There appears to be a number of reports that airline GCs are no longer being reimbursed. If so (unles its just a system slowdown for reimbursements), this is a blow to the ability to offset AF on the card, because it seems like you would have difficulty using the airline credit fee unless you are flying (something I did not intend to do with only a few months left in 2015). For those with status or credit cards that give lounge access, free checked bag etc the ways to use crdit become even more limited. Can't really be too upset about it because it wasn't a benefit it was just something Amex let people do. Sad though since the prestige lets you use theirs towards actual airfare so amex is going further in wrong direction with this card and I'm definetly dumping it after the first year.
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@DrZoidberg wrote:Not being able to use the airline credit for gift cards in no way diminishes the value.
Maybe not for you individually, but for many people it absolutely does.
@yfan wrote:As you said, you can't really be too upset about it since it was never a benefit to begin with. A step further, Amex makes it abanduntly clear clear that gift card purchases are not eligible for incidentals in the fee terms of the Platinum.
Airline tickets, upgrades, mileage points purchases, mileage points transfer fees, gift cards, duty free purchases, and award tickets are not deemed to be incidental fees.
Now I agree, judging by rewards, the Citi Prestige is the superior card. If I were deciding between one of these 2, I would go for the Prestige.
But the Platinum is not predominantly a rewards card. It's a benefits card. FHR, Starwood Gold status, and the privilege of Amex approving really giant transactions, like a boat, and the other bells and whistles. My guess is Amex isn't particularly interested in customers haggling over the AF.
I fail how to see how this has anything to do with the topic in the thread.
@yfan wrote:
@red259 wrote:
@yfan wrote:But the Platinum is not predominantly a rewards card. It's a benefits card. FHR, Starwood Gold status, and the privilege of Amex approving really giant transactions, like a boat, and the other bells and whistles. My guess is Amex isn't particularly interested in customers haggling over the AF.
I fail how to see how this has anything to do with the topic in the thread.
It relates to this part of the topic from your original post: "There appears to be a number of reports that airline GCs are no longer being reimbursed. If so (unles its just a system slowdown for reimbursements), this is a blow to the ability to offset AF on the card,..."
Since it appears in the original post that the ability to use gift cards against the incidentals credit for you is directly related to the AF, I'm saying Amex may not be particularly concerned about customers who are interested in loopholes (loophole, since it wasn't allowed in the agreement to begin with) to cancel out (offset) the AF directly in dollars.
That has nothing to do with haggling over the AF. I'm not haggling with amex about anything and am paying the AF.
@yfan wrote:
@red259 wrote:That has nothing to do with haggling over the AF. I'm not haggling with amex about anything and am paying the AF.
Lol, alright. I don't want to haggle over 'haggling.' Trying to offset the AF that hard to me is something akin to haggling over it, but basically, I'm just saying Amex probably doesn't care to keep customers who're looking to offset AFs by using loopholes. Give it whatever term you want.
I consider it more of an unenforced policy than loophole. Amex knows whats going on and just didn't enforce the policy is all. Still the topic of the thread is the impact the new (if it is indeed occurring) enforcement has on the perceived value of the card when factoring in the AF. The thread is not asking why Amex did this and is not asking for opinions on who amex considers to be good or bad customers. Since nobody here, that I am aware of works for Amex, that seems like a silly discussion, because we don't know what Amex thinks and the thread wasn't soliciting opinions about the why of the enforcement change or for an assessment of Amex's ideal customer in any event.