American Express Membership Rewards points are some of the best rewards you can earn because they're flexible - you can use them for travel, gift cards, or statement credits, among other things.
Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards include:
Each card offers a unique set of bonuses and benefits depending on how you spend and travel.
While Amex's rewards program has a lot of flexibility, that doesn't mean all redemption options get the same cents per point value.
Let's start with the worst ways to use your Amex points.
Amex has a shopping portal with many products you can buy with Membership Rewards points. While this is a versatile way to use your points, it doesn't have a high redemption value.
For 10,000 points, you'll only get a value of 0.5 CPP— which is not the best value for Amex points.
If you're set on using points for merchandise, you might be better off buying a gift card or going through a shopping partner like Amazon.
Amex has a ton of airline transfer partners that you can transfer your points straight to.
Most partners offer a 1-to-1 transfer rate, so if you transfer 1,000 points to them, they will give you 1,000 points back. Sometimes, American Express runs promotions for transfer partners where you can get a better rate.
One thing to keep in mind here is the Excise Tax Offset Fee.
In most cases, American Express charges an excise fee of 0.06 cents per point (capped at $99 for any single transfer) when you transfer points to U.S. airlines with a card such as The Platinum Card®.
American Express's U.S. airline partners that charge an excise fee include:
On a 100,000-point transfer, that fee equates to $60. In addition to these charges, the airline may also charge taxes and fees.
However, not all partners charge this fee. Some of the airline programs where you can transfer Membership Rewards points without paying any fees include:
Since these are points from airlines outside the United States, American Express won't charge you the Excise Tax Offset fee to transfer points into these programs, although you need to evaluate their value (Note: some of them are hard to redeem points from). Transferring points to their hotel partners will also be free of charge.
Unfortunately, the only way to transfer points to your Delta SkyMiles account is through AMEX, so be prepared to pay the fee to utilize them.
To get the best redemption rates, you need to do a lot of research before you transfer your points.
If you don't want to pay your card bill, you can redeem your points for statement credits, effectively wiping out any purchases you made with the card. While this option is handy, it also isn't recommended.
However, if you're in a pinch, this can help.
It's best used as a last resort if you need some last-minute funds to cover your balance. But each point will only be worth 0.6 CPP. So the low value makes it not a great option.
We'll talk about other setups later in this post if you're after cash.
With JustGiving, you can donate your points to over 1.5 million charities. Unless you can redeem your points for travel, you'll likely get no more than 0.7 cents per point from this redemption option.
The points aren't the greatest value for your money, but if you don't need your points, this is a decent option.
Beware of the value change, though. Depending on the organization, the value of your points may vary, so pay attention.
Doing the math can help you make a bigger impact.
With American Express Travel, you can book all kinds of travel, including hotels, vacation packages, and cruises.
If you book travel through the American Express Travel portal (excluding airfare), you will only earn 0.7 CPP. In addition, considering other companies will give you 1 CPP, booking your travel using the Amex Travel portal may not be the best way to spend your Amex points.
Keep in mind that using the Amex Travel Portal is NOT the same as using a transfer partner.
Similar to option 1, you can use your points to spend with certain merchants.
The cents per point come out to 0.7 mostly, except for NYC Taxis and Ticketmaster.com. Those have different point-to-cent ratios, so check the redemption rate before redeeming, as redemption rates may vary from retailer to retailer.
You also need to be careful because some platforms like Amazon can automatically fill in that you're using M.R. points when you check out.
If you want to use your points for shopping, there are probably better options in this list.
This option is new for 2022.
If you have a business checking account with Amex, you can redeem your points for cash. You'll get 0.8 CPP, so 10,000 points would come out to $800. These points are considered rebates instead of income, so you're not taxed on them.
So if you have a lot of points, cashing out your business checking account through your Business Platinum might be a better option. (More about this below)
Gift cards come in different types, and your redemption value varies. Then again, there are many 1 CPP options with less variance, which is not too bad.
It may not be the best redemption method for your Amex points because it has additional hoops to jump through.
With Upgrade with Points, you can bid on seat upgrades at over 20 participating airlines using your Membership Rewards points. This is a convenient option if you are worried about cramped seats on long flights.
It might make more sense to upgrade your seat with the actual card and earn more points because there are higher-value options to redeem your points. However, membership rewards here are worth at least 1 CPP depending on how you use them.
If you value your seat on the plane, you might like this option.
This is a great option for the avid traveler.
Compared to other companies, you can get a decent rate on your points. You can expect to redeem 1 CPP with flights and hotels if you book it through the Amex Portal.
But if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you could get 1.5 CPP when you book through their own portal.
With this option, you can get an elevated value for your points, whether it is flights, and pay yourself back.
This is a better option than the 7th option mentioned above.
Instead of $800 per 100,000 points, you can get a better rate of 1 CPP. That comes out to $1,000 per 100,000 points. You must have the Amex Business Platinum card, though.
If you run a large business, that might be enough to offset the annual fee, but you still need to do the math.
If you own a Morgan Stanley brokerage account, this might be useful.
It's similar to a business checking account using your business platinum but on a more personal card side.
If you own the Platinum Card from American Express Morgan Stanley edition, you can cash out your points to your brokerage account at 1 CPP.
The points can be cashed out anywhere once they reach your brokerage account.
Though, you might want to consider these things first before you use this option:
I made a blog post about this before and how to waive the annual fee. You can learn more about it here: https://www.asksebby.com/guides/waive-amex-platinum-annual-fee
You can transfer M.R. points at 1.1 CPP to your brokerage account with the Platinum Card from American Express Charles Schwab. So if you're looking to redeem for cash, this might be the best option.
However, as with any other Amex Platinum cards, there are a few things you need to consider:
If you have a Business Gold, you can get a 25% rebate when you book an eligible flight.
So, if you use 100,000 points to cover a $1,000 flight, you'll get 25,000 points back. That means you used only 75,000 points for a $1,000 purchase, which works out to a rate of 1.33 CPP.
The maximum rebate is 250,000 points, so you wouldn't want to redeem more than 1 million.
Platinum Business cardholders can redeem M.R. points for travel and get a 35% rebate when they use their card for either first class or business class travel or flights with the airline of their choice (via the travel incidental credit).
That means if you spend 100,000 points for a $1,000 flight, you'll get 35,000 points back. Considering the 35% points rebate, the effective value is 1.54 CPP.
This is your best bet if you're looking for a simple travel redemption. The maximum rebate here is 1 million points per year, so you wouldn't want to redeem more than 2.85 million.
This is the same for the two previous options, but even better!
You can redeem your points with Business Centurion for a 50% rebate. As you know, spending 100,000 points for a $1,000 flight would get you 50,000 points back.
With the rebate, you can effectively get 2 CPP, the highest rate we've discussed.
On top of that, there is no maximum rebate. However, the personal Centurion card does not offer flight rebates.
Finally, you can transfer your points to American Express airline and hotel partners.
The rate here can be up to 10 CPP, but it can generally fluctuate or come out to about 2 or 3 CPP when you get through all the transferring. There are a lot of nuances to this one.
But for avid travelers, this might be a decent option for you.
American Express points can be redeemed in many ways, so it's important to know which one gives you the most value.
While you can use them for merchandise or shopping with Amazon, they don't provide good value.
Most people will get the best value from their points by transferring them to airline or hotel partners or using your Amex business card.
Watch this video to find out how to get the most out of your Amex points:
Starting May 31, 2020, Chase added a new temporary benefit for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® members to “Pay Yourself Back.”
Note: The “Pay Yourself Back” feature is not available to the no annual fee Chase Sapphire card.
The Pay Yourself Back Program lets Chase Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve cardholders redeem Ultimate Rewards to offset select category purchases at a favorable rate.
Pay Yourself Back Categories:
The current promotion is valid through September 30, 2020, but it’s possible that it may be extended due to uncertain times.
[ March 30 Update ] Pay Yourself Back is extended until Sept 30, 2021.
Sign into your online Chase account and navigate to the Ultimate Rewards tab located on the bottom of the left column.
Select the card you’d like to access. If you have multiple Ultimate Reward earning cards, you can choose to pool points to the Sapphire card to redeem.
In our example, we choose the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Navigate to the left hand column and select the “Pay Yourself Back” menu item. Clicking the main promotional banner also works, as seen in the screenshot below.
The current categories for pay yourself back are: restaurant and grocery stores (including take out and eligible delivery services), home improvement stores, and select charitable organizations.
After each purChase posts, you have 90 days to pay yourself back. Check the respective box to select the purChase.
Enter the dollar amount you’d like to receive as a statement credit by using some or all of your available Ultimate Rewards points. The Chase Sapphire Preferred redemption rate is 1.25 cents per point, and the Sapphire Reserve is 1.50 cents per point.
After setting the cash value, click “Confirm & Submit” to redeem!
One of the main benefits of Chase Ultimate Rewards points is that you can transfer them out to partners if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or the Chase Ink Preferred.
You can view credit card offers by going to the "Credit Card Offers" tab. Find offers for the respective cards in "Travel Rewards Credit Cards" and "Business Credit Cards." You don't have to use our links, but we're grateful when you do. Thank you for supporting AskSebby!
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer at a rate of 1:1. On average, you can get up to two cents per point when you use transfer partners.
If you're looking for the most value possible, then airline partners are the way to go for first class redemption. This also works well for last minute flights.
The way I redeem points for "best value" is hotels because everyone in your travel group can benefit.
For example, if I transfer my Ultimate Rewards points to United:
On the other hand, if I transferred my Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt:
For the cost of a round trip United Polaris flight to Asia, I can get four nights at a top tier Hyatt property.
Examples:
IHG is not an ideal transfer partner because of the cost of the points, and you typically need more points for a redemption.
In my experience, Hyatt has the best redemption value for transfer partners. The Category 1 Hyatt properties start at 5,000 Hyatt points.
Category 1 = 5,000 Hyatt points / 5,000 Chase UR points
Check out the video below for more redemption ideas.
The Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium travel credit card that offers a wide range of exclusive benefits and rewards. Some of the benefits offered by the card include travel perks, such as airport lounge access and elite hotel status.
The Platinum Card has a public offer available to everyone, but there's also an elusive elevated Amex Platinum 150,000 point bonus.
American Express has a once-in-a-lifetime welcome bonus rule, so if you earned an intro offer for the Amex Platinum in the past, you likely do not qualify for the elevated offer.
Here’s how to find the 150,000 Amex Platinum offer for first-time Amex cardholders.
There are several ways to check whether you’re eligible for the Amex Platinum 150K offer by either:
Here’s how each method works to see if you qualify for the offer.
One of the easiest ways to determine whether you qualify for the Amex Platinum 150k offer is by simply visiting their website. Sometimes American Express will show elevated offers to new customers.
There may also be the American Express pre-qualification tool that shows an elevated offer. This will allow you to enter your information securely (no hard credit pull) and match you with available offers.
Through the pre-qualification tool, rather than applying for The Platinum Card from American Express through the ‘Apply Now’ page, you can use a special “Check for Offers” link, which will ask for your information and tell you whether you’re pre-qualified for the 150k Platinum offer.
If you're not targeted for elevated offers on American Express's website, one of the quickest and easiest ways to determine whether you qualify for an elevated offer is through a free tool called CardMatch.
We recently took a trip to the Canadian Rockies in September. People often ask me how I plan my trips, so this is a step-by-step guide on how we planned our trip to Banff.
One of the main reasons why we wanted to take this trip is because Parks Canada is offering free admission to their national parks for their 150th anniversary.
1. Hotels
2. Flights from SFO to Calgary
3. Car rental
I signed up for the Chase Fairmont card earlier this year for the two free night certificates. The card was discontinued in August.
Peak season rates for the Fairmont Lake Louise is usually $1099 CAD/night.
To book reservations using the Fairmont certificates, we had to call the reservation line on the back of the card. They don't have an online system, so the representative has to manually look through different dates.
On our first attempt, there were no consecutive dates available for Lake Louise. After doing some more research, we realized it was better to stay in Banff Springs because there are more attractions near the hotel.
We called a few weeks later and were able to secure two consecutive nights in September for Banff Springs. Another benefit was that we could use the suite upgrade certificate with the booking.
Bottomline, try calling the reservation line several times over the span of a few weeks to check for availability.
For the remaining hotel nights outside of the Fairmont certificates, I booked using Hotels.com. My goal was to spend less than $100 for hotels in Calgary. I booked the Marriott in downtown Calgary two weeks before the trip and found a deal for $97/night.
Pro-tip: Hotels.com has a 10% discount if you book using a mobile phone.
On the last night, we were supposed to drive back to Calgary, but we wanted to spend more time in Banff, so we canceled the hotel reservation. I booked a last minute hotel reservation at the Juniper Hotel in Banff and used my Hotels.com free night since I accumulated 10 stays.
The free night is equivalent to 10% of all your hotel.com stays, so my free night certificate was worth $119.77. I still had out of pocket costs to pay, which came out to be $68.65.
To book flights, I set up a Google Flights notification for deal alerts. I routinely check for flights on Tuesdays because that tends to be the cheapest day to book a flight.
Pro-tip: if you're planning multiple trips at the same time, set up a folder in your bookmarks bar to stay organized.
Flights to Calgary from SFO usually range from $350-$550, but we wanted to wait for a deal. We kept an eye out on Scott's Cheap Flights for a price drop. Luckily, a few weeks later, there was a deal alert.
The great thing about booking through the Chase Travel Portal is that discounted fares are also reflected. I used the Chase Sapphire Reserve and spent 15,872 UR points on a roundtrip ticket.
We booked a rental car using the Costco Travel Portal. From my experience, they usually have the cheapest rates and offer free upgrades or additional discounts at select locations.
I usually don't check anywhere else for rental cars unless the Costco rates are absurd. Since reservations are free to cancel, I typically make one at least a month in advance and then check what the prices are closer to the travel date.
Pro-tip: If you have to wait more than 20 minutes for a car, that usually means the rental agency ran out of cars, or they're slowly cleaning returns. Ask the agent nicely if they can do anything for you for the inconvenience, i.e., discount or free upgrades.
We waited an hour for the rental car, and the agent took off a day of rental and gave us a free tank of gas.
Here's the breakdown of the cards we used to book the trip:
The average national gas price now exceeds $5 a gallon, and experts predict prices will rise to above $6 during the summer.
A good gas credit card will provide you with cashback and/or reward points for fuel purchases to optimize your spending.
In this article, we will focus specifically on cards that offer consistent cash back or points on gas. While several other cards offer quarterly rotating gas rewards, we’re looking at consistent gas rewards cards to maximize your total gas savings.
While you may not have heard of this card, it has one of the best value for gas rewards at 5% cash back on gas purchases. It also has 1% cashback on all other purchases and a rotating 5% cashback on other categories throughout the year, including streaming services, Amazon purchases, travel, and health fitness.
Although you can apply for the Abound card without becoming a member, the risk is that credit unions tend to remove card benefits when there are too many applicants.
It's usually the way credit union cards work, so this card may not be suitable for everyone.
The Citi Custom Cash card is good choice for a no annual fee keeper card. In addition to 5% back on gas, it also offers 5% cashback on a handful of other categories, including restaurants, home improvement, grocery stores, and select travel. The benefit of the Citi Custom Cash Card is that even if your spending habits change and you spend less on gas, this card can still provide valuable rewards to you in other categories.
It is also flexible in how you choose to spend your rewards. The Citi Custom Cash card rewards are in the form of Thank You points™. This means that if you chose to redeem your points for travel, you could potentially receive more than 5% cash back that month.
The drawback is that there is a $500 per month earning limit on rewards. This means that if you spend more than $500 on eligible purchases during the month, only the first $500 will receive the 5% cashback benefit.
Cardless is a white-label card-issuing service that partners with brands. The Cardless family of credit cards is a series of cards that allow various brands, focusing on American basketball and European football (soccer) teams, to have their own branded, customized credit card.
We’ll look specifically at the New Orleans Pelicans credit card. It offers some great rewards on gas – 4x rewards points with no annual fee and no monthly cap. The 4x rewards work out to 4% cash back since Cardless calculates its rewards points at 1 CPP.
The drawback to Cardless is that you are only allowed to have one Cardless card at a time. So if you already have a Cardless card for your favorite team, you can’t get the Pelicans card to cash in on the gas points. If you are interested in a Cardless card for special deals on your favorite team’s tickets and merchandise, you would be losing out on those things to have a Pelicans card just for gas, so choose wisely.
With the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card, you earn unlimited 5 points per dollar spent at the gas pump, including EV charging stations. This is among the best rewards rates you will find on gas. Along with free fuel rewards, the card also pays unlimited 3 points per dollar on groceries and 1 point per dollar on everything else.
However, there are a few things to be aware of. For starters, you must join PenFed's credit union to apply. Getting a PenFed membership requires an application and a $5 deposit into a savings account.
The redemption options are also limited, as you can’t use your points to redeem for cash back. A PenFed spokesperson confirmed that points earned with a Platinum Rewards card are usually worth about 0.85 cents each. Considering this card has no annual fee, its redemption value isn’t that great when compared to other no-annual-fee rewards cards.
On the other hand, travel points are potentially worth 1.7 cents each on average, depending on dates and options. There may also be travel booking fees when redeeming for travel.
Another thing to note is that since the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card is a credit union card, you'll have to keep a close eye to ensure that the points or deals on the card don’t change or decrease.
Credit unions typically make a larger percentage of their income from credit cards and other loan interest than larger banks, so they are more likely to change the terms of their credit offers to ensure that it remains profitable to them.
These cards are designed for buying gas at the respective wholesale clubs. Not only can you take advantage of the discount gas at your club store, but you can also earn cash back with your credit card.
These are both similar cards in terms of rewards level. The Sam’s Club card gives you 5% cash back on gas purchases for up to $6,000 a year, which works out to about $500 per month in gas, and then 1% cashback above $6,000. Depending on your membership level, there may be additional reward caps on earning and redemptions.
The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi gives you 4% cashback on your first $7,000 in gas purchases in a year and then 1% rewards after. One major drawback is that you can only redeem cash back once per year.
If you aren't already a member of Costco or Sam's Club, these card options might not be for you.
However, if you are already a member, this could be a valuable way to save on your gas budget. The ideal strategy is to get the card for whichever store is most convenient to you.
The Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Card isn't as competitive as some of the cards on this list, but it still offers decent gas rewards.
With only 3% cashback on gas (or your other chosen rewards category) for most users, it doesn’t look as good as 4% or 5% like some of the other offers we’ve looked at. However, if you are already a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch customer, this might be a good option for you.
Bank of America and Merrill Lynch offer tiered rewards levels for their current customers, so if you have more than $35,500 saved or invested in a portfolio, you will be eligible for higher rewards percentages.
With a bit of research and planning, you may be able to earn up to 5% back (or even more) on gas purchases and other expenditures. To learn more about these top gas cards for 2022 in more detail, check out the video below.
As an InterContinental Ambassador member, travelers have the opportunity to indulge in a complimentary weekend night stay.
With a selection of over 200 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts available, guests simply need to book a weekend stay of at least two nights to qualify for this enticing offer. The second night's charge is waived upon check-in, provided guests present a valid ID and IHG One Rewards number. Book here: https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/content/us/en/ambassador/free-weekend-certificate
Redeeming the Complimentary Weekend Night perk is hassle-free – guests can make their reservation through the IHG booking portal and will receive their complimentary weekend night credit upon check-in, upon presentation of a valid ID and member number.
It's important to note that this offer cannot be combined with Reward Nights or any other ongoing promotions. However, guests can easily access this offer through their IHG One Rewards account.
Before you apply for an American Express card, it’s important to learn about the rules to increase your chances of approval.
The guidelines presented here include non-negotiable rules explicitly stated in the terms and conditions, as well as practical insights gleaned from experience and shared among industry insiders.
While certain guidelines may apply to a broad range of individuals, there may also be exceptions to these rules that could impact your personal experience.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
To be eligible for US credit cards, you typically need to meet certain requirements, such as being a US citizen or legal resident and being at least 18 years of age. However, obtaining a card can be challenging for those without an ITIN or SSN.
That being said, there are exceptions to these requirements, as residency can be interpreted broadly. For example, Canadian citizens who operate a business in the US for a limited period may be able to obtain US cards by using their US mailing address.
Additionally, even if you are not perceived as a resident, you may still be considered one for tax purposes, which American Express typically looks for.
Furthermore, there are programs like Global Transfer that allow you to bring your Amex history from another country to the US, potentially improving your chances of getting approved for US cards.
Across the board, American Express tends to be one of the most stringent, so there’s a list of things they require, such as:
A big reason for this is just due to the financial compliance that’s required in the U.S.
Typically, having a credit score of 700 or higher is desirable, although it is not an absolute requirement. In my experience, a score of at least 700 is generally necessary to qualify for most American Express cards, but others may suggest different thresholds, such as 670 or even 650. Personally, I find that aiming for a credit score of 700 helps to minimize the risk of rejection and reduce the hassle of applying for credit.
You might be surprised at how simple it is to improve your credit score if you lower your credit card utilization. However, even if your score is at a satisfactory level, such as 670 or 700, you may still be denied credit due to other factors, such as a high credit utilization rate or being on a blacklist.
The intro offer may not be available to those who have previously had the same card or versions of it.
Although many of the features may be identical, these are technically different products, not previous versions. Some issuers may still consider it a disqualifying factor if you have had the same card before or if you did not receive the welcome bonus previously.
This is why it is important to be cautious when upgrading or downgrading your card, as it could potentially lock you out of the intro offer. Since the intro offer is a significant incentive for many applicants, a mistake here could cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
The key takeaway is to avoid downgrading your card unless you have had it before or are not interested in the intro offer.
Exceptions to the general rule exist, such as:
Therefore, it is recommended to apply for cards during elevated offers or use tools like CardMatch to determine if you are targeted for an elevated offer rather than solely relying on exceptions.
In the past, this was referred to as the Five Card Rule, as American Express historically limited customers to five credit cards. This means that if you already have five personal credit cards and attempt to apply for a business credit card, your application will likely be rejected. If you only have four personal credit cards, you can only be approved for one business credit card, which means that you are limited to a total of five credit cards between your personal and business accounts.
There are also several distinctions between credit cards and hybrid cards. Hybrid cards are those that do not have a specific spending limit, including:
When you log in to view these cards, they typically state that there is no set spending limit. However, there is a limit based on risk assessment, which can change frequently.
All other cards are considered credit cards:
If you have five credit cards, you can still be approved for the American Express® Gold Card, The Platinum Card® from American Express, and other non-credit-card products. The American Express® Gold Card and Platinum cards do not count towards the five-card limit. However, there is some variability in this rule, as some people may be limited to only four cards, while others may be allowed up to six.
The rule states that you are only allowed to be approved for one credit card every five days. However, the 1 in 5 rule does not apply to other cards. This means that you can apply for one credit card and any number of other cards on the same day without any issues. However, it is important to keep in mind that you will still be responsible for meeting the minimum spending requirements for each card.
Another thing to note is that applying for multiple American Express cards typically does not have a significant impact on your credit score. Once you have one Amex card, they usually only do soft credit pulls for subsequent applications. Your mileage may vary.
If you apply for more than two credit cards within 90 days, you will automatically be rejected for the third one. However, it is important to note that this rule only applies to credit cards and not to other cards. Therefore, you can apply for as many other cards as you want without worrying about this rule.
"Popup Jail" is a term used to describe a scenario where you apply for a credit card, and a popup appears, informing you that you can still apply and receive the card but without any intro bonus. The reasons for this can vary greatly, but it is often due to the applicant's behavior being considered unprofitable or not meeting the issuer's criteria.
Common reasons include low spending on current cards, closing a card too quickly or after taking a retention offer and spending too much on elevated categories.
To avoid ending up in popup jail, it's recommended that new applicants start with other issuers first, especially if their spending is relatively low.
Another example is self-referrals, which can result in shutdowns and blacklisting in extreme cases. Ultimately, the issuer is less likely to provide an intro bonus if the applicant is perceived as unprofitable, as it doesn't make economic sense for them to do so.
This rule states that you're eligible for only one introductory bonus across the various versions of The Platinum Card® from American Express (Standard, Charles Schwab, and Morgan Stanley versions).
Example Scenario: If you’ve had The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab or The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley, you’re ineligible for the welcome bonus of the standard Platinum card. This rule necessitates a strategic approach - choose the Platinum card that offers the most value based on your lifestyle and spending habits.
There’s an unwritten rule suggesting you can only be approved for one Platinum card every 90 days. While this might be flexible, the system often flags multiple Platinum applications as duplicates.
Example Scenario: If you're aiming to collect different Platinum cards for their unique benefits, space out your applications at least 90 days apart to avoid automatic rejection.
One of the most impactful new rules is what I like to call the "Little Brother Rule." This rule is about prioritizing certain cards in your application strategy to ensure eligibility for welcome offers.
Specifically, with the Delta SkyMiles card lineup:
Your eligibility for a welcome offer on a lower-tier card may be affected if you already have or have had a higher-tier card.
Example Scenario: If you apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Blue Card from American Express, you're ineligible for the welcome bonus if you've had any of the higher-tier Delta cards. Conversely, holding a Delta Blue doesn't affect your eligibility for higher-tier cards' bonuses. This cascading effect means it's strategic to start with the Delta Blue and work your way up, potentially unlocking four distinct bonuses.
American Express recently stopped counting airline gift card purchases towards airline incidental credit reimbursements.
As a reminder, the airline credits are intended to be used for incidental fees such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, and not gift cards.
Since the gift cards stopped coding, there have been scattered data points of select non-gift card transactions triggering the airline incidental fee reimbursement.
Some of the data points below are of legitimate airline incidentals like seat upgrades, pet fees, and early check-in fees. If you believe that your purchase should be considered an incidental and it’s not reimbursed by your statement close, contact American Express and let them know.
Disclaimer: Data points do not mean that the method is guaranteed to work. Methods are subject to change at any time. Use at your own risk.
Credits are getting reimbursed ~10 days from transaction posting (NOT transaction date).
i.e., you make the purchase on Nov 15 and it posts on Nov 18. It would be ~10 days from 18th so hopefully 28th.
Works:
Doesn’t work:
Works:
Doesn’t work:
Works:
Doesn’t work:
There are three major rules to know before applying for an American Express credit card:
One thing to be aware of, if you are not currently an American Express customer, don't apply until you get targeted for a great offer. A lot of Amex card members are frustrated because they aren't targeted for great offers like new customers, but it's a user acquisition strategy for Amex.
The highest offer I've seen is 100,000 bonus points for The Platinum Card® from American Express. Terms apply. CardMatch is a common way to find increased offers. Again, it depends on your timing if you want to hold out for the offer or not. The higher offers are usually targeted and not publicly available.
Before we dive into the core rules, there are a few prerequisites to be aware of to see if you’re eligible for welcome offers.
American Express updated their terms of service in 2018 by adding “anti-churning” language. Amex reserves the right to “clawback” a welcome offer if they detect any “gaming” activity like peer-to-peer payments, cash equivalent gift cards, and closing accounts early.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) payments is when you send money to a friend via a service like PayPal. However, if you make a purchase from a retail merchant with PayPal, this is a normal transaction. Amex has access to third-level data so they can distinguish between P2P and merchant payments.
Cash equivalents are another type of purchase that can raise a red flag. These can be in the form of Visa or American Express gift cards purchased from a drug store or any other retailer that sells them. Again, Amex has access to third-level data so they know when you’re purchasing cash equivalent gift cards.
Closing a new account before the 12-month mark is another red flag. When you try to close an account that’s less than a year old, it seems like you’re only opening the account for the welcome offer. Closing the account early means that Amex reserves the right to claw back the welcome bonus. Keep the card for at least 12 months and you can cancel or downgrade afterward if you don’t want it.
If you sign up for a card and you get a pop up saying that you're not eligible for a welcome bonus, you will not receive one.
There are 2 theories:
If you've ever had a certain Amex product past or present, regardless of if you received a signup bonus, you will not be eligible for the signup bonus again. The sole act of having X card means you will not be eligible for the signup bonus.
For example, if you had the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card in the past and canceled it (or product change), you would not be eligible to receive another Amex EveryDay® Credit Card intro offer if you applied for it again in the future.
Another example would be if you opened the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and downgraded it to the no annual fee Hilton Honors American Express Card. By downgrading it, you lose out on the 80k to 130k Hilton Honors bonus that's pretty normal for the Hilton -- easily 1 night in most of their expensive properties like Bora Bora, Maldives, or Koh Samui
Technically, we have seen some offers that don't have this once in a lifetime language, but it's not common. I would argue that this is the biggest core strategy to work around -- especially for new people thinking about upgrades/downgrades.
However, cards like the Amex Platinum card have different variations, which are all considered different products. You could receive the signup bonus for each variation of the Amex Platinum card.
Some data points suggest that you can only have 5 American Express credit cards at one time, regardless if it’s a personal or business card. Your mileage may vary.
If you’re currently at the 5 Amex credit card limit and you want to open a new Amex credit card, you’ll have to call in and close an account in order to open a new one.
Again, this is rule only applies to credit cards — 4 personal and 1 business, or 5 business credit cards— whatever other combination you want.
The 5 credit card rule is key depending on your card play style and strategy. if you're optimizing for cash back, then there's less to worry about. If you're hunting for bonuses, then you don't want to "lock up" one of your slots for no reason.
You can only get approved for one credit card every five days.
The 1 in 5 rule doesn’t affect charge cards, so you could apply for one credit card and X charge cards on the same day and be fine. Keep in mind that you’ll have to manage the minimum spend requirements.
Applying for multiple American Express cards doesn’t have a big impact on your credit score because once you have one Amex card, they typically only do soft pulls after that. Your mileage may vary.
You can only get approved for two credit cards every 90 days. This means that if you apply for a third card within the 90-day window, you'll automatically be rejected.
These rules apply to credit cards only and not charge cards, so you can apply for as many charge cards as you like.
American Express typically doesn’t match welcome offers. For example, if you apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card with a 30,000 welcome offer, and the next week it increases to 60,000 points, Amex is unlikely to match it.
Given the rules and restrictions, the optimal strategy would apply for a charge card and a credit card on the same day to combine hard pulls. This means you will only have one credit inquiry, as opposed to two.
If you don’t currently hold any American Express cards, I recommend checking CardMatch to see if you can get targeted for an elevated Platinum card offer.
Be aware that if you have more than a $35,000 cumulative credit limit with Amex, it will trigger a financial review. Your accounts will be frozen during the financial review.
Amex will not match any increased offers. For example, if you applied for a card with a 50,000 point offer, and the next week a 60,000 point offer pops up, they will not match the offer.
One of the best redemptions for the Hilton Weekend Night Reward certificate from the American Express Aspire and Surpass cards is the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi.
A few important notes to consider before jumping to book the property:
Even if your room rate is covered, a stay at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives is expensive. Now that the sticker shock warning is out of the way, let’s dive into how we booked the room.
The retail rate for an overwater villa is ~$3,000/night. We booked our four-night stay using three free weekend night certificates, and 120,000 Hilton Honors points for the fourth night.
For each Weekend Night Reward, you’ll need to create a separate reservation. The hotel can combine them afterward. We created four consecutive day bookings.
We didn’t end up booking a fifth night since the booking doesn’t qualify for the 5th night free promotion. To qualify for 5th night free, you must book your entire stay using points. Weekend Night Rewards do not qualify.
If you want to increase your chances of getting an overwater villa, I recommend visiting during off-season or shoulder season.
We booked the standard base beach room villa and received a complimentary upgrade due to having Diamond status. Upgrades are NOT guaranteed.
If you want to guarantee an overwater villa, I suggest booking one directly or inquiring to pay out of pocket for the upgrade.
It’s worth mentioning that the beach villas are also huge (2,500 square feet) with the same standard room layouts.
Before your stay at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives, I highly recommend having Hilton Honors Gold or Diamond status to get complimentary access to the breakfast buffet. Without Gold or Diamond status, you’ll end up paying a hefty price tag for the a la carte menu. To put things in perspective, a basic plate of eggs costs $30 + tax and tip.
The easiest way to earn automatic Hilton Honors elite status is via credit cards.
All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by AskSebby.com. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through AskSebby.com.
Al Maha is one of the best Marriott Bonvoy redemptions if you plan to visit Dubai. The all-inclusive resort is located one hour away from Dubai, and it’s an amazing escape from the city.
The resort is also a conservation reserve where they have on-site field guides and wildlife.
Al Maha is a Category 8 hotel, and the price ranges from 63,000-100,000 points depending on the season.
Search for availability on Marriott’s site: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/dxbam-al-maha-a-luxury-collection-desert-resort-and-spa-dubai/
Be sure to check the box that says “Use Points/Certificates.”
Example of peak season pricing:
Off-peak season pricing:
The room-rate includes:
Desert Activities to choose from:
How to use transfer partners is one of the most requested guides because there are so many steps to take. To get the maximum value from points, you'll have to put in the work and research which airline partners are best for you.
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use transfer partners. Before we dive in, be sure to transfer all your Ultimate Rewards Points to the card that has access to transfer partners: the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
1. Login to your Chase account and find the Ultimate Rewards Portal.
2. Click on a card that has access to transfer partners like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Chase Ink Business Preferred, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
3. Transfer all your points to the respective card. i.e., transfer Chase Freedom points to a Sapphire card.
In the example below, we're transferring points from the Chase Freedom to the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Transfer all the points.
4. To use transfer partners, hover over the use points and click one of the airlines.
5. Choose the airline partner you want to use.
6. Enter your frequent flyer information.
7. That's it! The good thing about Chase is that transfers are instantaneous, unlike Amex where it may take a few days.
Important: Once you transfer Ultimate Rewards points to an airline, you cannot revert the points back to Ultimate Rewards. Only transfer the amount you need.
Since there are a lot of different options, you need to sit down and research which programs are the best use of points. There are a few sweet spots available for redemption, but supply is limited and hard to find.
For example, a viewer messaged me asking if I was lying about the IHG Bora Bora free certificate redemption because they tried once or twice and failed. I spent one week looking once or twice a day and booked my certificate nights.
Since there are a lot of options, let's run through a real example. Let's say I'm trying to go from SF to Seoul.
Download the Trip Planning Template here: http://bit.ly/2ysr6Gt
To use the trip planning template, you want to run down the whole list of transfer partners and see how many points it would cost for each one (info can be found on each carrier's website). Yes, this is going to take work on your end.
For United, the travel awards redemption is straight forward. Let's assume we're flying economy to Seoul, which costs 80,000 award miles per way. An economy roundtrip ticket costs 160,000 award miles.
The next step is to see if there is any award or saver availability on United's website. Be sure to check the box for "Search for award travel."
SEARCH FOR AWARD TRAVEL
In addition to the 35,000 miles, you'll still have to pay $5.60 for taxes and fees.
If you don't have flexibility, then you're going to have to take the Economy tickets for 80,000 points.
In our example, we're assuming you do have flexibility so the spreadsheet reflects the 70,000 points and $11.20 in fees.
Beyond transfer partners, be sure to compare the rates to the Chase Travel Portal. Since the prices in the Travel Portal are similar to Google Flights, it's easier to use Google to find the best flight route. It's hard to compare dates and different airline carriers with the Chase Travel Portal user interface.
Keep in mind that just because the route is cheap, it may not be the fastest nor the most efficient route. Choose the route that makes the most sense for you.
To filter the search, select your desired airlines.
Flights might not be available on your desired dates, so it helps to be flexible.
We altered our search to Dec. 10-Dec. 18.
Found a decent flight on Air Canada, but the layover seems excessive. Let's alter the dates.
If we move the date to Dec. 11, then the layover is more reasonable.
After you locate the desired airline and flight number, login to the Chase Travel Portal and find the flight. Note down how many points it takes in the spreadsheet to compare it to all the options.
We're not going to run through all the transfer partners or we'll be here all day. Researching can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 10 hours. Transfer partners are optimal for sweet spot redemptions or last minute travel.
Transfer partners are also good to use during peak holiday times to lock in prices. Another good use to transfer partners are for first or business class redemptions.
If you're someone who doesn't want to compare all the transfer options, then go the Google Flights route and book flights using the Chase Travel Portal.
It helps to have a redemption in mind, but if you need some inspiration, we recommend signing up for Scott's Cheap Flights to get deal alerts.
