AMEX Platinum Charge Benefits - Q&A

[appaz]

Transfer bonuses until 31 May just launched:

Bonvoy +50%
Velocity +20%
Hilton +30%

I'm keen to just stockpile Bonvoy points at this rate, the Bonvoy to almost any airline rewards program you can think of really opens up the options. Particularly like Bonvoy to Alaskan Airways

 

[djkelly69]

I'm keen to just stockpile Bonvoy points at this rate, the Bonvoy to almost any airline rewards program you can think of really opens up the options. Particularly like Bonvoy to Alaskan Airways

Sorry for being a bit lazy and not investigating myself, but do you know off hand what the exchange rate is for Ascent Premium > Bonvoy > Alaska?

Edit: couldn't resist looking for myself.

Looks like Ascent Prem > Bonvoy is normally 3:2, so would be 1:1 with this promo. Then Bonvoy to Alaska is 3:1, plus 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points you transfer. So 500k Ascent Prem would be 206,666 (incl 40k bonus) Alaska miles.

Does that sound right?

 

[sudoer]

Sorry for being a bit lazy and not investigating myself, but do you know off hand what the exchange rate is for Ascent Premium > Bonvoy > Alaska?

This short-term transfer trick makes your Amex Membership Rewards points more valuable

Offer alert: transfer your Australian Amex points to American Airlines, Delta, United and more at a respectable rate, via Marriott Bonvoy.

www.pointhacks.com.au

Effectively 60k MR = 25k Mileage Plan points (when transferring in 60k chunks)

 

[appaz]

This short-term transfer trick makes your Amex Membership Rewards points more valuable

Offer alert: transfer your Australian Amex points to American Airlines, Delta, United and more at a respectable rate, via Marriott Bonvoy.

www.pointhacks.com.au

Effectively 60k MR = 25k Mileage Plan points (when transferring in 60k chunks)

Which is a business class return to and from anywhere in Aus (including a stopover) - when you're based in Perth like me, its a good deal imo. Also like the CX award pricing and the new Starlux partnership

 

[foggy]

I'm keen to just stockpile Bonvoy points at this rate, the Bonvoy to almost any airline rewards program you can think of really opens up the options. Particularly like Bonvoy to Alaskan Airways

pardon my ignorance, but what airlines do you book via Alaskan Airways? Is it just Qatar?

 

[appaz]

pardon my ignorance, but what airlines do you book via Alaskan Airways? Is it just Qatar?

QF and CX are good value redemptions. Access to many more but some are not worth the points (SQ for example)

 

[k3nnis]

Thanks. Is bonvoy a good one to transfer to?

 

[appaz]

In my opinion, yes. With award seats harder and harder to find, the ability to send your miles to 20+ programs is great. Transfer Points to Miles

 

[Franko Costa]

Pity the conversion rate is bad. Still nothing beats Au amex to US Amex to Hilton points for hotels. Depends on what you need though

 

[Ecco]

Pity the conversion rate is bad. Still nothing beats Au amex to US Amex to Hilton points for hotels. Depends on what you need though

How do you transfer au amex to us amex? Is that dependent on you being able to get a us amex card?

 

[sudoer]

How do you transfer au amex to us amex? Is that dependent on you being able to get a us amex card?

Yes, you need a US card which earns MR

 

[bobbinbrisco]

Amazon Prime credit added to Plat Charge
View attachment 317794

still enough to cover the increase just announced

 

[sudoer]

A new hotel under Accor just opened recently at Hyde Park, The Porter House Hotel Sydney - MGallery.

Wondering if the Accor dining benefits can be applied there.

Yes, dining benefits available at both F&B outlets:

Henry's Bread & Wine is now on the dining exceptions list...

 

[RealtimeY]

I was denied the discount at Spice Trader upstairs from it a few weeks ago... and now only one of the venues shows on the list?

 

[sudoer]

I was denied the discount at Spice Trader upstairs from it a few weeks ago... and now only one of the venues shows on the list?

If you still have the receipt I would contact Accor Plus and ask how they plan to make it right. Perhaps the equivalent value in ALL points? (nice and easy to calculate with a fixed value per point)

 

[jhy10998]

Henry's Bread & Wine is now on the dining exceptions list...

What... That's sad!

 

[mjs16]

Another question on the interpretation of the eligibility criteria in the travel insurance T&Cs - I've transferred the exact number of points from my Amex required to redeem on KrisFlyer, but it technically doesn't correspond exactly on a FIFO basis as I've earned from flights and Pelago before, so could this disqualify me from the insurance? What sort of information do they actually ask for to verify that the points "correspond"?

View attachment 317840

I called Chubb prior to a recent trip and was advised that both of the following 2 conditions need to be met for points redemption bookings:

1. Verification of a transfer from AMEX MR to the relevant FF program for at least the amount of points covering the redemption, AND

2. Any fees/taxes/airline charges are paid for by the AMEX card.

So based on your KF statement above, so long as you paid for the fees on your AMEX, you should be OK. Seems to make sense, but maybe call Chubb also to confirm.

 

[mjs16]

Recently "upgraded" - applied for a new Platinum Charge card and plan to cancel my Explorer card... Have paid for a trip to Europe with Explorer card. Does anyone know if the Travel insurance will still apply as I will still hold the new Platinum Charge card?

I did the same thing recently but just made sure the Explorer card was still active in case of any issues. There's probably no urgency to cancel until just before it is due for the annual renewal.

 

[M@rcoPolo]

1. Verification of a transfer from AMEX MR to the relevant FF program for at least the amount of points covering the redemption

This is BS - nowhere in the T&Cs mentions the transfer requirement

 

[muppet]

This is BS - nowhere in the T&Cs mentions the transfer requirement

Agreed. But are you willing to risk it? I’m certainly not - if you’ve just stumped up $100k for a two day stay in a US hospital, how will you have the money and energy to fight the insurance company?

As I’ve said previously, this wording in the PDS has rendered Amex insurance worthless for most of my international travel as I’m too risk averse.