Change in Platinum Card Travel Insurance?

[greenfish]

I wonder if Amex had considered the option of an "upgrade" on the plat card to keep the old travel ins T&C say and extra hundred or so per annum?

It'd be sensible. As it stands, they're about to shed a member who's held an Amex for 20 years... my renewal is about a month away...

 

[lovestotravel]

I wonder if Amex had considered the option of an "upgrade" on the plat card to keep the old travel ins T&C say and extra hundred or so per annum?

That would be a common sense solution, I would be happy to pay $400ish to keep the insurance

 

[sparoz]

Centurion card suits certain type of customers. Someone who travel widely (the free nights for example this year) or have lots of spends (the higher bonus point caps pay for the card) will generally be worth it. If you don't travel around much, or only put through only 10-20k a month, it is probably not going to be justified.

 

[lovestotravel]

It'd be sensible. As it stands, they're about to shed a member who's held an Amex for 20 years... my renewal is about a month away...

I am very undecided....

The only reason I am keeping it is for the heavily discounted international J fares... If I could find another card/travel agent who could so similar deals I'd cancel my Amex

My renewal is in June

 

[aasz1978]

My renewal is in May and my card is an affinity charge card.

I will be moving out to Citibank Citigold Select Visa. $350 (vs $700) and does about the same if not better than the current diluted AMEX TI. Better priority pass, and still cover the whole family TI.

Back to 55 days (vs 44 AMEX charge) and probably don't have to put up with "NO AMEX" nonsense.

The only drawback is AMEX has a very good rewards system, good billing, and exciting programme every now and then. Plus I have been with them for more than a decade now.

Edit: And plus, fee free banking with free overseas ATM withdrawal which will replace the diluted NAB Gold Banking. 2 birds one stone.

 

[wafliron]

My renewal is in May and my card is an affinity charge card.

I will be moving out to Citibank Citigold Select Visa. $350 (vs $700) and does about the same if not better than the current diluted AMEX TI. Better priority pass, and still cover the whole family TI.

Hmm, what is the "Citigold Select Visa"? Regular Select card with half-price annual fee if you use Citigold as well? I Googled it but couldn't find much.

 

[wandersen]

Does it give 1.5 QF FF points per dollar?

 

[wafliron]

Does it give 1.5 QF FF points per dollar?

Are you talking about the Citibank Select card? If so, no. It earns 2 CitiRewards points per $1 spent, with CitiRewards points redeemable for KrisFlyer (3 CR points for 2 KF points), Velocity (3:2) and AsiaMiles (2:1). So effective earn ares are 1.33 KF points, 1.33 Velocity points and 1 AsiaMile per $1 spent.

That being said, Citi currently offer a "Qantas price match" service via their Citi Travel service, which effectively makes the Select card a 2 QFF point per $1 card at the expense of slightly higher surcharges and taxes than booing QF award flights direct with QF. See http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ram/citibank-price-match-guarantee-35663.html for more information about this.

 

[thehound]

I just want to know how you can get a Citi Select Visa for $350. Please reveal aasz1978!

 

[beardoc]

I just want to know how you can get a Citi Select Visa for $350. Please reveal aasz1978!

If you're a Citigold member, then you get the Citi Select Visa for $350/year:

Citigold

 

[wafliron]

If you're a Citigold member, then you get the Citi Select Visa for $350/year:

Citigold

Thanks for that beardoc. I assume you need to maintain a savings / investment balance of more than $100,000 to be a Citigold member - i.e. you can't just transfer $100k into one of their savings accounts, sign up for Citigold, and then move the money back out again?

 

[aasz1978]

Thanks Beardoc.

Yes, you need to become a Citigold Member first in order to get 1/2 price Visa Select. Link is already provided by Beardoc. This means a requirement to hold $100,000 savings/investment. From experience, this balance must be maintained and can be breached for a number of months (not sure how long but they don't rid of your status straight away).

However, my tactic is to consolidate my home loan to them as well. I know this is probably OT, but by moving my mortgage to Citibank and achieving a LVR < 70%, their interest rate which was at the time (2 weeks ago), 6.5% will be discounted 0.2% to 6.3%, the lowest amongst big bank at the time.

I don't have a $100k savings/investment but your super counts as investment. Apparently they can exercise discretionary on whether you can join Citigold if your savings/investment is under $100k (but suggest at least $50-60k) but you have a sizeable mortgage with them.

With Citigold, I then applied for Mortgage Plus. Mortgage Plus gives you a free credit card (which is most likely Platinum) but since I already have Platinum Fee Free for Life, I opted to instead get Visa Select for 1/2 price (or Signature at $280 something, $110 discount from normal $390 - Not shown in website).

So in summary, Citigold + Mortgage Plus = $350 Select plus Citibank Plus Transaction account which is fee free including overseas ATM.

This is the link to Select

Citibank Select Credit Card - Citibank Australia

Wafliron, I did this in conjunction with refinancing my mortgage and go with Offset arrangement. I don't know if this helps you.

 

[wafliron]

<snip>

Wafliron, I did this in conjunction with refinancing my mortgage and go with Offset arrangement. I don't know if this helps you.

Thanks for that aasv1978. Not sure I want to stick $100k in one of their investment products, but will consider the mortgage option next time I'm making some changes in that area.

 

[awilcockson]

Amex Plat Charge card and credit card both cancelled last week. They tried so hard (during the call) to get me to keep the card, but there's no chance with the changes to the travel insurance. They make it pretty painful to get the pro-rata refund of the annual fee, but for the information of anyone else who is cancelling, it IS possible for them to refund via a funds transfer into a nominated bank account.

 

[nlagalle]

Amex Plat Charge card and credit card both cancelled last week. They tried so hard (during the call) to get me to keep the card, but there's no chance with the changes to the travel insurance. They make it pretty painful to get the pro-rata refund of the annual fee, but for the information of anyone else who is cancelling, it IS possible for them to refund via a funds transfer into a nominated bank account.

What did they offer you to stay?? Wondering what will happen for me in November when mine is due..

 

[lovestotravel]

Amex Plat Charge card and credit card both cancelled last week. They tried so hard (during the call) to get me to keep the card, but there's no chance with the changes to the travel insurance. They make it pretty painful to get the pro-rata refund of the annual fee, but for the information of anyone else who is cancelling, it IS possible for them to refund via a funds transfer into a nominated bank account.

Tried hard in terms of telling you the benefits or in terms of annual fee discount ?

 

[Ricardo]

Amex Plat Charge card and credit card both cancelled last week. They tried so hard (during the call) to get me to keep the card, but there's no chance with the changes to the travel insurance. They make it pretty painful to get the pro-rata refund of the annual fee, but for the information of anyone else who is cancelling, it IS possible for them to refund via a funds transfer into a nominated bank account.

I am going to go down this path in June/July so thanks for the insight.

 

[awilcockson]

What did they offer you to stay??

Absolutely nothing, other than repeating the old clap-trap about "all the other benefits that I'd be missing out on". And mentioning that they'd be happy to reinstate my account at any point and that I could keep my "member since" date if I did (like I really care ...)

 

[awilcockson]

I am going to go down this path in June/July so thanks for the insight.

The really stupid thing is that they apply the refund as a credit to the charge card. In my case, the card had a zero balance, so they applied the refund but I had to supposedly wait until the next statement came out before I could ring up and ask them to send me a cheque. I checked online a couple of days later and my card was showing -$525, so I rang them and asked if they could direct deposit the money to my account, which they did.

 

[awilcockson]

Tried hard in terms of telling you the benefits or in terms of annual fee discount ?

See above post. To be honest, even with a significant discount there was no way I would have been keeping the card.