4x on dining and 4x on Supermarkets (up to 4x) per year.
$100 travel credit and $120 food credit (Shake Shack, Seamless, etc.)
And who doesn't love that rose gold color.
Maximizing Points (credit card/travel, etc.) Thread
- Thread starter JayH
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4x on dining and 4x on Supermarkets (up to 4x) per year.
$100 travel credit and $120 food credit (Shake Shack, Seamless, etc.)
And who doesn't love that rose gold color.
SHEEEEESH! How'd you even get to five?
Yeah. I'm old enough that I got the Platinum back when you had to be invited after first getting the Green, then graduating to Gold. I think it took me 10 or 12 years. Now there really is no prestige associated with it except as a holdover from back when, and you can get one any time with a decent credit score if you're willing to pay the $695 fee. The major credits are Uber $200 (divided monthly), streaming $240 (monthly) and airline fee credit $200 (not good for tickets). If you can use those, it offsets all but about $50. Then you get Delta lounge access (if flying Delta), Centurion lounge access, and a Priority Pass Lounge network access. They also reimburse Precheck or Global Entry fee every 4 years. There's some other stuff but those cover the major points. I get decent value overall. I'm not wasting money but not coming out way, way ahead either. At this point I keep it partly from nostalgia and party because I can get 3 additional Plats for my family for a single $175 fee, which means if we all travel together we're all entitled to lounge access, and more importantly, when my daughters travel alone they access the lounges also. Also, though the extra cards don't get additional Uber, airline or streaming credits, they do each get their own TSA fee credit, which means over 4 years and 4 of us on average that's another $100 credit every year.
As for the Black Centurion card, basically it is 100% prestige. You still cannot apply and have to be invited. It costs thousands every year, plus an even bigger initial entry fee, and the benefits are just slightly better than the Plat, though it's all very opaque. The biggest difference is true concierge service. You need someone to buy a gift for someone else, get concert tickets or an impossible dinner reservation, emergency travel arrangements, or all sorts of stuff like that and they will handle it. You also get some super elite airline and hotel statuses.
I've never seen one in person or - to my knowledge - known anyone who has it. I expect someone, somewhere I know does, but that's just a guess.
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Crossing forums...
2022 Has anyone actually received a Centurion Card invite? - FlyerTalk Forums
American Express | Membership Rewards - 2022 Has anyone actually received a Centurion Card invite? - 2021 Thread Im straded and have a lot of time on my hands.Some DP and personal conclusions: Handful of folks got the Personal and Business Card based on this thread, Reddit, and other boards...
www.flyertalk.com
I skimmed a bit. The data points on the necessary spend I've seen before. What shocked me were the posts who said that the Concierge service on the Centurion is not so much better than on the Platinum, unless you spend significantly over the Centurion median and/or cultivate a relationship with a local team.
Delta and American Express just added a new benefit to all co-branded cards except for the no-fee blue version. Points bookings for cardholders can now be made with a 15% points discount. The relevant card has to be linked to your Delta account and the terms say you have to pay the incidental fee for awards redemptions with that card but there are data points saying that is not necessary.
I just rebooked a Delta Thanksgiving trip for my wife and I to visit UMich to see our girls and The Game™. I booked it with Skymiles a couple of weeks ago. The undiscounted cost in miles went up from 82,000 to 84,000, but with the 15% discount I paid just 71,200 miles. Compared to today's cash price for the same itinerary, I'm getting a point value of $0.0154 per mile. At that valuation, the 10,800 miles I saved would be worth $166.
I have the Amex Delta Gold with a $95 annual fee and this adds considerable value to the card.
I'm deep into the Amex points system and can usually generate enough Amex points transfer to Delta for at least 1-2 round trip itineraries for 2 people every year. With this benefit it's even more valuable.
I just rebooked a Delta Thanksgiving trip for my wife and I to visit UMich to see our girls and The Game™. I booked it with Skymiles a couple of weeks ago. The undiscounted cost in miles went up from 82,000 to 84,000, but with the 15% discount I paid just 71,200 miles. Compared to today's cash price for the same itinerary, I'm getting a point value of $0.0154 per mile. At that valuation, the 10,800 miles I saved would be worth $166.
I have the Amex Delta Gold with a $95 annual fee and this adds considerable value to the card.
I'm deep into the Amex points system and can usually generate enough Amex points transfer to Delta for at least 1-2 round trip itineraries for 2 people every year. With this benefit it's even more valuable.
MatijaSever
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Welcome to the forum! That sounds like a great way to get some rewards points! It's amazing how the world has changed since then, and yet there are still plenty of ways to get rewards points. I'm sure you'll find lots of great tips here on the forum. Welcome!
If you have a Chase Freedom card with rotating 5% categories, starting tomorrow one of the categories is select live entertainment, and both MLS and Ticketmaster are on the list of included vendors. You might consider pre-paying some or all of your STH invoices for 2024, up to the $1,500 max 5% spend.
Don't forget to activate first. Also worth paying a small amount to confirm the 5% works as expected.
Don't forget to activate first. Also worth paying a small amount to confirm the 5% works as expected.
Delta announced a major change in how to get medallion status, a huge devaluation to the Amex Platinum and Amex Delta credit cards, and just a hit to all customers. Really sucks.
www.delta.com
2024 SkyMiles Program Changes | Delta Air Lines
Learn about Delta's 2024 SkyMiles® Program changes including how to earn SkyMiles Medallion Status, Delta Sky Club access, MQD Boost, Rollover MQMs and more.
The Delta and Amex sections of Flyer Talk and Reddit are melting.Delta announced a major change in how to get medallion status, a huge devaluation to the Amex Platinum and Amex Delta credit cards, and just a hit to all customers. Really sucks.
2024 SkyMiles Program Changes | Delta Air Lines
Learn about Delta's 2024 SkyMiles® Program changes including how to earn SkyMiles Medallion Status, Delta Sky Club access, MQD Boost, Rollover MQMs and more.
ETA: I am amazed at the extent to which Delta is devaluing the loyalty of business travelers who fly once a week or more. People with 70 to 120 round trips annually. I've read multiple posts from such people who say they have gone out of their way to fly Delta despite various obstacles but they are now done because there's no longer any benefit to them, their clients, or employers. I get why they reduced club access for people like me who fly 5-10 round trips every year but have the right Amex card. But I thought the heavy duty business traveler was the core business even if they can be somewhat cost sensitive but apparently not.
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Yeah, in terms of medallion status (and they really need to revaluate the benefits if you're spending $35k a year for Diamond Stadium), they are valuing the person that flies 2-4 times a year internationally in business class a lot more than the true frequent flyers that do dozens and dozens of segments a year in main cabin.
I've had Clear for a year or two, the free plan for getting into the stadium (which has worked great!), but just got the regular paid plan. But if you put it on an Amex green card (and one other one, I think platinum) Amex will credit your account for the full amount, and they'll do it each year, not just once. Seems like a pretty good deal. Not points but I thought I'd mention it.
Clear getting into YS is awesome. No wait.
Clear at JFK may even be slower than TSA pre-check. Plus they are changing their requirements and sometimes you need to show ID and boarding pass to the agent which slows things down even more. I loved clear but it’s not what it used to be.