@Anonymous wrote:I rarely travel nowadays, but whenever i see someone's profile, a lot of times they have either one of those cards in their portfolio and I always wondering what I'm missing out on...
You're missing out on huge annual fees, and the privilege of never knowing what your credit limit is at any given moment. I.e., you're not missing out on anything.
Since you rarely travel, these cards would do you no good.
@Anonymous wrote:I rarely travel nowadays, but whenever i see someone's profile, a lot of times they have either one of those cards in their portfolio and I always wondering what I'm missing out on...
Probably nothing, @Anonymous, since you rarely travel. Both cards earn MRs which are most valuable when redeemed for travel, especially when transferred to travel partners like airlines. The perks that you're paying for on the cards favor travel also, including airport lounge access on the Platinum. While there are credits on both cards to offset some or even most of the AFs, depending on your lifestyle, most consumers who don't want to redeem MRs for travel are likely better off sticking with cash back rewards programs. AMEX MRs, Chase URs, and Citi TYs are all best suited for transfer to partners to reap maximum value.
The Platinum is glorious if you travel alot. Tons of perks, the MR points add up quick, and in alot of places you get unadvertised perks. We've made our annual fees back 3x over with free dining at some of these hotels. It's kinda cool actually. Of course, pandemic... living room... working from home = why am I still holding on to this?
I love Audible and New York Times, so I get a ton of value from the $240 digital entertainment credit that maybe a lot of people don't? Really I can maximize all the credits so the annual fee is negligible even if I don't put any spend on it, and the perks / benefits / service are second to none. I use it for big purchases when I want purchase protection, and cell phone insurance. All that is notwithstanding the fact it's one of the best travel cards for earning, redeeming, and perks. It's not a card for everyday spend, but if you travel at least once per year and can get value from the credits and perks, it's worth it to hold imo.
@EAJuggalo wrote:I travel once or twice a year that I'm paying for. For those trips I've socked away MR and UR so I don't have to pay for anything. I've got the Gold, as much as AMEX wants me to upgrade it to a Platinum I can't make the math work for me and my family with that AF and the limited MR earnings on the card. The Gold card however, as a family of four we spend a lot on food. Both groceries and dining out. 4X MR for that when I can get 2cpp on Delta means I'm getting 8c of Delta value on each $ I spend. The Gold has an annual fee of $250, but if you go to Cheesecake Factory, Shake Shack, use Uber or Uber Eats you can get $240 of that credited back.
Just out of curiosity @EAJuggalo , how does one get 2 cents on Delta from an MR point? For me it's a 1:1 exchange. And the Delta points never seem to be worth even one cent to me let alone 2 cents. Clearly, I'm missing something.
For me, 4x MR is worth 3.2cpp on Delta.
