AMEX Platinum Charge Card now 120,000 points!

[mitwg]

IIRC, MH had the best redemption value in J out of all of the transfer partners that Amex had. If they haven't changed it, it should be 51,000 miles one way from SYD-LHR (or back) so you should easily have enough for 2x one ways in J with the 120k alone. Be sure to research availability first before you transfer though.

Another tip is that you can buy MR points in lots of 1000 from Amex if you are after a redemption but short by a few thousand. I've never done this before but the terms & conditions said it was $22 per 1000.

 

[blueythecat]

From my experience the points came through almost immediately after I hit the $1000 spend.

Mine too, they posted the same way. As I said in another thread, if only all credit card bonus offers were like this!


I initially thought this card might be an earn and churn, but the more I use it the more I enjoy it. Can't believe I'm saying this, but it might turn out to be a keeper....

For anyone looking to apply, my initial post application thoughts on the card are here, I think it is even better now. For anyone kind enough to spread the referral love my Referral link is here.

 

[kamchatsky]

This offer has now been extended to February 2016, courtesy of generosity of American Express.

This is THE card to get if you want the flexibility of transfer points to many airline and hotel programs. American Express Membership Rewards is known to be the most flexible and valuable points for airlines and hotels reward programs today.

Even with a high annual fee, it is packed with so many goodies it easily covers the cost of the card. On top of this, American Express is giving you 120000 Membership Rewards points!!

Please see the table below to see the amazing list of benefits, as well as application links for the card:

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 700, align: left"]
[TR]
[TD]Card[/TD]
[TD]American Express Platinum Card[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Annual Fee[/TD]
[TD]$1200[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bonus Points Offer[/TD]
[TD]120000 American Express Membership Rewards Points[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Airline Points Conversion Rate[/TD]
[TD]Transfer to 10 Airline Partners:
Qantas: 1:1
Virgin Australia: 1:1
Singapore Airlines: 1:1
Cathay Pacific 1:1
Etihad 1:1
Malaysia Airlines 1:1
Thai Airways 1:1
Emirates 4:3
Virgin Atlantic 1:1
Air New Zealand 100:1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hotel Points Conversion Rate[/TD]
[TD]Starwood Preferred Guest: 2:1
Hilton HHonors: 1:1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Free Virgin Australia Domestic Flights[/TD]
[TD]Yes (via free Platinum Reserve or Edge Card)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Lounge Access[/TD]
[TD]Unlimited Access to Virgin Australia Lounges
Unlimited Priority Pass lounge access
Unlimited American Express Airport lounge access[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Amex Travel Credit[/TD]
[TD]$200[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hotel Status[/TD]
[TD]AccorPlus Program
Accor Le Club - Platinum
Starwood Preferred Guest - Gold
Club Carlson - Gold
Shangri-La Golden Circle - Jade[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Fine Hotels and Resort Exclusive Privileges[/TD]
[TD]Yes (American Express Luxury Travel Membership Platinum Programme)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Link for Application[/TD]
[TD]APPLY HERE[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[edman]

has anyone who already has an Amex account managed to apply for this and get the bonus points?

 

[kaktusdigital]

has anyone who already has an Amex account managed to apply for this and get the bonus points?

sure have

 

[sighing]

has anyone who already has an Amex account managed to apply for this and get the bonus points?

existing green charge card + new plat charge card = bonus points!

 

[blueythecat]

has anyone who already has an Amex account managed to apply for this and get the bonus points?

Yup. Parents have the Edge and applied, were successful and received the bonus points

 

[Winston1]

Definitely. If you read the 110k velocity thread, you'll read that 99% of existing card holders received their bonus even when told explicitly over the phone that they wouldn't.
You'll be right.

 

[kamchatsky]

Yes definitely. I also got my bonus as well even when I already have an existing Amex card!

 

[edman]

Thanks for all the replies on the bonus when you have an existing Amex account. Sounds positive, I guess if I don't get it I can always cancel the card and get a pro-rata refund.

No use for the unlimited priority pass (have this on Citi Prestige) but Virgin lounge access is useful. Reserve card fee I get credited back at the moment, but this along with $200 travel credit, Accor plus (if it hangs around beyond 2016) makes it pretty reasonable for me.

It looks like the Amex lounge in Sydney is only for "cardmembers" so supplementaries would be ok, and their kids. Would it be reasonable to assume the reserve free access of 2 visits per year would still be valid then? As I was able to use this when travelling with my sister recently.

Does anyone know what the discount on annual fee has been like recently?

 

[mitwg]

Thanks for all the replies on the bonus when you have an existing Amex account. Sounds positive, I guess if I don't get it I can always cancel the card and get a pro-rata refund.

No use for the unlimited priority pass (have this on Citi Prestige) but Virgin lounge access is useful. Reserve card fee I get credited back at the moment, but this along with $200 travel credit, Accor plus (if it hangs around beyond 2016) makes it pretty reasonable for me.

It looks like the Amex lounge in Sydney is only for "cardmembers" so supplementaries would be ok, and their kids. Would it be reasonable to assume the reserve free access of 2 visits per year would still be valid then? As I was able to use this when travelling with my sister recently.

Does anyone know what the discount on annual fee has been like recently?

1. Be careful with the Virgin lounge access. This is on domestic flights only and I had a friend who booked on VA to go to LA, only to realise that he didn't have lounge access

2. If you keep the reserve card, then you should still get 2 visits to the lounge with it. Apart from there being no annual fee, the complementary reserve card is a fully functioning card, just like the standalone version.

3. I've tried fighting for the annual fee discount but this wasn't something that they would ever negotiate, at least in my experience. Instead, they always offer bonus points as an incentive, so it does ease the pain a bit. In terms of bonus points offered, I have been receiving this annually (I call up each year and tell them honestly that I'm reviewing the value of the card as there are other sign up bonuses) and they usually offer anything from 20k to 80k. I think it depends on your spend, along with what the current promo offers are like (e.g. they can't say 20k is much when they are offering 120k to new cardholders).

In terms of value, I do get a lot out of the card, even without counting the promos. In fact, I value the card cost as being:

$1200 Annual fee
Less $200 travel credit (I would've spent this money so this is a no brainer)
Less $400 for the value of the Amex reserve flight ticket (I sell this to my workmates @ cost of the reserve card, $395)

So essentially, I'm paying $600 for the card after 'cash or equivalent rebates'.

I obviously save a lot more than overall through free nights from FHR, Accor free night, Shopsmall etc. but given that these aren't really 'cash' and there is no guarantee that I would have spent the money, I don't include this in the base value calculation. These are more incremental 'benefits'.

 

[edman]

The Virgin lounge access is quite clearly stated as for domestic flights only and I'm fine with that. Overseas travel I only use the Amex lounge when flying to NZ as any longer I will usually travel business class or above and have lounge access anyway.

I use my reserve flight for SYD-ZQN which works well, even at sale rates it covers the discounted membership fee of $295 for me, which I've been getting credited back anyway.

 

[mitwg]

I don't know how this will fly with Amex, but if you are getting the reserve card at a discount and have been getting the annual fee credited, it might actually be worth it for you to try and get the Amex edge card as a companion card to your Amex charge card and keep the reserve card as it is (providing that you can keep getting the annual fee waived).

I haven't done this myself but from what I read in AFF, I heard some people have managed to do this. This way, you get yet another free flight with the edge, along with another card that gives you 3x points on supermarkets + 2x points on fuel.

 

[blueythecat]

I don't know how this will fly with Amex, but if you are getting the reserve card at a discount and have been getting the annual fee credited, it might actually be worth it for you to try and get the Amex edge card as a companion card to your Amex charge card and keep the reserve card as it is (providing that you can keep getting the annual fee waived).

I haven't done this myself but from what I read in AFF, I heard some people have managed to do this. This way, you get yet another free flight with the edge, along with another card that gives you 3x points on supermarkets + 2x points on fuel.

Unfortunately AMEX no longer offer the Edge as a companion of the Plat Charge, only the Reserve is available as a companion (no 3pp$ at supermarkets). I've asked multiple customer service reps this question over the last month and received the same answer every time.

In my opinion it is still a good deal though, REFERRAL HERE if you're interested and a mini-review here if you're interested in my more detailed thoughts on the card.

 

[RooFlyer]

New card arrived today, in its nice platinum box/envelope with homework to read.

Unfortunately, the box was open (cardboard zipper thing open right across). Called AMEX and asked for a new card to be sent - person on phone agreed this was a good idea.

No big drama, I'm just surprised they send out the card in the same shiny platinum box/envelope that says to everybody 'hey, platinum card', rather than in a separate envelope (even though no pin is involved). Not quite as bad as when I got a CBA AMEX card upgraded from Gold to Platinum (no change in number). They 'helpfully' sent it out pre-activated; the equivalent of sending out a couple of $100 bills through the post.

 

[avante]

My referral link
https://qwww316.americanexpress.com/iFormsSecure/un/iforms.do?cuid=emgmMgmee_en_AU&evtsrc=link&evttype=0&tkn=1EEE23E87EE8481DC7591582FDF6C8E95C52160152C2E317E0AB0383671BC652&mgmerSource=mgmerHub&MGMURN=AAAAAxwPEhAfAQ%3D%3D&CPID=999999484

I just got my card this week and thought I’d share a referral link, along with how I came to decide on applying for the card.

I already had the Amex Plat Edge with Engineers Australia and have been using it extensively for groceries and fuel, and the free domestic flight has come in very handy the last few years. I have always felt the Platinum Charge had really good features but couldn’t justify the $900 annual fee. This became more pronounced in the last year or so when the annual fee went up to $1,200.

However, since the referral points were bumped up to 120,000, I decided to have another look and realised that it’s a nice “security card” to have as it comes with a whole bunch of benefits and it’s always a nice feeling to get “free stuff that came with my card”, as irrational as it sounds. Having said that, the card turned out to pay for itself even without the warm fuzzy feeling it invokes, as listed below:

• Free companion Reserve Card which I value at >$400 considering the average fare between Melbourne and Perth / NZ.
• $200 travel voucher through Amex’s Platinum Travel service which can be used towards flights and / or hotels
• Free night’s stay with Accor Plus, which I value at $250
• Unlimited Priority Pass lounge access for yourself and an additional nominated person – full membership fee is USD399 per person so easily worth AUD1,000 all up. For airports with multiple partner lounges, this essentially means you can lounge hop if one is too crowded or is depleted.
• Emergency roadside assistance for your personal vehicle, including towing and alternative transport to your place of residence. Bear in mind that cover is limited to cars less than 8 years old and within determined dimensions (2,000kg; 7m x 3m x 2.2m) so your Range Rover is out of the question. I value this at $100 as this would replace my RACV subscription

The above add up to $1,900 without even including the value of the 120,000 points, but there are other indirect benefits which you would value differently, depending on how often you use them:

• Unlimited Virgin lounge and Amex lounge access.
• Amex statement credits i.e. HICAPS, Shop Small and other incidental participating merchants e.g. Country Road recently offered $50 for spending $150. These credits are applied by Amex and not the merchant, and so can be used in conjunction with other offers / discounts by the merchant
• Amex’s customer service is also second to none – on two occasions, Amex has been declined by the merchant when they were listed as a Shop Small participant, and when I emailed Amex, they applied a credit immediately – no questions asked. They also retrospectively extended the validity of my free annual flight on three separate occasions
• Complimentary enrolment into elite tier of a range of hotel programs and access to Fine Hotels and Resorts, which gives you preferential pricing and benefits such as early check-in, late check-out, free wifi, room upgrades, free breakfast and typically USD 100 credits for on-property spend (per stay)
• Foreign currency spend earns you 2 points per dollar with a 3% surcharge; Citibank’s Signature and Prestige cards earn you 4 and 5 points per dollar respectively, but you get hit with a 3.3% surcharge, and Membership Reward points are arguably worth more than Citibank Reward points
• Emergency home assistance callout fee is covered up to twice a year
• Their Legal Assistance cover also helps you post bail up to $10k should you find yourself in an orange jumpsuit, but this is limited only to charges related to “traffic accident or an administrative complication” as defined in the PDS. You’ll need to pay the bond back though (also I’ve just learnt that you can’t bail yourself out so this service could come in handy).
• Loss Damage Waiver Cover for rental cars up to $125,000 per year, regardless of fault
• Other items covered by insurance include kidnap and hijack cover; extended warranty cover does not invoke an excess, personal liability is the highest I’ve seen for a credit card ($3m) and the payout for the transport accident cover is the amount payable per covered person (CBA and Citibank’s premium credit card insurance only pays a maximum of $1.3m for any event, and this is split across all cardholders – related or otherwise – in that same event)

Some downsides to be aware of:

• With the travel insurance cover, there’s a requirement to have Amex pre-approve medical expenses above $1,500; this isn’t something you want to have to worry about when faced with a medical emergency in a foreign land
• Points earn for everyday spend isn’t great unless you eat out and travel a lot

All up, this looks like a card I’d keep for the foreseeable future. For some, you may find that you’re not necessarily putting a lot of transactions through this card but the features outlined above make it a worthwhile card to have in your wallet.

 

[edman]

• Emergency roadside assistance for your personal vehicle, including towing and alternative transport to your place of residence. Bear in mind that cover is limited to cars less than 8 years old and within determined dimensions (2,000kg; 7m x 3m x 2.2m) so your Range Rover is out of the question. I value this at $100 as this would replace my RACV subscription

completely overlooked this one when considering the card, a good benefit. No good for me because my cars are covered for this by the manufacturer but still a good benefit

• Unlimited Virgin lounge and Amex lounge access – this essentially means you can lounge hop if one is too crowded or is depleted

The Amex lounge in the international terminal, and the Virgin access is specifically for domestic travel only (and only when flying Virgin), unless I've interpreted incorrectly

 

[avante]

completely overlooked this one when considering the card, a good benefit. No good for me because my cars are covered for this by the manufacturer but still a good benefit


The Amex lounge in the international terminal, and the Virgin access is specifically for domestic travel only (and only when flying Virgin), unless I've interpreted incorrectly

Ah you may be right there -my apologies. I will edit my post. Cheers.

 

[avante]

From my experience the points came through almost immediately after I hit the $1000 spend.

UDPATE:
1. Got my card this week and put $500 on it; got 120,000 points the next day, despite declaring that I'm an existing Amex cardholder during application
2. My Plat Reserve application is on its way to me. (Does anyone know if this will invoke another credit check?)

 

[mitwg]

UDPATE:
1. Got my card this week and put $500 on it; got 120,000 points the next day, despite declaring that I'm an existing Amex cardholder during application
2. My Plat Reserve application is on its way to me. (Does anyone know if this will invoke another credit check?)

Yes the reserve will be a separate credit check.

Most people have no issues but I remember there being a post on AFF where one member was approved for the charge and rejected for the reserve. Amex shouldn't let this happen but not everything works to 'logic'.