeed. The only spend mine gets is the 5X points on airfare. But I'm sure Amex is fine with that. I have two annual fee cards with them and they get swipes on the two EveryDay cards

[wasCB14]

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@Aim_High wrote:

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@Jccflat wrote:
CSR travel includes Uber and This stuff ?
So it sounds the chase CSR Is better for someone who’s not a heavy traveler

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I believe it's a better all-purpose travel card for light to moderate traveler, especially one who puts spending in travel categories besides flights.  Plus, I spend a lot regularly on dining out and it's great for that.  You can further maximize the 50% UR point bonus by pairing CSR with the Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, or INK cards where those points get 50% bump. (bifecta, trifecta, quadfecta)

The travel definition of CSR is quite wide.  I believe UBER is included, but someone who UBERs can correct me if I'm wrong.  I don't UBER.  The Chase website does specifically mention Taxi's. 

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Uber Cash is included within "Travel" as 3x, which I buy for 5% off and use for Eats orders and rides. So a $100 Uber Cash purchase costs $95 and earns 285 UR points. My last datapoint is Dec 8 so very recent.

Last I checked, Uber Eats also coded as Travel and got 3x.

My fallback cards if I close CSR are BofA Premium for 3.5% cash and BBP for 2x MRs.

[red259]

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@kudosalert wrote:

If you've had your Gold for over 1 year, I would call to see if they have a retention offer for you to keep the card. Amex's website is showing a bonus of 60k MR points now for a new Platinum. I would not do an upgrade for just 25K.

For me, the Platinum would be worth it but I wouldnt keep both the Gold and Platinum at the same time. 

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I have both the plat and gold. The two cards serve extremely different purposes.

[budugu]

i would wait for the 60K upgrade offer. 

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@Anonymous wrote:
I currently have the Amex Gold and I really like it. The rewards have been worth much more than the $250 annual fee. Amex sent me an email about a 25k point offer to get the platinum. Is it worth it? The $300 extra seems like a lot.

Edit:
The offer was for an upgrade

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[Anonymous]

Do you travel a lot? If so, then yes the Platinum is worth it. If not, stick with the Gold. The Platinum is the ultimate travel card for those who live in airplanes.

[CBartowski]

Ahhh the age old question!

Incredibly subjective, the Gold and Platinum are meant to be somewhat complimentary while yes the CSR is a heavier CSP.

Platinum 90% revolves around benefits vs point earning. 

For simplicity and if you're under 5/24 I'd probably recommend chase. But if you really enjoy the hobby, good looking cards and great customer service try Amex. At the end of the day the SUBs are well worth a 1 year trial period. AMEX very much makes their credits a little more difficult to use and requires mroe involvement (ie. annual 120$ dining credit given out in 10$ increments each month vs Chase's 300$ any travel qualifies including airfare credit). 

I run Gold, Plat and CSR and honestly find value in having all of them. However, I would say out of the 3, the Plat offers the least value since their Priority Pass no longer includes restuarants and Chase's does (for now, I see that going away on the next re-fit). However, if traveling international, even Canada, the AMEX lounge collections can be pretty dang sweet. Each time I get a meal from the lounge I value the visit at at least 10-30$ depending on the food I get there that I would have spent elsewhere. 

Hope this rambling is somewhat helpful?

PS: Check for the 100k AMEX MR offer!! Huge value if you get it.