Switching a few AMEX cards around.....

[Priory_Man]

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@Anonymous wrote:

how much are you flying per year?

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I've cut back to only about once or twice every month or so now, I was hitting the airport 8 to 10 times a month at one point.

So a lot less flying, but I will still be traveling to vairous places, only it will be windsheild time instead.

[Priory_Man]

I have enough MQD's and MQM's to be gold medallion next year, but with my flying getting cut back, outside of spending I am not sure I will get close to that level maybe even not enough for silver.

I suppose I could keep the reserve until the AF is due and switch then, at least for part of next year I can hopefully gain the advatage over others if they want to upgrade my seat.

After that though I think it still makes sense for me to switch, and if you think Amex won't have an issue then I probably will make that move, the perks the Platinum card offer seem to fit in well with my work and personal life more now than the Reserve card will.

Thanks very nuch for your input, much appreciated.

[Priory_Man]

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@patoot10 wrote:

If I were you I would downgrade the delta reserve card (as long as you had it for a year) to the free blue delta card.

Apply for the platinum and then use the travel credit for platinum or your gold card to offset the baggage fees and save yourself $95 annual fee on gold.

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I get what you are saying on using the credits from my other cards, but that priority boarding is a nice perk I am used to and I won't get that with the blue card.

[Anonymous]

OP is ineligible for the gold and platinum SUBs.

[Priory_Man]

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@Anonymous wrote:
OP is ineligible for the gold and platinum SUBs.

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That is correct, I knew that coming into this.

The switch of cards was never intended to figure out which was the best way to get any SUB's.

I maybe should have put a little more info into my first post.

[Anonymous]

I think people who just read the first couple of posts assumed optimizing around a SUB was at least doable and approachable - I know I did before editing my first post lol

[NRB525]

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@Priory_Man wrote:

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It's been a reserve card for around 14 months, so I just payed the AF a couple of months ago. My thought has always been to downgrade, I had not considered cancelling and open a new card. Iv'e had the Delta card since 08 so it has a lot of history attached. 

Thanks for your thoughts.

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If you just paid the AF, it is probably outside the 30 day window to get a refund. Did the companion pass already post as available?

Do you use the Delta lounges? "cutting back" to 2 -3 times per month of airline travel is still a lot of possible visits to the lounge. Since you already paid this AF and it is unlikely to be refunded, best to just keep it as is for now.

If you get a AMEX Platinum, then as this DR AF comes up next year consider downgrading. They will be fine with it and the 10-year history is not something you want to give up.

Have you outlined what are the features you expect to add by getting Platinum?

If those features include Marriott/SPG status or Hilton status, you can do as well or better, by cycling through the available AMEX cards in those chains. You noted SUB not available, does that include the new Amex hotel cards? Some of the SPG and Hilton cards also include Priority Pass, and to my view that leaves the 5MR on airfare as the only unique Platinum benefit. Through various apps and upgrades, I have ended up with Delta Reserve, SPG Lux, Hilton Aspire, and Amex Gold, with a downgraded / holding pattern Delta Blue from my first app. With all those cards I have a tough time switching to Platinum, but a 100k MR offer would make me do so. For a little while.

Which brings up another question, do you have the 100k MR offer available for the Platinum?

[Priory_Man]

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@NRB525 wrote:

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If those features include Marriott/SPG status or Hilton status, you can do as well or better, by cycling through the available AMEX cards in those chains. You noted SUB not available, does that include the new Amex hotel cards? Some of the SPG and Hilton cards also include Priority Pass, and to my view that leaves the 5MR on airfare as the only unique Platinum benefit. Through various apps and upgrades, I have ended up with Delta Reserve, SPG Lux, Hilton Aspire, and Amex Gold, with a downgraded / holding pattern Delta Blue from my first app. With all those cards I have a tough time switching to Platinum, but a 100k MR offer would make me do so. For a little while.

Which brings up another question, do you have the 100k MR offer available for the Platinum?

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To answer that last question first, I do not have the 100k offer it is currently at 60k. 

I will more than likely be holding out for a little while until I am close to my AF due date for the Reserve card, so maybe in that time period a better offer may pop up.

I have not looked into the hotel chain of cards to be fair, I was going to just use the Platinum upgrade status, more so because it covers most of the needs that all the other cards offer independently. 

I think a possible re-think maybe in order. 

What I thought was going to be a simple switch is turning out to be not as simple as I thought, but, only because of all the options available.

Thanks for taking the time to pass on your thoughts.